Wahh, I still have a psychology project to do! Bad muse, bad! Enjoy!
Chapter 8- Never Settle
November 21st, 2005.
Paige put her suitcase on one of the racks. She had packed what she had thought was too summery for the colder weather she would face upon her return. She saw an older woman and stayed standing to make room for her.
"Thanks for saving me a seat," said the woman.
"No problem," said Paige.
"Your boyfriend seems like a nice man," said the woman. "How long?"
"Almost a month," said Paige.
The woman nodded in approval. Paige's thoughts drifted to another time, another place.
FLASHBACK
Paige walked along the schoolyard, staring at the playground. She was the only preschooler heading for the magic carpet. She wanted to hang upside down. She was about to climb on it when she heard crying. Some of the other girls from her class were picking on that girl with the light brown hair again.
"Stop it!" Paige yelled.
"Or what?" said one of the girls.
Paige punched one of them in the nose.
"Who's next?!" Paige yelled.
The group of girls ran off. Paige walked over to the bullied girl, who was trying to wipe away her tears.
"I'm Paige, what's your name?" said Paige.
"Jocelyn, but everyone calls me Josie," said the girl.
"I'm going to the magic carpet," said Paige. "Wanna hang upside down?"
Josie nodded.
END FLASHBACK
Ever since then, it had been the two of them against the world. Paige hated it whenever the thought of the girl she had called her BFF for fourteen years entered her mind. Paige had known that when Josie still called her despite having a boyfriend when Paige wasn't even allowed to date that their friendship was going to last. Paige could still remember what her life had been like growing up. She had been slightly chubby, and it had been enough to get her called fat by almost everyone save for Josie and their friends Sadie, Erica, and Karen. She had tried losing weight, but she hadn't lost it until she had joined the track team her freshman year of high school. It had helped her get the discipline she had needed to lose the weight and keep it off, despite the fact that she went to Starbucks once a day when she had her classes, sometimes more. It was always fun when Stacy dragged them all to the campus gym. After Paige had lost the weight, she gained a bad reputation – a cheerleader named Cynthia with too much time on her hands had been spreading rumors about all the girls in ninth grade. She had called Sophie a slut, but Paige had gotten it worse – she had gotten the lesbian rumor. To make matters worse, Paige hadn't had a boyfriend at the time – both her parents had forbade her to date until her sixteenth birthday. When she had tried confiding in her mother, words had been exchanged that were irrevocable and had managed to put both mother and daughter at odds with each other.
FLASHBACK
"Mom, can I talk to you?" said Paige.
"I'm on call, make it quick," said Vivian.
"This girl is spreading rumors about girls in our grade, and she's talking bad about me," said Paige. "She called me a lesbian. Mom, two of my friends aren't speaking to me any more! What should I do?"
"Did you say something to her?" said Vivian. "You must've done something to make her say that about you."
"I just said she's targeting more people than just me," said Paige. "She called Sophie a slut."
"Well, Sophie's easy," said Vivian. "You've also been looking pretty butch lately. Sure you're not into girls? I know a psychologist at the hospital you can talk to."
"You don't know me at all!" said Paige. "Fuck you!"
The words had slipped out, and Paige almost regretted it until her mother's next words gave her no remorse.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" said Vivian.
END FLASHBACK
Paige rolled her eyes. She had moments when her relationship with her mother was amicable, but those words had changed everything for both of them. Painful jabs at the other, and Paige's teenaged rebellion had clouded the Anderson household until 2003, when Paige got the call about her father being critically injured in a warehouse fire. She had always been closer to her father, even before the loathing of her mother had begun. Granted, when he got angry he yelled, but it didn't hurt Paige as much as when she got into it with her mother. She was pretty sure that it was because her mother wanted her to be something she wasn't, whereas her father just wanted her to succeed. As a child, there had been no room for naïveté – her father had had a dangerous job and her mother had worked in a hospital, so Paige had known about death early on. She had no idea why her mother could be so cold, like an ice bitch. Ice Bitch. All the wives of the firemen in the neighborhood had bestowed that nickname upon Vivian Anderson. Paige had heard it a few times, and one of the wives had hastily closed her mouth.
