An empty theater, even a high school one, can be the loneliest or most crowded place in the world, depending on how a person's mind works.

Lexi, fortunately, fell somewhere in the middle. She sat on the edge of the stage staring out at the void before her. Loneliness itself didn't engulf her. Neither did the sense of being overwhelmed. It was more of a feeling of accomplishing something major and searching out the one person you wanted to share it with. If asked to elaborate on that, she wouldn't be able to for lack of clarification on her part. That required an in-depth analysis of emotions – a process for which Lexi was not yet prepared.

She'd managed to duck away from Cassie, who was preoccupied with avoiding Maddy to ensure seeing another sunrise in the morning. Where they were and what they were doing took up little space in Lexi's mind. It was now in the hands of whatever higher power might exist.

The auditorium provided a good thinking place. "Success" seemed an odd word to attach to how the play unfolded, given the chaos in the middle, but Lexi couldn't help but be proud and pleased with the way it went overall. People laughed, people cried, people even cheered her by name. It was difficult to call that anything but an achievement if Lexi were being honest.

Yet, Cassie's reaction encapsulated Lexi's biggest fear – one she acknowledged from the outset of penning the play, but never thought would come true. She had given her sister the benefit of the doubt, hoping Cassie would understand Lexi's intentions and, in her own way, support them. She missed the mark only slightly.

Now there existed a gigantic mess Lexi would have to face eventually, assuming Maddy actually let Cassie live through the night. Part of her felt guilty: she had no aversions to using Cassie as a muse for the play's plot, which, in retrospect, possibly wasn't the best idea.

The play itself wasn't the reason things between the best friends crumbled almost instantaneously. It would be easy to point to Rue and place all of the blame on her tendency to say too much while under the influence. However, that line of thinking shifted responsibility away from Cassie, and as Lexi had explicitly told her in their living room, Cassie was not the good guy in the situation. No matter how many times she repeated the line "They weren't together."

That's where the other part of Lexi spoke up. It wasn't Lexi's fault; it wasn't even Rue's fault really. It was Cassie and her terrible decision making. What could've been avoided should've been avoided, but Cassie had made that impossible.

Perhaps, at the end of the day, the state of affairs was merely an example of the proverbial perfect storm. As they say, when it rains, it pours. Regardless, Lexi was still running on the adrenaline pulsing through her body. She felt like running around the town and yelling her deepest, truest feelings from rooftops.

A shuffle of footsteps sounded behind Lexi. She twisted around to look. The curtains ruffled as someone tried to find a way to push through them. After seconds of punching and clawing, they parted in an opening.

Rue approached slowly, a shy, sheepish look on her face. "Does the director and star have time for an adoring fan?" she asked. "Or should I form a meet and greet line to talk to you?" She stopped a foot away from Lexi with her hands clasped behind her back.

"I suppose I can pencil you in to my very busy schedule," Lexi answered. She inclined her head to the spot next to her.

"Thank goodness," Rue said as she sat down next to her friend. There were only inches between them and their shoulders brushed lightly while Rue situated herself. The air felt electric, magnetic, charged with something that wasn't related to the dramatics from earlier.

"It's good to see you," Lexi said sincerely. Maybe she had been feeling lonelier than she thought because all of a sudden she felt a sense of being whole. Or, at the very least, feeling like she was exactly where she belonged.

"You too," Rue answered. "I wasn't sure if you'd want to be alone or whatever after everything that happened. Then I said 'Fuck it' and came looking for you."

"Sometimes you and your 'Fuck it' attitude come in handy."

"That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

A beat. A whisper of breaths being released. A quickening of heartrates.

"So, you're an adoring fan, are you?" Lexi inquired. Her eyes roamed Rue's face, noting how good Rue looked – as if she were finally well-rested and relaxed.

