Sponge: I'm back! Welcome to chapter 13. The last chapter, "Truth Hurts," is the title of a song by Lizzo. Congratulations again to iamacliche, and also to scoobysurfers and itsyagirlwithwritersblock for being the reviewers to guess correctly! Enjoy chapter 13! Warnings: language, underage drinking, and so, so very much angst. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera. All lyrics to the song "What I Did For Love" belong to Edward Kleban.

Chapter 13: Everything Has Changed

Friday, March 26th, 6:30pm – three and a half hours after The Fight

Scooby didn't speak to Shaggy at all that evening – not that Shaggy really attempted conversation himself. He poked at his food during dinner, making eye contact with neither Scooby nor his parents, even though he swore up and down that nothing was wrong when pressed.

"Norville, you're not eating," his mother pointed out, peering at him anxiously. "That's not like you."

"Are you sure you're okay, son?" asked his father, his voice betraying his obvious worry.

"Like I'm fine," Shaggy muttered through gritted teeth, pushing his chair back and standing up. "In fact I'm like, gonna go finish this in my room." He snatched his plate off the table and stalked out of the kitchen, watched all the while by his parents and Scooby.

When Shaggy had disappeared from view, Mrs. Rogers turned to the dog. "Do you know what's bothering him?"

Scooby hesitated. Even if he was mad, he was loyal to Shaggy before anyone else. If Shaggy didn't want his parents to know that the gang had split up, Scooby wasn't about to tell them. Plus, the idea of saying it aloud – "the gang split up" – made Scooby's whole body throb with an almost physical pain. On the other hand, he really hated lying to Shaggy's parents. He hated lying in general.

"Rye rink so," he admitted after a time. "But…re'll be rokay."

The Rogers' studied him as if gauging his honesty.

"Rye romise," Scooby told them with as much sincerity as he could muster.

But he wasn't certain. He wasn't certain at all that Shaggy would be okay. Scooby wasn't even sure that he would be okay. After one last attempt at a reassuring look back at the Rogers', Scooby padded out of the kitchen and followed Shaggy upstairs. He had planned on giving Shaggy the silent treatment for the remainder of the evening, but Shaggy's behavior caused Scooby to abandon that idea. He was worried.

As he climbed the stairs, the air hung with a heaviness that only Scooby, being a dog, could sense. He noticed that Shaggy's bedroom door was closed, which didn't bode well for Scooby's entrance. Regardless, he paused outside the door for a beat before speaking.

"Raggy?" he called tentatively. "Rit's me."

There was a long pause. Scooby wondered briefly if Shaggy was going to ignore him. But several moments later, the door finally opened and Shaggy stood in the threshold. He jerked his head, indicating that Scooby should enter. Scooby did, regarding Shaggy carefully. He wasn't making eye contact with Scooby – instead, he stared straight ahead, blinking frequently and taking long, measured swallows in the manner of someone who was doing everything in his power not to cry. Shaggy walked back over to the bed and sat down on it, his untouched dinner sitting on the night table. Scooby followed cautiously.

"Are roo rokay?" he asked softly, sitting on the floor beside Shaggy's leg.

"Like yeah," Shaggy mumbled, but a tear dripped from his eye before he could stop it. Hurriedly, he wiped it away, but Scooby had already seen. Not knowing what else to do, he lay his head down on Shaggy's knee.

"Rye'm rorry, Raggy," Scooby said. He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for – his refusal to talk to Shaggy that evening, the split with the gang, or simply the fact that Shaggy was hurting so much. Regardless, he felt the need to apologize. To make every negative feeling that Shaggy felt go away. Maybe it would help Scooby stop feeling so sad as well. "Rye'm so rorry."

Shaggy took one quick intake of breath before the dam broke. He slid off his bed and sank to the floor, pulling his knees into his chest and burying his head in his arms.