FLASHBACK
"Paige, I didn't know you were there, I'm sorry," said Debra.
"Don't be," said Paige. "You got it better than I do, I live with her!"
END FLASHBACK
Paige looked out the window, seeing the sky, seeing the skyscrapers that she loved to look at. New York City had been a dream that Paige had latched on to when she had been trying to help Josie, the girl who had been a sister to her. Josie had always wanted to be on Broadway, and Paige had wanted to be a journalist and an author. She was writing a series about the Las Vegas mob and she hoped she could get it published. It wasn't about fame, but about putting something out there. A book could brighten even the darkest hour of someone's life. She saw it all whiz by her, the metropolis of Manhattan giving way to homes and lawns. She could be anywhere, she knew. Soon she heard the train stop and the conductor telling her they were at Street Station. She grabbed her things and got off the train. She kept her head high so people wouldn't think she was lost. She wasn't, but it did keep predators away. She then spotted her aunt near the exit and quickened her pace.
"Aunt Trina!" said Paige.
She enveloped the woman in a huge hug. Paige was pretty sure her aunt had gone out for a smoke, she could smell it.
"How was school, Paige?" said Trina. "Tell me everything."
Paige nodded. They made their way out of the station and headed to her aunt's car. Trina helped her niece put the suitcases in the back, even though Paige insisted that she had it. Soon they were done and they were on the way to Union Station. Paige had been telling Trina all about the crazy stuff her friends had pulled to Professor Holden's latest antics on the school paper. Paige mentioned a bit more about campus life, but her aunt noticed that there was something else.
"You're different," said Trina.
"No I'm not," said Paige.
The radio had been on an oldies station. Suddenly the song "The Boy In New York City" by The Ad-Libs came on. Paige burst out laughing.
Oo ah oo ah oo oo Kitty
Tell us about the boy from New York City
Oo ah oo ah come on Kitty
Tell us about the boy from New York City
"How cliché is this?" said Paige.
"Cliché?" said Trina. "Wait a minute – you met a guy in New York, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did," said Paige.
"How long?" said Trina.
"Almost a month," said Paige. "His name is Don Flack."
"What's he look like?" said Trina.
He's kinda tall
He's really fine, yeah yeah
Someday I hope to make him mine, all mine, yeah yeah
"I got a picture, I'll show it to you if the traffic light stays red," said Paige.
Paige fished around in her purse and found her phone. She went to where her saved pictures were and found the one of her and Don from their second date. They had gone out to dinner at this little Italian place in Queens called Giovanni's. She could still remember the circumstances under which the picture had been taken.
FLASHBACK
"I haven't been here in years," said Don. "I used to go with my family all the time but now that my brother and I don't live with our parents anymore, we haven't been. I highly doubt Jimmy would ever come back to this place either."
"Why not?" said Paige.
"My father isn't too keen on him becoming a lawyer, and Jimmy has all these snooty friends that I just can't stand," said Don.
"So does my mother," said Paige. "Can't stand her, and I hate that. I can't remember the last time things were good. We aren't estranged, but we aren't best friends either."
Don nodded. It was the same with him and both his brother. Their waitress came by with the drinks they had ordered.
"You two look so good together," said the waitress.
"Thanks," said Paige. "Wanna take a picture?"
Don watched Paige slide the girl her cell phone.
"Could you two stand up? I wanna get a good one," said the waitress.
They stood up next to the booth they had been sitting in while the waitress snapped a photo of the couple.
"This'll be a great souvenir of tonight," said Paige.
Don just smiled.
END FLASHBACK
They were at a red light, so Paige slid her phone over to her aunt.
"He's handsome," said Trina. "Pretty tall too."