"Oh, fuck yeah," Rue responded. "I'm as adoring as they come." She wasn't oblivious to Lexi's searching gaze and squirmed slightly underneath it, but there was also something thrilling about the way Lexi was looking at her. Rue wasn't sure she wanted Lexi to ever stop.

"Thank you for coming,"

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't have missed this. That was epic, Lexi."

Lexi leaned back on her hands. "It didn't exactly go how I pictured it going," she mused, "but it sure was memorable."

"Hell yeah it was," Rue agreed. "The lady sitting in front of me was, like, legitimately pissed when it ended. She wanted to know if there were going to be more showings of it."

"I don't know if that's a great idea. Tonight was enough entertainment for a long while, I think." Lexi stared up at the theater's soaring ceiling and let out a long sigh.

Rue cleared her throat in preparation of what she was going to say. "Hey," she said softly to call back Lexi's attention.

"Yeah?" Lexi returned to Rue's eyes.

"I just…I want to say…" Rue took a deep breath. "Okay, I know we've already had this conversation after I first read the script. I just feel like I need to remind you of it. Your play is amazing. You are amazing, Lexi. The past few years I have found every reason in the book to hate myself and justify the shit I've done, but you…I didn't hate myself. When I was reading it and when I was sitting out there watching, I saw myself and for the first time in God knows how long, I wasn't completely ashamed of who I am. And that's because of you."

Rue had practiced the speech for this time around her entire walk to the school earlier that night and then again when she set out to find Lexi after the play was over. It wasn't quite as elegant as she had hoped, nor did it convey the sheer amount of emotion Rue felt, but it wasn't nothing either.

Lexi felt the tears streak her cheeks before she could stop them. If the person sitting next to her had been anyone except Rue, Lexi would've hastily wiped her eyes and played it off. Pretending with Rue was never a valid option.

"Thank you," Lexi said shakily. "That means a lot. I'm glad you liked it."

"Loved it," Rue corrected. "I was serious about what I said the other day in your room. It meant the world to me."

"I'm happy I could give that to you then," Lexi told her. "You should know you're amazing too."

A small chuckle escaped Rue's lips. "That's nice of you to say."

"I'm serious," Lexi insisted. She looked at Rue with intense eyes again. "You've been through hell and you're still standing. That's pretty fucking amazing."

"I guess," Rue allowed, then continued, "but I also meant what I said about you figuring it out. Lexi, you've been through your own hell and you figured out what to do with all that shit. I haven't. It's…everywhere. It's in my head and in my heart and in my fucking veins it seems. All the fucking time. And I have no idea what to do with any of it."

Lexi, acting on instinct, reached over and laid her hand on top of Rue's. A spark shot through both of them, but remained ignored for the time being.

"Yeah, but Rue," Lexi said, "you don't have to go through it alone. I know you're not always going to want or need someone around to help or to listen or whatever, but I'll still be here regardless."

"I know you will," Rue replied. "And I know I don't deserve you."

"Too bad," Lexi retorted. "You're stuck with me."

"If you insist."

Lexi hadn't moved her hand from Rue's, and neither felt it necessary, so they remained touching. Rue stared at the place their bodies met and was struck again by how easy it was with Lexi. The kind of easy people go their whole lives looking for while only a few are lucky enough to actually find it.

After a minute, Rue chanced a glance at Lexi, who'd reverted back to deep thought.

"Stop worrying," Rue said.

"What?" Lexi broke out of her reverie looking confused.

"Stop worrying," Rue repeated. "I'm sure it's about Cassie and Maddy and everything else, which is so fair, by the way. But it'll be fine. Maddy won't actually kill her, just rough her up a bit probably. Cassie will be fine. She'll get over it sooner or later. And if, for some reason she doesn't, too fucking bad. That's on her."

There was a second where Lexi tried to figure out what to say. She opened and closed her mouth, unable to decide. Eventually, she settled on, "I'm not worrying."