Scooby stared at him in stunned silence for half a second as Shaggy's whole body shook with muffled sobs. It broke Scooby's heart to watch. Automatically, he laid his head on Shaggy's shoulder in an effort to bestow some comfort on him. Shaggy threw his arms around the dog and wept into his fur, clinging to him as though he were drowning. Scooby let him, feeling his own eyes fill with tears. They stayed like that for a long time until Shaggy cried himself out.

"I'm sorry too, Scoob," he said thickly, after the majority of the tears had run their course. "I should have like, never started anything up with Vel – " Shaggy's breath hitched, unable to say her name. Scooby waited several long seconds for Shaggy to go on. Finally, he swallowed. "Look what she did to us," he seethed, his voice barely more than a fierce whisper. "She did this. She caused us to fight. She like, broke up the gang. This is her fault."

Scooby hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"But it doesn't matter," Shaggy continued in a low voice. "Who cares about the gang? Who cares about Fred and Daphne and…" Again, Shaggy trailed off and furiously rubbed his swollen eyes. "It's just you and me now," he murmured hoarsely. "Like, no more Mystery Incorporated. You're the only friend I need."

Scooby just gazed at him sadly.

x.X.x

Monday, March 29th, 4:15 pm – three days after The Fight

"So…the gang really split up, huh?"

Daphne sniffed, and nodded silently. She was in the lobby of an academic building at NYU, waiting for her name to be called for her audition time. Holden sat beside her, gazing at her with sympathy, and waited for her to answer his question.

"It was just…so sudden," Daphne told him tremulously. She'd spent the entire weekend crying, eating ice cream, listening to break-up playlists on Spotify, screaming into her pillow, and crying again. Lather, rinse, repeat. She thought she'd be out of tears by today, but it seemed she had an endless supply. She brushed a stray one off her cheek – she didn't want to go into the audition in tears. "I can't believe it. And now, Fred…" Daphne bit her lip and stopped talking. She didn't want to think about Fred. It was too painful, especially considering that she knew she could have avoided all of this heartache if she'd just told him about her audition in the first place. Maybe he even would have come with her, and it would have been him sitting in the chair next to her instead of Holden. Daphne breathed shallowly, trying not to think about it.

Holden sighed, and guessed correctly that he should change the topic away from Fred. "I always thought there was something going on between Shaggy and Velma," he mused. "I mean, last year during the musical…all that time they spent in the practice room before and after rehearsal, 'working on their chemistry?' I called it, didn't I?"

"You were right," Daphne told him with a sigh. She'd been thinking about that a lot, feeling stupid not to have realized it sooner.

"Blake?" came a voice from a door across the hall which had opened suddenly. "We're ready for you."

Daphne rose from her seat, and Holden did too.

"You ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be," she replied.

"You got your resumes? Headshots? Sheet music?"

Daphne nodded and indicated the folder that she held in one hand. "Everything's in here," she told him.

Holden looked at her seriously. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Daphne took a deep breath and composed herself. "I'll be fine." For now, anyway. She wasn't sure about the future.

Holden nodded. "You'll do great," he told her. "Break a leg."

Inside the room, three professors sat behind a long table, while a fourth sat at a piano.

"Good afternoon," said the woman professor. "Daphne Blake?"

"Yes ma'am," Daphne replied. "Pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours, dear," said the woman. "I'm Professor Dillard, one of the drama professors for the Tisch School of the Arts here at NYU. These are my colleagues Dr. Pike and Dr. Ruhland. At the piano is Dr. Carver, one of our music professors."

Daphne politely nodded hello and handed Dr. Carver her sheet music.

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself before we get started?" asked Dr. Pike. "Where you're from, how long you've been performing, what roles you've had?"

"Of course," Daphne replied, approaching the table to hand out copies of her resume. "I'm from Coolsville, Ohio. I've lived there my whole life." She felt a slight stab of pain in her chest. Fred and Velma had lived in Coolsville all their lives, too, but it wasn't until Shaggy and Scooby had moved to town in tenth grade that they'd all become friends. They may never have even become friends at all otherwise. Perhaps, as Velma had said, it would have been better that way.

