DISCLAIMER: Pretty Little Liars and all its characters is the intellectual property of others. Some characters used in the writing of this fic belong to PLL. Events that transpire, will transpire and have transpired in this story are entirely of my own creation.

So this is the longest chapter yet… thanks for the reviews and enthusiasm about the story.

Nae10 and jme2887... Thanks for the PM.

PART ONE: "Mutantur Omnia Nos Et Mutamur In Illis"

~ All things change, and we change with them. ~

CHAPTER NINE

Paige crossed off another item listed in the minutes of today's prom committee meeting, checking to see if Emily forgot to mention anything else as the girl stood in front of the room, talking to the rest of the group. Prom is just a week away and Emily called for the meeting this afternoon just to finalize a few details and make sure that things would go off without a hitch next Saturday. Paige turned her head to look behind her and studied the group. While most of the students who sat listening attentively to Emily were members of the social committee, there were also some new faces. Students from various organizations like the art club and the AV club also volunteered to be part of the planning for this year's prom. When a pretty girl sitting at the back of the room averted her eyes from Emily and met hers, Paige immediately faced forward again before the girl could get the wrong impression that she was thinking of asking her out again.

"You forgot to remind Ryan and Ivy to follow up on the balloons and streamers." Paige whispered, leaning in close to the girl who just took a seat next to her in the front row.

"What? No I didn't." Emily protested indignantly, grabbing the checklist the girl was holding in her hand. She frowned when she realized that Paige was right.

"I'll take care of it." Paige immediately volunteered before Emily could interrupt Drew, the guy currently standing in front of the room who was rambling on and on about ticket sales. "I can swing by this weekend." She added as she wrote down those two things in her planner, mentally reminding herself as well to drop by the party goods store and the printer the second she returns from Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

"Thanks." Emily said, managing to give the girl a faint smile. She took a deep breath and wearily ran a hand through her hair before focusing her attention on Drew as he wrapped up giving the group an update on the ticket sales. Emily stood up once the guy looked at her and signaled that he was done. "Like Drew said, we only have a few tickets left to sell." She told the group once she was standing in front of the room again. "So in case they're planning to attend, remind your friends or anyone else you might know to buy their tickets for prom before they're sold out. Are there any questions?" Emily asked, looking around the room. When no one raised their hand, she continued. "We'll have a final meeting same time next week but for now meeting's adjourned." She declared before heading back to the chair she was occupying next to Paige earlier.

Emily busied herself with fixing her things, occasionally stealing glances at the girl standing next to her. Ever since the funeral, she noticed that Paige has been struggling a lot with the usual stuff. Like going to school and focusing on classroom lectures. It took the girl some time before she actually accomplished something these days and normally it was annoying but she needed Paige beside her once she ventured outside the four walls of the classroom.

"Ready to go?" Emily asked when she noticed that Paige was finally done fixing her things.

"Um... I wasn't aware that you were waiting for me." Paige answered, slinging her messenger bag on her shoulder and giving the girl a confused look. "Normally you leave without me and I had to run after you just so I could drive you to work. What's up with you?" She asked as she waited for Emily to lead the way outside the room but the girl refused to budge.

Emily shrugged. "Nothing." She answered nonchalantly. "Why don't you head out first? I'll be right behind you." She said, adding to the girl's confusion.

Paige studied Emily suspiciously before deciding to do as she was told, heading for the door to leave the room. Sure enough, as soon as her feet landed outside the classroom, the girl immediately fell into step beside her.

"Can you please walk faster?" Emily asked impatiently. "Now would be a really good time to channel the runner in you."

"Well if you're in such a hurry to leave school I can just meet you in the parking lot. I need to get my Trigonometry book from my locker." Paige explained, heading towards the opposite direction of the main entrance.

"I'll come with you." Emily hurriedly volunteered, surprising Paige.

"Okay that's it. What the hell is going on with you today?!" Paige asked as she stopped in her tracks and faced the girl.

"I'm trying to avoid getting asked to prom." Emily finally confessed. "So can we just keep walking?" She pleaded, leading the way to Paige's locker.

"And how is walking beside me supposed to help?" Paige asked as she caught up to the girl. "Do you expect me to scare them off or something?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't need you to do anything. I mean, not anything obvious. I'm just avoiding getting cornered when I'm alone." She explained uneasily.

"If you want strength in numbers you should've asked your friends to walk around with you." Paige suggested, upset when she heard Emily's reason. "There's three of them and only one of me." She pointed out.

"Yeah but not one of them could make it to the meeting." Emily reminded the girl, oblivious to Paige's feelings. "And even if they did, they want me to go to prom. They won't help me." She confessed just as they reached the girl's locker.

Paige didn't bother to respond, choosing instead to dial her locker combination in silence before pulling open the metal door, effectively blocking her view of Emily. She quickly grabbed her Trigonometry book but before she could close the door of her locker, she heard a girl's voice from somewhere to her right.

"Hey Emily." The voice said in greeting. Paige buried her head deeper into her locker, pretending that she was still busy looking for her book as she listened in on the conversation.

"You probably don't know me. My name's Jen." The girl continued, introducing herself.

Emily smiled politely before stealing a glance at Paige's locker door, mentally begging the girl hiding behind it to help her out of the situation but Paige seemed busy poring through the contents of her locker to notice her distress.

"Anyway. I know this seems kinda last minute but I was wondering if you already have a date for prom." Jen asked, blushing profusely.

"Um... thanks for asking." Emily began, giving the girl another polite smile. "But I'm going to have to say no." She continued apologetically.

"Oh. Uh. Okay. Thanks anyway." Jen managed to mumble. She stood looking at Emily for a second longer, seemingly lost as to what to do next before snapping out of her embarrassment. "I'm gonna go now." She said hurriedly before half walking, half running away from Emily with her head down.

Emily watched the girl round a corner before sighing. She turned to face Paige when she heard the girl's locker door close. "See what I mean?" She uttered when she saw Paige's look of amusement over the whole situation once the girl realized she wasn't exaggerating. "Girls have been coming up to me since last week and I'm getting tired of saying 'no'. It's like they just waited for a month before they decided to ask me to prom."

"Let me guess. You said no to that girl not only because she's not Jai but also because you're planning on skipping prom altogether." Paige stated as they began walking towards the school parking lot. "What do you plan on doing on prom night then?" She asked when Emily nodded.

"Just stay at home. Maybe watch a movie or two then call it a night." Emily answered. "What about you? Who are you taking to prom? You haven't bought any tickets yet." She reminded the girl as they exited the school building, choosing to focus the conversation on Paige instead. "Having trouble deciding which girl to take? You can probably buy the remaining tickets. I'll tell Drew to give you a discount." She offered teasingly.

Paige ignored Emily's quip, not in the mood to bicker. "You asked the wrong question. You should've asked me what I'm doing for prom first." She corrected.

"You're not going?" Emily asked, glancing in surprise at the girl walking beside her.

"Yep. I don't want to go to prom with some random girl and formals aren't really my thing. I don't like dressing up." Paige reminded Emily. "I joined an after dark 21K run instead."

"You joined a marathon?" Emily asked disbelievingly.

"Hey it's way more fun for me." Paige said defensively. "The more interesting question though is why aren't you going? You've been looking forward to that event for months." She pointed out.

"I was looking forward to it because of Jai." Emily admitted quietly. "But she's not around so what's the point?"

"The point is you can't spend prom night sitting in front of the TV watching horror movies." Paige said wryly. "We could go together if you want." She offered hesitantly, willing to forego her plans and rent some sort of formal attire at the last minute if the girl agrees to go with her.

Emily shook her head. "Thanks but I really don't want to go to prom." She insisted.

"You can go stag then go with your friends." Paige suggested next, not giving up on making sure that Emily ends up going to prom. She knew the girl was lying when Emily said that she was looking forward to the event solely because of Jai. "And I'm sure your friends are willing to go stag with you if you ask them. But then you don't really want to go stag." She added when she saw the reluctance in the girl's eyes.

Emily nodded. "Because then girls will ask me to dance and I just don't..."

"Want to dance with other girls. Got it." Paige said, finishing Emily's sentence.

"Besides. I don't want to ask my friends to go stag with me. I want them to have a memorable night and they won't have that if we all went stag." Emily continued as they neared the space where Paige parked her father's car.

Paige discreetly studied Emily from the corner of her eye and decided to drop the subject matter for now. She checked the time on her watch instead before speaking again. "We better hurry up or you're going to be late for work."

"You're really enjoying driving your dad's car to school everyday instead of riding your bike." Emily observed. "Why is he always home anyway?" She asked as they reached the familiar Buick Encore.

"He decided to work at home for now." Paige answered vaguely. "So I have to be somewhere until six but I can swing by the Brew before seven to pick you up." She explained as she unlocked the doors and waited for Emily to get in. "What?" She asked when the girl just stood in front of her.

"Stop worrying about me. I am capable of walking to and from work." Emily said, exasperated. A few days ago, Paige offered to walk with her to the Brew and she let her, thinking she could use the company. She was surprised however when Paige came back a few hours later, offering to walk her home this time. Left with no other choice, she let the girl accompany her. But that didn't stop there. Now she found herself being driven by Paige to and from work and while she appreciated the gesture, Paige won't give her a decent answer whenever she asked why the girl was doing this.

"I know that." Paige said, twirling the car keys around her left forefinger. "But I don't mind. Come on. Get in. You're going to be late." She reminded the girl before opening the door and getting in.

Emily checked the time on her watch and reluctantly walked to the passenger side of the car to get inside, buckling her seatbelt just as Paige locked the doors and started the engine. "Fine. But don't pick me up after work. I mean it." She said firmly, waiting for the girl to acknowledge that she heard what Emily said but Paige just stared at her. "I'll be fine. I know you're only doing this to keep the promise you made to Jai. So thanks. But you don't have to go out of your way to look after me."

