The last few weeks of the year went faster than Zelda had anticipated.

Dejected, she watched Makeela lead the volleyball team to the finals, and even when she'd had her cast removed, she still hadn't been allowed back on the team for safety reasons. In fact, everyone watched her more carefully now, like they were afraid she'd combust or collapse at any moment. Makeela had tried to drag Zelda to practice, insisting that if she were there, dressed and ready to play, coach might just put her in. But that wasn't the case. She got little more than bench-sore and fought back hot, bitter tears as she watched her friends from the sidelines.

It didn't stop her from forcing herself to go to every possible game, though.

Zelda had made large, glittery signs to embarrass her friends (as well as cheering them on), while she was relegated to the back row of the bleachers. She cheered the loudest, and heckled the other team. She'd even earned a dirty look from the ref at one point, and she did nothing else but wave her glitter sign with Makeela's name in bright pink on it. What were they going to do to her? Kick her off the team? Make her leave?

Link, Ilia, and Pipit joined her at as many games as they could, but work still managed its way into every one of their schedules. She found that Ilia had the most availability during game time, and they went to most of them together, carpooling and then the three of them getting a celebratory (or 'you can't win every game') meal.

As for Zelda, work was becoming second nature to her. She found more joy in connecting with the patients when she brought them food, and she took diligent mental notes whenever Impa let her shadow her for the day, and then she'd return to her actual notebook to write down what she could remember. She kept studying outside of school, and diligently searched through the course catalogue at UCH, jotting down every nursing course she might take in the next few years. Link teased her about it, but she figured there was nothing wrong with being prepared.

Finals were coming up, and study groups became their thing.

Some days, they were all at Link's house, cramming together on the couch or the floor, or in his bedroom with books scattered everywhere. Other days, they went to Makeela's. While not as lavish as Zelda's home, she was the most creative of them all, and she had markers and colored paper, and they made beautiful flashcards. Ilia and Zelda became the designated writers thanks to their neat handwriting, while Makeela and Pipit were drawing. Pipit had his own set of cards for his own school, but some of the material was the same, so he joined the study sessions. Link was the researcher. He was the fastest reader, and had some inhuman ability to retain information when he wanted to, but he had a feeling that when finals were done, not a single shred of information would stay in place. It would simply melt from his brain with the heat of summer.

They carefully avoided Zelda's house while studying. Ramus and Arina were experiencing—what Zelda liked to call—an extreme breakdown in communication. On nights when she stayed home, she'd put headphones on and blast music just to drown out their incessant badgering of each other. And when Zelda didn't have music on, she'd turned to watching videos online made by couple's therapists, occasionally dropping a line she'd heard at breakfast when their civility level was always at the highest for her sake. If she could do nothing else for her parents, she didn't want to end up anything like that with Link.

And unlike her parents, Link had kept his promise to be there for Zelda during the play. He'd taken more time off than she'd ever seen just so he could make it to the rehearsals he was scheduled to attend to work the soundboard. It took a few weeks for the actors to move from the classroom to the stage, but once they'd started adding the mics and overlayed music in, Link and Zelda had to show up more and more often.

The first night of the play, Zelda couldn't help the tears once again. She'd been so good during hell week, watching them in their costumes, doing full run throughs, she'd managed all of that. But when they started to change into costume that Friday, and there was a stand set up in the foyer with snacks, and a basket for a raffle, it all became real that this was the last time she'd ever be doing this, and it was taken away from her because of something she'd had a handle on for years that everyone thought made her a liability.

Link had taken her to their spot on the side of the school, the spot they often found themselves anytime they needed privacy, and they sat in the grass. It was dry and almost too sharp to sit on, proof that some rain was much needed, but after some stomping it down a bit, it became bearable.

Link held her as tight as he could while she sobbed into his shoulder, apologizing again and again for getting his shirt snotty and tear-soaked. He could feel the spots she was talking about: one was right in the dip of his shoulder where she'd been before readjusting to get a better grip, and the other was directly beside his neck. Though he could feel them, neither spot was particularly bothersome, especially not while Zelda was still there in his arms, the skin of his neck damp with her newest location.

