Ellie emerged victorious in their Mortal Kombat match, and Enid had no qualms about it. The most important thing for Enid was that they both had a blast playing those games together. With a mischievous smile, Enid inquired, "So, did you enjoy the games? Don't even think about saying you didn't have fun!"
"They were just fine," Ellie admitted modestly. "Oh, come on, Ellie. You were enjoying yourself," Enid chuckled, giving her a playful punch on the shoulder.
The duo fell silent, and Enid noticed the music playing from the neighboring store. "Do you hear that? Let's go see what's going on," Enid suggested, leading the way towards the back door of the arcade to investigate.
Ellie halted Enid's departure to have a conversation with her. "Hold on, Enid. As fun as this was, I need to go back," she expressed. Enid turned towards her upon hearing this. "You still have some time, El," Enid argued, attempting to leave once more.
"Enid, you know as well as I do that I've used up all of my chances in this place. Let's pick up where we left off tomorrow," Ellie proposed, her face beaming with hope. Enid's heart shattered, and her smile vanished. Deep down, she knew it was an impossible request.
Enid's guilt-ridden gaze fell upon the soiled carpet as she absentmindedly rubbed her exposed forearm. Her conscience urged her to be honest with Ellie, saying, 'If you truly love her, you must tell her the truth.' However, Enid shook her head in despair, admitting, "I can't, Ellie."
Ellie remained resolute in convincing Enid to stay, suggesting, "Maybe we can do it another day?" Despite Ellie's hopeful plea, Enid let out a tired sigh and shook her head in refusal.
"So, Firefly-girl, when can we do it?" Ellie eagerly asked, her hands ready for action. But Enid's lack of a smile made her heart race, as she knew she had to break the news to Ellie about leaving Boston.
Enid let out a sigh as she spoke to Ellie, "Hey, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now. It's about time I said it. I'm going away." She held onto her fingers tightly, feeling a lump forming in her throat that made swallowing difficult.
Ellie appeared confused, evident from the expression in her eyes. "Go? Go where?" she inquired, slightly tilting her head.
"Out of Boston. Ellie… I know I should've been honest with you. Marlene said that I would have to go with them. I argued with them to stay here. But you know how Marlene is. Everything's got to be a test with her. I'm leaving tomorrow," Enid explained to her, making Ellie's confident smile drop.
Ellie was in disbelief at the news that Enid was leaving her once more. Could this really be happening again? How many times would Ellie have to go through this?
Ellie had grown accustomed to solitude, so she couldn't bring herself to plead with Enid to stay. Instead, she lowered her head and looked up at her, simply uttering, "Okay," with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.
Enid couldn't believe that Ellie was completely fine with her decision, and she couldn't help but express her frustration. "Is that all you have to say?" she exclaimed, raising her arms in exasperation.
Ellie snapped, her eyebrows knitting together in annoyance, "What the hell do you want me to say, Enid?" Enid retorted sharply, her tone turning icy, "Maybe some helpful advice for once?"
Ellie was taken aback, her confusion evident in her voice as she exclaimed, "Huh? What do you mean?" Enid, with a stern expression, responded firmly, "Ellie, I'm being serious."
Curiosity filled Ellie's gaze as she locked eyes with Enid, questioning, "So, what's the reason behind bringing me here?" Enid nonchalantly shrugged and replied, "I wanted to spend time with you, Ellie."
"N-No, why did you bring me here?" Ellie asked again, expressing her desire for a genuine explanation. Enid, unable to bear the thought of revealing the truth, simply replied with, "I don't know."
The weight of guilt consumed her as she realized that being a Firefly meant she no longer had a say in staying by Ellie's side.
Ellie let out a disbelieving scoff before casting her gaze downward. "I don't know," she murmured quietly.
"You know what? Just fucking go, Enid. You wanted to be a part of the Fireflies and now you've got what you wanted. Let's say our goodbyes," Ellie snapped at her, every word lacing with venom.
"I'm gonna check out the music next door. Feel free to follow me if you want," Enid said, grabbing her backpack and picking it up. She then turned around to leave this conversation hanging.
"Enid! Enid!" Ellie called out, her eyes fixed on Enid entering through the back door. Frustration surged within Ellie, prompting her to forcefully kick a bin filled with trash, causing its contents to scatter across the floor. Despite the mess, Ellie couldn't care less. "Goddamn it!" she shouted in frustration.
With Enid still at the mall, she felt the urge to depart. However, she understood the importance of extracting more information from Enid regarding her departure. Swiftly, she snatched her backpack and made her way towards the arcade's rear exit, forcefully pushing open the metal door.
"Where the hell did she go?" she whispered in frustration, scanning the dim corridor with grass sprouting from the concrete and water pooling on the floor. "Enid? Enid!" Ellie's voice reverberated through the empty space.
Running through the waterlogged hallway, she took a right turn and pushed open the double doors into the storage area of the next store. Inside, she saw discarded mannequins scattered on the floor, dressed in the same clothes they were showcasing.
Ellie encountered a mannequin under a bright light, seemingly taunting her. Frustrated, she forcefully knocked it to the ground, yelling, "What the fuck are you staring at!?"
After she did that, she found the door that Enid went through so she entered it, closing it behind her. She saw Enid staring at a display that was playing music, her back facing her.
Enid knew Ellie had followed her so she didn't need to turn around. "You ever seen anything like this?" she asked, wanting to avoid the subject.
"Are we just done talking?" Ellie asked, not wanting to let this go. Enid crossed her arms and sighed. "I think we are," she spat back at her, slightly looking back at Ellie.
Ellie glared at Enid, shooting daggers at her through her eyes. "You don't get to be pissed off at me. I'm pissed off at you," she shouted, pointing at herself.
Enid turned around, grasping one of her backpack straps. "Tell me why then. Is it because of me asking you what you think? Or is it because of me leaving again?"
Ellie was taken by surprise, mouth hanging open in disbelief. "It didn't stop you the first time, now did it?" Ellie accused her. "Okay, that time it wasn't my fault and you know that!" Enid yelled at her, storming over to her.
"Well, then when have you cared about what I think? Things were good, Enid! We were better than good! Then you told me to get the fuck out of your life then you vanish!" Ellie shouted at her. Enid remained silent and glared at Ellie - She knew that Ellie was right on that one.
"This whole day… You feel guilty? If you want an out, I'm giving it to you," Ellie said, raising and dropping her arms. She stared at Enid with anger in her eyes.
"Ellie, I shouldn't be here. I'm supposed to be on the other side of town. If those soldiers catch me, you know they'll shoot me without saying hello. It wasn't guilt that didn't bring me to this city. Is it wrong to see the only person who actually gives a shit about me before I leave? I know I said some shit before I left, but… I'm trying," Enid said, walking closer to Ellie, who listened to what she said.
She looked as if she had tears in her eyes. Enid always had been a bit foolhardy but she could be serious when she needed to be. "Oh, I almost forgot…" Enid said, taking off her backpack, unzipping it and dropping it on the floor.
When she did that, two water guns fell out of it and onto the floor. Ellie glanced down as she backed up a bit. Even if the Fireflies disagreed, Enid was going to make this up to her best friend.
"Here are the water guns you kept bugging me about. I nearly got shot for these. You're welcome," Enid said softly. Ellie didn't say anything but she did look down at the water guns and she picked them up off the ground.
"Okay first… I'm gonna destroy you," Ellie said as she handed Enid a water gun, "Then we'll talk," Enid took the water gun and smiled cunningly at her best friend. "I'm gonna drench you so good, El," she said while laughing.
Ellie smiled audaciously at Enid and said, "Well, let's see what you got, Firefly Girl,"