"I'm not." Paige insisted, hurt that Emily thought she wasn't capable of genuinely caring about the girl. "It's just that you said you didn't want to be cornered about prom when you're alone." She reminded her, using Emily's dilemma earlier as an excuse to keep looking after her. "At least let me drive you home tonight. I'll be back before seven." She promised.

Emily heaved a sigh and faced forward, deciding to let Paige pick her up later. "Okay. But this better be the last time." She insisted. "Thanks for being Jai's best friend." She added sincerely, the fleeting look of sadness and guilt that crossed Paige's features gone unnoticed as she watched the passing scenery though the window.

Later that night, Paige found herself taking the time to slice a small portion of the sea bass on her plate, fully aware that her father was scrutinizing her every move as they sat in front of each other at the table during dinner. It's been more than a month since her best friend passed away and her dad has barely left their house since then. Although she tried convincing him that she was doing fine, her father refused to let her out of his sight unless she was leaving for school or training. Paige sighed inconspicuously, her eyes never leaving her plate as she brought the forkful of fish to her mouth and began chewing. The last few weeks made her feel like she was ten again and she didn't like it one bit. She understood her father's fear. And she was doing what she can to keep her illness at bay but his constant worrying wasn't helping matters.

"How was school today?" Nick McCullers finally asked the question Paige was waiting to hear as he continued to watch his daughter eat her dinner.

Paige shrugged. "Okay." She uttered her usual response once she managed to swallow the piece of fish she had been chewing, busying herself with cutting another small portion of her dinner just to have an excuse to not look at her father. She didn't want to see the worry written all over his face again.

"I was thinking. If you want to take a week off from going to school I'm sure your teachers will understand. You can just study here and I can swing by your school in the afternoon to borrow notes from your classmates, get your homework from your teachers." Nick offered, resting his chin on top of his hands as he brought them together.

"While you're at it maybe you could start holding my hand and walking me to all my classes too." Paige said in reply, fed up with the fragile treatment she's been getting from her father. "I'm sorry." She hurriedly said, looking up once she realized how disrespectful her words and tone had been. "I know you're worried about me. But I promise I'm really trying to feel better."

"I know." Nick said, giving his daughter a weary smile. "And I know you think I'm trying to find an excuse to keep you here. But I just don't want you to feel stressed out with everything you're dealing with right now." He explained gently. "Maybe studying here for a few days instead of going to school could help. It could lessen the pressure."

"Dad you and I both know that it's better if I spend some time outside... being around people. I need to because it helps with the distraction. I'm going to have a hard time doing that if I stay cooped up in here all day." Paige pointed out. "I have to keep my mind busy. Besides. Senior year's almost over. The last thing I want is to miss school."

Nick studied the girl thoughtfully, debating what to do. Ever since the doctors figured out what was wrong with his daughter, all he wanted was to keep Paige safe and alive. He knew it frustrated the girl most of the time but he couldn't bring himself to stop worrying. "Okay." He finally said, choosing to support Paige's decision for now. "Just make sure you don't push yourself too hard."

"I won't." Paige promised before returning her attention to her dinner. She just wanted the whole thing to be over. The dinner, the conversation. She just wanted to go back to her room and stay there until it was time to go to school again.

Ten years ago, Paige knew her father would have scolded her for not being driven enough. He would have given her a hard time, thinking she was slacking off with her studies and everything else. Her father was the last person she would expect to tell her not to push herself too hard and even suggest that she miss school for a few days. But because of her illness, her father was not the man he used to be. And though a part of her appreciated the change now that her father understood what was really going on, it resulted in him being overly protective instead and there are times when she couldn't help but wonder which version of her father she preferred.

"Still no word from UPenn?" Nick asked before finally starting with his dinner.

Paige nodded her head. "Maybe next week. But USC..."

"Isn't an option for you anymore." Nick interjected firmly, making Paige look up in surprise.

"But dad that's where I'm planning to go to college." Paige insisted. "I promised I was going to try hard to get into UPenn but I'm still choosing USC in the end."

"And I was willing to consider USC even if you got into UPenn." Nick said in agreement. "But that was before your best friend died. When I thought you were doing well." He added. This was one decision he wouldn't let Paige make.

"Dad what are you talking about? I am doing well." Paige argued.

"You run at three in the morning." Nick pointed out. "Even running at four AM isn't normal routine for you. Don't think I haven't noticed."

"That's because I'm training. The triathlon is this weekend." Paige reminded her father.

"And you haven't been sleeping well lately." Nick added like he didn't hear Paige's explanation.

"I know." Paige admitted reluctantly. "But I'm pushing myself to keep busy. I can handle it." She promised.

"I'm sorry honey. But my answer is still no." Nick said with quiet authority. "It's too risky. Going to UPenn is the best option for you right now. It's just a few hours away from where I work and I prefer it that way because I want to be able to check in on you as often as I can. Or you can come home during the weekends to visit me too." He added when he saw the frustration in his daughter's eyes. "I want you to start seeing Dr. Hayes on a daily basis again starting next week. I talked to him and he said he's willing to make time for you in his office in Rosewood Gen and in Penn State Gen. You're going to UPenn." Nick said with finality. "It's near where Kayla studies and where Logan practices. You need to be around people who understand you."

"But you don't even know if I got into UPenn yet." Paige pointed out, barely able to keep the frustration and annoyance out of her voice. "What happens if I didn't?"

"Then it's either I'm going to have to pull some strings to get you into UPenn or I'm accepting that promotion to head our branch in Los Angeles and we're moving to California permanently. Either way, I'm not letting you out of my sight. I know you hate it but I'm just trying to keep you safe." Nick explained resolutely.

"Fantastic." Paige muttered under her breath bitterly as she started moving the food around her plate, altogether losing her appetite. She thought the conversation between them was over when her father spoke up again.

"Now about Emily Fields." Nick began, studying his daughter thoughtfully.

"What about her?" Paige asked nonchalantly even though she already had an idea about what her father was going to say next.

"How is she doing?" Nick continued.

Paige shrugged. "She's still grieving but she's doing better." She answered.

"Good. Then there's no reason for you to keep spending so much time with her." Nick concluded. "It's time you focused on feeling better. Stop worrying about your best friend's girlfriend. She's none of your concern. Let her family and friends take care of her instead."

"I can't do that. I made a promise to Jai before she left that I would look after Emily while she's gone. I'm keeping my word, dad." Paige explained. "I can handle getting better while making sure she's fine." She insisted, her conscience already mocking her for the lie she was telling her father. She wasn't looking after Emily because of the promise. At least not entirely. And right now she's still in denial when it came to the reality of her situation.

"Paige your best friend is dead." Nick reminded his daughter gently. "Trying to keep that promise you made isn't going to bring her back. It's not going to change things. It'll only make it harder for you to get better because being around Emily is a constant reminder that Jasmine isn't coming back. Nothing's changed. Your best friend is still gone. You can't keep looking after Emily for the rest of your life. So what's holding you back?" He asked, confused about Paige's stubbornness. Nick waited for the girl to answer his question but his daughter looked down on her plate of food instead.

Kayla routinely placed the items lined in front of her in the paper bag she was holding, the task she was doing seemingly committed to memory. For weeks she had been helping her father with the preparations for the event tonight and this afternoon she was on official gift bag duty. When she was sure that she didn't leave anything out, she looked to her left and handed the paper bag she was holding to the girl seated on the floor next to her.

"Thanks for helping out." Kayla said gratefully once Paige took the gift bag she was handing. "I know it was last minute but I really need to get this done before my dad comes back. And I wanted to see you before you have to leave." She admitted timidly.

Paige shook her head. "It's fine. I wasn't in the middle of anything anyway. I just finished packing for my trip to Virginia tonight so your call couldn't have come at a better time actually." She explained, sealing the gift bag Kayla handed to her once she was done double checking its contents. "And before you say anything else, I understand why you can't come with me. You need to be in Philadelphia tonight." Paige reminded the girl understandingly.

The two of them were currently sitting in the middle of the Hayes living room on a Friday afternoon, surrounded by gift bags that they were preparing for tonight's event. When her best friend was still alive, Jai told Paige that one of her dreams was to start a foundation for people with mental illnesses who couldn't afford to get the treatment that they need. But at the same time, she wanted to find a way to educate people about these illnesses so they can support their loved ones. Jai also planned for the foundation to be able to sponsor individuals who, like herself, want to pursue a career in the field of medicine, specifically those related to the study of the human brain and from that concept, her best friend came up with a perfect name for her foundation. Tonight, that dream of hers was going to come to fruition through the efforts of Logan and the rest of the board of directors of Penn State Gen. The Gray Matter Foundation will be officially launched tonight at the Pennsylvania State General Hospital in honor of Jasmine Hayes and Paige still can't make up her mind between skipping the event or missing the triathlon for it that she brought with her an attire appropriate for the black tie event just in case she changed her mind at the last minute.

"Still. I'm sorry I couldn't go to Virginia with you. I was really looking forward to seeing you compete tomorrow morning." Kayla said as she handed another gift bag to the girl seated next to her. "But on the other hand, I don't want to leave my dad alone and I want to attend the event for Jai. I'm surprised my dad actually allowed me to miss school today for this."

"Where's your dad anyway?" Paige asked, looking around the spacious house.

"He's still at Rosewood Gen. He said he's going to swing by later when it's time to leave for Philly." Kayla answered as she began counting the gift bags to make sure they have enough souvenirs for the guests. "But hey, once the event's over maybe I can follow you to Virginia. I can be there before the competition starts tomorrow even if I take the bus. I know it's a five-hour ride but my dad and I are still too traumatized to ride a plane even if it's just for an hour."

"You don't have to do that." Paige said hurriedly. "Kayla I completely understand. Come on. This event is more important than my triathlon. And you don't have to force yourself to ride a plane just so you could make it to Virginia on time. Neither of us knew this was going to happen."