Daphne swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to ignore the ache in her chest. "From kindergarten till ninth grade I did theater camp every summer, and I've had starring roles in three of my high school's productions."

"Keith Atwood is your acting instructor at school, correct?" asked Professor Dillard. "We went to Elon University together. He's very good – and he told me that you're quite talented yourself."

"Your resume is indeed impressive," said Dr. Ruhland as he studied the paper in his hands. "Cinderella in Into the Woods, Diana in Next to Normal, and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady all at your age? Those parts can be tricky."

Daphne shrugged modestly. "Like I said, I've been doing this for most of my life." She wished he hadn't brought up Next to Normal, which she'd been in with the rest of the gang. Thinking about that show was agonizing now. Even thinking about My Fair Lady, which she'd starred in this past fall, was painful – the whole gang had come to see her in it, and she remembered how Fred had gazed at her onstage with pride and admiration and love. She shoved the thoughts out of her mind.

"Well, we're eager to hear what you've prepared for us," said Dr. Pike. "Whenever you're ready."

Daphne cleared her throat and stood with her back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, to give her slate.

"Good afternoon," she said. "My name is Daphne Blake, and I'll be singing 'What I Did for Love' from the musical A Chorus Line."

This song was very good for Daphne's voice. It was right in her range, and she'd used it at auditions in the past. But as Dr. Carver played the opening notes, Daphne realized that in the wake of her breakup with the gang – and Fred – the lyrics would take on a completely different meaning.

"Kiss today goodbye," she began, her voice steady and smooth.

"The sweetness and the sorrow.

Wish me luck, the same to you."

She took a deep breath, trying to stay focused.

"But I can't regret what I did for love,

What I did for love.

Look, my eyes are dry."

This was true, even as memories of her time with Fred and the gang flashed through her mind:

Velma examining a counterfeit twenty under a microscope in the biology lab.

Shaggy and Scooby waving their arms to distract a villain.

Fred's eyes shining as he rigged up a trap in the trees.

"The gift was ours to borrow."

Fred catching her as she slipped on ice and fell backwards into his strong arms.

"It's as if we always knew."

Fred hovering over her after they'd tumbled off a sled together, his face inches from hers.

Daphne closed her eyes to block out the memories.

"And I won't forget what I did for love,

What I did for love."

Her voice was strong, even though her heart ached so much that it resonated throughout her entire body.

"Gone

Love is never gone.

As we travel on

Love's what we'll remember."

The memories kept coming.

Fred kissing her hungrily in Brandon Michaels' guest room, his tongue tasting of alcohol.

Fred holding her close on the back patio of his house, in the midst of much gentler kiss.

Fred's mouth on her collarbone as his strong, rough hands caressed every inch of her nearly naked body.

"Kiss today goodbye

And point me towards tomorrow."

Fred taking her hand as they ran for their lives from a monster.

Fred laughing with her as they accidentally got caught in one of his traps.

"We did what we had to do."

Fred embracing her after she'd been rescued from a ghost.

Fred whispering words of love in her ear.

Fred…

Fred…

Fred…

Daphne felt her eyes swimming behind her closed lids.

"Won't forget, can't regret

What I did for love.

What I did for love.

What I did for love."

As she sang the final line, a lone tear trickled down her cheek. She brushed it away, hoping that none of the professors had noticed. When she opened her eyes, they were all nodding approvingly.

"Very nice, thank you," said Professor Dillard. "Well done. You'll be hearing from us within the week."

Daphne nodded. "Thank you," she said softly. And with that, she left the way she'd come, finally letting her tears fall freely.

x.X.x

Friday, April 2nd, 10:45pm – one week after The Fight

Fred didn't have a great time at the trap expo. Even as he wandered the exhibits and marveled at the impressive displays, he kept forgetting the gang wasn't there with him. Everything he saw was just a reminder of what he no longer had. Without mysteries, without the gang – without Daphne – who was he? He had never felt more lost.

