Chapter 18: One Last Day

Ace watched in horror as Lexi ran away. From me, he thought miserably. What had caused him to say such hateful things? He dragged his feet back to his chair and sank into it. Maybe meditating will help, he decided, and went to his room. It took all he had not to go to the door across the hall and beg the distraught female to take him back, although he was sure she knew he was standing outside her door.

And right he was. Lexi knew her leader and - ex? - boyfriend was located right outside her room. She did her best to hold in her emotions until she heard him enter his own room, then let the pent-up tears flow and the sobs shake her shoulders. How had any of this happened? Why was he jealous of Tech, of all anthros? It just didn't add up, and it was breaking her heart.

Correction: Heart already broken.

She had one more day before the rest of the team wanted to leave. They were all anxious to get the job done as quickly as possible and come back home. She herself had wanted to stall, to have some time away from Ace, but she wasn't going to disappoint the team. She wiped her tears away and took a short nap to cure a case of bloodshot eyes and an aching heart.

She woke up quite a few hours later to the sound of soft knocking on her door. "Hey, Lex?" Tech called, "It's suppertime; are you going to come join us?"

"No, thank you," she answered, still laying on her bed.

"Are you sure? I could bring it to you if you'd like."

"While tempting, I'm really not all that hungry, Tech. But thanks anyway."

She didn't hear him leave for a moment. Then as his footsteps echoed down the empty hall, she decided that she could sleep a little more.

She also decided the next morning that she was going to spend her last day on herself. A few days earlier she had received an email invite to a party by a friend she had made while in the newspaper business, and she had RSVP'd that she'd be in attendance. She gave herself a French manicure, pedicure, and bought a cute strapless fuchsia cocktail dress with matching five-inch heels for the occasion. She applied her makeup with the utmost of care, clipped in hair extensions, curled her hair and added a ribbon around her ears that matched her dress.

When she examined herself in the mirror, she felt very pleased with her appearance, but something didn't seem right. She was still missing that certain something that completed the outfit. She puzzled over it, then a gleam of silver caught her attention. The locket that Ace had given her.

She didn't want to wear it. But the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that it was the small piece of jewelry that would make everything complete. She opened the locket to see the smiling faces of her teammates and, most importantly, her dad. She closed it and fastened the silver chain it was attached to around her neck. She gazed once more at her reflection, and couldn't help but squeal in excitement. Now she was ready.

She left her room and headed for Tech's lab. Yes, she knew that if anyone saw her going there it was going to complicate things immensely, but she didn't want to leave without a way of protecting herself in case her super powers weren't enough. She strolled through the double doors and immediately found the coyote genius working on another project.

"Hey Tech, could I ask you a favor?" she inquired, trying to figure out what that thing was in front of her friend. He looked up and his jaw dropped.

"Are you and Ace going out tonight?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Ace and I are over, I think," she admitted sadly. "But anyway, do you have any weapons that could be concealed under this?" She indicated her form-fitting dress. He cocked his head to the side, thinking hard, then brightened.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, jumping up and running to retrieve a miniature gun. "This little baby fires electric shocks like none other. It's kinda like a Tech-ed out taser gun," he said proudly, handing it to her along with a strap to put around her leg. She put the strap on, then tucked the gun in.

"Cool," she said. "Thanks a lot!"

"Nah, don't mention it," he smiled, but it faded. "So if you aren't going out with Ace, where are you going that you need a weapon for?"

She laughed and said, "Well, I probably won't need it; it's more of a just in case kinda thing. But anyways, one of my friends invited me to a dance party, and you know how much I love dancing!" She grinned.

"Okay…? Well have fun," he chuckled, "Don't stay out too late." She guffawed and left the lab, the excitement of going to a party finally hitting her full force. She barely contained a squeal as she passed the main room. She glanced in and waved to Rev, who had looked out the doorway just at that moment. He smiled and waved back, then got up and ran over to her.

"Lexi!-oh-my-goodness-you-look-absolutely-gorgeous!-would-you-mind-if-I-grabbed-a-camera-and-took-a-picture-with-you?-hold-on-I'll-be-right-back!" He took off and returned with his Pixelens 3000 before most of what he had said sank in. He put an arm around her shoulders and made such a funny face that she just had to laugh. He clicked the picture, then one-arm hugged her. "Have-a-great-time-Lex!-we-all-know-that-you-deserve-it-and-I-know-that-Ace-has-had-a-bit-of-a-temper-lately-but-I'm-sure-he'll-get-over-it-just-have-a-good-last-day-in-the-'Tropolis!"

She smiled brightly, touched by her friend's words, and responded, "Thanks, Rev. I plan on it." With that, she spun and strutted away.

What she didn't know was that Ace had come out from his room and saw the scene with Rev. She's so beautiful!, he thought, awestruck. Where was she going? Why hadn't she told him?

Then he remembered, because we're over.