"I just don't want you to spend the night in a hotel room by yourself. I know you don't want to admit it but you're vulnerable right now." Kayla reminded the girl worriedly. "The reason your dad is still even letting you compete in this triathlon is because he thinks I'm going to keep you company."

Paige sighed knowing Kayla was right. "I've been able to keep my illness at bay for weeks. I'm sure I can handle one night by myself in a different state." She insisted. "And I have something I need to take care of once I get back tomorrow afternoon so I promise I won't do anything stupid while I'm there." She added, remembering she told Emily that she'll take care of following up on the balloons and streamers for prom. "So how are you holding up?" She suddenly asked in an effort to change the topic.

"I'm fine. I'm coping." Kayla answered vaguely. "And things with my dad are going well. We've gotten closer since the tragedy." She lied, knowing Paige was going to ask that question next and she didn't want to add to the girl's stress. "How about you? Did you finally tell your dad that you got into UPenn?"

Paige shook her head. "I'm still trying to keep that acceptance letter hidden." She admitted. "Honestly, you're the only person I've told about it so far so I would appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut for now. My dad hasn't seen that letter yet and last night he decided that I'm going there for college whether I got in or not. This is so frustrating." She said dejectedly.

"I get it." Kayla said, trying to comfort the girl. "But I also understand your dad's worry and fear of being so far away from you. You're the only family he has." She reminded her. "So he really won't even consider USC now?"

"Unless we move to California permanently I'm going to UPenn next year." Paige confirmed. "But the NLI from USC is still sitting on my desk waiting for my signature. I really don't want to give up that school just yet that's why I'm pushing myself to feel better."

"I'm so sorry Paige." Kayla said, not knowing what else to say. "But at least we'd be near each other. We get to hang out more often." She added, hoping spending time with her was enough to make Paige look forward to going to UPenn for college.

Paige gave the girl a faint smile. "There's that." She said before checking the time on her watch and standing up when she saw that it was almost four. "I gotta go. I have to swing by the Brew to pick up Emily." She explained apologetically, looking around to make sure she didn't forget anything. "I want to visit Jai's grave with her then I'll give her a ride to Philly before I leave for my flight."

"Paige..." Kayla began, looking up at the girl cautiously. "What are you doing?" She asked. "I mean... my sister's gone. You don't have to keep looking after Em. The promise you made to Jai... that you would look after Emily while she's away... it doesn't matter anymore. It's meaningless because my sister isn't coming back." She reminded Paige. "So what are you doing?"

Paige placed her hands inside the front pockets of her jeans and looked away, unable to meet Kayla's confused stare. The girl posed a similar question to that of her dad's last night and she isn't getting any closer to figuring out the answer as to why she's really sticking around. But...

"What if that promise hasn't been my entire reason for sticking around for a while now?" Paige asked hoarsely. "What if I told you that I forgot about the promise I made to Jai a long time ago? Even before she died." She continued, confused about everything that concerns Emily. "I don't even know if I did this for Jai in the first place or it's what I wanted to do the entire time subconsciously. I don't know if everything I did was self-serving. But if I indeed did it for my best friend, I don't know when I stopped doing it for her and began doing it for me. Or if maybe I'm still doing it for both of us as we speak. I really don't know what I'm doing anymore." She confessed, laughing dryly.

"My best friend is gone." Paige whispered, like she was trying to remind herself of the truth. "When Emily told me that Jai was coming back a part of me felt relieved. That finally I could go back to hating Emily again. That things could go back to the way they used to be. I'm the villain and Jai's the hero. But a bigger part of me felt disappointed. And in that moment I was disgusted with myself." She admitted brokenly. "Sometimes I can't help but think that I wished for this to happen subconsciously. Jai's gone and because of that I get to take care of Emily for as long as I want. And while I'm miserable that my best friend is dead..." She stopped, unable to put into words the thoughts running through her mind right now for she hated herself for even thinking about those things in the first place.

"What does it mean?" Paige asked helplessly. "Does that make me a horrible person and friend? Was I even a friend if this is the way I think and feel?" She added, looking at Kayla like the girl could somehow forgive her just by being Jai's sister.

"Paige you've been Jai's best friend for years. Even before the two of you met Em. Don't start doubting that friendship now." Kayla said, trying to comfort the conflicted and guilt-ridden girl. "But when it comes to Em... you're the only one who can answer your questions." She answered truthfully. "All I know is I finally figured it out. Not everything. But... remember that prank I pulled on Em and Jai?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Paige asked warily.

"Well it wasn't a random prank. I did it for you because I saw how much you liked her back then. When you were still trying to decide whether to hide it or fight it. And I wanted to let you know that I'm on your side. I was trying to impress you and help you decide." Kayla confessed, knowing for certain that Paige still won't figure out her feelings unless she told the girl upfront. "Then you started calling her Sniffles and then that look was gone, replaced by hatred instead. So I thought you didn't need my help anymore because it finally went away. I just didn't know that you refused to say her name because all this time you've decided to do both. Hide it and fight it." She said sympathetically.

"It wasn't until a few months ago that I understood. I saw that look again when we were having breakfast with her and my dad. Your face the day I pulled that prank. I saw it again right around the time you started calling Emily by her name. When you kept stealing glances at her when you thought no one was looking. That's when I realized that it was never gone. Only buried so deep that when it resurfaced you felt lost." Kayla continued. "You're the only one who can answer all your questions Paige. Because I think you know yourself better than anyone else. I just want you to be really careful once you figure things out. I don't want you to get hurt again."

"Thanks." Paige uttered, managing to give the girl a smile. Talking to Jai's sister helped a little. "Kayla..."

"This conversation never happened." Kayla interrupted, knowing what Paige was going to ask of her. "I'll see you in Philly tonight?"

Paige nodded. "I'll drop by before I leave for Virginia." She promised before heading for the door.

"Emily your usual customer is here." Colleen, one of Emily's co-workers at the Brew, informed the girl as she walked behind Emily who was at the moment in the middle of serving an old couple their tea and pastries. "Just like clockwork." She added, laughing in amusement when she saw the girl roll her eyes in exasperation.

"Thanks." Emily called after her co-worker before grabbing a menu and making her way outside. She headed straight for the brown-haired girl seated at her usual table at the far end corner and deposited the menu unceremoniously before speaking. "Either you order something or leave." Emily stated, staring at the girl expectantly. She didn't know why she even thought that Paige was going to listen to her when she said yesterday that it was the last time she was going to let the girl drive her to and from work. "I'm fine. I was fine when you drove me again to work earlier today and I'm still fine now. For the last time stop checking up on me."

"But I'm not here for you." Paige corrected, trying to worm her way out of being told to stop worrying about the girl. Even if her dad and Kayla told her to forget about her promise, she couldn't bring herself to listen to them. Not when she still didn't know exactly why she was sticking around. Who she was doing this for.

"Really." Emily uttered, obviously not believing a word Paige just said. "If you're not here for me then why are you here?" She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I... am here... for coffee." Paige finally replied smugly.

"Coffee." Emily repeated. She uncrossed her arms and leaned her hand on the table as she moved closer to the girl who was staring up at her. "Paige I've never seen you drink coffee or order anything for that matter the entire time you've been dropping by. Which happens to be everytime I have a shift. You just sit here until it's time to leave. So try again."

Paige reluctantly tore her eyes away from Emily's and studied the menu the girl brought with her. "A bottle of apple juice then." She ordered, looking up at Emily again as she handed the menu back to the girl.

Emily sighed and grabbed the menu, turning around to head inside and get Paige's order. She returned a few seconds later and wordlessly deposited the bottle of apple juice in front of the girl.

"Can I help you with anything else?" Emily asked reluctantly.

"As a matter of fact yes. Can you tell me what time your shift ends?" Paige asked as she twisted the cap off the bottle of her apple juice. "You said earlier that you're getting off by four. Well it's past four already." She reminded the girl.

"I was. But Kevin, my boss, asked me to stay for a few more hours. Vince can't come to work today so I decided to cover his shift." Emily explained. "If you have somewhere else to be you can leave. You don't have to wait for me. Like I kept telling you, I can walk home by myself."

"Um... okay. First, a little heads up wouldn't have hurt. You have my number. You could've called or texted." Paige began, toying with the bottle's cap. "Second, I don't mind waiting at all. I don't have anywhere else I need to be." She lied, thinking she can just bump her flight to Virginia at a later time since it's just an hour-long plane ride.

"I didn't tell you because I seem to remember that I made it perfectly clear yesterday and even earlier today that I'm walking home by myself." Emily argued. "I don't want you to just sit here doing nothing." She added. "I can take care of myself. You can leave."

"Did you forget what today is supposed to be?" Paige asked, confused by the girl's behavior. She was willing to leave Emily alone after today. Because today she was hoping that they could visit Jai's grave together.

"No. Of course I didn't. But I'm really busy right now. I'll just visit Jai's grave some other time." Emily answered casually.

"You weren't busy a while ago." Paige corrected the girl. "Kevin didn't force you to cover Vince's shift. You volunteered." She pointed out. When Emily didn't say anything she continued. "Fine. I'll go visit Jai's grave by myself. But you're still going to the event in Philly, right? I can give you a ride. What time does your next shift end?"

"I was thinking of skipping the event actually. I might be too tired once my shift's over." Emily explained.

Paige frowned, baffled by the girl's behavior. She knew Emily was just using her work as an excuse and she couldn't figure out why. "But..."

"Please just leave." Emily implored. She wasn't in the mood to explain her actions to Paige knowing the girl would think she's pitiful when she finds out the truth.

Paige studied Emily for a second before deciding to heed the girl's request. "Okay." She said, standing up and getting some cash to pay for her apple juice. She grabbed the bottle after she deposited the money on the table and with a final glance at Emily, Paige headed back to her father's car to drive to the cemetery.