"Yes, you are. When you worry, you get a crease right here—" Rue placed her free index finger in the middle of Lexi's forehead where a crease had, in fact, cropped up with apprehension. She smoothed it out, gently lingering on Lexi's skin.

"Damn, Lexi. That was some fucking play."

Rue dropped her hand immediately as the voice rang out in the auditorium. She and Lexi snapped to attention just in time to see Fezco walking down the middle aisle, heading towards the two of them. He was dressed in black slacks with a matching jacket and a crisp white button-down shirt, and Rue immediately knew he had assistance in picking the outfit. He held a large bouquet of flowers.

If the source of his affection wasn't Lexi, Rue probably would've found it all charming.

"Fez," Lexi said in surprise. She sat up straighter, and from the corner of her eye she saw Rue stiffen. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Fez responded. His stare floated over to Rue. "What's up, Rue?"

She didn't trust her voice to not give anything away, so she nodded once to acknowledge Fez's greeting.

"Sorry I didn't talk to you right after the play was done," Lexi told him. "I needed time to…I don't know, process all of it."

"Yeah, no, it's all good, man. That was some seriously entertaining shit."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Even if it went to hell for a little bit," Lexi said with a small smile. "Thanks for coming to see it."

The words weren't reserved for Rue – she knew that. But that didn't stop her from feeling a twinge of, so she thought, unexplained jealousy when Lexi said them to Fez too. She delicately removed her hand from underneath Lexi's so she could twiddle her thumbs in her lap. Lexi gave Rue a sideways look in response.

"Nah, it was nothin'," Fez replied. "Thanks for saving me the best seat in the house."

"Not a problem. I was happy to do so." Lexi paused, then added, "You look very nice, by the way."

"Aw, this old thing?" Fez questioned, a smile playing on his face, "I can clean up good when I want to." He took another step forward and extended the flowers. "These are for you."

Very aware of the tension rolling off of Rue's body and her scrutinizing gaze, Lexi slid off of the stage to take the flowers. "Thank you," she murmured. "That was really thoughtful."

"I could've brought you flowers," Rue muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Lexi asked, glancing over her shoulder at Rue.

"Uh, no, nothing. Sorry. Don't mind me. Carry on."

Fez observed Rue with a slight curiosity, as if attempting to determine what she was doing there. Rue supposed he didn't know she and Lexi were rebuilding their friendship from the ground up and had spent the last weeks talking or hanging out whenever Lexi wasn't at rehearsals.

"Right, well," Fez continued, focusing on Lexi again, "you were, like, fucking awesome up there. Like, there were moments when I was like, is that Lexi? 'Cause I didn't know you could act like that and shit, you know?"

"Yeah," Lexi said through a laugh, "I definitely had to step out of my comfort zone for some things."

"Definitely, definitely," Fez agreed. "I, uh…" His eyes quickly flicked to Rue and then back, "I was, like, wonderin' if you wanted to hang out or somethin'. We could, like, watch Stand by Me again, or if there's another movie you like…"

Lexi shifted from one foot to the other, clutching the bouquet like it was a lifeline. "Oh wow," she answered after a few seconds, "I…that'd be fun. But I think I, like, need to hang out here a little longer and then eventually go home to face the ruins of whatever is left of Cassie."

Rue, who realized she had temporarily forgotten to breathe, let out a gust of air. She desperately hoped Hang out here meant that she didn't need to vacate the premises.

Fez nodded in understanding. "Yeah, for sure, man. I get it. It's cool. Maybe next time."

"Sure. Maybe next time."

"Okay, well," Fez started to walk backwards, "I'll call you later."

He didn't deliver it as a question, which irked something deep inside Rue much more than she would ever admit to anyone.

"I will…talk to you later," Lexi said, though the sentiment seemed rather forced and stunted.

"Cool." Fez turned around and made his way toward the exit. "Later, Rue," he yelled as he left.

"Later," Rue called out in response, but Fez was already gone, and it was probably for the best. She had been right to be distrusting of her voice: the one simple word came out high-pitched and shrill.