"Six foot two," said Paige. "It's a good thing he's only taller by five inches or I would have to wear stilettos on all our dates."
And he's neat and oh so sweet
And the way he looked at me just swept me off my feet, yeah yeah
"I hope he treats you right," said Trina.
"He does, he's really sweet," said Paige. "I think he brought chivalry back from the dead."
Oo ee you outta come and see
How he walks, yeah yeah
And how he talks
The light turned green. Trina handed the cell phone back to her niece.
"He's awesome," said Paige. "The Starbucks by campus that I told you about? He'll drop by unannounced and we'll talk for hours."
Oo ah oo ah oo oo Kitty
Tell us about the boy from New York City
Oo ah oo ah come on Kitty
Tell us about the boy from New York City
"He looks a lot older than those guy friends of yours from college," said Trina. "What does he do? I already know Wall Street is out 'cuz you once said you wouldn't be caught dating one of them, but what's with the suit?"
He's really down
And he's no clown, yeah yeah
He has the finest penthouse
you've ever seen in town, yeah yeah
And he's cute in his mohair suit
And he keeps his pockets full of spending loot, yeah yeah
"He's twenty-seven, he's a homicide detective, first grade," said Paige. "He has to wear a suit 'cuz of the dress code. It's always funny to see which tie he'll pick out. To date, I've never seen the same one twice."
Oo ee yeah you outta come and see, yeah, oo oo
he's pretty bold yeah yeah
in his brand new car yeah yeah
"He's also got this unmarked cruiser that he uses when he's off the clock, and I've been in it when we've gone on dates," said Paige. "It's a pretty cool car. It's got a radar gun and everything."
Everytime he says he loves me chills run down my spine
Everytime he wants to kiss me he makes me feel so fine
Paige let her thoughts drift for a little bit. The way he kissed her, passionate yet gentle, was something she wanted to hold onto while she was away from the city that she thought more of as home than the place she had been born.
Oo ah oo ah Kitty
Tell us about the boy from New York City
Oo ah oo ah Kitty
Tell us about the boy from New York City
"So what do you two do together for dates?" said Trina.
oh he can dance
and make romance
thats when I fell in love with just one glance.
he was shy, and so was I
I know he'll never ever say good bye
"The most recent one was at this club for people eighteen and up, we were brushing up on our ballroom dancing skills," said Paige. "The NYPD have this Christmas ball every year and he said he wanted to take me, so I guess it was good that we went out and did that. The department makes everyone take mandatory dance lessons, and those start the first week of December. I gotta go to them 'cuz I'm his date and they're three times a week, but they sound fun so I'm not complaining."
ooo eee outta come and see
he's the most from coast to coast
"Just remember the advice I gave you," said Trina. "Remember also that it applies to more than just men."
"I know, Aunt Trina," said Paige. "Never settle – and I never will."
Paige wished she had gotten that advice before she had left her hometown. When she had finally been allowed to date, she had gone out with the first guy who had asked, Chris, and she hadn't even liked him. She had just gone out with him to make the lesbian rumors disappear. All the guys she had liked back home had been out of reach. Her first boyfriend, Chris, had been a complete groper, although apart from that things had been okay. She had dumped him when tenth grade ended. In her junior year, she managed to land a senior, Kyle that she had had the biggest crush on, but a girl from his grade stole him away. After him all she ever did was friends with benefits, spacing things out to avoid a slut rep. Sophie, ever the optimist, always kept asking if Paige was ever with someone. At sixteen, Paige had found out just how bad high school guys could really be, and had sworn them off. Maybe it had just been the ones with brown eyes. In college she had decided to play the field and flirt. Once she had gotten to New York she hadn't cared. She had vowed to follow her aunt's advice and not settle. With Don, she knew she wasn't.
ooo aaa ooo aaa oo oo kitty
Tell us bout the boy from new york city
ooo ahh ooo ahhh come on kitty
tell us bout the boy from new york city.
