A/N: Let's take a short break from the action and touch base with a couple of faces we haven't seen in a while.
Kind of a fluffy chapter (aren't they all lately?) but we are sort of skipping through the daisies to the finish line.
I wanted this story to end on a satisfactory note, and not give it an MCU-style non-ending because we know the next one is coming up.
I'd like for this to stand on its own and while the sequel will build on what we have established here, I didn't want to be all sequel-baity here. Does that make sense?
;-)
Becky rounded the corner and saw Alice leaning her head against her locker, groaning.
"Forgot your combination?" the blonde girl asked.
"I wish," Alice sighed. "School's over in two months and I have NOTHING on how to do my door!"
"Oh."
Alice grumbled as she sank to the floor. Becky knelt down to her level.
"Don't be so upset," she said sympathetically. "I know something that might help!"
The brunette lifted her head.
"What?"
"Have you been to the Museum of Contemporary Art?" Becky asked.
Alice shook her head.
"Oh, it's amazing! You must check it out. How about today after school? It's actually a short bus ride from here."
"I guess I'm free and I do like museums."
Could there be a nerdier statement?
But she thought back to her talks with Jenna, Mia and everyone else. They all seem to agree a little shaking up of the routine could spur the old creativity. Maybe the art museum can give Alice some fresh ideas.
"OK," Alice agreed.
Becky lit up.
"Great! Um, guess I'll meet you here."
Alice nodded and took out her phone and began typing.
"I'll text my mom so she knows where I'm at."
The blonde slunk her posture.
"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble or..."
Alice waved her hand.
"No, it's fine. Just giving her a heads up so if I'm running late, she won't worry."
"Your mom must really care," Becky said.
They both noticed the clock and began going their separate ways.
"I'll meet you here, okay?"
"Okay, later!" said Alice.
"Hey," Mia waved in the doorway.
Dr. Ivy looked up and smiled.
"There she is! Sorry I had to cancel our first meeting on Monday but Cody wasn't feeling good."
"Oh, is Cody your son?"
Ivy smiled and showed Mia their phone. The wallpaper showed the German Shepherd on his back, little paws facing the sky. He looked like a happy boy.
"He's my angel."
"How old?" Mia asked.
"Two. He's gonna get a lot bigger."
Mia made her way to the couch and carefully sat down. The pain was diminished a bit but still there.
"You said he was sick?" she asked.
They chuckled and rubbed their forehead.
"Don't worry, he's fine. Now. Apparently he got into a bag of Easter stuff and ate some of that colored grass."
Mia made a face, thinking how much of a number that must've done on his system.
"But it eventually passed through his system," Ivy sighed. "Thank goddess for that. I can't imagine canine surgery!"
The teen nodded and looked around the office, looking as she remembered.
"How are you?" Ivy asked. "The past month has been quite a lot."
Mia nodded.
"But I'm feeling better."
"How's the sleep been?"
"Alright," Mia replied. "Been taking some melatonin to help me fall asleep better. Apparently I have an active brain and need to shut it up so I can sleep."
Ivy grinned and took a sip of coffee.
"I can relate. Listen, Mia, I think there is something we need to discuss."
She adjusted herself on the couch.
"Okay..."
"While you have showed remorse for what happened a few weeks ago, in the library, I want you to know that your feelings were not wrong. Feeling angry and sad were totally valid in that situation. We can't help what triggers us, just try our best to control ourselves so it doesn't rule our lives."
Mia looked at the floor.
"I didn't realize I had all of this fury built up inside of me. My friends and my mom, they kept it at bay I guess, but...I..."
"...eventually it does manifest itself?" Ivy offered.
"Yeah," Mia nodded.
"While you have shown restraint from your average bully, a more serious attack, a trigger, could happen again. I don't mean to frighten you but unfortunately, you will find out as you go out there, some aren't going to care about your feelings. But they're wrong when they say your feelings don't matter. We can all run the risk of getting swept up in our own little worlds that we fail to recognize another person's pain. That...loss of compassion is what hurts our society the most!"
The girl sat still, listening intently.
"How about today, we begin working on affirmations and other methods to calm our nerves when a triggering moment occurs, shall we?"
"Let's do it, doc."
Ivy leaned forward and put their hand on Mia's knee.
"You're strong, Mia. Make no mistake. We're here to make you even stronger."
Alice and Becky left Hollywood Arts after the final bell and walked down the street a couple of blocks before reaching a bus stop.
"This should be it," Becky said. "According to the schedule, the bus should be here in six minutes and the museum will be...the fourth stop I think."
"You know your way around the buses in this town," Alice remarked. "I only know how to get from my house to school."
Becky grinned.
"I do okay. Can't wait to drive one day."
"Still another year and a half for me," Alice sighed. "Not like I have a car anyway."
The bus soon arrived, and the girls boarded and found two empty seats on the right side and carried on for a bit until they reached the museum.
"Come on!" said an excited Becky pulling Alice by the hand.
"I'm going, I'm going!" the brunette said.
The first exhibit that was being shown this season was titled, "A SYMPHONY OF SIMPLICITY" which spotlighted the work of Piet Mondrian. The Dutch painter's most famous works were deceptively minimalist works that on the surface looked like a bunch of lines and colors, which formed squares here and there.
