Tell It Like It Is
Chapter 25
Lizzy walked into the kitchen area on her last day in her apartment and dropped her giant duffle bag to the floor with a heavy smile at her best friend who continued to crunch away on her bowl of Capt'n Crunch. She walked over without a word and grabbed the box, peering inside only to find it empty.
Wordlessly, Corey pulled another bowl from her hiding spot under the table and shoved it at Lizzy. "I couldn't let you leave without one last bowl of the Capt'n, since you'll never actually buy it for yourself."
Lizzy smiled gratefully and filled her bowl with milk. "You know in the eight years we've been roomies, I don't think you ever willingly gave me a bowl of the Capt'n."
"And yet you never had a day without it. Suspicious?"
Lizzy smiled the sad type of smile you wear when you're facing the end of an era. The room was filled with a grinding crunch as both girls wordlessly chewed their cereal in a sad looming silence.
"We should probably go soon," Lizzy forced herself to say as she gulped the dregs of milk from her cereal bowl down and put her dirty bowl in the dishwasher.
Corey snorted. "Seven years and you just figured out how to use a dishwasher?"
Lizzy scowled and picked back up her giant duffle bag. "Very funny. Now let's go before I miss my flight."
"That wouldn't be such a bad thing," Corey mumbled as if trying to keep herself from crying.
"As my agent, you should be more than happy to see me move on to bigger and better things. You should support me on my quest to achieve my dreams and you should also come with me," Lizzy stated matter-of-factly as she tiptoed past the sofa.
Corey shot her a disappointed look. "You're not even going to tell him goodbye?" she whispered, trying not to wake the man sleeping on their couch.
Lizzy's eyes popped. "Of course I'm not," she hissed. "I'm still surprised he's here. It's been a whole week. You haven't been feeding him have you?" Her voice returned to its normal volume as she passed into the hall of their building and closed the door behind Corey.
"Of course I've been feeding him," she replied normally as Lizzy pressed the elevator button and jumped with the shivers of leaving her building for the last time. "Do you want him to die from starvation?"
"No, I just thought we could starve him out."
"You can't starve out a labor of love," Corey replied smiling as both girls stepped into the elevator.
"Labor of love? All he does is sleep on our couch all day! I could get any old man to do that."
"He's showing you his determination," Corey responded. When had she become such a romantic?
"Well maybe he'll leave when he knows I'm gone," Lizzy said shrugging and adjusting her bag on her shoulder, trying to hide her discomfort.
"Or maybe I could get him to start paying rent," Corey replied hopefully. "Since all my roomies seem to find this to be the optimum time to move out."
The door to the elevator swung open again and the girls quickly set off for the street. Corey had spent weeks scoping out the perfect parking spot for her car when they were younger and now she was finally surrendering it to take Lizzy to LAX.
"So the Stockbroker finally proposed?" Lizzy asked.
Corey nodded and unlocked her SUV. "Who thought that out of the three of us Anya would be the first to get married?"
Lizzy shrugged and tossed her bag in the back seat. "I don't know. Everyone knows that the both of us are too emotionally fucked up for a real relationship."
"Define real? Because I had a torrid affair with a cabbie once."
Lizzy laughed as Corey pulled out of her parking spot. "Oh really? And why did I never hear about this?"
Corey shrugged and kept her attention focused on the road. "It only lasted about three blocks and I had to pay for the ride."
Lizzy laughed and pressed her forehead to the car window. "You're dirty, you know that?"
Corey shrugged again. "I'll learn to live with it."
The car was silent. It was weird that this could be one of their last heavy silences with each other. Lizzy tried not to think about it. "You know I'll come back all the time, right?"
"You better," Corey replied, flicking her eyes off the road for an instant. "With all that money you'll be making out there, god knows you'll be able to afford it."
"True."
In only a couple of extra minutes they were pulling into the airport. "You'll Fed-ex my stuff right?" Lizzy asked, her eyes suddenly beginning to water.
"I don't know. I bet if Will ever gets off the couch he'll rush off the New York to find you and I can send it with him, that or he'll go home and leave me all alone," she finished her voice starting to wallow in self-pity.
Lizzy smacked her arm playfully. "Just hug me and tell me you'll miss me."
"That's a given," Corey said, finally smiling. She leaned across the car and hugged her best friend. She hoped it wouldn't be the last time she'd see her, but Lizzy had been possessed lately. She'd been searching for a clean slate and Corey just hoped that when she reinvented herself that there'd still be room in her life for the old college friend that never grew up. "What should I tell Will about you leaving?"
Lizzy pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Tell him whatever you want. I don't care and I don't want my last words with my best friend to be about stupid Will Darcy."
"Well then you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you."
"Then don't tell me," Lizzy interjected. "I'm ready to move on now. You should support that more than anyone."
"You should know this though. I promised I wouldn't tell, but I can't let you walk out without knowing," Corey replied almost pleading with Lizzy who was quickly opening her car door and gathering her bag from the back.
"You act as though you're confessing your secret love for me," Lizzy replied sticking her head through the open car window for a couple of last words.
"Lizzy! This is serious. You'll want to hear it."
Lizzy shook her head. "No. I just want to hear you tell me goodbye." She smiled sadly one last time then pulled her head out of the window and threw her bag over her shoulder. As soon as she heard Corey say the final word, she set off to baggage check. She checked her bag. She found her terminal. Made it through security and took a seat in line for boarding.
It wasn't until she was waiting there in line, amongst traveling families and escaping couples, that she really began to itch with questions. She held out as long as she could, but as soon as they began boarding her plane, she finally gave into her urge.
She quickly dialed Corey's number and before Corey could even say hello, Lizzy was speaking. "Okay. You can tell me now."
Gotta love the Cliffie! So whatcha think Corey's going to tell her? Maybe that Fitz called... (No. Not really)
I love the idea of Will refusing to leave. He just lives on her sofa. I thought it was cute. And Corey suddenly becoming a romantic. Is it possible that she knows something Lizzy doesn't know of that makes her so optimistic. She'd never liked Will at the beginning. What could possibly have happened to change her mind about him?
I know! Too bad you don't. Although you'll find out soon enough... (You can wait like one more day...)
Anyway, we're sooooo close. Last one baby! (Then an epi...) Anyone think we can break 300? If I don't... I'll be sad. Yeah, that's all I got.