Max and Roxanne sat at an outside table at the park café. The night was warm enough for it. After ordering two cups of teas, a mac n cheese for Roxanne and a vegetable pie and fries for Max, Roxanne started to explain everything.

Her life had been miserable since the day she had to leave Spoonerville. Like fairy tale miserable. Since she arrived at Jamford Hospital, she had to stay in there for months. The day the doctors felt that she could with no problems was the day before she started her new school. So she lived in that hospital from early March to late August. As if living in that hospital for five months wasn't bad enough, she had to start at a brand-new school after the first day she was allowed to be released and she had re-take the entire eleventh grade again. She didn't mind that she had to do the eleventh and twelfth grade a year later than the other kids did, if only the kids there didn't bully her about being older than them. She remembered one of them even called her Granny. She got bullied a lot in Jamford. She wasn't popular like she was at Spoonerville High School (not that she ever tried to be popular nor did she ever want nor did it ever make her feel happy or special in the slightest nor did she ever care about it nor did she ever miss it). She knew she was popular there for two reasons only: the first one was because she was the best friend of Stacey who was the very popular and admired student body president and the second one was because of her beautiful looks. That was how she viewed it when she looked backed at her life in Spoonerville. No one cared about who she really was, what she was going through outside school life, how smart she was (except the teachers) or what her interests were or even how nice she was, except for Max, Stacey, PJ and Bobby.

She was completely lonely at Jamford High School. No one there wanted to be her friend or hang with her, except Hugo but even he didn't spend a great amount of time with her. Even the geeks and the other bullied kids didn't even want to spend any time with her. Despite keeping her good grades up, even the firm teachers there hardly gave her much praise. Hugo took her to the proms for each of the last two grades, but he never danced with her. All she remembered was being left alone with nothing to do except just watch Hugo and his cool friends dance with the most beautiful girls. Then she also remembered when she was alone and no one would dance with her, she imagined Max was there with her and they would dance together.

Then after graduating from high school, she was enrolled into Jamford Nursing College so she could learn how to be Hugo's private nurse while also being his wife.

"All those good grades for what, to become a slave?" Roxanne moaned.

"Was it your husband Hugo and his friends who pushed you into that pond?" Max asked.

Roxanne nodded. "The only reason he lets me join his activities is to help him look good."

"For his father or for society?"

"Both. When he doesn't need me anymore, he and his friends push me aside and leave me alone. They've always been like that since the day I met them and they haven't changed after they left high school. Not even my own husband likes me. He never even said I'm a pretty face at all, let alone 'just a pretty face'."

"Am I to take it that you married him for reasons not including love?" Max asked.

"You're so right, Max. I married him because my dad and Hugo's dad made a deal while I was in hospital. As the hospital's administer, Hugo's would make sure I would have the operation I would need in exchange for marrying Hugo and for becoming his free nurse, which I'm still training to be."

"You mean your marriage was arranged?"

"Yes," Roxanne said sadly. "I had no choice."

"And did your dad encourage you to go through this loveless marriage because you guys needed the money?"

"He won't admit it, but yeah. And he also keeps on saying he wants me to be married – even if I don't love that man – because he wants me to be supported by someone who will look after me."

"And Hugo gives you finical support, but not emotional support?" Max guessed. "The irony, eh?"

She nodded. "This is all so my dad can make sure that I don't end up like my mom and twin sister."

Max choked on his cup of tea. "Sorry," he coughed. "You had a twin sister?"

"She died in the same car crash as my mom did when I was three years old," Roxanne said. "My dad didn't tell me until a couple of months ago so that's why I didn't tell you before I left Spoonerville. I couldn't. He said he didn't tell me because he thought if I didn't know about my dead sister, I would be okay. Well, I'm not."

"I'm so sorry, Roxanne," Max said. "And I'm very sorry for not keeping in contact with you. I just received the stuff you tried to send me years ago." He showed them to her, including the friendship locket he was wearing around his neck. "These are all wonderful. And you know that letter you left for me at Spoonerville Hospital before you left for Jamford? I still have it and I've even framed it. So even though I didn't keep in contact with you, I never forgot you and I've really missed you so much and I felt you were still with me in spirit."
Roxanne was really touched by what he just said. "It's not your fault you couldn't keep in contact with me, Max. My dad stopped that stuff from ever leaving our house. He wanted you out of my life so I would forget you and focus on Hugo. I mean, come on. You saved my life – his only living daughter's life – and he still wants me to be away from you. It stings harder that you raised all that money and my dad claimed he did it all. You did all the hard work and he got all the credit."

"I don't care about the credit, Roxanne," Max said. "Seeing you alive and healthy is the biggest reward I could ever have."
Roxanne started to smile. "I'm sorry, Max. Here I am waffling on and I haven't asked you how you've been since I left Spoonerville."
Then the waiter arrived with their cups of teas and hot meals. As they ate, Max told Roxanne about how he graduated high school as a C student. Then he told her about his life in college and he graduated again as a C student and won three college x games.

"Oh, yeah, I remember." Roxanne explained that one day she was on vacation with Hugo and their dads, they were doing an activity that they didn't even allow her to do so she went to an Italian restaurant and ordered a veggie lasagne. While she was eating it, she noticed the college x games were on TV and she was amazed that she saw Max competing and winning. She only saw him once and didn't know which one it was that he won, but it was nice to see him in some sort of way because she missed him so very much. Max thought that was the one where he won his second trophy and he was really touched that she missed him as much as he missed her.

Then Max went on to stay that he became a janitor at Tanchester Square Garden and then he became the rock star T-Rax.

"You have done so very well, Max," Roxanne said. "I couldn't be prouder of you."

"Thanks, Roxanne," Max said. "Oh, besides me, did you write to any of your other friends and try to send it to them? Like Stacey?"

"Well, I did write her one letter," Roxanne said, "but she hasn't replied back. I don't know if it's because she didn't bother or because it got lost."

Max remembered that even before Roxanne and Stacey, who were both best friends since elementary school and like the sisters neither of them ever had, got less close to each other as they kept on moving up grades. Stacey became too busy with or rather more interested in her student body president and didn't spend much time with Roxanne as like they used to.

"Is she doing okay?" Roxanne asked.

"Oh, yeah, totally." Then Max told her that she was in a relationship with her partner Lauren. Roxanne was surprised that her former best friend was a lesbian, but she had no problem with it. She was happy that she was happy. She was surprised when she learned that they had two children and more when she learned that Bobby was the biological father. All three of them had very cool jobs. All three of them had very cool jobs.

Roxanne told Max that she knew about PJ being a head Michelin chef and having a happy family.

"Thanks, Max," Roxanne said, after he finished paying for the meal. "That was a lovely meal and it was so great to see you again. Well, I'd better get back to my husband."

"And what will he be doing tonight?" Max asked.

"I don't know. Probably just continue to drink, laugh at rude jokes with his friends and come back home in a mess and just fall asleep."

"Why don't you stay the night at my motel room? I'll pay for your stay."

"You mean it?" Roxanne asked.

"Sure. I'll sleep on the couch and you can have the bed. I insist."

"Well, okay. Thanks, Max."

Then they started walking back to Max's motel.

"Oh, before I forget, in case we don't see each other in person again, shall I tell you my mobile phone number and email address?" Max suggested. "That way we keep in contact with each other in some way."

"Good idea, Max," Roxanne said. "But I would also like to see you in person like we used to more often."

"So would I," Max agreed.

As they continued to walk and discuss mobile phone numbers and emails, a dark figure with a mask emerged from a tree they passed.

"I didn't want to use brutal force, T-Rax, but you gave no choice."