Lexi stood rooted to the spot for an entire minute. Then, she pivoted on her heel and jumped back on the stage to resume her spot next to Rue. She laid the flowers delicately to the side.

"Well, that was awkward," Rue said into the silence between them.

The statement elicited a rich laugh from Lexi. "No, it wasn't!"

"Mmm, yeah, it was, Lexi," Rue told her.

After getting her amusement under control, Lexi said, "It would've been significantly less awkward if you hadn't been staring holes into the back of my head."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rue returned. She put her nose up in the air and feigned innocence.

"Oh, please! I couldn't even see you and I knew you were glaring at me."

"Maybe I just like the back of your head. Have you ever thought about that?"

Lexi grinned. "Okay, yeah, we'll go with that one."

Rue smiled too, but expanded upon what was going through her mind. "It's just, you and Fez come from, like, really fucking different worlds. I'm glad you're all friendly and everything. I just…wouldn't expect it, you know?"

"Hmm," Lexi hummed in thought. "We're not that different."

"I think, actually, you are."

"He has hopes and fears and dreams…I have hopes and fears and dreams—"

"If that's your standard for having things in common—"

"I'm just saying," Lexi said, giving Rue's shoulder a gentle shove, "we have found a lot to talk about since New Year's. That's all."

"Fine," Rue yielded. She raised her hands in surrender. "All I'm saying is that I, too, have hopes and fears and dreams and shit."

"I'm glad you do," Lexi responded. "Perhaps one day you can share them with me."

"Actually, I—"

"Lexi, I am going to kill you!"

Annoyed at yet another interruption, both Lexi and Rue whipped around at the sound of Cassie's voice. She charged through the curtains with a frenzied look on her face. Her eyes were wide and bright, and blood trickled down from her nose, indicating she hadn't completely escaped Maddy's wrath.

The girls were on their feet the next second. Cassie wasn't known for an inclination for violence, but she also hadn't been herself recently, so they were worried anything was possible. For that reason, Rue instinctively ensured she was standing in between the Howard sisters, should either of them make a move towards the other. She ignored the fact that, if they did resort to physical aggression, she wouldn't have a clue what to do about it.

"Cass, I think you have something on your face," Rue said, taking a stab at humor and trying to diffuse the situation.

"Rue, get the fuck out of the way," Cassie all but spat. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving.

"You know I can't do that."

"I'm not kidding. Get the fuck—"

"Oh, fucking hell, this is ridiculous!" Lexi interrupted. "I can't believe you're still acting like this. Didn't you put on enough of a spectacle when you stormed onto the stage in the middle of my play?"

"You're lucky I didn't kick your ass on that stage."

"Please!" Lexi said with a scoff. "You talk this big, bad game about doing things, Cassie, but we all know when it comes to keeping your fucking word, you don't do shit."

"You embarrassed me in front of the entire school!" Cassie screamed. The words echoed throughout the empty auditorium.

"I don't think the entire school was here," Rue tried to reason calmly, but she may as well have been invisible.

Lexi took a deep, fortifying breath. She was trying to remain calm, but years of bottling up notions and feelings regarding Cassie were bubbling to the surface. "I know it would be convenient to pin the blame on me, because that would mean you haven't done anything wrong, but you embarrassed yourself the second you made the stupid-ass decision to do whatever the hell it is you're doing with Nate Jacobs."

"You didn't have to broadcast it in your play! Now everyone knows—"

"If they do, it's because of you! I didn't put every last thing in the play. Most people probably didn't have a fucking clue about what you did until you went up and claimed the role of villain."

"I cannot fucking believe you used my life—"

"Jesus Christ, Cassie, the play wasn't just about you!" Lexi cried. "If you sat there and the only thing you took away is in relation to what you've done, maybe there's a reason for that. And maybe you pay even less attention to me than I thought."

