"Eight months since I first joined Volcano High and it felt like just yesterday."
play ambient 'audio/effects/outdoorLoop.ogg' fadein 1.0
play music 'audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg' fadein 2.0
scene park
show fang neutral at sleft:
xalign 0.25
show anon concerned behind fang at acenter:
xalign 0.65
show naser happy flip at nright
with fade
"The sun bears down on us in an atmosphere that’s more water than air."
"Somehow, I feel like I’m the only one feeling the heat right now."
"But the jacket stays on."
"Naser finally took a day off from his part-time job working for GrubKlub, so the three of us went to the park for something of a picnic."
show naser angry flip with dissolve
Nas "I WILL NOT MAKE THE DELIVERY DANCE, ANON STOP ASKING ME TO DO IT!"
show anon grin with dissolve
A "At least tell me how often customers ransom your tips for it."
show naser annoyed flip with dissolve
Nas "Too often…"
show naser unimpressed flip with dissolve
Nas "Now stop asking!"
show fang happy with dissolve
#fries fly
show chillicheesefries at sleft with dissolve:
xalign 0.5 yalign 0.4
ease_cubic 0.3 rotate 90 xpos 0.86 ypos 0.45
ease_cubic 0.5 rotate 110 ypos 0.62
ease_cubic 0.4 ypos 1.3
hide chillicheesefries with dissolve
"Lucy tosses a forkful of the chili cheese fries onto Nasers’ shirt."
#TODO: Add stains to Naser's clothing
show naser shocked flip with Dissolve(.22)
"He jumps immediately to his napkin to wipe it off."
Nas "Fr-{w=0.3} gah-{w=0.3} sh-{w=0.3} no!"
F "Relax, you’re wearing another anyway. How and why I still don’t know."
Nas "It’s for conditioning! Can’t stop my training routine even in the off-season."
F "Naomi isn’t even here leering over you like always."
show naser neutral flip with dissolve
A "I’m dying here in just one jacket, how are you even alive?"
show naser explanatory flip with dissolve
Nas "Well, my skin is plate-"
show chillicheesefries at acenter with dissolve:
xalign 0.75 yalign 0.5
ease_cubic 0.3 rotate 90 xpos 0.78 ypos 0.45
ease_cubic 0.5 rotate 110 ypos 0.6
ease_cubic 0.4 ypos 1.3
hide chillicheesefries with dissolve
show naser shocked flip with Dissolve(.22)
"I toss over a fork of fries on the other half of his shirt."
#move closer and back for fistbump
show fang:
ease_cubic 0.5 xalign 0.35
pause 0.1
ease_cubic 0.5 xalign 0.25
show anon:
ease_cubic 0.5 xalign 0.55
pause 0.1
ease_cubic 0.5 xalign 0.65
"Lucy offers a fist for me to bump while he recoils with half-finished expletives."
"I down the rest of my soda to keep alive and look down at my plate."
show anon neutral
show fang neutral
with dissolve
"Not really that hungry anymore. Should just toss-"
show naser explanatory flip with dissolve
Nas "Hey whoa, don’t finish that thought. Gimme."
"I shuffle my plate to him and rest my elbows on the picnic table."
show naser happy flip with dissolve
show tracy neutral flip at sleft with easeinleft
"A familiar voice, chock-full of cheeky energy, alerts me to her and her food cart’s arrival."
show anon neutral flip
show fang neutral flip behind anon
with dissolve
SV "Well, if it isn’t my favorite high school sweethearts! {w=0.5}Haven’t seen the two of you in quite a spell now!"
SV "How are you two doing? What’cha been up to since graduation!?"
show fang considering flip with dissolve
F "Oh you know, the usual. Dreading the future as an adult, trying to figure out what to do for a living. Stuff like that."
SV "The more you think about it, the more daunting it becomes."
SV "You just gotta let go of your expectations and see where life takes you!"
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
A "Lucy makes it sound worse than it is. We’ve only been out of school for like three months."
SV "Only three months? Gosh, I could've sworn a lot more time had passed since then!"
"Now that’s something I can wholly agree with. These last few months have felt like years to me, both in good and bad ways…"
SV "So…{w=0.5} you two have any plans now that you’re both adults?"
stop music fadeout 3.0
show fang sad flip with dissolve
"The vendor’s words, without realizing it, strike a very specific and very sore chord with Lucy."
show fang very sad flip with dissolve
"She suddenly wraps her arms around herself and shuts her eyes."
