Fractures

Beep beep beep. Her arm reached out and slammed down on the alarm clock snooze. Beep beep beep. Ah. The phone. Dana answered it as cheerfully as she can, considering it was seven in the morning and she had yet to have any form of coffee in her system.

“What on earth could you possibly want that couldn't wait an hour?”

“Good morning to you too, Sunshine. I wanted you to know that I was going to Addison's later, but I probably will be late.” Greg's voice crackled through the phone lines as Dana sat up in shock. He had been avoiding her for the last month, but now he was calling when he could have very easily called someone else instead?

“Uh. Okay. Why don't you call Addy then?” She was confused, that much was obvious.

“Like she's awake.” Greg scoffed. “I figured you would be the only one who is up and not doing things.” Dana choked back a snort. Her? Awake before noon? Yeah right. It was a Saturday morning after all, she had no reason to be.

“Well I guess I'll see you later then.” They hung up the phone and all thoughts of sleeping left Dana as she called her close friend Sam to fill her in. However in her rush to tell someone what had occurred early that morning, it had escaped her that Sam didn't know Greg, or what had happened in the past few months. Dana sighed. Now she has to explain it...again. But Sam had been a great friend recently and she deserved to know. Then again...no one said she had to know everything. Before she could change her mind, Dana gave Sam the abridged version of this summer. Dana and Greg had been best friends -siblings- but Greg got this girlfriend and now he wasn't talking to Dana at all and rarely talked to any of the other girls in the group. Add in a random phone call when he knew she wouldn't be awake...Dana and Sam were both stumped for answers.

“Oh my god, he's alive!” Kate screeched as she ran up to Greg and hugged him. A murmur of chuckles rang through the crowd at Kate's overreaction. It was true, Greg had been MIA for so long, most of their close-knit group had convinced themselves that he was dead. Dana sat silently, noticing the changes in her long time friend. His hair was just a bit shorter, and replacing his infamous black cutoff shorts, there was a pair of new khaki shorts. Instead of a ratty old tee, Greg sported a polo from A&F, a store he swore off long before. His acne was fading, and on his face a mask of happiness surrounded blank grey eyes. This was not the Greg that Dana knew so well, this was the Greg dating the mysterious Jen. A nod was exchanged between the two, spurring confused glances with their friends. The pair, once dubbed The Infamous for all the trouble they got into, had been known to greet each other with no less then a hug or three. Kate, being the only one to know all of what happened with the two diffused the silence with a soccer ball thrown into the air, causing a challenge between Greg and their friend Rachel. For the last 2 years they had never gone a party without a soccer match. It was tradition.

“Dana sweetheart, let's go for a walk.” Kate pulled her out of her slumped stance and down the block before anyone had time to protest or tag along. “So. How are you?” She asked. Kate knew Dana well enough to know that she wouldn't say anything without plenty of prodding. After the first few 'fine''s Kate rolled her eyes, “Dana, really, I know what happened. Don't tell me everything's fine and nothing is the matter. I know you. I know him. TALK.”

“Why me?! Out of all of us, why me?! Why am I the one he won't talk to? What did I do? Its not like he doesn't have time to talk to me! He can talk to the rest of you! God!” Dana half-yelled. She bit her lip, trying to get her face into her normal mask of happiness. It wasn't working. Kate put a solacing arm around her and they arrived at the party again in silence. Dana left early, choosing to walk home rather than wait for a ride.

Two Weeks Later, September

Dana sat on the corner of Sienna and Walnut, waiting for her bus to come and tapping her feet to her headphones. Her town has having The Fest this weekend, and if you weren't there, it was tragic. There was food, rides, games, an art show. The typical fair, yes, but in a town where you couldn't do anything without a car or cash, it was big. The buses picked you up, the teens hung out by the lake until the fireworks ended at nine thirty, and if you were lucky you could get on the first bus out and be home by 10:15. Three solid days of friends and food sounded pretty good to Dana, who had yet to speak to Greg. After arriving to the place where her group met up, she was told that he was coming, and not only that! He was bringing her. Dana kept her smile on her face, and ran off with Kate as soon as she could. The two had spent the previous night together, as Dana's dad had finally gave his permission to dye her hair. Only a few shades darker than her original pale brown, everyone agreed that she looked like a natural with it. Coming back with a large Coke in hand and feeling like she could take on the world, Dana plopped down in the center of her group. They were all gossiping, never having met this Jen girl before, and waiting for the arrival of Greg. Finally, what seemed like hours later, they came. Greg sat down next to Dana, and the first thing he had said to her in months could not have sounded more out of place.

