Now, I hadn't intended this to be that short originally, but then again, some chapters will be short! Plus you guys don't seem to be caring enough for a fuller chapter; at the R/S shrine I haven't gotten a review in three chapters and at I've gotten barely three reviews a chapter. I do miss them, muchly. At this rate, I'll never reach 200.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Just Friends.

Terra

The next week was fabulous! Things were finally falling into place! I had contact with Beast Boy again, I had my necklace back. And about my necklace--I actually put it on after I sent my reply to Beast Boy, and to this day, I haven't taken it off. Not once.

I mean, would you?

So, the way things went from then on were simple. We'd log onto AOL right at the end of the day and talk. In the future, every now and then we'd write, but mostly just IMing.

T: i swear, u have no idea what the past weeks have been like for me.
BB: 4 u? 4 me is more like it. i hated not talking to you. what do i do without u?
T: that had 2 many rhymes in it, dude. but i don't know, thank god you don't have to find out!
BB: so whats it like there? i mean i been there but not long term
T: well, its pretty cool. there's this girl, sarah, who's an honorary TE.
BB: they have honoraries? i thought only we could have honoraries.
T: turns out not. shes got some kinda dark past, i can tell.
BB: oh yeah? she have a power?
T: yep, 2 actually. she can control fire but it turns green
BB: green?
T: and she can read your history. i been saying memories, but even if u don't remember it she can find it. i feel like she knows things about me even i don't know.
BB: sounds creepy.
T: but in all other respects she's cool. then there's aquadude, i think sarah has a crush on him.
BB: rly? nice. how do u know?
T: i hear things. bee seems a tad chiller than rob is as a leader, but still a little more tight.
BB: cy is totally in luv with her, i kno it.
T: i sensed it. then there's mas and menos, there cool.
BB: u guys click cuz a the whole fluent in spanish thing?
T: yeah. then there's speedy.

i paused 4 a sec.

Whoops, sorry, still in IM speak.

I paused for a second. I wasn't sure what to say about him and his whole flirt persona. Really I haven't seen it nearly as much as Sarah says it exists. Maybe he's just trying to keep it on the down low. He didn't seem really that horrible. Kind of nice, actually. Sarah's been giving him really bad press, like he's an air-headed pig-womanizer, but I think she's just trying to look out for me. I appreciate it and all, but I'm a big girl, she should know that. He really is nice, and the best fighter out of all of us. He did come in second only to Robin in that Championship of Heroes thing or whatever it was called, didn't he? So, I decided to tell him all that.

T: speedy's pretty cool, u kno him, kinda funny, master archer dude.
BB: but of course not as funny as i.
T: lol tho of course not as funny as u.
BB: thought not.
T: o btw, i meant to say thanks for the room. it helped.
BB: thought it might.
BB: i just remembered how much you loved your room, so I thought i'd make the call.
T: it did, really. its nice not to have everything be different. u know?
BB: i know.
T: cool.

In the few weeks after we refriendshipped each other, Speedy was noticing the closeness of his mandatory two months coming up, and he was definitely trying to get a head-start. Mentioning things he wanted to do on the day, or days after that I might want to join him on. I almost said yes to one of them, but I think I might have talked myself out of it. I don't know, I still wasn't sure if I was ready. Was I? I mean, I couldn't see why, eventually, we couldn't possibly go out. We did have a few subtle clicking moments, like grabbing the same box of cereal one morning and bonding over some video games, and just talking sometimes. I did consider him, by now, to be a friend. Probably more than the others in the Tower, besides Sarah, but she technically wasn't always in the Tower.

I shouldn't feel guilty about having a guy friend. It had been almost two months now, right? I mean, your aloud to have guy friends after you break up. And you were also aloud to have boyfriends after you break up. But what got me worried was...Were Beast Boy and Speedy good friends? I knew it wasn't good to date a close friend of your ex-boyfriend, no matter how far away he was. And all kinds of other problems, like it being too soon, maybe Speedy wasn't the right person for me, I don't know...

I took solace in the hope that all would work out in the end.

Would it?...

I know but you don't.

Beast Boy

Terra and I talked about all sorts of things that first week, and especially that first day. She had so many things she wanted to tell me, like how her new favorite movie was something called "Elizabethtown", how she discovered Corrine Bailey Rae, how she turned the new girl on to Johnny Depp, and all of her different baddies she got to fight, oh! And how she used the word 'arse' now. I laughed at that.

But before I tell you more about that, I have to tell you about something else. Something that kept me up all the night that I finally sent Terra her necklace back.

Flashback

I stood in the room where we kept the teleporter, reading Terra's response. "It's good to hear from you again." Something about it somehow reminded me of the last letter she gave me. The one I ripped up. The one I let go of.

The one I wanted back.

The one I NEEDED back!

DAMMIT!

I left the house as quickly as possible (smart guy, its dark outside...) and flew to the hill to search for any pieces. I knew there were eight, I just had to find eight, not the worst...Thank GOD I didn't tear it up again, there would have been twice as many pieces...

Now, I know what you're thinking, as we often do, "The pieces probably blew away!" and I was sure some did. But it WAS worth a try, was it not?

I got there rather quickly and immediately saw one. It was sticking out of the ground. Somehow I guess it got partly buried under there. It had her saying something about 6/6/06 on it; seems like so long ago, now! I wished I had brought a flashlight so I could see better. But I had a brilliant idea and I turned into an owl. Night vision!

