The Royal Woods High theater club had converged on the school's gymnasium where Mrs. Bernardo had hosted a wrap party – not just to celebrate the completion of their production of A Little Princess, but also, with school dismissing for summer vacation the following week, it would be the last time for the current year that they would get together, so their drama teacher wanted to make it a special occasion. Even as her students meandered throughout the gym, indulged on some refreshments, continued to talk shop about the play they had just completed, and whether or not any of them would enroll in theater again as their elective for the next school year, she wanted to take just a moment to address every one of them collectively one final time:

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" She called out whilst she tapped the side of her plastic cup with her plastic fork. "In as much as I have been impressed with all of the effort you have put into your craft this year, there is one thing that has impressed me far more, and that has been your CAMARADERIE! On the stage, and off, all of you have really established such a solid rapport with one another, and as I told you earlier, you really have been one of the finest classes I have ever directed… it's not my place as a teacher to influence your decision, but I would very much enjoy working with any of you again next year, if you so choose."

They appreciated the praise their drama teacher had given them, and while some of the thespians probably would not care to enroll in theater as their elective again next year for one reason or another, it was pretty clear that certain ones had every intention of doing so – namely, Luan, Benny, Lyberti, Amy, Rex, Ruby, and Shannon.

"Would anybody else care to make a little speech?" She then offered.

The room fell silent as almost everyone within shook their heads to the contrary - it wasn't as though this was some kind of an award ceremony, this was a party, and those in attendance came to have a good time and enjoy the relief that came with their production's completion. There was, however, one thespian who wanted to say something.

"Yeah, I would," Ruby raised her hand, and soon, all eyes fell upon the Indian girl. "Okay, so, like, I'm not gonna make this all sappy and mushy and stuff, but I just wanted to say I learned a lot from being in this club, and not just about acting or putting on plays and stuff, but, like, about myself as well… and I just wanted to thank everybody for making me feel like I have somewhere I belong…"

The other thespians smiled at such a compliment, especially Ruby's circle of friends within the club; she then turned her attention to her drama teacher.

"And thank you, Mrs. B.; it's been, like, a fun experience being in your club with how… how… uh… director-y you are…"

There were a number of other words that Ruby could have used to describe Mrs. Bernardo: 'dramatic,' 'over-the-top,' or even 'kooky' being among them, but she knew better. Even so, Mrs. Bernardo produced a tissue to dab the streaks of mascara from the bottom of her eyes; she was incredibly touched by Ruby's words.

"Oh… why, thank you, Ruby…" she sniffled.

Finally, Ruby had one last person she wanted to thank, as she turned to the face the person who had stood by her side, not just within the confines of theater, but also for much of that school year.

"And thanks to Shannon Tannenbaum, who's not only, like, the best actress in the club… but also, my best friend… and… just… the best everything…"

Everyone in the room gushed with a chorus of, 'Awwww's… Shannon and Ruby had not reached the same level of public displays of affection as Amy and Rex had, but it was no secret to anyone in the club at this point that the two of them meant the world to each other. The bespectacled brunette's freckled face glowed red; as far as she was concerned, Ruby flattered her far too much, but she still very much appreciated that somebody thought as highly of her as she did.

"This will definitely be a year I'll never forget," mumbled a humble Shannon. "This will be a year to remember…"

With a sense of nostalgia having taken over the party, Lyberti chose that moment to deliver a most fitting song selection for the rest of the club…

Memories
light the corners of my mind
Misty watercolor memories
of the way we were

Scattered pictures
of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
for the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then
or has time rewritten every line
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me would we?
Could we?

Memories…

"Why does that song sound so familiar?" Amy asked.

"It was the theme song from an old Barbra Streisand movie," explained Benny. "It's a pretty popular song for occasions like this."

"It's also apparently popular with disgraced former Italian-American animators who couldn't keep it in their pants," added Luan.

Wow. Luan earned more than a few awkward stares and other mixed expressions for such a rather out-of-context comment as that.

"Hey, don't look at me, I just know stuff!" She insisted with an innocent shrug. Strangely and specifically Meta stuff at that.


At long last, the last day of school had finally come to pass, and ushered in the beginning of summer vacation; as soon as that final bell rang, the halls and corridors had practically become a stampede of eager students who raced out of their classrooms and to the nearest exits, all in anticipation of the three months of freedom that awaited them. Trailing behind the rapidly dwindling stampedes were four friends from the school's theater club, as they met up in one of the halls to not only walk out together, but also squeeze a few final minutes with one another before they go their separate ways.

"Do you have any plans for the summer, Benny?" Luan asked.

