

Happy Birthday, BoysHappy birthday to me, happy birthday to meeeee happy birthday dear Geraaaard happy birthday to me, the man with the long, dark hair sang softly to himself, folding his arms tightly across his chest. The brisk April wind swirled around his lonely park bench, cutting straight through his black trench coat.Happy Birthday, Boys
And what a lovely birthday it is, too, he muttered, taking a swig of the mysterious bottle ensconced in a paper bag that he gripped in one hand.
Happy birthday.
A soft voice startled him, and he looked up from his bottle to the boy sitting on the bench besid


Bird's EyeUgh. Church. Fun.Bird's Eye
Pete scowls and rolls his eyes in typical teenager fashion as he files into the pew behind his mother, stepfather, and brother. This is what happens when he stays at his moms for Christmas; more family, more presents, and church.
Somehow, hes not quite sure the presents make up for the church part.
Settling himself onto the thin cushion that barely keeps the hard wooden pew from flattening his skinny teenage ass, Pete reflects that it could be a lot worse. He could have to do this every Sunday as opposed to twice a year.
The thought doesnt cheer him


RIFR Ch. 5Fucking little smartass, Pete muttered under his breath, slamming the door of the station behind him.RIFR Ch. 5
Whats the matter, Inspector?
Pete turned to see Ruby, the stations librarian, secretary, receptionist, PR lady, and resident know-it-all staring at him curiously through battered blue framed glasses.
None of your business, Pete spat. Just get me everything you can find on Patrick Stump.
Okay, then, chief, Ruby snorted, turning to the ancient computer monitor squatting on her crowded desk. Ill get you all the
Originality...
Not All Jokes Are Funny

RIFR Ch. 4412 King StreetRIFR Ch. 4
Pete pushed open the apartments front door, a thick piece of wood painted bright blue. Breath coming a bit heavily from the long trek up the stairs to the ninth-floor walk-up, Pete peered through the dark doorway into the apartment. A gust of wind blew out and whirled around him, chilling him to the bone, before it whooshed down the stairs.
M-Murphy? Pete called out weakly, teeth chattering as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Yeah? the reply floated back to him from inside, cloaked heavily in a Brooklyn accent worn out by cigars and cold weather.


Bad Actors With Bad HabitsAnd then, there was a door.Bad Actors With Bad Habits
It comes from nowhere, lurching up out of the thick fog in Petes mind like the Loch Ness monster rising up from the murky depths of its loch.
After staring at this door for a few minutes-or were they seconds? Its hard to tell-Pete thinks that maybe he should try for opening it. The air is chilly against his skin, and the faint voice of his common sense, locked away in a far chamber of his brain, tells him that the dark parking lot at three in the morning is not a good place to hang out.
A few more minute-seconds of fumbling with the handle of the door, and Pete re


Embarrassing Fall Out BoyAnother day, another show, Pete muttered to himself as he clipped his body mic on. This gets monotonous after a while Embarrassing Fall Out Boy
What? Patrick asked blankly, pausing his music and popping out one iPod earbud.
Huh? Pete grunted, glancing up at the angel-faced singer cocking his head at him curiously. An evil grin spread over Petes face as an idea bloomed in his head. Maybe this show wouldnt be so monotonous after all
Whats up? Patrick asked, his forehead creasing slightly. Youve got that evil look on again you


April Fool's Day BluesThey say winter blues can get you down Theyve never said a truer thing But what do they recommend I do If my blues only come in spring?April Fool's Day Blues
Springs the time for lovers So of course Im alone The empty thats inside my head Would chill you to the bone
Ive got lines engraved in my fingertips From playing this old blues song And Im tired of playing a losing streak Thats been a lifetime long
January is over February is past Winters almost gone now And I dont know if I


RIFR Ch. 3Freezing Conditions Make Travel DifficultRIFR Ch. 3
Patrick practically fell into his tiny cubicle at the office, all his extremities totally numb from the cold outside. With fumbling fingers, he undid the buttons on his coat and hung it on the corner of his little cubicle wall, where the dark spots of sleet on the black wool would hopefully dry out.
That done, he ventured out of his cubicle and down the hallway to the coffee cart for his second caffeine shot of the day. He gripped the thin paper cup holding his coffee for a few seconds before taking a sip in the hopes of thawing out his semi frozen fingers. Taking a long swal