Paige felt the car stop and realized they were at Union Station. Paige and Trina got the suitcases out of the back and walked inside. Paige checked her watch. She had been pretty certain that she wasn't late but the last thing she wanted was to have to sit and wait for another train. Sure enough, she was right on time.
"I'll see you on Thursday," said Paige.
"You too," said Trina. "Let me know how it goes over with your parents."
Paige nodded and boarded the Acela. This time there was a seat for her, and she didn't hesitate in claiming it. She had heard somewhere that the train she was currently riding was one of those that went really fast. To Paige, it sounded fun. She liked taking the train. It was a mode of transportation that called to her adventurous self. It was almost early evening when she arrived at Boston South Station. Even though it was early in the night, the sky was already dark. Paige got off the train and made out the three faces of her family.
"Mom! Dad! Violet!" said Paige.
Her mother was the first to pull her into a hug. Then they broke apart, Vivian gave her daughter a once-over.
"Have you gained weight?" said Vivian.
Paige was mad. If anything, the pair of jeans she was wearing was pretty loose. A night of dancing was more than capable of causing such a shrinkage of the waistline, but Paige knew that this was the game her mother liked to play – and she struck back with her own remark.
"I see you forgot to touch up your hair, your grays are showing again," said Paige.
Paige saw the look on her mother's face and moved on to give her father a huge hug.
"How was the drive?" said Paige.
"I let your mother drive," said Joseph. "She was dragging the anchor again and we came this close to missing you."
Father and daughter burst into laughter. Vivian always drove slow on the highway and Joseph was content to go above the speed limit to get where he needed to be. Paige had driven the speed limit back in her hometown unless someone was riding her bumper, and even then she would only go five miles up. There was never anything for the patrol cops to do other than write up tickets and arrest DUIs, Nashua was that sleepy – well, except for what had happened in the spring of 2004. Suburbia had gotten a nasty wakeup call. Paige then went over to her younger sister Violet and gave her a hug.
"How's school? Ballet?" said Paige.
"Both good," said Violet. "What about you?"
"The city is great," said Paige. "Maybe in five years you'll join me there. I'll have my own apartment by then."
Paige knew she would need one with two bedrooms. It was only a matter of time before their mother got under Violet's skin, and if Violet got into her dream school, Julliard, then Paige would need a spare room for her little sister when things got bad with their mother.
"What if you start dating someone and move in with him?" said Violet.
"I already am," said Paige. "We haven't even been together a month though, so why would that come up?"
"You have a boyfriend?!" said Violet. "Spill!"
"In the car," said Paige.
Soon all four of them were in the family SUV and making the drive home. Paige knew that her father's Mustang, the one he had saved up money for four years was already in storage and that her mother only drove her Lexus to the hospital and the country club when visiting with her fellow surgeons. Paige told them about Don, but her parents weren't as excited as her aunt Trina had been.
"Eight years apart?" said Joseph and Vivian.
"He's a homicide detective," said Paige.
"Taking killers off the street, he's good in my book," said Joseph.
Paige was glad her father had changed his mind. She knew that he had said what he said because he still thought of her as his little girl. Paige wasn't little anymore. She had grown up and was living in a big city getting her education and trying to succeed. She passed her phone to her sister and mother so they could see the picture.
"He's hot," said Violet.
"He's cute, I'll give him that," said Vivian. "Are you sure you can handle dating someone his age?"
"That's the pot calling the kettle black," said Paige. "You and dad are fifteen years apart, that's twice the age gap."
"She has a point," said Violet.
Joseph nodded. Soon the whole van was silent and Paige decided to nap. When she got home she brought her suitcases upstairs to her childhood bedroom and unpacked. She then booted up her laptop and changed her status to "Paige is home!" Right after she did that she got a text message from Candace.
"Train tracks, biatch! Gotta celebrate your homecoming!"