"Probably spending some time in Great Lakes City," explained Benny. "I know my mom and I are going to be visiting some relatives there, but there's also a summer acting workshop I'm going to be attending for a couple of weeks."

"Oh, that sounds really neat," said Shannon as the foursome had reached a double-doored exit out onto the schoolyard.

"Yeah, by the time you get back, you could probably, like, give the rest of us some pointers," added Ruby.

Benny chuckled before he realized that his mom had already arrived and sat in her car in the parking lot waiting for him.

"Well, looks like the time has come to say goodbye…" he said, leaving his friends with a slightly altered line from Shakespeare: "Goodbye, goodbye. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodbye till it be morrow."

"I believe that's my line," said Luan as a throwback to the fact that she had played Juliet, who was the one who said those words to Romeo. "But, whatev…"

They all shared a laugh as Benny bade a final farewell: "See you, girls!"

"Bye, Benny!" The girls waved to Benny as he finally hopped into his mother's car which proceeded to back out of its space in the parking lot and drive away.

Ruby then turned to ponytailed comedienne and asked, "How about you, Luan? What are your summer plans?"

"Well, summer is usually a busy time for me," she explained. "Since there's no school, birthday parties tend to be bigger occasions, so I'll definitely have a lot more bookings."

"You really do birthday parties?" Ruby asked; next to dinner theater, birthday parties seemed to have something of a negative stigma associated with them for any performer, so it came as a surprise to her that Luan would even avail herself for such events.

"And Bat Mitzvahs, too," added Shannon with a nervous chuckle as she recalled the rite of passage ceremony that was celebrated for her thirteenth birthday as her faith recognized her as a woman; for the occasion, Luan was invited as both a guest of honor and an entertainer.

Luan also chuckled over the memory, though hers was far more jovial as she recalled her indulgence of Jewish humor for the ceremony, "Yeah, I thought some of your relatives were gonna die laughing!"

Shannon's nervous chuckling continued as she also stroked the back of her head and added, "I thought some of my more Orthodox relatives were just gonna die…"

At that moment, a certain girl who possessed a dark brown pixie hairdo, paper clip earrings, and a purple outfit emblazoned with a skull in the middle of her chest approached the ponytailed comedienne.

"Come on, brah, let's grab Lori and split," said a seemingly impatient Luna. "At this rate, she's gonna be singin' farewell songs for ages."

Luan took a glance over at Lori, but decided to speak in her defense.

"Aww let her have her moment. After all, this might be the last time she sees some of her friends before she leaves for Fairway."

It was true: in another part of the schoolyard, Lori tearfully exchanged hugs with many of her friends; she and the rest of the senior class already had their graduation ceremony, but this was still the official last day of the school year for all students, which meant for she and a number of others like her, who were now about to enter the next chapter of their lives, this could very well be the last that they see any of each other for who knows how long? Lori's emotions certainly ran high as black mascara ran down her cheeks; there was a chance that she may, perhaps, still get to see her best friend, Carol Pingrey, at Fairway University, but otherwise, she knew not when and/or if she would ever see the likes of Whitney, Chaz, Becky, Dana, or her other friends again.

Elsewhere in the schoolyard, Luna and Luan took notice of Leni as she also exchanged tearful goodbyes hugs with some of her friends as well; of course, Leni would be returning next year as a senior, and she, undoubtedly, would still see some of her friends during the summer, such as Fiona and Miguel, as they work together at Reininger's department store in the Royal Woods Mall. Regardless, the last day of school was an emotional one for Leni; the finality of the occasion was enough to turn on the waterworks inside her eyes.

"Looks like both blondies are gonna be a while…" said Luna with a shrug, but she realized her immediate younger sister did have a point and conceded to letting not only Lori but also Leni have their farewell moments. "My dudes have already split, so I'll just wait for the rest of you in the van; least I can call dibs on the radio…"

"I'll be right with you," said Luan as Luna had already begun to depart for the parking lot where Vanzilla awaited the four eldest Loud sisters. The comedienne turned to face her two theater friends once more. "Well, it sure has been one heck of a year."

"I'll say," agreed Shannon.

"Totally," agreed Ruby at the same time.

"Now that we've gotten our first year of high school behind us, maybe next year will be a little less chaotic," suggested Shannon.

"Way to go ahead and jinx it, Shans!" Luan quipped.

Shannon chuckled once more as she placed the palm of her hand onto her forehead.

"You're right, what am I doing? I must be meshuggah!"

"You better be careful, too much meshuggah will give you diabetes!" Luan continued to quip.

"That's awfully sweet of you to be concerned," Shannon quipped.

"Well, you don't have to be such a sourpuss about it," Luan quipped.

