Epilogue

Cross My Heart

Lacey silently packed her few belongings into a box and dusted off her desk. The window was open and the summer breeze was blowing away all the dust. The girls' dormitories were filled with bustle and energy. Everybody was getting ready for summer break, either packing up and going home for a couple months or moving out indefinitely.

Lacey was packing up and getting out of there as soon as possible.

After the disastrous end to her friendship with Vanessa, Lacey couldn't stand to be around any longer.

Vanessa sat on the bed staring daggers at Lacey and she tried her best to ignore her while she finished packing.

Lacey made a small attempt at breaking the tension several times over the past couple of days and it proved to be useless. Lacey wanted to move out as soon as possible. On the same token she found herself wanting to take blame but she realized it wasn't her place to fix it. Their friendship had been broken from the start.

Lacey glanced at Vanessa and back to her radio. "Remember when we used to stay up all night with the radio?" She glanced at Vanessa with a small smile, "We listened to the late night shows and wondered if anyone else was listening like we were."

Vanessa didn't bother to comment but finally stopped staring and her eyes were downcast and her hair hid her face.

Lacey continued despite Vanessa's silence, "It made us, I mean me." She corrected herself, "Feel like I was connected to the rest of the city. It was one of the first times we really bonded and I told you why I wanted to be in EAT so badly." She glanced back at the radio and fiddled with some of the tuning wheels.

Her face scrunched with bitterness, "Then you decided to use my words and my feelings against me in every argument after that. Always making me feel vulnerable and exposed." Her hand fell away from the radio. "As if I had no right to feel that way in the first place because I was too naïve, according to you." She shot a glare at her former roommate.

Vanessa looked up sharply, glaring again at Lacey.

"Made me feel I needed to depend on you and I felt," Lacey took a deep breath before continuing, "Like I would drown if I didn't have you."

Vanessa hugged her knees and her features softened with sadness.

"Here we are now though." Lacey said. "I know enough now to stop apologizing and to stop being your friend."

Lacey waited a few moments and turned back to packing. She put away the radio and folded the last of her clothing. She started carting it out the door and down to Peter's car.

When she finally came back up for the final box of books Vanessa said, "Goodbye, Lacey."

Lacey opened her mouth to say something else but stopped herself and settled on, "Goodbye, Vanessa." She turned out the door and hurried down the stairs with the final box.

She brushed by Kim and she tugged on her arm on the way down. "Heard what happened."

"Yeah?" Lacey replied.

"Everything seems like a mess right now but," Kim struggled to find the right words, "I'll see you in class." She finished and dashed up the stairs hiding her red face.

Lacey paused curiously and took in the last of the dormitory; she walked out the door into the warm sun and open space. She felt the weight lift almost instantly from her chest.

Henry and Peter watched her come down the drive way and deliver the final box into the trunk.

"How are you holding up?" Henry asked.

"Better. Much better than I thought I would feel right now." She said honestly, patting her chest.

Peter was already in the drivers seat and said, "Good. I'm shocked actually."

Lacey climbed into the back of the car and Henry climbed into the passenger seat. She leaned forward on the seats and asked, "Why are you shocked?"

Peter shrugged, "She had her hooks into you so deep that even if we were to tell you what was happening you wouldn't believe us." He adjusted the rearview mirror; "I thought you would have followed her around for the rest of your life."

Lacey leaned back into her seat and admitted, "I would have but I wasn't going to be the quiet and complacent girl she needed me to be."

"I'm way more than that." Lacey stated making eye contact in the mirror.

Henry and Peter replied, "Good."

"You've already proven that to us, Lace." Henry said with a smile.

Peter laughed, "The only trick will be to convince everybody else that."

Peter began to drive away and entered traffic. Lacey stole one more look out the back window and turned back to her partners making a promise, "I will turn the both of you into death scythes and nothing will stop me."

She cracked a huge grin; "I swear it on my soul!"

-Two Halves End-