Paige rolled her eyes. She knew what Candace's idea was of celebrating, which was all the booze and drugs she could handle. Paige knew what everyone did in the group. Sophie drank but didn't do drugs, Isabel, Renee, and Josh drank and did pot. Candace did all that and snorted coke. Paige grabbed her purse and went down into the basement and out the back door, running through the woods until she got to the train tracks. She saw all her friends waiting for her, waving and looking slightly tipsy. When she got closer, Sophie ran over and gave Paige a hug.
"Paige! How are you?" said Sophie.
Paige smiled. Her friend was only giggling, so she wasn't even remotely tipsy yet. She remembered how they always joked that Paige didn't need it because she was, as they put it, "high on life".
"Still high on life?" said Renee.
"Yeah," said Paige.
Laughing, she took a seat inside a rusted boxcar that had been there for god knew how many years. It was warm inside and smelled musty. Paige could see Jon's Hummer H2 parked nearby and could hear the rap music coming from it. She saw a light in the darkness of the boxcar.
"Hey Candace," said Paige.
"So much for hogging my joint," said Candace.
"Don't look at me, I don't want it," said Paige. "Hey! All of you get in here!"
Soon all six of them were sitting in the boxcar together. Five of them were eager to hear what New York had been like this time around. Jon began flicking his lighter on and off. Both he and Candace were smokers and always stealing each other's cigarettes. A bottle of Captain Morgan was being passed around, which Paige declined.
"So I was on Facebook yesterday," said Sophie. "I went on your page and saw that your status was 'In a relationship with Don Flack'. Who is this guy?"
"Spill, biatch," said Candace.
"I don't know, Candace," said Paige. "I mean, you do think New York is gross."
"I saw his picture, he is hot!" said Jon.
"He's mine!" said Paige.
Everyone burst out into laughter. After the laughter subsided Paige began telling them about Don.
"Sounds like quite a gentlemen," said Sophie.
"How many ties does he have?" said Isabel.
"I wouldn't know," said Paige.
"You haven't gotten laid yet?!" said Candace. "You either use it or lose it!"
"It doesn't work that way," said Paige.
"Have you seen him use his cuffs?" said Jon.
"Down boy," said Paige.
Everyone laughed again.
"We gotta go shopping tomorrow," said Renee. "I gotta buy Christmas presents."
"I think we all do," said Sophie.
Paige soon left. Sophie followed her. Memories of going to the New England Dragway with Sophie to flirt with the drivers stuck out in Paige's mind.
"After everything that happened, you deserve to be happy," said Sophie.
"It's too horrifying," said Paige. "My friends in New York found out only because it had been a year since it happened and one of them walked in on me crying my eyes out. I can't even talk about it with you and the others, and I know you and my friends in New York have my back. In Don's line of work, it's guilty until proven innocent – which is exactly what happened that spring."
"Just try talking to him when you get back to New York," said Sophie. "You said that you're able to talk to him easily."
"Not about this," said Paige. "After what happened to Josie, the girls we both knew turned on me. I won't risk it happening again. I can't let myself be happy, Soph. It hurts too much."
"If you wanna blame someone, blame those girls, and blame Trevor," said Sophie.
November 22nd, 2005.
The Train Tracks Crowd was at the mall, shopping for Christmas presents for their loved ones. After spending a fair part of the day in department stores, they made their way to the food court. Candace and Jon bought turkey wraps, Renee and Isabel bought chicken wings, and Paige and Sophie bought Blizzards from Dairy Queen. They ate and soon went up to the second floor where the exit was. One of those mall cops went by on a segway. Paige couldn't resist and she quickened her pace to a fast walk. She heard him curse in annoyance and her friends laugh. They then left.
November 24th, 2005.
Paige sat in the dining room with her parents, sister, Aunt Trina, and her grandfather eating Thanksgiving dinner. She had told her grandfather about Don and he had approved. Paige vaguely wondered how Don's Thanksgiving was going.