"Before I can move to reassure Lucy, the street vendor notices the error of her words."
SV "What’s wrong, sug? Was it something I said?"
F "N-no. I-{w=0.5}It’s nothing…"
show tracy unimpressed with dissolve
"The street vendor gives Lucy a raised eyed look."
show tracy neutral flip with dissolve
SV "Now sug, I can tell when someone’s upset,{w=0.3} and you,{w=0.3} right now,{w=0.3} are upset."
SV "So what’s got you down all of a sudden?"
"Lucy hesitates on hearing the words."
"She takes a second to seemingly think about what she’ll say next before letting out a sigh."
F "It’s just…{w=0.5} things are changing so quickly. A-and… {w=0.5}and it feels like I’m losing everything that I’ve come to love recently…"
"Lucy shoots me a loving gaze before returning her attention to the street vendor."
F "Th-there’s also… {w=1.0}the fact that I…{w=1.0} I’ll be so alone…"
show tracy tease flip with dissolve
SV "You, alone? What about that hunk of a boyfriend standing next to you right now?"
"I do my best to try and hide the blush that’s no doubt forming on my cheeks."
F "H-he’s…. {w=1.0}I-I mean…"
show fang sad with dissolve
"Lucy lets out another sigh, this one more on the frustrated side."
A "I’m... {w=0.5}actually leaving tomorrow..."
show tracy neutral flip with dissolve
SV "Oh!{w=0.3} Oh, my bad, I didn’t mean to uh…"
A "Joined the military."
"I hadn’t wanted to bring this up here, on the last date Lucy and I could have."
F "Yeah, he’ll be gone… {w=1.0}And…"
F "I… {w=1.0}I cut off contact with some…{w=0.5} people…"
SV "Ah.{w=0.5} You fell out with your old friends."
"Lucy gives the street vendor a sad nod."
F "I don’t really have any plans for the future."
F "I…{w=0.5} they always seemed to change and I could never decide... "
"The street vendor gives my girlfriend a soft, understanding look as she places down her tongs and walks around her food cart so that she’s standing side by side with Lucy."
show tracy:
ease_cubic 0.4 xalign 0.1
SV "I lost contact with my old highschool friends as well, so don’t go thinking anything’s your fault."
SV "From what I see here, you still have what’s most important."
"She gestures to me and then to Naser, who looks up from the remains of my leftovers like a deer being caught in headlights."
show naser surprised flip
show fang neutral
with dissolve
SV "Uh…{w=0.5} You got those from Berta, right? You know she puts sawdust in the fryer to save money?"
show naser shocked flip with dissolve
SV "Anyway, don’t fret about friends or people you’ve lost along the way."
show naser unimpressed flip with dissolve
SV "I know it can be hard, but that’s not the end of the world. You still have your health. You still have your youth. You still have your family!"
"The street vendor turns her gaze back to me and gives me a smile."
show naser happy flip with dissolve
Nas "You haven’t managed to scare me off all these years, why’d I stop now?"
SV "Oh, look at me getting sentimental like I’m my grandma!"
SV "I shouldn’t be gushing like this, your situation is probably much more complex than I think."
show fang neutral flip with dissolve
F "No, no, that helps…"
F "You’re right."
show fang happy with dissolve
F "I still have lots of people here for me."
"The street vendor seems satisfied with the answer."
show fang happy flip with dissolve
SV "Don’t get distracted by the what if’s, the should-have’s, and the if-only’s. Only the things that you choose for yourself are the truth of your world."
show naser considering flip with dissolve
pause 0.1
show naser considering with dissolve
pause 0.1
hide naser with easeoutright
show tracy behind fang:
ease_cubic 0.5 xalign 0.1
pause 0.1
ease_cubic 0.5 xalign 0.0
"The street vendor gives Lucy a pat on the shoulder before returning to the helm of her food cart, which she wheels around with surprising dexterity."
SV "Hey. If you ever feel alone and need to chew someone’s ear off with your woes, me and my delicious hotdogs are always available!"
show tracy neutral with dissolve
pause 0.1
hide tracy with easeoutleft
"Without another word, the street vendor walks away in search of other customers to cater to, leaving me and Lucy to absorb her sagely advice."
show naser handout flip at nright with easeinright
"Before either of us can truly process what had just happened, Naser walks up to us, all the while wiping his hands and mouth with a napkin."
show naser explanatory with dissolve
N "So… you guys ready to go?"
show fang happy with dissolve
"I give Lucy a glance. She returns it somewhat somberly."