“What the hell did you do to your hair?” Dana shrugged in response to this not-quite question. Kate, ever the gossip, recounted the story of the night before to a half-listening Greg. Jen was standing a few feet away, not in the group, not paying attention to them at all. She instead glanced through the surrounding teens as though she was looking for someone better than the mismatched group at her feet. As Kate finished her story, Greg and Dana simultaneously stood up and walked off in opposite directions. Jen had summoned him off, on the pretense of picking up some friends. Dana sprawled next to Elizabeth, who had been in love with Greg since she had met him. Elizabeth had always been sheltered, by both her overprotective parents and her group of friends. They had tried to avoid any topic of Greg's love life, as everyone knew that there would never be more than friendship between the two. Elizabeth had said so herself on many occasions, but she was such a soft spoken, sweet hearted girl, that no one had the guts to hurt her. Dana threw an arm around her shoulders and talked animatedly about a story she was reading. Elizabeth seemed slightly cheered up by this, at the very least it distracted her from the overly-affectionate couple. About an hour later, Dana had had enough. It was hot, she was grumpy, and that is just not a good combination. Promising to be back for the fireworks, she got on the bus and waited for her stop. But that would just be too easy for the brunette, and a few stops before hers, Greg, Jen, and a few people she vaguely recognized got on the bus a little ahead of her. She ducked down in her seat, praying they wouldn't notice her. The coast was clear, until she had to get off the bus. She tried keeping her head down, but Greg knew her too well. He reached around Jen to tap her on the shoulder, Dana gave him a fleeting glance before hightailing it off the bus and half-running the few blocks to her home. Through her tear glazed eyes she saw the smile on his face, proving once and for all that he was happier with Jen then he would have been with her.

As she raced to her bedroom and into her pajamas she relived all that had happened that summer, and not just the shortened version she had given Sam. All of it. The midnight meetings, both of them running from nightmarish homes. Their own spot. IM's exchanged for hours on end, each day. The familial feeling the two had shared, until one night where Greg spoke of feelings he had that were not so familial. The Infamous still lived, through all of this. Until Jen. There was a week of quiet, where Greg hadn't been around so much.

Then one quiet summer night, Greg told Dana about his new girlfriend, who by his own description nothing better than a cheating whore. The two had always spoken freely in the past, but when Dana tried to point out Jen's flaws, Greg got defensive and the two truly fought for the first time. Names were called, insults thrown, lines crossed. Dana cried over Greg, for the first, but not last time.

They had not spoken for two days, and when Dana left for a long planned 'family' vacation, they were still fighting. Two weeks later, Dana came back hoping that everything had cooled down and the two could go back to the way things were before. In the Innocent Days. But even after she got back, Greg didn't call. E-mails were left read, but unresponded to. A month later they talked for the first time, and their conversation scared Dana. After the initial Hello's there was nothing. No flow. Left shaking, Dana cried for him a second time.

Dana was snapped back into reality when the doorbell rang, showing Kate waiting to pick up her things from the night before. She ran to the basement and retrieved them, and on the way out Kate reminded Dana her promise to see the fireworks that night. Dana sighed, and agreed to show up fully dressed and ready for fun. Her dad had given her 80 dollars for the weekend, and she intended to spend every cent. What better way to spend a weekend when you're terrified than with crappy food and badly assembled rides?

October

Three in the morning had always been their time, it was expected in both their homes to wake and find them clacking away on the computer, gossiping, telling stories, and cheering each other up. Even so, when Dana saw his Instant Message box pop up, she was shocked.

Greg: Dana, hey.

Dana: Hey. Wat's up?

Greg: ntm, u?

Dana:im fine.

Greg: good.

Dana: yeah.

The silence killed her, but she had long ago run out of things to talk about with her friend.

Greg: u ok? I read ur bulletin.

Dana squinted, then remember the long ranting bulletin she had posted on Myspace about him. Not that she mentioned his name. It was “her brother” or “half-ass friends”. Any of her friends would know it was for him, entirely for him, but he would think it was not.

Dana: idk. I think so. Happy, for the most part.

Greg: then wat was it abt?

Dana: just...family stuff. friends bein stupid, u kno.

Greg: kk. N e thing i can help w/?

Dana: nah. I'm prolly just being silly.

Greg: lol. k. ur bro being an ass again?

Dana stared at that last line, not believing he was stupid enough to believe that it was her blood-brother and not him causing her such heartbreak. A part of her was happy they were talking, but there was a large part of her that needed to scream at him for being so stupid.

Dana:the usual

Greg: lol. ill beat him up, if u want.

Dana: haha, no thnkx.

Greg has signed off at 3:28:06 AM.

Dana slumped back into her chair, and for a third time, she cried for a brother now lost. Someone she feared she would never get back.

In October the cute boy she went to Homecoming with asked her out.

In October she said yes.

In October she told Greg.

In October he didn't react.

In September he slept with Jen.

In October Kate told her.

In November she stopped calling him her brother.

In November she did not talk to him once.

In December she did not talk to him once.

In late December she made a Resolution to stop caring.

In January, she will need him.

In January, he will not be there.

In February, on the day they kept for themselves, he will ignore her.

Because in May, the Infamous was fractured.

And now they have broken apart.

Finite. It's over. Everything's over. And all I need to do right now is curl up and sleep.

Review for me, please?

Sweets555

But you can call me Dana.