Wait, what? Me and Eminem?! (An Eminem Fan-Fiction) *Completed*

Chapter Forty

Holy shit, guys, it's the fortieth chapter already. I honestly had no idea I would come this far with my story and I am so, so, so pleased with everything my fans do for me. <3 I also want to apologize if I haven't gotten a chance to thank you for a comment or a fan; I've been beyond busy lately. On the side is another lovely song, a lovely GIF, and at the end is a lovely author's note. I like this chapter, so go ahead and get reading(:

---

Marshall left Sunday evening, a while after the reasonable time he should have left to be with the girls. Shortly after, he called me and the girls persistently asked to speak to me reassuringly. Whitney had a wise, yet broad and innocent concept of death, and the way she offered her sympathy to me was amusing and deeply valuable. Hailie and Alaina, who both were familiar with death well, mourned my loss and promised me their prayers. Even Nate, who was present in the household then, took the phone for a few minutes to urge me gently that everything would be alright. I appreciated all their efforts so much; and I truly wish I could have really expressed it when I had the chance, now that I look back. But all I could do then was smile weakly and mumble through the telephone to thank them sullenly. After the phone had been passed around, Marshall took it and we spoke a while longer until Whitney's bedtime came up. He disconnected the call, vowing to contact me soon, and I found some cereal for dinner in the time I had before Luna dialed my number and wanted to see how I was doing.

I was tired of talking when Luna and I eventually hung up the lines, but before I could crawl into bed, retiring for Sunday night, doing my best to prepare myself for a hectic Monday, again my phone buzzed.

"Hello?" I murmured through it.

"Adrienne? Is that you?" a voice that had been unheard by my ears for a long while piped up on the other end. It was no one other than Dev.

"Yeah." I was stunned he had contacted me after our small but significant fallout, and I was unsure whether to be pleasantly surprised or menacingly defensive.

"You sound...different."

"I've been told."

"I'm sorry, that was rude," he hurriedly apologized after taking notice of my icy solemn tone. "Um. Well, I called because...because Luna told me what happened with your...your mom. Don't get mad at her or nothin', she thought we should start talkin' again. She thought you could use the support."

"Luna told you?" It took a minute for that to seep in. "Who else did she tell?"

"No one," he responded. "It's cool. I can keep this quiet."

"Alright." Although seeming nonchalant, I was contemplating whether or not to be upset with Luna, when she knew the challenges I had been attempting to overcome recently.

"But a friend of mine told me they saw you leaving your house, middle of the night, a few nights ago. He told me, 'cause he recognized you, but I figured you had shit to do...I-I had no idea what you was going through," he explained sheepishly.

"It's okay, Devon."

"You're using my full name?" he asked in a blurted manner, almost as stunned as I had been when I realized the caller was him. This may have signaled to him exactly how much distance had been placed between us as a result of rash behavior.

"You used mine, didn't you?" I softly reminded.

A reluctant silence. "Right."

"I don't mean to be rude, but what's the point of this call?" As much as I longed for him back as a friend, I knew that him and Marshall were dangerous mixtures, and while I cared deeply for the two of them, as wrong as it seemed to desert a friend, Marshall seemed much more likely to wholeheartedly volunteer in times of need for me. Despite Dev's affection for me, Marshall was more someone I trusted, unfortunately a decision that had been affected by Dev's actions.