He considered calling them. Apologizing.

But what did he have to apologize for? They were the ones who'd lied. They were the ones who'd wanted to quit. They were the ones who'd left him. Abandoned him.

Just like his mom.

Breaking up with Daphne though – that had been his fault entirely, and he regretted the rash decision about ten minutes after he'd made it. He could have contacted her, he supposed. But would she even want him back? He couldn't imagine her ever wanting to forgive him, and he only had himself to blame.

He had spent the entirety of spring break stewing in his fury and pain. His father noticed, but Fred couldn't bring himself to tell him what was wrong. He almost hoped that if he ignored the situation, it would resolve itself, even though he knew that was impossible. He dreaded going back to school.

Perhaps this was why, on Friday night, after the trap expo, he forwent bowling with his father and instead found himself at a party.

There had been parties thrown every night of break, different people hosting each time. Fred knew this because his Instagram stories were always full of videos of his classmates taking shots, playing flip cup, hoisting cans of beer into the air and toasting each other loudly. If you asked Fred, he wouldn't have been able to tell you exactly why he had decided to go to the party on Friday – especially since it was at Brandon Michaels' house, where the first party the gang attended together had been…and the first place Fred had ever kissed Daphne.

But by going without the gang, without Daphne, maybe Fred hoped to desensitize himself to the painful memories.

He turned up alone a few hours after the party had already begun and forced himself to walk through the house. This room, he thought as he glided through the den, was where Velma and I played Kings together. There was no game going on now, but groups talked and laughed loudly together while a few couples sat around making out on the couches. Fred turned away.

He arrived in the dining room. This is where I found Daphne playing beer pong with her old friends. He remembered that discovery so vividly – the way his body had tensed and his blood had boiled as he saw her lining up a shot while Red Herring, her game partner and ex-boyfriend, watched her hungrily. Now that they had broken up, would Red try to get back with Daphne? Fred seethed at the thought.

Red was here tonight, playing beer pong again, this time with Phoebe Albion as his partner while Brandon Michaels and Rachael Amora played on the opposite team. Maureen Fischer watched from the sidelines, a solo cup clenched in her manicured hands. Fred left the room before any of them noticed him. He passed by the stairs that led to the second floor and gazed at them a little wistfully. That's where Daphne and I kissed for the first time.

"Jonesy?"

Fred turned at the familiar voice. Tony Moretti stood nearby, holding a solo cup and wearing an excited expression. "Whoa! I didn't think I'd see you here." Fred could tell Tony had been drinking – he was swaying slightly, and his New York accent was particularly strong. Tony grinned broadly and glanced around. "Where's the rest of the gang?"

Fred swallowed a few times before attempting to answer. "They're um…not here," he said quietly. Or, as quietly as he could, with the music as loud as it was.

"Are they coming later?" asked Tony. "I'd love a rematch with Rogers and Scooby at pong."

Why did hearing Shaggy's and Scooby's names make his throat seize up? Fred's stomach clenched painfully. "No," he murmured. "They're not coming."

Finally, Tony noticed Fred's gloomy tone and looked at him seriously. "Are you all right?"

Fred shook his head infinitesimally, determined not to break down.

"Come with me," Tony said, clapping Fred once on the shoulder and leading him through the party and out into the backyard. There were a few students out here, drinking and playing cornhole, but it was infinitely less crowded than inside, and it was much quieter out here. There was a small cushioned patio bench on the back deck, and Tony sat down on it. He gestured with his head, indicating that Fred should sit too. He did so, reluctantly.

"What's goin on?" asked Tony in a low voice. "Why did you come to this party without the gang?"