Despite telling Paige earlier that she wasn't planning on going here today, Emily passed by a flower shop on her way home from the Brew and before she could change her mind, she bought a bouquet of flowers and decided to finally visit Jai tonight. Now she was making her way around the wide expanse of land, the unfamiliar surrounding making her progress slow. It was just past seven in the evening and while the streets of Rosewood was well-lighted around this time of night, the further she walked into the cemetery, the dimmer the street lights became until her path to Jai's grave was illuminated by the moonlight alone. She strained her ears for any unusual sounds but so far the place was eerily silent. Well what did you expect? It's not like people go here at night. She thought wryly, taking a deep breath before relaxing her grip on the bouquet of flowers she held in her hand. As she got closer to her girlfriend's grave, Emily thought about turning back but the faint sound of music beckoned her to come closer. She squinted her eyes, trying to see who was sitting in front of Jai's marker when the figure suddenly moved and she realized who it was.

"Paige?" Emily called out uncertainly. It's been three hours since the girl left the Brew and she didn't expect Paige to still be here.

Paige slightly twisted her body sideways so she can see behind her when she heard Emily's voice, relieved that the girl changed her mind and decided to visit Jai's grave today. "Hey." She said in greeting, grabbing her iPod to lower the volume of the music she was playing before looking up at the girl who was now standing next to her.

"What's with the Funky Town?" Emily asked curiously, referring to the music Paige was currently playing on her iPod as she sat next to the girl.

"It's sort of our jam." Paige answered, moving so Emily was sitting right in front of Jai's marker. "I've been playing it on repeat since I got here."

"Sounds like you've been here since you left the Brew this afternoon." Emily guessed. "Which begs the question... why are you still here?" She asked, placing the bouquet of flowers she brought with her on the left side of Jai's marker when she noticed that there were flowers on the other side.

"I was waiting for you." Paige admitted, glancing at the girl. When she left Emily earlier, she decided to take an even later flight to Virginia because she knew for certain that the girl was going to change her mind eventually and come here. "Those were here when I arrived. From Logan and Kayla." She supplied when she saw the girl studying the other flowers.

Emily nodded. "What if I didn't show up?" She asked, her eyes never leaving Jai's name on the marker.

Paige shrugged. "Then I'm going to stay here until the day's almost over." She answered, her gaze drifting to her best friend's name as well. "Even if there's no one inside I don't want to leave Jai alone on her birthday."

"I haven't been here since the funeral." Emily confessed guiltily. "I couldn't bring myself to come here because I feel as if going here means accepting Jai's really gone and I think she's still alive. I know I'm the only one who believes that. I know you think I'm pathetic for still refusing to believe what all of you believe. That she's dead. But one of us has to have hope. Because you all just gave up on her." She continued, unable to hide the bitterness and sadness she felt as she studied the flowers left there by Logan and Kayla.

"I don't think you're pathetic." Paige said softly, knowing it was futile to convince the girl to accept the reality right now. "But if that's the way you feel then what made you come here tonight?" She asked instead.

"Well I miss her so much and I just want to be able to talk to her. I realized this is where I can do that. Even if this place is where we buried a part of her, for some reason being here makes me feel closer to her." Emily explained. They sat wordlessly beside each other, the only sound coming from Paige's iPod, before she spoke up again. "Did she ever tell you how we first met?" She asked, glancing at the girl who was seated with her knees drawn to her chest.

Paige nodded. "Jai told me she was really smitten with you the moment she saw you." She revealed quietly. "It was actually amusing to see her get flustered for the first time especially over a girl."

"Jai? I can't imagine her getting flustered." Emily said, smiling faintly.

"That day she was." Paige insisted. "And when she finally came up to you she said the lamest, cheesiest pickup line I ever heard. She said, 'Where have you been? 'Coz..."

"I've been looking for you my entire life." They said at the same time.

"You heard that?" Emily asked, surprised. When Paige nodded, she shrugged. "I don't care what you think. I'm just glad she came up to me and said it. She made my day better. I was having a really bad day and the way she said it made me smile. She wasn't arrogant or overconfident. She came across as very sweet." She said, defending her girlfriend.

"So you don't think that pickup line is lame or cheesy at all?" Paige asked skeptically.

"Oh I do." Emily agreed. "But like I said, I didn't care because she made me smile with the way she said it." She repeated, smiling faintly at the memory. "I'm surprised she wanted to be with me actually. There are lots of girls who'd like to be her girlfriend back then."

Paige looked at Emily in disbelief. "What? Come on. Don't sell yourself short. Those girls don't even compare to you." She argued emphatically.

"Thanks. I guess." Emily added uncertainly, not knowing what to make of Paige's statement. She never did find out what the girl thought of her. For all she knew, Paige was just trying to be nice to her but in reality, the girl still thinks she was never good enough for Jai. "So how are you holding up?" She asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Okay." Paige answered vaguely.

"I'm sure you miss her." Emily prodded, trying to get the girl to open up to her.

"I do. She and Kayla were my only real friends. She's like my sister. Was like my sister." Paige corrected herself. "Do you want me to leave?" She suddenly asked, confusing the girl. "You said you came here to talk to Jai. If you want some privacy I can just wait for you in the car." She offered.

"You don't mind?" Emily asked hesitantly.

"Not at all." Paige answered, taking her iPod and turning it off before getting up. "I'm parked beside the Magnolia tree near the east entrance." She informed the girl.

"I'll be there soon." Emily said, looking up at Paige gratefully.

"Take all the time you need." Paige insisted, managing to give Emily a faint smile. "It's been a while since you talked to her. I don't mind waiting." She reassured her.

"Are you going to Penn State Gen after?" Emily asked before Paige could leave her alone.

"Yeah but I won't be there long. I'm just dropping by to see Kayla. I have somewhere else I need to be tonight." Paige explained. "I can give you a ride there if you want to go."

"I don't think I'm strong enough to be there. The Gray Matter Foundation was one of Jai's dreams in our vision board." Emily revealed softly. "It's too much too soon."

"All the more reason to go and show your support to the Hayes." Paige reminded Emily. "And I know Jai would want you to be there when her dreams become a reality."

"Why do you always do that?" Emily asked, barely able to hide her frustration.

"Do what?" Paige inquired, puzzled.

Emily sighed. "Tell me to go when you're not going yourself. You did that at the funeral and now you're doing it again." She pointed out. "It's not fair. Why do I have to go when you're the one who believes she's dead?"

"Emily the only reason I'm not going is because I have to be somewhere else tonight." Paige explained patiently.

"Somewhere that's even more important than the event in honor of Jai?" Emily asked, looking at the girl in confusion. When Paige couldn't give her an answer, she looked away. "If you're not going then I'm not going." She said stubbornly as she stared at Jai's marker.

"We're so glad you still made it tonight Mr. and Mrs. Kipling." Kayla said in greeting, flashing a sincere smile at the elderly couple as she shook their hands. "This is Chiara. If you could just follow her inside, she will take you to your seats." She added, gesturing to the girl standing to her left. She followed the progress of the three people inside the spacious function room before looking behind her to grab her cousin's hand and check the time on his watch. It was already past ten in the evening and she was tired. She had been greeting guests since eight and all she wanted to do was sit in a corner and put her feet up. She was tired, hungry and thirsty. But most of all she was disappointed. Emily didn't attend the event and for some reason, she had this gut feeling that that was the reason Paige was a no-show as well. After all, the only reason Paige promised her earlier that she was going to drop by tonight was because she was going to give Emily a ride.

"Why the long face?" Kayla looked to her right in surprise when she heard Paige's voice, unable to believe what she was seeing until the two girls were standing right in front of her.

"I know we're really late but we still made it, right?" Paige continued in greeting as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Judging from the number of cars parked outside this place I think it's safe to say that this event is a huge success thanks to you and Logan. Jai would be so happy." She said proudly, waiting for Kayla to say something but the girl just stared at them in open-mouthed shock.

Kayla knew her mouth was probably hanging open and she was standing there looking like an idiot. She felt her jaw drop the second her eyes landed on Paige earlier, her mind unable to process the fact that the girl who swore she would never wear a dress was now standing in front of her in a maroon cap-sleeved evening dress that brought out the girl's brown eyes and accentuated her curves. "Uh." She uttered, at a loss as she continued to stare at the gorgeous girl standing in front of her.

Emily bit back a smile and moved to remind Jai's sister that she's there as well. "It's my fault we're late. I pulled a double shift at the Brew so we left Rosewood later than expected." She explained apologetically. "But you and Logan did a great job with this Kayla. Paige's right. Jai would be so happy." She said before hugging the speechless girl. "Judging from your reaction I'm guessing you're glad Paige decided to stay." Emily whispered teasingly before pulling away.

"Wait, you're staying?" Kayla asked like Paige's current attire wasn't screaming black tie event. When the girl nodded anyway, she finally looked at Emily and smiled. "Sorry. I forgot my manners." She said ruefully. "Thanks for still coming tonight Em. It means a lot. My dad insisted that you sit with us so Eugene here is going to show you to our table." Kayla added, gesturing to the tall guy standing to her left.

"What about Paige?" Emily asked, glancing at the girl uncertainly. She didn't want to leave Paige alone when she was the one who insisted that they go together.

"I'm sure dad won't mind adding another person to our table." Kayla said confidently. "I just need to talk to her for a bit." She explained.

"I'll be right behind you." Paige promised when Emily seemed reluctant to go inside without her.

Once Emily and Eugene were gone, Kayla gestured for Warren, her cousin, to take over for her while she took Paige to a corner, looking around to make sure that they weren't within hearing distance before focusing her attention to the girl who was now looking at her guiltily.

"Let me explain." Paige said before Kayla could say anything but the girl refused to let her speak first.

