A/N: FINALLY I UPDATED EVEN THAT KILLED ME A LITTLE HAVE TO SAY. Well everyone this is a short chapter but I may update again this weekend but thats not a promise so dont hold me to that! This actually turned into my favorite chapter so far and I didn't know if it was going to work or not but it just flowed so smoothly. So here ya go! Maddy I know you asked about it so here ya go ;) actually was planning to update it today or tomorrow!
Have fun and enjoy reading!
Amy woke up in her bed and stretched; she groaned as she felt all of her stiff muscles tighten and then release as she relaxed. Slowly opening up her eyes she looked at the plain white ceiling that lay before her. Thinking of everything that happened in roughly twenty four hours she couldn't help but smile. She had finally gotten her friends back and now they were asking her to come with them.
Sighing Amy rolled over all the ideas and scenarios in her mind. If she went with them…well who knows what would happen with those three but at least they would have each other. Now if she stayed on the other hand she knew what would happen; her life would be repetitive and boring always in constant danger in this neighbourhood and having no meaning.
Sighing she rolled out of her bed and sat up. Standing she walked to her bathroom, looking at the same razor blade she grabbed it and threw it into the trashcan on the side. It was time for a new start in her life and it all began with that. Smiling she took a nice warm shower, the water wasn't scalding hot or ice cold freezing, it felt perfect. Usually for the last year she had taken showers that were one or the other extreme, either she felt dirty or numb when she got home. Now though, she could feel a new life bursting inside of her chest and a happiness that she hadn't felt in months.
Walking out all fresh and in clean clothes she made herself blueberry pancakes and had to smile as all the memories tied with pancakes evoked in her. Sitting down she began to eat as she watched a soap opera that she used to love. It still brought her some enjoyment which showed her some things never really did change in the end.
Rinsing her plate off she heard a slight shuffling come from behind her; turning around she looked directly at Gabe, Jazz and Lance standing there in the middle of her apartment.
Gabe looked fresh and rejuvenated, Jazz was her same bouncing self, her hair was all bouncy and raven sleek. Lance stood there and Amy had to smirk as she saw his curls done back in a mini ponytail and his blue eyes dancing. Amy smiled brightly at all of them.
Gabe beamed back at her, "Can I take it that that is a good sign?" he asked her in a teasing voice.
Amy shrugged and walked closer to them. Sure she was still slightly steamed by everything that had happened, but hopefully in time she would forgive everything that had come to pass.
"Are you coming with us Aim?" asked Jazz in a plainly whiny voice.
Amy could hear the slight tremble in her friend's voice as if she were afraid that Amy would say no to her. Amy smiled brightly at her.
"I am Jazz," she told them all happily.
Jazz let out a tremendous squeal and completely attacked her with a huge hug. They almost fell over if she hadn't smacked into the table behind her. Jazz peppered her face with small kisses and squeezed her tightly as if she was afraid to let go and lose her again.
"Yay! Oh my gods Amy wait till you see what we have planned for you and what we want to show you!" Jazz squealed in happiness, "you're going to absolutely love it!"
Amy couldn't help but laugh at her friend's over eagerness and lightly untangled her hands from around her. Lance and Gabe still stood in the center watching the two good friends have a proper reunion for the first time in a year.
"So you ready to go now Amy?" asked Lance.
Amy bit her lip and scuffed her toe on the floor, "Not exactly yet guys; I have something that I have to do yet before we can leave."
Gabe tilted his head to the side and frowned, "What would that be Amy?"
Amy shrugged and she blushed slightly in embarrassment, "I have to say good bye."
The three of them looked at each other in confusion. Amy could see that none of them understood what she meant and so she sighed as she realized that she had to elaborate for them.
"My friends at the restaurant guys," Amy said so that she could jog their memories.
Amy looked at all of their reactions as she watched it register in their brains. Lance and Gabe looked away in slight embarrassment and Jazz let out a silent 'ohh' as she realized what she had been talking about. Seeing their reactions Amy rolled her eyes and smacked her forehead.
"You guys all didn't honestly believe that I would just up and leave and not even say bye do you?" she asked them disbelievingly as she snorted in laughter.
"Of course not!" Jazz remarked hotly after she said that, "maybe these two nimrods forgot Amy but I never would forget!"
Jazz proudly remarked all of that as she thumped on her chest like a gorilla. Lance rolled his eyes at this.
"So she can remember that but she sometimes puts her shirt on inside out and leaves the house with it like that," Lance mumbled into Gabe's ear as the trickster snorted in laughter at that.
Jazz whirled around and gave Lance a narrow eyed stare, "It was once! And I'll let you all know it won't ever happen again!"
"Ok you guys can argue about this later but can we get going now so that we can leave as soon as possible?" Amy asked as she hooked her finger at the door.
Gabe nodded. "Yeah let's go, I'll take care of transportation."
Before they could leave Amy suddenly realized something. Stopping Gabe she frowned at him.