She apologized for her inability to stop crying, and for crying over such a stupid thing like the play. No matter how many times Link asked her to stop apologizing, she couldn't. She could almost hear her mother saying that there were sick children in the world, and that was something to cry about, not a play. But that only made it worse.

"We're almost out of this fucking place, Zel," he whispered. "Once we're at UCH, no one will know about your health again, and they won't keep you from doing anything. It'll be okay."

She shrugged, defeated. "I thought senior year would be good, you know? I'd get to play volleyball, I'd be in both plays with all my friends. I'd do more on the student council. I didn't do anything."

Link craned his neck to reach her cheek, which was difficult given their position. He had to pull her back a little. It made her arms tighten, unwilling to let him go in that moment. He chuckled and gave up, resting his lips against her forehead instead, which he had much better access to. She was clammy, and he didn't know if it was from the weather changes, or just her working herself up.

His hand ran through her hair before he ended up pulling her closer instead. "You've done so much. It's just not the things you expected to do." She had his arm pinned so she could lean on him, so he didn't have much wiggle room to do much more than to playfully flick at her ear. "And you know, you started dating me, which, might I just say, has been the absolute highlight of senior year for me personally."

She laughed, her ear tickling from his fingers. Swatting his hand away, she sat up and he took the chance to get more comfortable. But she was glaring at him with a wide smile on her face, unable to even pretend to be annoyed. "You're so humble, aren't you?"

"Oh, the humblest. But I mean it. I've gone through some shit this year, and still, it's been the best year because of you."

"Even when you were cleaning the floors?"

"Especially when I was cleaning the floors. I got to talk to you, remember? We broke into a classroom."

"I remember."

"Oh, you need to let me know the next time your parents aren't home. There's something I want to do with you."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I've been dying to go back on that trampoline. We're going to uncover it. The weather is nice enough."

Rolling her eyes, Zelda started laughing, placing her hand against his warm chest to push him away playfully, but stopping herself when she realized that she just wanted to look at him for that moment instead. She looked at him all the time, she checked him out, she sometimes stared, but there was something about him in that one particular moment that had her locked in place, starting a smile across her lips. "Okay, we'll get it ready."

Link pushed himself to his feet and helped Zelda off the ground. "As much as I love talking to you, we have a play to control. And if we're not there, the whole play will be dark. Or better yet, too bright. And mics will be off or stay on while everyone's backstage. Because we control everything like the theater gods that we are and without us, they wouldn't know what the hell our notes mean."

"That's so true," she giggled, holding his hand as they headed back inside. Their notes in the script for when to change the lights and to what colors or intensity were an absolute disaster that only they could understand. Highlighters denoted people leaving the stage and those coming on, pen marks littered the script with notes.

"Want to sabotage them? Will that make you feel better?" Link asked, only slightly joking.

"No!" she laughed again. "No, we're going to go out there and show the that we're the best damn switchboard operators in the world, and they'll know how lost they'd be without us."

"Princess Zelda of Switchboard Operations."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why princess? Why not queen?"

"You've always been a princess. Well, to me."

"Why can't I be a queen though?"

"I haven't been calling you 'Queen' all year, have I? I've called you 'Princess,' so you're going to be Princess of the Switchboard. Get over it."

"What are you then? King? You want to have all the power?"

Link squeezed her hand. "I'd never supersede you, Your Highness. Maybe I'll be Sir Link, Knight of the Switchboard."

Zelda took a deep breath as they stood in front of the doors leading to backstage. The first few people were starting to trickle in, and they needed to be backstage when that happened.

Zelda turned to Link before pushing the doors open. "Do I look like I was crying?"

"You look beautiful."

"That wasn't the question, Link."

"Oh, right, sorry," he smirked. "No, you don't."