"What are you still doing here?!" Kayla whispered incredulously. "It's late that's why I thought you weren't gonna show up. But then not only did you show up, you're staying too?! Shouldn't you be in Virginia by now?"

"Emily made me realize that this is more important." Paige answered, like that sentence alone could explain why she decided to cancel her flight altogether and even wore a dress fit for a black tie event.

"What's more important? The event or Emily?" Kayla asked wryly. "Paige you can't put your life on hold for her."

"I'm not." Paige said hurriedly. "I just know which is more important. Emily needed me tonight. There will be other triathlons I can join next time." She told Kayla reassuringly. "Besides. I haven't had enough rest and sleep for the past few weeks to be ready for this thing so I won't be able to place in the top twenty. There's an after dark 21K run next weekend and I joined that." Paige finally revealed so that the girl will know that she's still serious about being a tri-athlete. "I don't plan on going to prom anyway so I decided to join a marathon instead."

Kayla shook her head, disappointed. "Paige you've been preparing for tomorrow's event for months. Not to mention your coaches also helped you train for it. You should've thought of them before deciding to forego that competition." She reminded the girl quietly.

"Once they find out the reason I'm sure they'll understand." Paige insisted. "Kayla I'm not here solely for Emily. Like I said earlier she made me realize that this is more important than that triathlon in Virginia."

"You and I both know that if Jai was here she won't let you miss that competition." Kayla argued.

"Kayla if Jai was here we wouldn't be arguing about this at all. Because the Gray Matter Foundation doesn't exist. At least not yet." Paige reminded the girl miserably. "I don't regret deciding not to go to Virginia so I could be here with you, and Logan, and Emily, and everyone else who came here tonight because they believe in my best friend's vision." She said sincerely. "Now let's go inside. Let your cousin take over for you. Come on. Don't let me go in there by myself while I'm wearing this thing." Paige added, trying to improve Kayla's mood.

When Kayla finally nodded, Paige watched the girl go to Warren to tell her cousin quickly that they're heading inside. She groaned when she saw Kayla's expression as the girl walked back to her.

"Yes. I know I said I wasn't going to wear a dress ever." Paige said before Kayla could open her mouth to speak. "Believe me. Emily and I had a lengthy argument about this dress. Don't you dare take a picture of me wearing this thing or I swear I will torture you until you tell me who your crush is." She warned the girl as they made their way inside the function room.

Kayla laughed. "You've got yourself a deal." She agreed readily. "Although I have to say... you look so pretty." Kayla added sweetly, laughing again when Paige frowned at her teasing. She studied the girl out of the corner of her eye as she continued to navigate her way around the room, thinking that calling Paige pretty was an understatement. I promised I wasn't going to take a photo of Paige tonight... but that doesn't mean I can't ask someone else to do it for me. She thought to herself, grinning mischievously just as they reached their table.

Ding! Dong!

Emily slowly brought up her hand to her face to shield her eyes from the early morning rays of the sun that entered her room on a Saturday morning. She and Paige got home from Philadelphia way past midnight and now for some reason she felt sluggish. Emily tried to open her eyes but her lids felt heavy so she turned her body sideways instead, turning her back to the windows in her room to try and go back to sleep when she heard the doorbell ring again. That was the sound that woke her up. She realized hazily. Emily tried to ignore the sound but it was followed by a persistent knocking on her front door and she forced herself to get up when she heard the doorbell ring for the third time. She was home alone for the weekend so she had no choice but to answer the door in case the package her mom was waiting for arrived today.

"I'm coming!" Emily called out when she heard the doorbell ring for the fourth time, surprised when she heard that her voice was raspy. She peeked in the eyehole once she reached the door and reluctantly opened it. "Don't you sleep?" She asked Paige warily.

"I did. This morning. But it's already three in the afternoon." Paige pointed out.

"What?!" Emily exclaimed disbelievingly. "It can't be three." She argued, grabbing Paige's hand to check the time on the girl's watch and groaning when she saw that Paige wasn't lying. She slept through the day.

"Hey you're burning up!" Paige cried out in alarm, her eyes widening when Emily's skin touched hers. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. "You don't look so good." Paige said when she finally had the chance to study the girl closely.

"Gee. Thanks." Emily said wryly. "I'm fine. Just coming down with something. I think." She managed to say before coughing.

"Emily you're burning up." Paige pointed out. "You already came down with something."

"It's nothing." Emily insisted, coughing once again.

"It's not nothing! We need to get you to the hospital. Have you checked out." Paige said, panicking.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Will you calm down? It's probably just a fever. I'll just sleep it off." She told Paige reassuringly.

"I knew you were coming down with something last night!" Paige said accusingly. "You should've listened to me when I said I was taking you home!"

"We just got there Paige. I didn't want to leave just because I sneezed several times." Emily explained weakly.

"This is what happens when you push yourself too hard. You've been keeping yourself busy ever since the funeral so now your body's telling you to slow down." Paige reprimanded the girl. "What?" She asked when she saw the look Emily gave her just now. Like the girl was terrified for some reason.

Emily shook her head. "Nothing." She lied, looking away. Just now, Paige being mad at her for getting sick, and something the girl said in passing last night, reminded her that Jai's best friend has hated her for years. And that she still probably does because something as strong as hate doesn't just go away. And she's scared to see that side of Paige again now that Jai isn't around. "What are you doing here?" She asked instead.

"Oh. Yeah. I, uh, just came from the printer and the party goods store." Paige reported. "The guy at the printer said we can pick up the streamers Thursday afternoon. The girl at the party goods store said that the balloon arrangements can be delivered by Friday night or Saturday morning. Depends on when we want to set up those arrangements at the venue." She continued.

"You couldn't have just called or texted to tell me that? You had to ring my doorbell several times and pound on my front door like there was no tomorrow?" Emily asked, annoyed.

Paige shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood so I decided to tell it to you personally. And I wanted to see how you were doing because you kept sneezing last night I..."

"Was tempted to start calling me Sniffles again. Yeah I remember what you said." Emily interjected hoarsely.

"I was worried it was going to get worse." Paige corrected, studying Emily anxiously. "I was just kidding last night. I told you I was done calling you Sniffles. Will you at least let me in?" She asked gently.

Emily looked at Paige with tired eyes, finally deciding to move to let the girl inside her house when she felt like she was going to collapse from exhaustion.

"Where's your mom?" Paige asked, turning around to face Emily once she heard the girl close the door behind her.

"She went to Fort Hood to visit my dad. She's not coming back until tomorrow night." Emily answered, walking past Paige to lead the way.

"And your friends?" Paige inquired, studying the girl in front of her worriedly. Emily looked like she was about to faint any second now and Paige needed to get Emily to sit or lie down before that happens.

"Spencer's away for an interschool debate. Hanna and Aria are busy running last minute errands for the prom committee." Emily supplied as she led the way to the kitchen.

"You should lie down." Paige blurted out, catching up to the girl and grabbing Emily's arm to stop her. "You're really burning up." She added when she brought the back of her hand to Emily's forehead to check the girl's temperature. "Go back to bed. You said you just woke up so you haven't eaten anything all day. I'll make you something then I'll take it to your room." Paige offered. "Either you let me fix you something and stay until one of your friends is free to look after you or I'm taking you to the hospital to get checked out whether you like it or not."

Emily nodded, too tired to argue with Paige. She moved to head upstairs but turned around at the last second. "I was wrong when I said you and Jai have nothing in common." She said softly.

Paige furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"You two worry about me so much. If she was here she'd suggest rushing me to the hospital too. And something tells me if I let you you'd terrorize the hospital staff for not paying attention to me once we get there, like she did this one time. I had to remind her that there are other patients there who are more important because they probably have it worse than me." Emily explained hoarsely.

"That may be true. But you're important to her." Paige reminded the girl.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. She told me that. That I was more important. For her I was." She admitted, smiling sadly at the memory. "Just now. It's like I was talking to Jai. Only difference is you bit my head off for getting sick."

Paige swallowed hard. "Go back to bed. I'll be there soon with some food and medicine." She said calmly.

When she heard the door to Emily's room close, Paige took out her phone and hurriedly sent a text message to Spencer as she made her way to the kitchen, asking for either Hanna or Aria's number so she can ask one of them to trade places with her. Look after Emily while she takes over for one of them in running errands for the prom committee. Right now it was clear that Emily needed only three people in her life to be there for her. Her parents, her friends, and Jai. And she can't be any of them.

"What's this?" Emily asked as she stared at the green concoction in the soup bowl Paige handed to her.

"It's something Gwen makes for me whenever I get sick. It's a vegetable soup." Paige explained, looking around Emily's room for a chair she can sit on.

"So where's the vegetable?" Emily asked, taking the spoon and stirring the liquid slowly.

"Vegetables." Paige corrected as she grabbed the chair from Emily's study table and dragged it next to the girl's bed. "And you can't distinguish them because I blended them together."

"What's in this thing?" Emily inquired, scrunching her face in disgust.

"It's not a thing it's a soup!" Paige exclaimed indignantly. "Will you just start eating it?"

"But it looks inedible." Emily commented, looking at the soup again.

"It's not. I tasted it." Paige said reassuringly. "I'm not gonna kill you." She added when she saw Emily's dubious look.

"You hate me. I wouldn't put it past you." Emily shot back wryly before deciding to taste Paige's cooking.

Paige rolled her eyes, her gaze landing on the bedside table and she mentally hit herself for forgetting. "Just eat it." She ordered before getting up. "I'm going back downstairs. I forgot the medicine." She said sheepishly before turning her back and exiting Emily's room.

"Jai makes a better soup than you." Emily said once Paige came back with a glass of water.

"And yet you finished the entire bowl." Paige pointed out when she saw the now empty bowl on the girl's bedside table.

"I just don't want to hurt your feelings." Emily retorted.

"Right. Are you sure it's not because you're hungry?" Paige asked as she walked closer to the girl's bed.