Cassie paused for a second, and it looked like she was legitimately considering what Lexi said. But anger clouded her face again, and she went on, "I was right. When I said you're a fucking loser who doesn't have any self-respect, I was right. After I said it I wondered if it was too harsh, but I was right then and I'm right now."

"Okay, Cassie, maybe we should think about—" Rue started to say.

"Shut up, Rue!" Cassie directed her rage at her now. "This is your fault too!"

"I mean, I know I said some shit I shouldn't have said, and I'm sorry about that—"

"No, you're not," Cassie said heatedly. "I bet you'd do it all again in a heartbeat. All you do is care about yourself. Which is exactly why I told Lexi she should drop you."

The idea of Cassie saying that – and the thought of Lexi actually listening and going along with it – sent a surge of fury coursing through Rue. She clenched her hands into fists. "You know fucking what?" A cool hand encircled Rue's wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"Don't," Lexi said quietly. "She's not worth it."

Cassie let out a hysterical laugh. "That's rich coming from you, Lexi. Seeing as I'm the only one who's ever in your corner."

"Bullshit. I don't think you have ever been in my corner a day in our lives." Lexi closed her eyes for a moment to brace herself, then opened them. "I'm sick and tired of having to clean up your messes, Cassie. I'm sick and tired of being the emotional support person who has to take care of every fucking thing and every fucking one."

"That's not even true! I've taken care—"

"Come on, Rue," Lexi cut Cassie off. She tugged on Rue's wrist to direct her to the steps at the side of the stage. She didn't give so much as a glance back at her sister.

Rue let herself be wordlessly led out of the auditorium, down the halls of the school. Eventually, they reached the doors to the back parking lot; Lexi shoved them open and dropped her hold on Rue when she felt the fresh air.

They traipsed to the center of the lot. It was nearly empty with only a few cars left. The chance of encountering another disruption, while still existent, was slim.

Lexi finally stopped walking and ran her hands through her hair, looking like she either needed or wanted to scream.

"So, do you think Cassie liked the play?" Rue needed to get better at serious situations, but that was not going to occur overnight and it wasn't going to happen right there and then, which is why she asked the question.

Lexi, thankfully, found it hilarious. She broke out into loud laughter. "No, interestingly enough, I have a suspicion that she did not like the play," she said after composing herself.

"She's such a fun sucker." Rue waited to see if Lexi would say anything. When she didn't, Rue wondered, "Are you okay? That was kind of, like, intense."

"It was," Lexi acknowledged, "I'm fine. Or, relatively speaking, I'm fine." There was a finality in the statement; she didn't want to examine what had happened yet.

"Damn, what a fucking night," Rue breathed.

"What a fucking night."

They stood in in the quiet, lost in their own headspaces and not realizing the majority of their thoughts were the same as one another's.

"I don't want to go home yet," Lexi announced.

"Thank god," Rue said, relieved. "Neither do I."

"What do you wanna do?"

"Uh," Rue shrugged, "wander around town until we find something that interests us?"

Lexi smiled and tilted her head to the side. "Okay. Let's wander."

Rue was about to lead the way out of the parking lot when she noticed Lexi hesitate. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Um, nothing," Lexi answered, but she was fidgeting. "I just…" She made a spur of the moment decision. She closed the space between her and Rue and leaned up to press her lips against Rue's cheek. Afterwards, Lexi stepped back, seeming taken aback by her own actions.

"What was that for?" Rue asked, too stunned to say much else. It wasn't because she didn't like the turn of events.

"A lot," Lexi responded simply. She had on a small smile. "Mostly for starting the cheer of my name earlier, though."

Rue couldn't help but grin. "Are you sure that was me? I don't recall…"

"Always so modest."

Lexi started walking, and Rue followed suit, feeling slightly giddy and entirely happy. More than anything, she had to fight the urge to drift her fingers across her skin, for she could still feel the ghost of Lexi's lips where they had just been.