I spotted another stuck between leaves in the tree that had our carving in it that had her trying to write my name. I stuffed it in my human pocket, then re-owl-ized myself. Over the next few hours, how many, I wasn't sure, I searched the hill and the surrounding area for scraps, and much to my pleasure (and somehow, displeasure as well), I found six of the eight pieces. By then it was really late and I had looked as best as I could--I wasn't getting the other two back.

Amazingly, though, as I found out when I got back to my room and taped the letter up, the two pieces that were missing were the bottom two.

Unamazingly, though, the bottom was my favorite part; it was the part where she had written 'Love, Me'. Love. But what could I do now? They were gone.

End Flashback

BB: hey, did u notice?
T: wut?
BB: its lunchtime.
T: is it?
BB: yep.
T: wow. now that u mention it, i am kinda hungry.
BB: me too.
T: what're you gonna have?
BB: no clue.
T: wait a second, i already had lunch.
BB: really?
T: damn time zones.
T: still hungry.
BB: well have a second lunch.
T: i want...
T: i want...
T: i want...
BB: decide, woman!
T: who're you callin woman?
BB: the woman.
T: right. man.
BB: that's what i am.
T: ah...
T: ...
T: your gay.
BB: your mom.
T: DAMN IT!
BB:p
T:fawk:
BB: no reason to get so defensive, woman.
T: i have a name, arse face!
BB: and?

Wasn't like I had the strength to type it.

T: n/m, i guess i'll have...
T: I'll have...
T: I'll have...
BB: please don't start again.
T: i'll have...
BB: listen, you have fun w/ ur little episode, i think i'll get some mac'n'cheese...
T: MACNCHEESE!
BB: what?
T: BRILLIANT! i shall have macaroni and cheese!
BB: wanna race to see who can make it fastest?
T: always.
BB: ready?
T: set?
T: GO!
BB: GO!

And we were off! It may sound dumb to your inferior minds, but to us this was a real challenge.

And it was FUN.

I was so beating her. By the time I had a bowl and got back to my computer, I was totally the winner.

Until I saw a new IM from Terra.

T: what's taking u so long?
BB: no! how did you get back?
T: skipped the bowl, just took the whole pot.
BB: krafty.
T: lol!

Oh, she just loves my jokes. Why wouldn't she?

BB: what kind do u have?
T: shells.
BB: spirals.
T: sweet.
BB: likewise.
T: lol
T: so what do you think of life now things are back to bormal?
BB: ...
BB: bormal?
T: ooops
T: so what do you think of life now things are back to noraml?
BB: noraml?
T: STOP IT!
T: so what do you think of life now thinkgs are back to normal?
T: HAH!
T: normal!
BB: uhh...
BB: thinkgs?
T: NOOOOO!!!!
BB: don't worry, i get it.

How was life now things were back to normal? About a thousand times better. Things were actually normal, but while talking to her, not the least bit boring. I must admit, I was still 'sending' her lyrics. In fact, right after I sent the "Open" e-mail I 'sent' "Over My Head" to her and about how I was thinking of her during it. Did this mean I wasn't completely letting go of her? Let's be honest, now.

Was I ever?

Of course not! That's impossible!

But I think I have loosened my grip. So it was definitely a bit different.

T: well?
BB: well...way better. bormal and noraml.
T: STFU.
BB: lol, no, things are great here.
BB: everybody misses u, of course.
BB: i think they preferred u 2 me.
T: nooo, i'm just more fun.
T: more interesting.
T: more street smart.
T: more delightful.
T: more...know what? i think they might have.
BB: w/e. i don't care, i've come to terms with it.
T: oh poor oo. poor poor oo.
BB?
BB: oo?
T: that's you.
BB: i'm oo?
T: no, you're oo, i'm me.
BB: i know, that's what i said.
T: no, you said i'm oo.
BB: no, I said i'm oo.
T: which i'm not!
BB: I never...!
BB: n/m, idc anymore...
T: u give up too easily.

I couldn't help but laugh.

BB: so how long have we been talking?
T: idk, a while. the effing time zone thing has driven me insane.
BB: me too. what time is it for u? it's one here.
T: its four or five.
BB?
T: i can't remember if daylight savings changed my computer.
BB: well can't u tell from what time it is here?
T: nah, can't remember.
T: can u?
BB: course not.

Terra

T: Of course...
BB: lol.
T: lol
T: do u think lol is overused?
BB: wha?
T: yeah! like, every two IMs its like "lol"
BB: not here so much.
T: dude.
T: that's because we're sane.
BB: you're sane?
T: are you?
BB: touche.
T: i think that has an accent mark.
BB?
T: like cliche. but the computer doesn't have a fricken button for it.
BB: kay.
BB: w/e you say.
T: exactly.
T: so,
T: dude! the alarms ringing.
T: i'd better go
BB: see ya! oh...btw...
T: yeah?

He paused, then he continued typing.

BB: did it sound at all odd to you when you called me 'lover'?

I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that one, but I knew exactly how I'd reply, though I'd never before thought about it.

T: only because neither of us are british.
BB: they can make anything sound good.
T: bye, you.
BB: bye yourself.

I smiled. That was the way things were supposed to be for us.

As friends.

To Be Continued...

Next time on, "And So It Is..."

We Only Celebrate Two-Month Anniversaries-So the two months are up, now, and Speedy's wasting no time--though, Terra will admit, discreetly. And what of Beast Boy? Will he forget and do something that will spoil the sanctity of their two-month break-up-aversarie?