Fred paused, unsure of what to tell him. He wasn't even sure why he'd come to this party. But he did know why the gang wasn't with him, so he decided to tell Tony. He'd find out soon enough anyway. "There…there is no gang," he murmured. "Not anymore." Saying it out loud made his shoulders sag under an invisible, impossible weight.

But Tony just stared at him, uncomprehendingly. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Fred took another deep breath, trying to ignore the painful wrenching in his chest. "We…we split up."

Tony stared at Fred in shock. "You mean…you and Blake?" His voice was full of dismay.

Fred closed his eyes in a resolute attempt to remain stoic. "Everyone. The whole gang. Mystery Incorporated…it doesn't exist anymore."

Tony's jaw dropped and he brought a hand to his stomach. "What are you talking about?" he said again, quieter.

Fred took a deep breath and told him the whole story. All the secrets – Shaggy and Velma's relationship, Daphne's NYU audition – and how they had all come out in one horrible fight that culminated with the ending of the most important relationships that Fred had ever known.

"I haven't seen or talked to them all break," Fred finished. "I just…we're too angry at each other."

Tony was still staring at Fred, stricken. "Holy shit," he murmured at last.

"Yeah," Fred replied quietly.

They sat in silence for a few more moments until Tony cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry about you and Blake," he said finally. Sympathy shone through his eyes. "I always thought you two would make it."

Fred closed his eyes. "So did I," he replied, mortified that his voice trembled as he said it.

Tony noticed too, and to save Fred from potential embarrassment, hurriedly tried to change the subject. "Why did Dinks and Rogers break up? Did they say? That sounds like…you know, the catalyst for the rest of it."

Fred shrugged. "I don't know." He glanced sideways at Tony. "They said that you knew about their relationship, though."

Tony sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Jonesy," he said, full of remorse. "They made me promise to keep it a secret. Fleachy and I were the only ones that knew."

"Hold on. Hot Dog Water knew about them too?" Fred was too upset to even realize that he'd used Marcie's old nickname.

"We both found out about them accidentally," Tony told him. "They asked us not to say anything to anyone else till Rogers told Scoob." Tony sighed. "I knew them keeping a secret like this would spell disaster."

"Freddie!"

The new voice startled Fred and Tony, and they turned to see Maureen Fischer flying towards them. She sat down on Fred's other side and sidled up close to him, still holding her solo cup. "I can't believe you came to this party. It's been ages since I've seen you at one." She glanced around. "Where's the rest of your mystery squad?"

"Fischer," said Tony warningly, but she paid him no attention.

"It's weird that Daphne Blake's not here, attached to your hip," she continued, her words slurring slightly. She raised a conspiratorial eyebrow. "Is she getting the guest room ready for you two?"

"Fischer!" said Tony again, more forcefully this time. Now she glanced at him, as though he was something slightly unpleasant that she'd stepped in.

"What, Moretti?"

"Just…cut it out, okay?" Tony looked at Fred out of the corner of his eye.

But Fred shook his head. "It's fine," he said. "People are going to find out eventually."

"Find out what?" Maureen looked intrigued, despite her drunkenness.

"Daphne and I broke up," Fred told her in a monotone. "The whole gang did."

It felt as though his heart broke all over again as he said it.

Maureen stared at him, delightfully incredulous. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Fischer…" said Tony for a third time, but Fred just sighed.

"Yeah," he admitted. "The gang…everyone…split up."

Maureen shook her head in joyful disbelief. "Holy shit," she crowed. She leapt up from the bench and sprinted back into the house.

"You know she's about to go tell the whole party, right?" Tony said to Fred once she'd gone.

"Good," Fred replied darkly. "That means I won't have to."

Tony sighed. "You gonna be okay, man?"

Fred hesitated. "I don't know," he answered truthfully.

"You wanna stay?"

"Yeah," Fred replied with a reluctant nod. He didn't really want to stay, but he didn't want to go home and be alone with his thoughts either.

Tony stood up and clapped Fred on the shoulder. "Then you need a drink," he proclaimed.