"Gabe what exactly happened to those two creeps the other day? Where did you send them?" she asked curiously.
Jazz and Lance snorted in laughter at this question and Gabe winked at her.
"Let's just say they'll never look at animals the same way again," Gabe said to her slyly.
Lance really snorted in laughter as Jazz held on to her stomach and started to kill herself laughing. Amy glanced around at them all confused.
"What am I missing?" she asked them all confused.
Lance wiped a tear from his eye, "Well Gabe knew this clearing where a bunch of furries get together," Lance began to explain but cut off as he began to laugh.
Amy frowned in confusion, "Furry? What's a furry?"
"Well it's when people-"Jazz began but Gabe quickly cut her off.
"Ok! No more for Amy we don't want to damage her for life! Time and place people, time and place!" Gabe exclaimed to the room at large.
Before Amy could even remark at that she heard a snap of fingers and they all disappeared from her apartment and reappeared in front of her work.
Amy clutched her stomach as she felt it heave slightly from the vertigo that tipped her balance. Gabe grabbed onto her steadying her until she regained herself then allowed her to pull away hesitantly. Jazz looked dizzy as well and Lance appeared to shrug it off as if it were nothing.
"I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to that," Jazz murmured out between a burp that made her freeze for a second.
"You and me both girl," she remarked slightly green in the face.
Gabe snorted at this, "Well then I feel really bad for you two right now after were done here and have to get to our next destination."
Amy could feel her eyes become wide at this, "Where are we going?"
Gabe only gave her a wink and a smirk, "Ahh ahh ahh Amy you're going to have to say your good byes before that gets revealed."
Amy managed to roll her eyes then turned to face her life for the last year or so. Knowing now that she was about to leave it all behind for good and most likely never see it in her life time again made her somewhat upset. She never expected that kind of emotion to be dragged from herself but yet she couldn't deny what was going through her at that moment. Taking a deep breath she walked up to the door, with Jazz and the others following close behind, and opened the door smiling at the tingle of the bell as it chimed in the diner.
It was mostly deserted at this hour. Only a few stragglers took up some of the booths and their sole attention was focused on the TV mounted in the corner of the room. Taking in the room at large she saw one of the people that she knew she had to talk to; placing a bright smile on her face she walked over to the same booth that she had walked towards for the last year of her life, the same exact one that always invoked a smile on her face no matter what her day had been like prior.
Taro looked up as she slid into the booth on the opposite side of him. He gave her a gentle smile, folded his paper and placed it on the side, as he then laced his fingers together on top of the table in front of him. His eyes twinkled as he studied her and Amy couldn't help but shift herself awkwardly in the seat.
A sudden thought struck her as she gazed back at him, 'He knows,' she thought suddenly.
"You know," Amy murmured this time out loud yet quietly.
Taro merely inclined his head, "I don't know anything young one; just that you intend to say good bye today and most likely this will be the final time me and you ever talk again."
She could feel tears well up in her eyes but blinked them away and took a deep breath.
"How did you know?"
Taro smiled gently at her and shrugged his shoulders, "Call it an old man's intuition. Aim I just knew when you slid in that booth that you were about to say good bye; besides I've been waiting for you to tell me that for a year now."
Amy raised her eyebrows at this, "You have?"
Taro nodded, "I have," he replied solemnly.
"Amy this place isn't for you," he continued quietly after a while, "your place is out in the world again fighting tooth and nail with friends that will support you. You deserve to find love and happiness not be in this hell hole and be content with it."
Reaching over he clasped her hands in the pair of his own and gazed deeply into her eyes. She could feel herself shudder at the in-depth look the two of them shared almost as if he were peering into her soul.
"I want what's best for you Amy and I don't want you to settle for anything less than that. You deserve so much so please follow your heart wherever it leads you."
Amy felt as if she was about to break down right there in the middle of the diner. She felt like she had a golf ball lodged in her throat and her eyes felt as if they had been burned by onions.
Nodding her head determinedly she clenched down on his own hands tightly and bit her lip. Looking up at him she firmly replied, "I promise you that."
Taro nodded smiling and gently unwound their two hands.
"Good then if you don't mind please don't cry. Your friend over there-" he began again gesturing to the side of them, "looks as if he's about to rip me to shreds for making you cry so please don't give him any more reason to."
Amy glanced over and almost burst out laughing. Gabe was sitting in his seat fuming. He looked as if he were breathing as heavily as a bull and his face was beat red his eyes squinted down until you could just see two little beady eyes. What made the situation even more comical was Jazz as she sat in his lap firmly trying to keep him down and Lance firmly gripping his shoulders. She could see his white knuckled fingers as he strained to keep the trickster in place. She waved at them to show them that she was alright and she could have sworn that Gabe seemed to deflate at this. Jazz silently let out a breath of relief as Lance relaxed his grip somewhat.
Turning back to Taro he gave her a gentle smile, "Be sure to keep that one close Amy."
Amy frowned at this, "Who? Gabe?"