Emily shrugged. "Maybe." She answered, coughing once.

"Well now that you've eaten something you can drink this." Paige said, handing the medicine and the glass of water to the girl sitting on the bed.

"I don't like medicines." Emily confessed, making a face.

"You need to get better." Paige reminded the girl. "We need to get your fever down."

Emily shook her head. "No. I don't want to." She said adamantly.

"What? Why?" Paige asked, lowering the medicine and the glass of water on the bedside table before looking at Emily, confused.

"I want to see Jai." Emily admitted, looking away.

"So you want to get your fever up. You want to see her so much you're willing to get delirious?" Paige asked incredulously.

"I miss her." Emily whispered hoarsely. She was starting to shiver and she looked around her bed to find her comforter.

Paige got up. "I know you do. But it's not healthy. You need to take your mind off her." She told the girl as she handed Emily the comforter that was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"She's still alive. I know it." Emily insisted, taking the comforter and slowly wrapping it around her shoulders.

"You attended her funeral. Remember?" Paige pointed out patiently.

"Yeah. I remember. You forced me to go and then you didn't show up." Emily reminded Paige bitterly. "I'm still mad at you for that. Even if you told me it was because you're mad at Jai." She continued, looking at the girl who now refused to meet her eyes. "Are you still mad at her?"

"No." Paige answered, her eyes never leaving the hardwood floors of Emily's room.

Emily studied Paige closely. "You suck at lying too. Just like my girlfriend." She added, not knowing that her constant comparison was hurting the girl seated next to her. "You're really mad at her. Why?" She asked, confused. "Is it because you're stuck with me now?"

Paige shook her head. "No. I don't think I'm stuck with you." She said, looking at Emily. How could she think that?

"Then why?" Emily persisted, wanting to know the reason why Jai's best friend still couldn't let go of her anger.

"It's complicated." Paige answered vaguely.

"I'm too weak to move. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Emily pointed out, coughing once again.

Paige stood up. "Drink your medicine." She instructed quietly, refusing to talk about what's really going on with her. "You need to rest. I called Hanna and she's going to be here soon. In the meantime I'll be downstairs if you need anything else." Paige added before heading for the door.

"You need to forgive Jai." Emily called out weakly after Paige. "None of us wanted this to happen. It's not like she wanted to die and leave you. Stop being mad at her for abandoning you." She reprimanded gently.

Paige scoffed. "I'm mad at her because she left you. Because we made that stupid promise to look after each other while she was in London and now she's not coming back." She confessed bitterly, her hand tightly gripping the doorknob. "What are we supposed to do now, huh?" She asked, her back still turned to the sick girl. "I don't even know why I'm still here." Paige continued, finally turning around. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore." She said miserably.

"You're confused." Emily said, finally understanding why the girl was so angry.

"If I stuck around, a part of me would always think... am I doing this because of the promise I made?" Paige confessed, running a hand warily through her hair. "But I can't just start ignoring you." She said, defeated.

"Then don't." Emily said hoarsely. She didn't want Paige to go back to being mean to her. Not when Jai's not around to tell the girl to stop. "Don't ignore me. Stick around. Jai connects us. She brought us together. We can be friends." She insisted.

Paige shook her head sadly. "No. We really can't." She uttered, looking at Emily miserably before leaving the room.

"Aria do you have a change for fifty?" Emily asked, handing the money to the girl on her left.

On Wednesday afternoon, she, along with her three friends, was currently seated behind a long table in the hallway, selling the remaining tickets for prom this Saturday. She had to spend the rest of her weekend in bed, with her friends taking turns looking after her and keeping her company until her mom arrived on Sunday night. She was feeling better. But unfortunately she missed school last Monday because her throat still felt sore and she still had a slight fever so her mom told her to rest instead.

"Here." Aria said, giving five ten-dollar bills to Emily before taking the fifty and returning her attention to the student she was selling tickets to.

"Thanks." Emily said, smiling at her friend and handing two ten-dollar bills to the student standing in front of her. She returned the rest of the money in the cash box before looking at the next student in line.

"Two tickets please." A girl with wavy blonde hair and emerald green eyes said, smiling at Emily as she handed two one-hundred dollar bills.

"Sign here." Emily said, indicating the clipboard in front of her. "And write the name of your date as well." She added as she took the tickets Spencer was handing to her. She was about to give the tickets to the girl and take the money when she stopped. "Um. I'm flattered... Daphne..." Emily began, reading the girl's name on the clipboard. "But I would have to say no. I'm not going to prom." She explained, looking up at the girl and giving her a polite smile.

Daphne shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying." She said, smiling back. "Just one ticket then."

Emily took the hundred dollar bill and gave the girl her ticket and the change. "Thanks." She said, not knowing what else to say. When the girl was gone and there was no one else approaching the table, she turned the clipboard to face her and drew a line across her name. "Don't start." She suddenly said when she felt her friends' eyes on her. "I don't want to go to prom."

"Em we don't mind going stag with you." Spencer said from her right. "We just want you to be there with us. Prom is like a rite of passage. You shouldn't miss it."

"Thanks for the offer." Emily said sincerely. "But I don't want to go stag because going stag would mean spending the rest of the night saying no when girls come up to me and ask me to dance."

"But you're in the running for prom queen." Hanna reminded her friend from beside Aria.

"So are you." Emily told the girl. "And I've been campaigning for you to win." She added, smiling at her friend. "You deserve to be crowned prom queen Hanna. Don't worry about me. Just because I'm not going doesn't mean you all have to miss it too."

"Fine. But we're spending our after prom party with you." Aria insisted. "After prom we're going to your house for a special triple play."

"I'd like that." Emily admitted, smiling at her friends sincerely. Days like this made her appreciate the three people sitting with her right now.

"Wait. Since we're holding it at Emily's does that mean she's 'it'?" Hanna asked hopefully.

"No. You're still 'it'." Spencer answered, making Hanna frown.

"No fair!" Hanna protested, getting ready to argue her case to her friends.

Emily tuned out the rest of the conversation when her eyes landed on the silver and black ticket Daphne wanted to buy for her. The theme of this year's prom was a 15th century masquerade and she was really looking forward to going. With Jai. She thought to herself when her hand subconsciously made its way to the locket on her necklace. I wanted to go to prom with Jai. She thought miserably.

Stay out of it, Paige. It's none of your business.

None of your business.

Paige repeated to herself as she stared at the contents of her locker absentmindedly. She had been standing there for a while now... long enough to see the blonde girl come up to Emily and leave with a disappointed expression. It doesn't take a genius to understand that the girl asked Emily to prom and got shot down. But it also doesn't take rocket science to know that Emily really wanted to go to prom. She just needed a little more convincing.

Paige you can't put your life on hold for her.

The words Kayla said came back when Paige saw the flyer for the after dark 21K run that she hung on the back of her locker door. She already missed the triathlon in Virginia last weekend. She couldn't afford to miss this one. She needed to keep improving her times.

It's none of your business.

Armed with a bowl of butter-flavored popcorn, Emily marched into the living room on Saturday night wearing her favorite sleepwear (a white, sleeveless, loose shirt with a faded design on the front and purple sweatpants) and settled in front of the TV, ready to while the night away. She checked her phone for any messages and smiled when she read the text her friends sent her. She hurriedly typed a reply, telling them to enjoy prom for her and that she'll see them later, before grabbing the remote control and hitting the power button. She was in the middle of searching for a good movie on cable when she heard a sharp knock on the kitchen door. Her mom was back in Fort Hood for the weekend so she had no choice but to see who it was. Turning off the TV, Emily reluctantly made her way back to the kitchen, all the while wondering why the person disturbing her didn't use the front door.

"Paige?" Emily uttered once she opened the door and saw the girl standing in her backyard dressed in running gear.

"Hey." Paige said in greeting, waving her right hand awkwardly as she bounced on the heels of her feet. So far, so good.

"What are you doing here?" Emily asked, confused. "You're not planning on dragging me to join you in that after dark marathon are you? Because I'm not prepared to run twenty-one kilometers tonight."

Paige shook her head. "No. I, uh... decided not to go so I could take you to prom instead. Hear me out." She added hurriedly when she saw that Emily was about to protest. "I know how much you were looking forward to this day. And I know deep down even if you say it's fine, it's not. I can tell. Don't ask me how. I just can. I can tell how much you want to go to prom."

Emily sighed. "Paige... I'm not really in the mood." She protested weakly.

"I'm not in the mood. You, on the other hand, have been lying to everyone. Most of all to yourself. I know you want to go to prom. And you should. This is supposed to be your night. You shouldn't miss it. Even if Jai isn't around anymore. Because I know she wouldn't want you to miss it. So will you let me take you to prom? I know I offered before and you said no. But this time I'm asking. If it's me and not some other girl who you'd feel guilty to say no to when she asks you to dance, will you consider going to prom? I won't ask for a slow dance." Paige promised.

"You don't get it. I don't want to be seen with anyone else in that prom. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression that I've moved on. Or that I want to." Emily explained, trying to fight back her tears.

"Who said anything about going to the school prom?" Paige asked innocently. "I know you don't want to be seen going as someone else's date. Especially if that someone is me. Your girlfriend's best friend. But I also know how excited you were to go to prom. Because it wasn't too long ago that you tricked me into shopping for a dress when this night was still months away." She reminded the girl lightly. "So I came up with a solution. I figured I'd bring prom to you instead." She finally confessed. "Will you let me take you to an alternate prom?"

"I don't know... do I have to change?" Emily asked, finally admitting to herself that Paige was right. "I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion." She added, gesturing to her sleepwear.

"Neither am I." Paige said wryly, pointing to her running gear. "But you decide. You can wear your dress and I can change into something more presentable, or you can keep wearing your shirt and sweatpants and I won't change out of my running gear." She suggested.