"I need several drinks," Fred agreed, also rising. He followed Tony back into the house.

By the time he'd finished his first beer, the whole party knew.

Mystery Incorporated was dead.

x.X.x

Sunday, April 4th – nine days after The Fight

For the first time in her life, Velma seriously considered skipping school on Monday.

Having Dottie, Bill, and Lorelei around all week had been a good distraction – with so many people in the house, there hadn't been a whole lot of time or quiet to reflect on everything that had happened before break. But now they were back in Seattle, and the reality of life had caught up with Velma. Every horrible thing she'd said, every secret she'd spilled – the memories encroached upon her, compressing her heart with shame and regret. She hadn't meant to make everyone so angry. She hadn't meant for the whole gang to fall apart.

But she did.

And it had.

And now she was paying for it.

The night before classes started again, Velma sat on her bed staring at the wall. She purposefully looked away from the bulletin board over her desk – seeing Shaggy's drawing of her was too painful. And yet, she found that she couldn't bring herself to take it down. She wondered how he'd get to school in the morning. He didn't have a car of his own, so he'd probably take the bus. Which would mean that Velma couldn't take the bus. It would be bad enough seeing him in the classes they shared. She didn't think she could handle a whole bus ride with him as well. So that begged the question…how would Velma get to school in the morning? It would be too suspicious if she asked one of her parents to drop her off. She hadn't told them, or anyone else, about The Fight, and she didn't think she wanted them to know. So she couldn't catch a ride with either of them. Walking was out of the question.

Velma glanced at her phone, which she held in her hand. There was maybe one person who could help.

She dialed.

The phone rang once. Twice.

"Hello?"

Velma breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. "Hey, Marce," she said. "It's Velma."

"I know," Marcie replied. Velma could hear a hint of a smile in her voice. "I do have your number saved. How was your break?"

"Um, listen…" Velma bit her lip, ignoring the question. "Do you think you could do me a favor?"

"What do you need?" Marcie asked.

Inexplicably, Velma felt her eyes fill with tears. "I need a ride to school in the morning."

"I can drive you, no problem," said Marcie. "Is Fred out sick? Should I pick up Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby too?"

Hearing all their names at once was too much for Velma. To her utter horror, she burst into tears.

"Velma!" Marcie's voice sounded startled through the phone. "Velma, what's wrong?"

Velma took a shuddering breath and tried to regain control. "The gang split up," she wept, unable to help the sob that accompanied the words.

There was silence from the other end of the phone. Then Marcie, sounding shocked, replied, "The whole gang?"

Velma nodded miserably, even though she knew Marcie couldn't see. "We had a huge fight on the last day of school before break," she told her. "It was my fault, it was all my fault. Shaggy and I broke up, and…" Velma trailed off, anguished. She couldn't even admit to Marcie that Shaggy had chosen Scooby over her. "…and I was so mad that I told everyone, and then Daphne and Fred were mad that we'd kept our relationship a secret, and then I told them all about Daphne's secret NYU audition, which…I shouldn't have done that, I was just so angry and upset, so I took it out on her. And then everyone was angry and upset and…and then I quit. And then everyone else quit, too."

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. After several moments, Marcie said quietly, "V, I'm so sorry. Do you think you'll make up?"

"I don't think so," Velma sighed, removing her glasses. Her tears were fogging them up. "We've had all week to do it, and no one's extended an olive branch." She wiped her freckled cheeks and put her glasses back on.

Marcie made a hmm sound on the other end of the phone. "So…you'll need a ride to and from school for the foreseeable future then?"

"I'm sorry to put you out like this," Velma replied.

"You're not putting me out," Marcie insisted. "You're my friend, V. And friends help each other."