"Sourpuss?" Shannon asked. "Do I look like a spoiled feline to you?"

"You do seem just a little catty," said Luan.

Shannon then lowered her voice to prevent anyone else from hearing her next quip: "Better than being a little bitchy…"

"Wow!" Luan exclaimed; for the first time in her life, she dropped the ball that had been tossed back into her court. "Okay, I've got no comeback for that!"

"I guess I just dogged you, then, didn't I?" Shannon asked.

"I… yes, you have…" was all Luan could respond with.

Shannon smiled as she planted her fists triumphantly onto her hips and finished with, "Looks like I've finally outwitted the Pungeon Master! Or, in this case, I guess it would be out mastered!"

"Okay, okay!" Luan exclaimed as she pulled a white handkerchief from her skirt pocket and waved it in front of Shannon to signal that she had accepted defeat. "I surrender already!"

The two shared in a bout of laughter; Ruby, meanwhile, had no idea what to make of the impromptu battle of wits that she had just witnessed, but was impressed with her friends' ability to exchange such fast-paced banter so effortlessly. Finally, Luan exchanged a hug with her two friends.

"Well, if I don't see either of you during the summer, I guess I'll see you in the fall," she told both of them.

"If you're going to fall, please don't take us down with you," quipped Shannon again. "I don't need any second-banana-hand bruises on my sensitive skin."

Ouch. Luan almost felt the zing with that second banana remark. Still, the girls shared another laugh amongst themselves before the ponytailed girl left to meet up with her immediate older sister who waited in their family vehicle while their two older sisters continued to exchange even more emotional farewells with their friends.

"Fare-thee-well, turtledoves!" Luan called out to them.

After hand waves were exchanged, Shannon and Ruby found that it was just the two of them now… not that they minded, because it would offer them a nice little personal moment to reflect on their previous year.

"Boy, this really has been one crazy year, huh?" Shannon asked as she slowly began to trek across the schoolyard.

"Totally!" Ruby agreed as she walked alongside. "Like a roller coaster full of highs and lows…"

"Yeah… what would you say was the worst thing about this year?" Shannon asked.

"You mean besides my epic meltdown last semester?" Ruby asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "I don't know… what would you say was the best thing about this year?"

Shannon suddenly stopped short and turned to girl standing next to her.

"You."

Upon hearing this, a huge smile sprang onto Ruby's face. Shannon then took Ruby by the hand and began to lead her away.

"Come on…"

The bespectacled brunette brought the Indian girl across the schoolyard and over to their maybe not-so-secret spot along the door and window-free exterior wall, which, by that time of year, was a little more secluded now that the surrounding hedges were fuller with foliage, offering them a little more privacy – and luckily for them, other students were still rushing off to jumpstart their summer vacation, which quickly left the premises virtually deserted. The two held onto each other's hands for a moment; their eyes locked, and soon thereafter, Shannon's smile turned downward a little – she had something on her mind that she just had to know…

"Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"If… I ask you a question… will you give me an honest answer?"

"Totally," insisted Ruby as she tightened her grip on Shannon's hands. "What is it?"

After a brief pause of silence, Shannon finally posed her question: "How come you wanted to be friends with me, anyway? I mean… you're so cool and popular… I'm really not in your league at all."

Ruby's smile twisted ever so slightly, which exhibited more of a coy look on her reddening face, as she darted her eyes away.

"Actually… I'm, like, not as cool as you think…"

Shannon became confused; surely, Ruby was attempting to be modest and downplay her popularity, but that turned out to not be the case.

"Believe it or not… I used to be a lot like you, especially when I was little… I was, like, a bit of an outcast… I guess cause I wasn't much like other kids… When I saw Amy crapping on you earlier in the year, I, like, saw a little of myself in you… I used to deal with other kids treating me like that, so I guess I like, kinda felt for you, you know?"

This harkened Shannon back to when Tiffany had suggested the possibility that Ruby had seen something in her that clicked within herself; although she had initially been somewhat dismissive of such an idea, now Shannon felt like she and Ruby really were more alike than she had previously believed – even though it was still hard for her to believe that Ruby could have ever endured such mistreatment at any point in her life.

"Amy aside… and maybe Spencer… I've never seen anybody treat you like that…" she remarked.

Ruby stifled a snicker as she further explained, "That totally seemed to change overnight when I started middle school… all of the sudden, other kids actually wanted to hang out with me and everything… I guess I grew out of my ugly duckling phase… and, since I suddenly became, like, one of the popular kids, I kinda liked it… I kinda liked being the center of attention for once… so, I just, like, kept aiming higher and higher in my social standards…"

"Wow… that's curiously fascinating…" mumbled Shannon who marveled over continually learning new details about her girlfriend's life even after nearly a year of knowing her… though one specific detail left her in disbelief. "But, you? An ugly duckling? No way!"