Alice stopped in front of arguably his most "busy" work in that style, "Broadway Boogie-Woogie," whose jarring bright yellow lines sprinkled with additional color throughout. How could it not captivate the girl's eyeballs?
"I think this is my favorite," Becky said, coming up behind her. "What do you think?"
"Yes, but is it art?"
The girls turned to an older gentleman regarding another Mondrian piece, "Composition II in Red, Blue and Yellow" one of his more recognizable rambles of rectangles.
Becky shook her head and turned back to Alice.
"The thing about art is you don't have to get it!"
"Mom has a few things hanging in her office," Alice told her. "Like Elmore Leonard's 10 rules of writing, or a quote from Clive Barker. But there was this one poster, I can't remember who said it; but the quote said: Art is working on something until you like it and then leaving it that way."
Alice sat on a wooden bench across from the large painting. Becky said beside her.
"That's pretty wise. That's what this place is filled with," Becky indicated with her outstretched arm. "It's filled with people expressing something about themselves."
The dark-haired one scratched her chin.
"Think of the halls of Hollywood Arts..."
"...like the halls of a museum," Alice finished.
"YES! You're creative, Alice! You were there for me when I wanted to quit acting in that play. And I'm better because of you. Now it's your turn to dig deep and show everyone who you are!"
Alice looked down to the floor.
"What if nobody likes it?" she asked.
"Don't worry," Becky smiled. "Everyone likes you."
The freshman chuckled.
"Yeah, okay."
"I mean, who wouldn't?"
Becky cleared her throat and stood up.
"Okay! Let's check out some work that's less than a hundred years old."
"Let's try it again," Ivy offered. "When you're ready."
Mia kept her lids closed and breathed with purpose.
She recited the credo:
"I am loved.
I am worthy.
I am not my trauma.
I am not what has happened to me.
I am in control of my life.
I am allowed to heal at my own pace.
I am allowed to feel all of my emotions."
Mia then opened her eyes.
"My eyes are open, and I see the truth of my past and life."
Ivy looked like they were getting a little choked up when they started clapping for her.
"Well done, Mia."
The girl cricked her neck.
"How do you feel now?"
"Kind of...good," Mia replied.
Ivy handed Mia a piece of paper.
"Here it is written down. This can be something you do in the morning, or in the middle of the day, or before you go to sleep. Or, just when it feels too much. Repeat these words to yourself and breathe slowly."
"Getting a little thirsty," she admitted.
"Luckily, time's about up so you can get yourself a much-needed drink. And I want you to continue to do just that!" Ivy pointed. "Listen to your body, that includes your mind."
"What?"
"If you get that pain in your side from running, stop and rest. When you're completely tired, take a nap. If your stomach is doing somersaults, get some food! And when it feels like the world is right on your heels or like you're in a box, take the timeout you need to collect yourself."
Ivy got up and sat next to Mia.
"It's all maintenance," they added. "Life will never stop being difficult; we just learn that facing problems starts with taking care of ourselves."
"Thanks, Dr. Ivy. I'm...glad I started doing this."
They nodded.
"Hey, it's been a pleasure meeting you, too. Looking forward to our next session."
Mia smirked.
"Me, too."
"This looks...familiar."
"Huh?" asked Becky.
Alice shook her head in front of a painting by Keith Haring.
"Oh!"
"What?"
"My mom showed me old re-runs of Sesame Street and I've seen this art style there."
The painting in question showed Haring's signature style of very simple people drawn as outlines in one bold color, no further details. It was refreshing for the time and still is appreciated today, how these figures cannot be tied down to race, gender or anything. He found a method of drawing figures that was inclusive. So, he was a natural fit for a show like Sesame Street.
Alice was allured by the painting that seemed to say so much with so little.
"I like this," she grinned.
Becky folded her arms and smiled for Alice.
"Feeling inspired yet?" she asked.
"Let's walk a little more."
The girls began heading over to another wing of the museum.
"I'll let my mom know we'll be done soon. Will you need a ride?"
Becky shook her head no.
"I'll be fine. Did you...have...fun?" she asked.
Alice smiled.
"I did. Thanks for dragging me."
That night, shortly after eleven, Alice rolled over and fell out of her bed.
"Ouch!"
She propped herself up and sulked.
"That hurt," she muttered to herself, getting back into her bed.
Alice laid down and stared at the ceiling, biting her lip.
Her eyes then grew huge, and she scrambled for the pad of paper she always had at her bedside.
The pen clicked but no ink came out upon trying to write.
"Shit!" she whispered.
Alice dug into the drawer of her nightstand for another ballpoint and happily found one.
She then sat up, turning on her lamp and started sketching before finally succumbing to slumber.
A/N: This was a fun one to write for me, having our spiritual sisters go off on their own side quests.
I hope you guys like Becky from the play (which feels forever ago) because I have more of a role for her in the next story.
Sorry, it's a bit short but this weekend was brutal, and this morning was a lot. So, at least I was able to tie this chapter off and go get some lunch! You all take care and I love ya!