Steeling herself for the hurt of seeing the costumes she'd never wear and the makeup she didn't need, and the speech Mr. Daruk would give that she technically wasn't a part of because she wasn't an actor, she held on to Link just a little bit tighter. "Here goes nothing,"

"Zelda," Ramus said, sitting across from her at the bar while she did some homework. Though it was a weekend, she still wanted to get it done. Finals were coming up too quickly, and she didn't want anything to overlap with studying for them.

"Yes?" she asked, finishing typing her sentence before stopping.

She didn't even notice that both her parents were there, together, not bickering. But the way they were looking at her had her stomach twisting.

"We need to talk with you, Darling," her mom said, absently grabbing Zelda's pushed-aside glass and setting it in the sink.

"Yes," Ramus said, clearing his throat. "I believe you are aware that your mother and I have been having… problems."

Hesitating, Zelda looked between both of them. "Yes."

"Well…" he glanced anxiously at Arina. "You go ahead."

"Of course. Make me do it."

"Do what?" Zelda snapped, nervous.

"We've decided it'll be best for everyone if your father and I take a break from one another. See other people in the meantime. Reassess."

"What?" Zelda breathed.

"We're also—"

"Give her a minute," Ramus hissed, cutting Arina off.

They bickered some more, but Zelda had already tuned them out, her mind swimming with questions. But she needed to prioritize, starting with clarity.

"Are you getting divorced?"

"We don't know, Darling," Arina said, taking Zelda's clenched fist in her soft hand. "We don't know yet. That's what we're going to determine."

"Are you seeing other people already? Is that why this is happening?"

Arina glanced at Ramus, and he leaned heavily on the counter. "We both have been, yes. Nothing serious, but yes."

Zelda covered her mouth. She didn't know if it was to stop herself from saying something rude, or to hide her reaction. This wasn't so much a surprise to her as it was a shock. She'd known they were fighting, seeing others, and staying apart most nights. But to hear it all laid out as a fact was perhaps the most jarring. It's one thing to speculate with clear reasoning, and quite another to be told it's all true.

For a brief moment, Zelda could feel the world spin, like there was nothing solid about it, nowhere to stand. She'd known this was coming. She'd been preparing herself.

So why did it still feel like she was inside a plummeting airplane, helplessly watching as the metal was peeled away by some unstoppable force until it was a shell of what it had once been, no longer protective, no longer safe.

Arina bit her lip and steeled herself. "There's one more thing."

Zelda's eyes darted to them on instinct, though she wasn't sure she was ready to hear more just yet.

"We… we're going to be selling the house. It's too much to maintain with just one salary, and we'll be living apart anyway, so it's just easier this way. We're going to put it on the market when you go to school."

Looking around at her house, her things, her walls—she'd known she was saying goodbye to them soon, but to know she could never come back?

She ran a hand through her hair and let out a shaky breath. "Is this because of me? Because I stay with Link a lot and am leaving?"

"No," Ramus said quickly, putting his hand on her arm. "This is because of us. Your mother and I. And we just want to know that you'll be safe and settled at school before we do anything with the house. And if you want to come home for a visit, we'll both have smaller places."

"You're getting divorced then," Zelda said, firmer this time. "You're selling the house, have people you're dating, and you're not going to try anymore. That's basically a divorce? Right?"

"The house is still too big for just two of us. We'd always planned to downsize when you left us, but now's a good a time as any."

"So, you've been planning this?" Zelda asked, her voice rising. "What, were you just waiting for me to go to school so you could live your separate lives without me bothering you? Were you going to kick me out if I chose to go somewhere closer to home? How long has this plan been in place?"

"Zelda…"

"How long?"

"A while," Arina admitted.

"A while…" Zelda scoffed, slamming her computer lid and grabbing her backpack off the couch before jamming it inside.

"Where are you going? Zelda?"

"Let her go, Arina."

"No," Arina snapped, moving towards Zelda as she put her shoes on. "At least tell me where you're going."