"Trust me, you, like, do not wanna see my elementary school yearbook pics!" Ruby said with a timorous chuckle while she continued to reflect on how much her social life had evolved over the years. "But, looking back on it now, I realize all this time, I never had a real friend… not like you…"

Shannon started to smile again.

"I guess that's why I feel so connected to you… you're the first real friend I ever had…" confessed Ruby. "And, the theater club… like, it's the first time I ever really felt like I totally belonged in a group…"

Shannon nodded in agreement, "Yeah… it's the first time I ever really felt like I belonged in a group, too… I've met some really great people in the club this year…"

"Samesis…" agreed Ruby. "I mean, the way you guys, like, went to bat for me to get Mrs. B. to let me back in? Nobody's ever done anything like that for me before…"

The two smiled at each other while they gently swayed their joined hands in the air for a moment; even with the birds singing in the trees and nearby traffic, it was still such a quiet little moment for the two of them.

Finally, Shannon spoke up again: "I love you, Ruby…"

Ruby's cheeks were tinged with redness as she returned the sentiment, "I love you, Shannon… you coming into my life has been, like, totally the best thing that ever happened to me…"

Again, the two smiled at each other for another moment, until Ruby's face transformed into quite an unusual look.

"Wanna know something silly?" She asked.

"What's that?" Shannon queried.

The Indian girl almost choked, "I miss you already…"

"Oh, Rubes… it's not like we'll never see each other again…" Shannon could not help but chuckle over the way her girlfriend carried on; she wrapped her arms around and pulled her into a loving embrace, a gesture of which Ruby did not hesitate at all to return as she squeezed her girlfriend tightly. After a brief moment of hugging, Shannon pulled away and continued, "I mean… yeah… we won't be seeing each other every day for a while… but… you know where I live, right?"

"Yeah…" nodded Ruby.

"Come visit me!" Shannon invited. "I think my parents would really like you!"

Ruby was taken aback by that last comment and asked, "Do they really know about us?"

The bespectacled brunette darted her eyes to the side and confessed, "I haven't… told them… yet…"

"Oh…" was Ruby's somewhat disappointed response.

"Although," Shannon continued, "they did think our chemistry in A Little Princess was undeniable…"

Ruby's face quivered into a smile again as she took hold of Shannon's hands and locked eyes with her for yet another intimate moment of silence.

"You know… even if we don't see each other for a while… I couldn't let you leave without…"

The way Ruby trailed off had peaked Shannon's curiosity.

"Without what?" She asked.

Slowly, Ruby began to lean in closer and closer until her lips met Shannon's, who was so stunned that she almost could not process what had just happened… her very first kiss… it was such a surprise that she went into a catatonic stage of shock – something Ruby found perplexing when she pulled away from her. For an untold amount of time, Shannon stood like a statue; a bluebird had even flown over and landed on top of her head – a phenomenon some believe to be a sign of a blessing. Whatever it was, it amused Ruby as her laughter spooked the bird into flight. When the initial shock had worn off, and Shannon was brought back to her senses, she was able to fully comprehend not only Ruby's actions, but her own reactions as well. Now that she was capable of returning the gesture, she once again wrapped her arms around Ruby, while Ruby cupped her hands around Shannon's face, and they both shared another kiss… a kiss that felt far more special and intimate this time now that both parties gave into it. It was then that Ruby experienced exactly what she had expected when she and Spencer shared their first kiss, but was clearly absent: a magical spark of electrical excitement. Obviously, she needed no reaffirmation, but this did reaffirm to her that it was not Spencer whom she was meant to be with; it was Shannon.

When they pulled away from each other once again, both of their faces were not only as red as could be, but also displayed the dorkiest and most awkward smiles either of them could imagine wearing.

"You… uh… your lips… are… like… so soft…" mumbled Ruby; though she found everything about Shannon to be so soft – her lips, her hair, her skin, her body – everything… no wonder she so loved holding Shannon.

Shannon, meanwhile, nearly bit her bottom lip almost instinctively; it was such an awkward little compliment for her to hear coming from somebody with whom she had just shared her first kiss.