Velma closed her eyes in an attempt to keep more tears at bay. It wasn't the same as the gang, but it felt good to have Marcie in her corner.

x.X.x

The days that followed after The Fight

That first day back was hell for everyone in the former Mystery Incorporated. None of them so much as made eye contact with each other in homeroom, and they ignored each other in the other classes they shared. They didn't sit together at lunch or in study hall. All five of them were miserable. And yet, it seemed that everyone was talking about them.

The news that Fred Jones and Daphne Blake were no longer dating had completely eclipsed the gossip that Shaggy and Velma had been in a secret relationship. Granted, Fred and Daphne were more popular, so they'd always been guaranteed to garner more attention. Even so, the others had felt astonished to hear that they'd broken up – even after the gang had split, they figured that Daphne and Fred were untouchable. But no, they all returned to school the Monday after spring break to find that the Golden Couple of the senior class had broken up. Had it really only been a month since Fred and Daphne had done the Dirty Dancing lift in the parking lot, and Corinne Faulkner had called them "Relationship Goals?" It seemed impossible.

Velma felt particularly guilty about that aspect of The Fight. It was her fault that Daphne and Fred had split up, she was sure of it. Just like it was her fault that she and Shaggy had split up, and all of Mystery Incorporated for that matter. Everything – every single thing – was her fault.

The world had ended, but life went on.

As the weeks passed, they all went back to all their old groups – Fred hung out with the football team, Velma with the science club, and Daphne was back in with the popular crowd, constantly pursued by boys who now knew that she was available. But since the gang had been their first – and only – friends since they'd moved to Coolsville, Scooby and Shaggy only had each other. It wasn't awful, but it was a bit lonely. Shaggy was glad, at least, that he and Scooby had made up. Otherwise, he would have had no one at all.

Tony Moretti had taken pity on the gang and took turns sitting with each of them during lunch. He wasn't taking sides, he told them, but he did pass along news about other former members. This was how Scooby and Shaggy learned that Fred was still meeting with Heavy Meddle on Monday evenings – alone. It was also how they learned that Daphne had gone on several dates with her ex-boyfriend Red Herring (though they were not "official"), and how they learned that Velma had received college acceptances from all the Ivy Leagues – Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale – just as Shaggy and Scooby had thought she would.

Daphne's NYU audition had apparently gone well, and there was a rumor that she'd already sent in her intent to enroll for the fall, even though decisions weren't due until the first of May.

Fred sent his enrollment intent to Coolsville U. It was the only place he'd applied.

There was a rumor that Velma had decided on Stanford, and Shaggy couldn't help but wonder why. Why Stanford, and not Yale? Or Harvard? Was it because Stanford was the farthest away from Coolsville? From everyone else? Shaggy couldn't be sure, but if that was the reason, he understood it. Honestly, he was feeling that way himself, a bit. Everywhere he went – the library, the malt shop, even school – reminded him of the gang. It was some serious irony. When he'd first moved to Coolsville, he hadn't wanted – or expected – the town to grow on him, but it had. It was home now.

No, that wasn't true. The gang was home. But the gang didn't exist anymore. What was the point in staying if the people who made it worthwhile were all gone?

"Scoob," Shaggy said one day near the end of April. The two of them were sitting on the couch in their living room, watching TV and eating snacks. "Like, how would you like to live in Chicago next year?"

Scooby looked up. "Roosevelt?" he asked.

Shaggy nodded. "I think it's like…the right choice. For me. For us."

Scooby blinked at him. "Rokay," he agreed.

And that was that. Every member of Mystery Incorporated were going to separate colleges. The gang had well and truly split up.

Sponge: I am so sorry to do this to you all – especially because I'm about to take my intermission. And because the next chapters are so intense, I'll be gone for four weeks while I finish up grad school (!), revise these last chapters (!), and start work on the ~final story in the saga~ (!). But fear not – I'll be back on Wednesday, November 25th at or around 10pm EST! In the meantime, follow me on Tumblr (SpongeAddict) or Twitter (Sponge_Addict) and of course, review if you please, and don't forget to guess where the chapter title comes from!