Zelda struggled to fix the back of her shoe and kicked the whole thing off, hitting the wall. "I'm going to either Link's or Makeela's. I'd better start getting used to picking between two houses to go to." She grabbed her boots instead, despite the warming weather.

"Oh please, it won't be that bad."

Unable to resist the sneer on her face, Zelda shook her head in disgust. "Holidays? Birthdays? You're going to make me decide on who to spend them with. You're going to make me pick houses and families and traditions. I really don't think I want any of it. I'm going to get an apartment and start my own traditions, and that way, you can live your own lives, just like you want to."

"Zelda!"

"No! Why do I have to be wrong here? Why can't I be right, for once with you? My school is wrong, my boyfriend is wrong, my job is wrong, my career is wrong, my attitude is wrong! Why is me needing to start something of my own so wrong? Go move to Holodrum! It's where you've always wanted to go! Just leave me and my life out of it! Please!"

"Zelda," Ramus said, stepping into the doorway. "Just text or call one of us when you get to someone's house safe. Take your time. We'll both be here all night sorting things out, if you need us."

"I don't."

"Okay. Just… text, please."

"Fine," she breathed, taking her keys off the hook and hurrying out the door for her car before her mother could say anything. And as much as she wanted to just sit in her car, still in her sweatpants, a loose shirt, no bra, hair a mess from the bun she'd thrown it into, snow boots and all, she grabbed her sunglasses and a sweatshirt from her back seat, threw them both on, and drove away.

She truly didn't know where she was going. She just let her senses take over her direction, and soon found herself in front of Link's work.

That time, she did sit in her car, staring at the side of the building as if it were the only thing she had to look at. It took more effort than she wanted to be able to get out, and when she did, she crossed her arms and shuffled into the garage.

Immediately, she saw Gabe sitting inside the driver's seat of a car with his legs hanging out and a clipboard in his lap. Hesitantly, she knocked on the nearest solid item.

His head shot up and he smiled. "Zelda! Haven't seen you around much! I'm afraid Link just went home though, and Pipit's not in today."

Zelda nodded but couldn't bring herself to move.

"Hey now, what's wrong?" Gabe asked, setting the clipboard down to go over to her. "You okay? Are you in trouble? Do you need me to do something?"

A small smile crept over her face at his willingness, but she just bit her lip.

"Maybe that was too many questions at once," he laughed, standing in front of her. "Let's start easy. Are you okay?"

Hugging her arms to herself, she looked up at Gabe, wide-eyed and earnest, and shook her head.

"Okay," he whispered, pulling her in for a hug.

And that broke her.

Her hands covered her eyes as she began to sob, tears streaming down her face. She tried to keep sniffing in, but she could feel her nose dripping. But she couldn't move for a towel or tissue. She didn't want to.

She wanted a hug.

Her parents hadn't even tried. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had hugged her. Her father, she could only remember him at the hospital, so relieved that he'd hugged her, and then once more to say goodbye when Link had them over for dinner. But before that? She couldn't think of him comforting her with a hug.

He'd tried today. He'd put his hand on her arm. That was a hug from Ramus. But Zelda didn't want that. She wanted someone to hold her and let her cry.

She'd been crying a lot lately.

"I'm sorry," she finally gasped out, coughing as she stepped away from Gabe to grab a tissue she desperately needed.

"Don't you be sorry, kid."

"I'm just always crying now! I feel so stupid!"

"I cried the other day. Slammed my whole hand in a door. Throbbed like a bitch for a week. Tears aren't a bad thing. They aren't poison. In our case, they're just letting us know that something is wrong. And what better place to go for something like that than a repair shop, huh?" He chuckled and gestured to the nearest seat, bringing a bucket along for himself to sit on. "Is it something to do with Link?"

"No! No, nothing to do with him," she gasped, still trying to steady her breathing. "It's my parents. They're going to uproot our lives! I've never had to move before! Not that I remember, anyway! I've almost always lived in that house, and when my parents weren't home, it was mine. It was my place! My yard, where I first really hung out with Link. My couch. My room. My walls! That's my place! And they just want me to move like that! And all because they couldn't speak to each other like adults!"