************************************************************************
Don walked into his childhood home in Queens and greeted his father, who was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
"Where's mom?" said Don.
"She's in the kitchen," said Don Sr.
Don walked into the kitchen. He could smell the turkey as he got closer. Everyone who knew Caroline Flack knew she was one of the best cooks around, especially her family. Don vaguely wondered where Jimmy and Samantha were.
"They went out to get the wine," said Caroline. "I forgot to buy it."
Don grinned. Caroline took a good look at her oldest son. There was something different about him. He seemed more relaxed, and a lot happier than usual. She suspected there was a woman in his life and asked him as much.
"Yeah," said Don. "Her name's Paige, Paige Anderson. She's young but I think you'd like her."
"How young?" said Caroline.
"I can't exactly take her to Sullivan's," said Don. "She's a sophomore at NYU, she's nineteen. She actually acts a lot older than she already is."
"So how long have you two been together?" said Caroline.
"Almost a month," said Don. "Technically I met her on Halloween night and I probably wouldn't have seen her again but fate had other plans."
Caroline nodded. Don was in no way about to go into specifics about the shootout. He didn't want his mother to worry. She had done that all her life with his father and now she did it with him. He had known what he was getting into, but he hated that his mother worried. After the shootout that had landed him in the hospital years ago, he had spotted her crying pretty hard by his hospital bed. He hadn't ever brought up the incident and he highly doubted she had known that he had seen anything.
"What does she think about you being a detective?" said Caroline.
"She understands," said Don. "We both have busy schedules, so we see each other when we can."
"That's not what I meant," said Caroline.
"Paige can handle it," said Don.
As Don helped his mother in the kitchen, his mind went back to their conversation in Starbucks about Paige's father. She had told Don more about what had happened. It had been the summer of 2003, and the night of the blackout that threw New York and several other states including New Hampshire into darkness. Paige had been at a friend's when the blackout occurred and when all the lights had gone out she had seen the warehouse fire. She and her friend had driven to the firehouse, and then to the scene of the fire when she found her father's office empty. She had gotten to the blazing inferno just in time to watch it explode and watch her father get tossed out and land on the ground like a rag doll. His back had broken, and even though he went to rehab even two years later, he still walked with a slight limp. To make matters worse, another firefighter had been killed and the fire had been arson. Don knew that Paige had told him these things in confidence, and would only tell his family if he got her blessing to do so. However, he knew that whatever had been bothering her at Grand Central was something else, another event that had happened long after the fateful warehouse fire.
************************************************************************
November 26th, 2005.
Paige drove up to the floral shop and walked in.
"Two yellow roses," said Paige.
The girl at the counter happily obliged. Paige saw the sun was going down and that she should head home, but she had waited until the last minute to do this. She hated the sadness it brought her but now that she lived in a different state she did it when she was home. That was part of the reason she was glad she was in New York. After making her purchase she got into the SUV and drove to the cemetery. She drove until she got the Fs. She parked her car and got out. She saw another car driving in. She knew who it was and rolled her eyes. Instead of acknowledging the driver, she walked over to the gravestone she intended to lay the flowers on. She knelt in the grass once she got to her destination and gently placed the roses on the gravestone, reading the name, date, and words engraved on it.
Jocelyn Fischer
October 18th 1986- March 27th, 2004
Beloved Daughter, Sister, And Friend
Servatis a periculum
Servatis a maleficum
"Save us from danger, save us from evil," Paige whispered. "We were obsessed with Evanescence. We were gonna go see them in concert, remember? Our parents gave the okay and we bought the tickets and were gonna go during the summer. They released this new single, 'Missing', and it was such a pretty song."
Paige knew singing in front of a gravestone wasn't the most normal thing, but since when was grief normal?
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
Maybe someday you'll look up,
And, barely conscious, you'll say to no one:
"Isn't something missing?"
You won't cry for my absence, I know -
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant...?