Red is for Remembrance Ch. 2Elsewhere in the cityRed is for Remembrance Ch. 2
Morning, Pete, a voice called out to a short, black-haired man as he shouldered the door of the station open.
Hmph, Pete grunted, trying to clear away the residue of last nights sleep and the pills hed had to take to achieve it.
Glad to see youre awake.
The voice was familiar to Pete; its tone was warm and amused, and it carried a faint lisp. Still, it took him several seconds to unfog his brain and recognize the tall, curly-haired man standing in front of him.
Oh, hi, Joe, Pete said


Red is for Remembrance Ch. 1Breaking News: Overworked New Hire Too Tired To Get Out Of BedRed is for Remembrance Ch. 1
He yawned and stretched as the headline, a jumble of words in three-inch-high letters, cleared from his head like the cobwebs of his sleep. It really was true; he was so, so damn tired. Too many late hours at the office were taking their toll; he could barely keep himself going during the day without forcing his caffeine levels dangerously high. The fact that he was this tired before hed even moved did not bode well for the rest of the day.
Mustering all his energy, he untangled himself from his twisted sheets and tumbled out of bed and into


PTDOTP EpiloguePetes POVPTDOTP Epilogue
I awoke to sun streaming in through the window. Holy shit. Its sunny again.
Yawning so widely I thought my face would break, I sat up and glanced to my side. There was Patrick, curled up in a tiny ball under the sheets like a little kid. My yawn was replaced by a smile as I watched his peaceful slumber.
I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. Four oclock. My mom would probably be back by four thirty. I had to get out of the house before then.
Hating myself for what I had to do, I reached over and shook Patrick gently. He groaned gently and rolled over, buryi


We're So StarvingBack to the street where we beganWe're So Starving
Yo, dude, wouldnt it be awesome if we could meet them?
Huh? I looked up from my sketchbook to see Echo staring absently at the posters plastered all over her bedroom wall.
Panic at the Disco and Fall Out Boy, she said impatiently, waving at the posters.
What about them? I yawned, snapping my sketchbook shut.
We need to meet them, she said firmly.
Need? I repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Yeah, she nodded.
Good
Cocaine and Feathers

PTDOTP Chapter 23I froze, my mind utterly blank. A sudden dizziness passed through me, and my knees buckled. I faintly heard Patrick calling my name as I stumbled backwards and crumpled to the floor. All outside noise was quickly blocked out by an all-consuming memory that filled my head.PTDOTP Chapter 23
A cold shudder runs through me as I realize where I am: back in the dull half-light of my cell. Patrick stands in front of me, looking terrible; skin pale, eyes tearing up, blood trickling from his lips and neck. Horrified, I realize that I am the one who did this to him. I want to kill myself for hurting him, but I can only watch helplessly as my own hands reac


Are You Afraid of the Dark?Another one of those nights blanketed the world: one of those still, cloudy nights that brought with it a heavy darkness that blotted out everything but the faint synthetic glow of a streetlight filtering through my window. Chuckling cruelly to itself, another sleepless night stared me in the face. Tossing and turning, trying to force myself into slumber, I squeezed my eyes shut. But moments later, they flew open again when the streetlight flickered out, leaving the room blacker than the murky depths of the sea. I swallowed hard; I couldnt remember leaving the closet door open like that. Lurking in the gloom of my closet, a dark shape wAre You Afraid of the Dark?


PTDOTP Chapter 22Petes POVPTDOTP Chapter 22
Peter!
I raised my head up off the back of the couch. Whaaat? I asked loudly, miffed that my mother had interrupted my very important pastime of staring blankly at the ceiling.
Im going to the grocery store!
Thats great, mom, I said dully, letting my head flop backwards again.
Do you need anything, honey? Her voice, as faint from downstairs as it was, was tinged with concern.
Nooo, I called, making an effort to sound vaguely alive.
Okay, Peter,
1: Introduction

PTDOTP Chapter 21Out in the hallway, I was met by a very odd sight. Every door on the hall was open, the inhabitants standing in the doorway. Their gazes bored into me as I took a few hesitant steps down the hall.PTDOTP Chapter 21
I hunched my shoulders as I quickened my pace, the force of multiple stares making all the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. As I progressed down the suddenly endless hallway, I saw that every single person in my dorm block had stepped out of their room to watch me leave.
It was impossible to tell if their stares were sympathetic or not; every face in that corridor was blank as a wall. The only sound in the whole plac