"You're moving, then?"

"I'm going to school, but I don't have anywhere to go home to after because they're going to sell our house." Gabe nodded but didn't interrupt. "I know Link and Aryll were thinking of getting out of their lease too, because Aryll wants to move in with Collin or something. I just… I'm losing everything! My friends and I are all going to different schools, except Link and I. The two places I call home aren't going to be there. My parents are going to get divorced—"

"Oh," he muttered to himself.

"—then there's everything that just happened with the play, and the volleyball team! I've done it all wrong! I'm a failure, and I don't know what else to do! And if I tell this to Link, he'll be all supportive and tell me I'm not because he's too good, but I am! What have I done right this year? I feel like every choice I've made has led to this. Did I make them break up? Before the Holodrum project, they weren't this bad. Was it because I started dating Link? Or because I lost my friends? Or because I moved out? Did I do this?"

Gabe leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and shook his head. "Your life is changing. You're not a child anymore, and now you're seeing the world as it always was, but with a new perspective. The world is a hard place. People change, families break, people die. Life goes on, but sometimes, you feel like you're stuck… left behind to remember the way it should have been, or the way it once was. And for a while, it's okay if you stay there. The world will keep on spinning for when you're ready to stand back up. But you have to be willing to get back up. You've done nothing wrong, Zelda. What you've just described is unfortunately just life."

"So, I should just get over it because this happens to everyone?"

"No." He sat back and stroked his chin for a moment before looking back at her. "Link told me what you did for him. You brought him to the cemetery, right?"

"Yeah."

"He mourned his friend, and his old life. And I know, Goddess, I know what it's like to wish life could go back the way it was. It was perfect once. But we grieve the past. We mourn what we've lost. And then we join the living to move forward. Your parents might split up, but it's okay to miss the times when they were happy. It's okay to hold on to those memories and cherish them.

"But people change, Zelda. Your parents changed. You changed. Link changed. I changed. We all change. And your parents are no longer two people who can get along. They're not happy together. They don't feel love for each other. So tell me, how is any of that your fault?"

Zelda wiped her eyes and sniffled again, though she was much calmer now. "It's not."

"No, it's not. Now, before I preach you to death, can I give you a ride somewhere, or are you okay to drive? Because I don't think you want to help me fix cars for the next few hours. Unless you do."

"Not unless you want me to break everything," she laughed.

"Not really."

"No, I'm okay to drive. Thank you though. For taking the time to talk to me, too."

"Always, Zelda. My doors are open. And hey, you just focus on school and work, okay? Everything at home will work itself out, and it's not something you can control. You can control your grades, and ensuring you get into your dream school, and your dream job. When you can't control the wheel of a car, you still control the breaks and the gas. Control what you can, don't stress about what you can't."

Zelda nodded and smiled. "Link's lucky to have you, you know."

"I'm lucky to have him. I'm lucky to have all of you. I'd adopt all three of you, emotionally anyway."

"I can't accept," she said, standing up. "Then Link would be my emotional stepbrother and that's just not okay with me."

Gabe snorted. "Good point."

Pausing, Zelda turned to him again. "My dad's coming around, I think."

"That's good."

"I want my mom, too."

"That's out of your control. You're all living in stress. After Mikau died, we were all so stressed, I didn't talk to my family for months. Let things settle, and maybe she'll come around then. But if she doesn't, that's not on you."

Zelda fisted her keys and nodded again. "Yeah. I can only do so much, right?"

"Right. And I know you said Link is too supportive, but… that's not the worst thing you could ask for in this kind of situation."

"I know. Sometimes, I just… I feel like a failure. I don't want him telling me I'm not, because I know I am. And I know you're about to say I'm not, but I just feel it sometimes."

"That emotion doesn't go away once you get a diploma, or a job. You'll have that feeling a lot throughout your life. Just remember, you've done far more things right than you've done wrong. Remember those moments. Tell me some."