Am I so insignificant...?
Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
Please, please forgive me,
But I won't be home again.
I know what you do to yourself,
I breathe deep and cry out,
"Isn't something missing?
Isn't someone missing me?"
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
And if I bleed, I'll bleed,
Knowing you don't care.
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there,
Isn't something missing?
Isn't something...
Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?
Paige heard someone clapping behind her.
"When did you get back in town, Paige?" said a voice.
She turned around and glared. It was Andy Dawson. She hadn't seen him since high school graduation, and she had tried to keep it that way.
"Go away," said Paige. "I told you I never wanted to see you again."
"You weren't so resistant that night I took you parking," said Andy.
"It was the biggest mistake of my life," said Paige.
"Had I known what was going to transpire that night I never would've taken you, trust me," said Andy.
"Trust you? Ha!" said Paige.
"Did you tell that boyfriend of yours?" said Andy. "Before you ask, none of your friends told me. Not directly, at least. They don't even talk to me. I overheard Jon and Candace talking in that convenience store over slurpees that we used to hang out in after class office meetings. Don't you remember, Paige? You would always try a different slurpee and your lips looked like candy afterwards."
"You were too busy looking at the old PlayBoy mags in that store to notice," said Paige. "You had a different blond on your arm every month. I don't know why I ever went with you that night. I guess I thought we had a chance. I didn't know you were just trying to divert my attention."
"I wasn't! I liked you then, and I still do!" said Andy. "He'll never want you once he knows the truth, Paige! That deal you made with Detective Tanner and DA Clark turned almost everyone against you!"
"Funny, I never saw you jump to my defense – but then again that was because I was entrapping Trevor, your very best friend," said Paige. "He had to be stopped, Andy. I never thought Tanner would put such a plan on the table."
"It was a dirty trick," said Andy. "They screwed both you and Trevor over."
"I wasn't the one who did anything illegal here," said Paige.
"Don't worry, I washed my hands of Trevor," said Andy. "He was slime. Had I known, I would've called the cops myself. This is your last night, right? How about we go to Apple Bee's? I don't mind long-distance."
"You only want me 'cuz after what happened your steroid use came to light, you lost your scholarship and now all the girls who hung all over you won't touch you with a ten foot pole," said Paige. "Sorry but I don't date junkies and I definitely don't settle for second best."
Paige then left a gaping Andy alone in the cemetery as she drove towards home. When she got out of the car, she saw her neighbor Lisa walking her dogs. At the other house next door, Paige saw Sara and Sam making out on the front steps. She ran inside the house and up the stairs. She got undressed and jumped into the shower, leaning against the wall and letting the hot water run down her face – or were they tears?
She couldn't wait until tomorrow.
Tomorrow she would leave suburbia and go back to the life she lived.
In Nashua she existed, but in New York City, she lived.
It sheltered me from nothing but the weather
I called it home for a moment of my life
This place I see just doesn't look familiar
I wonder if it looks the same inside
So there's the corner that I sat on
The road I walked home in the rain
And there's the star I used to wish on
It all just seems like yesterday
Days go by
Nothing's getting clearer
Can't change my mind
My troubles are the same
Faces change
The names they are familiar
And the streets I see
Will stand the test of time
So there's the corner that I sat on
The road I walked home in the rain
And there's the star I used to wish on
It all just seems like yesterday
And those stars
Stars still shine
Shine down through the rain
And there's the corner that I sat on
The road I walked home in the rain
And there's the star I used to wish on
It all just seems like yesterday
And I stare out this dirty window
As this world goes slowly by
And somewhere out there is the future
That I once thought had passed me by
Sheltered me from nothing but the weather
Songs in order: "The Boy From New York City" by The Ad Libs, "Missing" By Evanescence, and "The Corner" by Staind. Also, those Latin words on Josie's gravestone were from the Evanescence song "Whisper". They mean "Save us from danger, save us from evil".
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