"Is that his name now?" asked Taro, "he looks slightly familiar but yes him; he strikes me as someone who will protect you and cares deeply about your well-being. Those kinds of people are hard to come by girl so do not make a fools mistake."
Amy nodded at Taro's warning tone, "I'll do my best Taro, I'm going to make you proud."
"Oh Amy I'm already proud of you."
Smiling one last time at him she raised herself from the booth, "Is Sasha here?"
"Oh yes I believe she's in the kitchen right now," Taro said gesturing to just over his shoulder in the direction of the swinging kitchen doors.
Nodding Amy walked over to them and pushed them open gently. The kitchen hadn't changed in years and probably never would. It was just Sasha bustling around in front of her now considering it was too early for really any other help to be in the place. Her back was turned to her so she had not noticed Amy come in or wait at the opening. Clearing her throat Sasha froze and turned to look slowly. Seeing her, her eyes brightened and she bustled over dropping everything that she was doing.
Grabbing her she yanked Amy into a tight hug and then gazed deeply into her eyes, "You're leaving," she murmured quietly.
Amy gazed back at her in disbelief, "Am I just that easy to read or something? Taro knew too exactly like what you just did right now."
Sasha pulled back slightly, "Amy I've been around a while and there are just certain looks in a person's face that tell you a lot in a short amount of time. You look…happy."
Amy just stood there completely shocked, "Happy? But I have been happy Sasha."
Sasha shook her head at this, "No Amy you have pretended to be. All those times me and you talked about those three friends of yours when you were still in college; do you think I never noticed the look that came over your face when we dragged up those stories or how it seemed your eyes brightened when you seemed to think you found one of them in the diner? I know you have been depressed for a very long time girl and their back aren't they?"
She slowly nodded her head at this not even bothering to try denying anything that Sasha was saying to her at the moment. Sasha merely smiled at her kindly and rested her hand on her shoulder.
"Don't ever give up hope Amy, you hear me? Never. Without hope what is there to really live for? Life is going to be difficult and you will face tough hurdles and choices but I want you to know that you're a strong cookie and you will get through it all. Keep your friends close Amy," Sasha said to her.
She didn't know how much more she could take of these kinds of good byes. She was basically leaving behind not just a small, old diner but real friends that she had grown attached too. They had formed meaningful bonds of friendship and companionship over the year; having genuine laughs and helping each other through the tough days; they may as well be family.
Rubbing her eyes roughly she cleared her throat and nodded up to Sasha, "Thank you Sasha for always being there for me. I know you didn't have to take somebody like me on but you don't even realize how much it meant to me. You're a great friend and person please don't ever change. And while this is good bye I hope it's only for now and that me and you meet again in the future one day soon."
Sasha instantly brightened at those words and a large smile spread over her face, "I would like that very much."
Nodding at that she squared her shoulders and opened the door. Walking out into the main dining hall she took in the area one last time as she walked through it towards the door leading outside and into her new life. The dingy interior with its grubby floors even though they all tried hard to keep them clean; the dusty shades and the old TV mounted on the wall that occasionally frizzed out on them; the long bar that took up the whole back wall and all the booths in-between and tables.
Taro nodded at her as she breezed past and she gave him one last smile as she passed. Reaching the door outside she paused with her hand frozen on the doorknob. This was it; her new life was beckoning her from the other side. Everything that she had ever wanted appeared to be coming together and her heart almost seemed to stop but that couldn't be since it felt as if it were about to burst out her chest. Gulping she began to turn the handle.
As she did thoughts began to flood through her mind like a raging river.
'What if it was all a dream?'
'What if she had really cut herself badly and was having a near death experience or really was dying?'
'What if it was real and her friends were just pulling a horrible prank on her?'
Even Amy had to know that the last part was ridiculous but she couldn't shake the fear. She had spent a whole year fantasying about this day and it was finally here. Taking a deep breath she opened the door wide and stepped outside into the bright sunshine.
Squinting her eyes she saw Gabe, Lance and Jazz standing a short distance away from her in the middle of the abandoned parking lot. They smiled at her as she walked over to them slowly and she couldn't help the wide smile that instantly lit her features. It actually hurt her face with how wide she was beaming but yet she couldn't stop and she had a feeling that she wouldn't have wanted to anyways.
Stopping just in front of them Lance nodded down at her, "You ready kiddo?"
Amy took reins on her nerves and nodded firmly, "I am."
"You know were not leaving you now right?" asked Jazz.
"I know."
Gabe just gazed at her, "You're sure?"
Amy could see a multitude of emotions flooding through his one gaze and she couldn't help but feel nervous at his heated eyes. Clenching her hands she swallowed nervously.
"There's nothing here left for me and this is what I want," Amy appeased them firmly.
Gabe nodded, "No looking back kid after today," he remarked as he slowly raised his right hand.
"No looking back," she agreed as a snap was the last thing she heard.
A/N: It gives a new meaning to the phrase short and sweet dontcha think? :p