"I… I don't know."

"Think."

She sighed and shrugged. "I got a job. I stood up to my parents about my career and school. And to Mrs. Joy, I guess. I dated Link, even though people tried to pressure me not to. I made it through the play. I go to Makeela's games even though it makes me angry. I don't know."

"That was good. You have more. I know it. Think about them in your head."

"Is this what you tell Link to do?"

"You're damn right I do."

She shifted from foot to foot. "Maybe I'll go ask him for some help making a list, then. I'm sorry for bothering you with all this and just barging in."

"Hey, one more thing while I'm on a roll: stop apologizing for every damn thing you do. There's nothing to be sorry for, so don't apologize."

"Okay," she said, pulling her messed up bun out so her hair fell down her shoulders. She'd fix it again in the car with a mirror. "Thanks, Gabe. Really."

"You bet, kid."

A/N: Wooo WOOOOOO I'm back! I finished work, I have turned off my work emails, I am on vacation (put that in a sing-song voice because I'm pumped)!

ANYWHO! I added one more chapter to the expected chapter count! That's because this chapter was legit meant to be two paragraphs long before the rest of the other stuff, but I went to town instead and it ended up long enough to steal its own chapter, kind of like this endnote! OOPS! Not sorry! So the next chapter (which I'm already halfway through because I am on a ROLL now!) is going to be the last *real* chapter, and then the LAST LAST chapter will be an epilogue (because if you know me, I always have an epilogue). I'm not going to split the next one into two, which I had considered, so you may get a really long chapter, or two short pieces that have been combined into a normal chapter size. Idk. I plan nothing.

Honestly, I'm just rambling here because I'm so excited to be typing something fun again. So ignore my ramble, I'm going to go get a coffee and then I'm going to keep writing. This will not have another month/two month break! Can I put a fire emoji here? No I can't because I can't find it. IDK. I regret literally none of this ramble. Have a good day!

Reviews: Friendly Neighborhood Guest/Your Very Emotionally Distraught Neighborhood Guest: OMG YOU GOT AN ACCOUNT?! WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?! NO MORE GUESSING IF YOU'RE THE SAME GUEST? AND YOU HAVE A FIC?! YASSSS NEIGHBORHOOD GUEST GO OFF! I'M HERE FOR IT! I never read on FFN anymore, but I may creep! And omg, Together With You would be such a great title! I don't think I'm going to do a sequel, but I would be here potentially for the occasional oneshot. Who knows though?! Never say never! Oracle of Hylia: I knowww! But it's always the popular ones, and that's them! Even if they're total jerks! James Birdsong: Thank youuu! Elena Gilbert: AWWW THANK YOU! I did enjoy high school for the most part, but some rough stuff definitely happened, and I wanted to look at both of those things! I think I know what comment you're talking about, and I can definitely see where they'd say it's just a generic high school AU, which is totally fine with me. But I'm really glad you like it! I'm going to get back to the pirate fic soon, but I wanted to finish this one first so I don't keep abandoning all my fics for long periods of time! And no worries! Jojoker: NO WHAMMIES, NO WHAMMIES, AND STOP! Boom. Double whammy lol! Omg I'm potentially dating myself here, but I loved that gameshow hahahha! MaskedMarvel: That's so great to hear! It definitely makes sense! I got you! And I love Link's extra-ness hahaha! They're all the most perfectly matched mis-matched friend group, to me! Like none of them would have found each other naturally, but together they're a powerhouse group! I love them lol! Guest 1: 3 I love this comment hahaha! Thank you! Guest 2 who is NOT the same as guest 1: First off, thank you because I would have totally thought you were the same guest hahahha! But I'm so glad you like this fic! Hopefully, the one extra chapter is a small consolation for it nearly being over! And I'm glad you're enjoying the pirate fic too! I'll be getting back to that soon! I just want to finish this first and then I'll head back there! And I didn't see that movie! Was it worth it? I like the quote anyway!