The two lovebirds went back for seconds… or, more accurately, thirds. Ruby gently bit and sucked on Shannon's soft bottom lip to start with before both of their lips pressed up against the others. As they went deeper into their kiss, they both cupped their hands around the other's face once again, but it did not stop there… Shannon's hands gradually slid down Ruby's neck, before she slipped them under her arms, and around to her shoulder blades, to ease their bodies closer together for another tender embrace; Ruby, meanwhile, took it a step further to cop a feel… her hands slowly slid down to Shannon's breasts to give them a gentle squeeze before they continued on a journey down her sides, to her hips, where they managed to find their way underneath the hem of her little denim skirt, up her thighs, and eventually came to rest over her tuchus, which Ruby tenderly massaged – all of which the usually bashful and modest Jewish girl was completely oblivious. By now, auto-pilot had all but taken complete control of both girls; neither of them had ever experienced the sensation of such burning passion before, and in the heat of their moment, making love with each other felt addictive. All of that changed, however, the second that both of them felt their tongues collide; that seemed to sober them up from their passion-fueled intoxication. They jumped a few feet away from each other; their hands sprang up to their mouths, while their faces were red as blood, and their eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets – Shannon's glasses had even fogged up from the rise in her body temperature.

"O-M-G…" they coincidentally muttered at the exact same time before they succumbed to a fit of timorous laughter over how much they both had gotten carried away in their unexpected make-out session.

Or, did they?

"You're a pearl…" said Ruby.

"You're a… ruby…" responded Shannon before she squinted her eyes shut in embarrassment over how corny that line sounded.

Ruby, however, giggled; sure, it was a corny line, but it sounded so amusingly adorkable coming from Shannon. Shannon glanced off to the other side of the hedgerow toward the parking lot to see her mom's car pull into an empty space… alas, it was time.

With an emotional sigh, she turned to face Ruby one last time to say, "I have to go…"

Ruby merely stared longingly at Shannon with puppy-like eyes.

"Visit me?" Shannon asked in a reminder.

"Like, A-S-A-P…" nodded Ruby.

Slowly Shannon began to depart, though she walked backwards so as to keep her eyes on Ruby to get as much out of the sight of her as possible before their separation, but when she felt something prickly press into her backside, she realized she had backed herself into the hedgerow. Perhaps it would be best if she actually paid attention to where she was going. With another sigh, she gave Ruby another look and smile before the two of them exchanged a final farewell to each other in a rather personal manner…

"Mazel tov," said Ruby to Shannon in her Hebrew language.

"Namaste," said Shannon to Ruby in her Hindi language.

Finally, Shannon reluctantly turned and walked away from their special little spot for the last time, while Ruby stepped over to peer beyond the hedgerow and watch as Shannon approached her mother's car… that wavy brown hair flowing in the breeze behind her… those shapely legs taking strides across the asphalt… she really was a walking work of art as far as the Indian girl was concerned. As the bespectacled brunette opened the passenger door to slip into the car, she caught a glimpse of Ruby's face as it peered over the hedgerow; the two flashed one last smile to each other before Shannon took her seat inside the car and shut the door behind her to be driven home for the summer.


Nine months ago, Shannon Tannenbaum and Ruby Patel felt that their first year of high school would probably be nothing special or memorable: Luan and Benny aside, Shannon figured she would continue to be the shy and socially awkward introvert whom nobody knew existed; Ruby figured she would continue to be the cool girl who filtered her way through various cliques. Neither one of them could have imagined that somebody would come into their lives and completely transform them into a better person: for Shannon, Ruby was instrumental in coaxing her out of her shell and encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone to allow people into her life; for Ruby, Shannon was instrumental in bringing her back down to earth and develop meaningful connections with people; for both of them, they had learned a valuable lesson of the true meaning of friendship, especially through difficult and challenging times. Shannon had brought out the best in Ruby; Ruby had brought out the best in Shannon; they both had grown so much over the past year, thanks mostly to the influence that they had on each other. Their friendship, their relationship, and their connection – it was a very precious gift that neither of them would dare take for granted.


Before any of you say anything, that was not an Owl House reference you read in this chapter, it was a massive coincidence. This was one of the first chapters I drafted when I began developing this story last year, and I had planned on having Ruby confess to Shannon she's not as cool as she thinks before Amity said the same to Luz - again, my plan for Ruby's arc was to present her as a girl who strived to be cool and popular among her peers, but had to learn that there were more important things in life, such as developing meaningful connections with people (like Shannon).

As I mentioned in the previous footnote, one of the only creative disagreements Albertson and I had regarded Shannon and Ruby's first kiss. Albertson is of a first-kiss-seals-the-deal mindset in calling a couple official, and wished to have the two kiss as soon as they began dating; my plan from the beginning, however, was to save their kiss for the end, not only as a parting gift between them, but to also end our story with a bang.

Of course, we still have an afterword (with an additional epilogue) ahead of us...