"It doesn't feel right to wear the dress I bought for Jai." Emily admitted quietly.

Paige nodded, accepting Emily's choice. "Sweatpants and running gear it is then." She declared.

"Where's this prom of yours anyway?" Emily asked suspiciously.

"It's right outside." Paige answered, taking Emily's hand and leading the girl to her own backyard. "It's sort of a last minute decision and I'm not exactly an artist so I would have to apologize for its lameness." She said as she watched Emily study her makeshift prom setting.

Emily looked around her and couldn't help but smile when she saw the hastily setup venue. Paige did her own version of the masquerade theme in Emily's backyard. On the ground were several silver, gold, and purple-colored balloons and on the emerald cedar trees lining the fence, Paige hung silver and gold curling ribbons. Emily took a small step forward and saw that the girl brought with her a small portable table covered with a black table cloth with gold lining to serve as the food and drinks table. She looked to her right and saw that her own garden table was now covered with an identical table cloth and on top of it were several candles on candelabras to create the mood of a 15th century masquerade ball.

"That's the real thing." Paige admitted when she saw Emily studying the streamer she hung on the wooden fence behind the garden table. "I asked someone from the prom committee to lend me one of the banners we had made from the printer. It's not like they're going to miss it. She took the one that was supposed to be hung in front of the faculty room."

"She?" Emily uttered, turning to look at Paige in amusement. "Let me guess. You used to hang out with her too."

Paige shrugged. "We went out once but it didn't go anywhere." She explained. "Anyway. We needed a backdrop for the photo op later and like I said, I'm no artist. Nor am I a miracle worker. I can't exactly recreate in three hours the backdrop the art club made for prom in three months."

"There's a photo op?" Emily asked, smiling curiously.

"It's not compulsory." Paige said hurriedly. "It's for just in case you want to."

"How did you do all of this without me noticing? I walked in and out of the kitchen several times." Emily pointed out.

Paige shrugged. "I'm used to moving around stealthily." She answered vaguely. "Now I know there's no band or deejay. But I brought a portable sound system for my iPod so this way, we get to choose the music. Or iTunes Genius could." Paige added as she walked over to Emily's garden table where she set up her iPod and pressed play. "So first things first. Here." She said, approaching Emily just as a lively tune came on the speakers and handing the girl a prom ticket she bought from their actual prom. "She insisted that I buy tickets in exchange for letting me borrow the streamer." Paige admitted. "But I figured I could use it for our prom. Come on. Let's go register so we can start this thing." She said, offering her arm for Emily to take and leading the girl to another table she set up a few steps away.

Paige gestured for the girl to write her name on the piece of paper she taped to the surface of the table before taking Emily's ticket and tearing it along the perforation. She did the same to her own prom ticket once she was done registering and handed Emily a mask.

"Let's go to prom." Paige said, putting on her mask and waiting for Emily to do the same. When the girl finally did, Paige led the way back to Emily's garden, moving in time to the music she put on earlier to give the illusion that they were arriving with things already in full swing. She felt stupid but she wanted Emily to have fun tonight. "Come on. Don't make me dance by myself." Paige coaxed as she put her hands up in the air.

Emily laughed when Paige began raising the roof and reluctantly started to sway in time to the music, letting herself loose and dancing alongside the girl. "We look ridiculous." She commented while still moving in time to the upbeat sound. "And this music isn't even fit for a masquerade."

"Hey you're the one who didn't want to change into a more decent attire." Paige reminded the girl while trying to do a moonwalk. "And my music is way better than what masquerade music is supposed to be."

"Whatever. Good thing you brought these masks. Saves us from embarrassing ourselves further. Because with your moves? I think we'd look even more ridiculous if we actually changed into a more decent attire." Emily said teasingly.

"Look around you. It's just us Emily. Nobody cares." Paige pointed out as she continued to execute ridiculous dance moves that made Emily laugh again. She felt her lips break into a smile. Seeing Emily finally having fun was definitely worth missing that marathon.

"At least the punch isn't spiked." Emily said before she took a sip of her drink. "If this is even punch." She added, making a face when she tasted the juice.

"Four seasons." Paige confessed before taking a sip of her juice.

After a few more minutes of dancing to upbeat sounds, they both decided to take a breather and just listen to the music while digging in to the food Paige brought with her. Now they were seated on the chairs around Emily's garden table, sharing a meal of vegetable and fruit platters as appetizers, chicken stuffed with macadamia and camembert for the main course and dark chocolate mousse for dessert.

"Well the food is way better." Emily admitted, looking at the lavish spread between them.

"Thank you." Paige said, leaning forward to dip a bite-sized celery stick before eating it.

"Gwen made these didn't she?" Emily asked, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "I've tasted your cooking. You couldn't have made these."

"I helped!" Paige exclaimed indignantly.

"What did you contribute?" Emily challenged, fixing the mask covering her eyes.

"I... opened the chips." Paige answered proudly.

Emily looked around the table, confused. "You opened the chips." She repeated slowly.

"Hey that takes hard work! If you don't open it carefully the chips end up smushed or it explodes all over the place!" Paige argued.

Emily nodded. "True." She agreed. "So where are these chips?" She inquired, trying to keep a straight face.

Paige cringed. "Funny story actually." She began, toying with the fork she was using to eat her chicken. "I was carrying everything to the car. And the chips were on top of the pile. And then this dog came running past me."

"So now there's a dog." Emily uttered, obviously not believing the girl's story.

"Yeah. It was big. And black. Like a German Shepherd." Paige added. "And it ran past me and I faltered. But I was able to balance myself at the last minute. And then the weirdest thing just happened. The Tupperware filled with chips tilted and as it turns out the cover wasn't intact so... there were chips everywhere. It was crazy. I'm telling you. You should've seen it." She said, shaking her head in disappointment.

"You ate it all didn't you? Once you opened the bag?" Emily guessed, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Paige sighed. "You don't understand. It was so good." She admitted, making Emily laugh out loud.

"Slow song." Emily suddenly said when she heard the music. She glanced at Paige thoughtfully and stood up. "One dance?"

Paige looked up at Emily in surprise, her gaze shifting to the girl's outstretched hand. She didn't expect Emily to ask her to dance. In fact, she was counting on it. She didn't know if she could dance so close to the girl while fighting the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Even in old shirt and sweatpants, Paige thought Emily never looked more beautiful.

"Uh. We can just let this one pass." Paige said nervously when she heard the song. Out of my league. Perfect. The universe is mocking me.

"Come on. Don't make me dance by myself." Emily coaxed, inclining her head to the side and waiting for Paige to take her hand. "Just one dance." She promised.

...'Cause she's all that I see and she's all that I need

And I'm out of my league once again...

Paige sighed and finally took Emily's outstretched hand. She stood up and let the girl lead her to the middle of the garden, all the while praying that her hand wouldn't start sweating. Once Emily placed her arms around Paige's neck, she nervously placed her hands on Emily's waist and moved closer, sure that the girl could hear her heart beating so fast. They began to slowly sway in time to the music and Paige chose to look past the girl for fear that Emily will see her emotions written all over her face.

...It's her hair and her eyes today...

"What are you thinking?" Emily asked in an effort to make conversation.

...That just simply take me away...

"I was thinking..." Paige began, closing her eyes in anguish. "That I forgot to ask... how you're feeling. You were asleep when Hanna arrived last Saturday so I decided to leave without saying goodbye. I figured you needed to rest."

...And the feeling that I'm falling further in love makes me shiver, but in a good way...

"I missed school last Monday but it's been a week so I'm feeling much better." Emily answered reassuringly.

...All the times I have sat and stared

As she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair...

"Good." Paige uttered, trying to get her mind to function while Emily was standing this close to her. "That's good to hear. You really had me worried." She admitted hoarsely.

"I never got to thank you for that. For looking after me and calling my friends. Staying until one of them came over. Thank you." Emily said sincerely.

...As she purses her lips, bats her eyes

And she plays with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say...

"Don't mention it." Paige said, feeling herself blush. "I'm just glad you're feeling better."

...'Cause I love her with all that I am...

"Thanks for tonight." Emily whispered, making Paige look into the girl's eyes.

...And my voice shakes along with my hands...

Thank me with a kiss. Paige thought as she held Emily's gaze. Before her brain could register what was happening, she saw Emily give her a soft smile and then leaned forward, depositing a gentle kiss on her cheek before pulling away.

Paige's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What was that for?" She asked, her heart pounding wildly and her skin tingling at the feel of Emily's lips on her cheek just now.

...'Cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea

But I'd rather be here than on land...

Emily gave the surprised girl a sweet smile. "You said to thank you with a kiss." She answered, making Paige realize that she said those words out loud. "I know you keep insisting we're not but... you've been such a good friend to me lately." She admitted before closing the distance between them and resting her head on Paige's shoulder. "So thank you." Emily said sincerely.

They stayed like that for a while. Just slowly swaying in time to the music when Paige felt Emily's tears on her neck. Instinctively, she held Emily closer to her.

...Yes she's all that I see and she's all that I need...

"I miss her too." Paige said consolingly, reminded that no matter how many times she made the girl laugh tonight, the only person who could take Emily's pain away was Jai.

...And I'm out of my league once again...

"Are you sure you're okay?" Paige asked, handing Emily a tissue when she saw the girl wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. She took the mask Emily was holding in her hand and removed the one she was wearing as well.

Emily took the tissue Paige was offering to her and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry..."

"Don't apologize." Paige interrupted. "I understand. I miss her too."

"I didn't mean to put an end to our dance." Emily explained. "It's just that I remembered that Jai used to tell me that she loves it when we stand close to each other. 'Coz the top of my head ends up under her nose and she gets to smell my hair everytime." She continued miserably. "You think she would've like the dress?"

"Yeah. I think she'd be speechless right about now." Paige answered honestly.

"She didn't even get to see it." Emily said as she tried to fight back her tears. "She promised she'd be back in time for prom. I still keep waiting for her to arrive. Like any second now she's going to knock on my door and tell me she was just trying to make some sort of grand entrance. I keep waiting but the night's almost over." She whispered dejectedly. "I just want her back. I'd give up anything just to see her again."

"I'm so sorry you're hurting this much." Paige said, looking at the girl helplessly. "I wish I was the one who boarded that plane so she'd be here with you instead of me." She added, making Emily look at her in alarm.

"Paige don't say that." Emily reprimanded the girl.

"I just don't want to see you so sad." Paige explained. "And it's not like anyone's going to miss me. Jai's death. It affected a lot of people. I don't think my death will cause this much pain to others." She admitted quietly.

"It'll affect me." Emily reminded her.

Paige rolled her eyes. "If I left before we even had a chance to spend time together, I think you'd hardly notice that I was gone." She pointed out.

Emily shook her head. "I'd notice." She insisted. "'Coz I'd have no one to race against every afternoon to see who could get to Jai faster."

"Right." Paige uttered, remembering the days when things were so much simpler. "You have to admit though... I won most of the time."

"Yeah but I got Jai to side with me all the time." Emily said smugly.

Paige smiled. "That she did." She admitted. She studied Emily for a second before speaking again. "I understand though."

"Understand what?" Emily asked, confused.

"The need to protect you." Paige answered truthfully. "For some reason you make other people want to protect you."

Emily inclined her head to the side. "Other people like you?" She asked, expecting the girl to react violently.

"Other people like me." Paige admitted, the intensity of her gaze making Emily feel flustered instead.

"Well I can't take all the credit. I went to this store once and they were selling these damsel in distress potions. I bought the entire stock. I've been drinking one everyday since then." Emily whispered conspiratorially in an effort to lighten the mood.

"I see. Well I'll let you in on a secret." Paige said, beckoning for Emily to come closer. "After you left I went inside that same store and bought their entire stock of the counterspell. I'm practically immune to your charms." She revealed, going along with the joke.

"Not even a little bit affected?" Emily asked teasingly.

"Well I do have to drink two bottles everyday to ward off your beguiling smile and I'm running out of supply. So who knows? Maybe one of these days I just might find myself falling for you." Paige said flippantly before realizing what she just said.

Emily cleared her throat, trying to fill the awkward silence that followed. "I'm going to the bathroom for a sec." She said, getting up.

"Okay." Paige said, standing up the same time Emily did.

"You need to go to the bathroom too?" Emily asked, staring at Paige in surprise.

"What?" Paige asked, confused.

"You stood up." Emily pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah." Paige uttered, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "Uh, no. I'm not going to the bathroom. I was actually..." She trailed off, looking around them for an excuse before deciding to take her empty plastic cup from the table. "Going to grab a refill." She continued, relieved.

"Oh. Can you get one for me too?" Emily asked, smiling at the girl.

"Yeah. Of course." Paige answered, taking Emily's cup as well.

"Thanks. I'll be back in a sec." Emily promised before heading inside her house.

Paige watched the girl's retreating back, feeling like an idiot. You're not on a date, Paige. So stop acting like she's your date. Emily's mourning and you're flirting. Get a grip.

"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything else?" Emily asked, looking around them to check if Paige got everything she needed.

After spending a few more minutes talking, Paige decided to call it a night and Emily agreed, saying her friends were coming over for a special triple play and she didn't want to be too tired when they arrive. She and Paige took turns loading everything back into the Buick Encore despite the girl's insistence that she was fine cleaning up by herself.

"Yeah. I just need to take that thing down and I'll be on my way." Paige said, pointing to the streamer that was still hanging on the wooden fence and making her way towards it.

"Wait. We forgot to get our picture taken." Emily reminded the girl. She took out her phone and handed it to Paige. "Take mine first." She instructed.

Paige did as she was told, stepping back and taking a photo of the girl once Emily was wearing her mask again. She then took out her phone and handed it to Emily. "Your turn." She said, changing places with the girl. "Hey I wasn't ready!" She exclaimed when Emily took a photo of her before she was even in position but the girl just kept taking her picture, laughing in amusement.

"Let's do one together." Emily suggested. "We'll take one using mine and then one using yours." She explained, walking over to Paige and handing the girl's phone back to her. Emily took out her phone again and held it at arms' length. "Smile." She reminded Paige, elbowing the girl.

"Ow!" Paige cried out, scowling just as Emily took their photo. "Stop taking my picture when I'm not prepared!" She complained, making Emily laugh. She moved her phone away when the girl tried to take it from her. "I'll take the next one." She insisted.

Emily shrugged and stepped closer to the girl, smiling for the camera just as Paige took their photo. "Can I see it?" She asked, extending her hand.

Paige glanced at the photo and shook her head. "No way." She answered, pocketing her phone and moving to take down the streamer from the fence.

"You forgot to smile didn't you?" Emily asked teasingly.

"No. I was smiling. But your eyes were closed." Paige revealed, facing the girl when she was done. "I must've taken it when you blinked."

"What?! Ugh. I knew I take better pictures even if they're random!" Emily exclaimed, shaking her head in amusement.

"Sorry." Paige said, shrugging. "I better go." She continued, checking the time on her watch. She made her way towards the front of Emily's house, aware that the girl was following her.

"Paige?" Emily called out after the girl hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Paige answered, turning around to face her.

Emily stared at the girl, at a loss as to what to say next. Tonight Paige went out of her way to make her smile. Paige was even willing to listen to her talk about Jai all night. She was so focused on her grief that she seemed to have forgotten that the girl lost her best friend and wasn't opening up to anyone. She remembered noticing that the girl was struggling with things lately, even having to write things down just to remember them. Paige was having trouble concentrating since the funeral and Emily knew something was wrong. Jai told her she didn't want Paige to be alone. She wasn't going to let her girlfriend down.

"You're not alone. Okay? You have me." Emily said, smiling at the girl reassuringly. "The promise I made to Jai about looking after you. I'm keeping it. To honor her memory. I meant what I said that morning in your room."

Paige knew Emily didn't mean anything bad by it. The girl wanted to comfort her but the words Emily just said unintentionally hurt her instead. "Thanks. I'll see you around." She said, giving Emily a faint smile.

"Goodnight." Emily said in farewell, raising her hand to wave goodbye.

"Goodnight." Paige repeated, waiting for Emily to get inside her house before turning on her heels and walking the rest of the way by herself.

The promise. Paige said to herself, remembering the morning Emily was referring to. It happened just a few days after the funeral...

88888

"Paige." Emily whispered. "Paige." She repeated, louder this time as she shook the girl awake.

Paige slowly opened her eyes and met Emily's, her eyes widening when she realized where they were. "What the hell are you doing in my room?!" She exclaimed, getting up and moving towards the far side of her bed, away from Emily.

"Sssh! Gwen let me in." Emily explained, keeping her voice down. It was almost five in the morning and she didn't want to wake up Paige's dad.

"My room?!" Paige asked incredulously. She would have to talk to Gwen later.

"The house." Emily corrected.

"So why are you in my room?!" Paige asked, confused.

"Keep your voice down! Your dad's still asleep." Emily reminded the girl. "It's not like I sneaked in. I told Gwen that I was going to check and see if you're awake." She explained patiently.

"Why?" Paige asked, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Emily was in her room again. And that the girl was sitting on her bed.

"We're going for a run." Emily answered, standing up.

"A run?" Paige repeated, looking up at the girl. She just fell asleep. She didn't have the energy to run.

"Yeah. Remember what you said the first day we ran? Until Jai returns we're going to be running buddies." Emily said, staring at the girl expectantly.

"She's not coming back Emily." Paige said quietly. "We're going to be running buddies for life."

"Don't say that." Emily insisted, still refusing to accept Jai's death.

"Fine. Believe what you want to believe but I'm not in the mood to run." Paige said, lacking the energy to argue with the girl as well.

"You haven't been your usual self lately." Emily pointed out.

"What's it to you?" Paige asked bitingly.

"You're my friend." Emily answered, ignoring Paige's attitude.

"Friend." Paige repeated, looking away. "Just leave me alone. If you want to go running so bad then do it by yourself."

Emily studied Paige before deciding to leave. "I miss her too you know." She said once she was at the door. "You have no idea how hard it is. Waking up every morning knowing I won't see, hear, or even touch her. Going to bed every night knowing the next day nothing's going to change. I miss her too." She said softly. "I want to keep her memory alive. I thought I'd start by spending time with you. Because I want to keep the promise I made to Jai that I would look after you. While she's gone. Even now that she's gone. That's the last thing she asked of me to do so I'm keeping that promise."

"That's the only reason you're here?" Paige asked quietly.

"Should there be another reason?" Emily asked, confused.

"No." Paige answered, shaking her head. "I just thought..."

"What?" Emily asked, waiting for Paige to continue.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Have fun running." Paige said, turning her back to Emily and lying down on her bed once again. She waited until she heard the door swing close before she moved and sat on her bed instead. "I thought you cared." She whispered miserably.

88888

Paige got inside her dad's car and buckled her seatbelt before starting the engine. She looked at Emily's house one last time and saw the girl sitting in front of the television through the window.

The promise.

Emily didn't care about her. All the girl cared about was keeping the promise they made to Jai. Unlike her, Emily wasn't conflicted about spending time together. That's why the girl wasn't mad at Jai for dying. She, on the other hand, knew that there was a fine line between the promise she made and the genuine desire to spend time with Emily. And she had been walking on it precariously for some time now. That's why she's so angry. Because she didn't know if Jai's death released or bound her to the promise. All she knew is that Jai's death gave her the push and she wanted to stay. There was no more excuse for why she was sticking around. She was certain she's on the other side of the line. She didn't care about the promise anymore and she couldn't admit that without loathing herself. Her father was wrong. Everything's changed.