"We both turn to look at Naser."
F "Yes…"
stop ambient fadeout 2.0
scene black with fade
scene nascar day
"Naser drives us back to my place in relative silence."
"He stops in front of my block and unlocks the doors."
Nas "See you tomorrow, man."
A "Yeah."
Nas "Well…{w=0.5} Enjoy your last night together..."
"Lucy and I step out of the car, and he speeds away like normal."
scene emptyroomnight
show fang neutral at sleft
show anon neutral at acenter
with fade
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg" fadein 1.0
F "..."
"I’ve already shipped everything important back home and donated the books."
"Even the T.V.’s gone."
"All that remains is the basic commodities the place came with."
"...But with Lucy here, it doesn't feel nearly as depressing as I thought it’d be."
"She must have heard this as she pressed closer to me, her head resting on my shoulder."
A "I can rent a movie on my phone for tonight. That sound like a plan?"
F "...Actually, I wanted to look back through the pictures we took together."
"I nod in response."
"We curl together on my bed, staring at Lucy’s phone app boot up."
"The summer was well spent, Lucy and I got to go all over town."
"A well documented series of escapades, from local Farmers’ Markets to a guided tour through a docked warship."
"Lucy and I share frequent quips and anecdotes about our experiences."
"Eventually, the timeline goes back far enough for some familiar faces to start showing up."
"Unwelcome familiar faces that quickly get swiped past."
"As we keep swiping past older photos I can see something in Lucy’s eyes."
"I find it hard to describe, a mix of sorrow and longing and something I can’t put my finger on."
A "Lucy?"
"My interjection snaps her out of her mood, and she sets her phone down gently on the empty computer desk."
F "Sorry, I…"
"Her eyes linger on the cellular device."
F "I have at least two other phones with pictures in them…"
F "I don’t think I’ll ever look through those now."
F "Or maybe I'll do it when I really feel like letting go was the best decision."
"Lucy casts her gaze around the barren room."
F "It's not really fair to delete them though."
F "I could just forget about them."
F "I'm good at forgetting things on demand."
"I take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze."
"Lucy sighs, and her exhaled breath seems to expel her mood."
"I look at the clock and nearly jump."
"We had been looking at all the pictures for a long time."
"Long enough that hunger once again finds us."
"I move to the kitchen, and look through my minifridge."
"There isn’t much left, just some green onions, a few pieces of beef, and five eggs."
"Meanwhile, Lucy looks through my pantry and cupboards for anything else to cook."
"After a minute of searching, she comes across two cups of PachyMan Ramen just a week shy of their expiration dates."
F "I’ve discovered a new recipe!"
"The meal prep doesn’t take too long for two adults."
"It isn’t the most filling of dinners, but it would hold us over quite nicely until morning."
"With our feast finished, and with nothing else to do now that all my stuff is packed and shipped off to Rock Bottom, Lucy and I just return to my bed."
"I close my eyes for a bit, trying to get lost in my girlfriend’s warm embrace."
"Suddenly, I feel a jab on my ribs."
"I look down at Lucy, who’s poking at my chest."
A "Uh, Lucy… what are you doing?"
F "Oh, just… making sure..."
A "Making sure of what?"
F "You know… that you’re all healed up."
A "Lucy… it’s been five and a half months since the accident. I think I’m pretty healed by this point."
"Lucy doesn’t stop poking me."
"If anything, she increases the ferocity of her pokes, going not just for my chest, but also for my stomach and my armpits."
A "Lu-Lucy! Cut it out!"
"I try to be stoic, but I can’t help but giggle as Lucy turns into a literal tickle monster."
"I decide to return the favor by also poking at her, starting with her stomach, and gradually moving up to her chest and armpits."
"Finally, I hover a finger over her snoot, a mischievous grin spreading over my lips."
"Lucy’s eyes widen."
F "Anon… Don’t you dare…"
"I let out a giggle as I poke her snoot."
A "Boop!"
"That seems to do it, and Lucy pulls me closer to her, wrapping me in a tight and warm hug."
"I return the embrace, tempted to resume my tickling assault, but far too comfortable in my ptero gf’s embrace to care about anything else in the world."
"As our laughter dies down, it comes to my mind that this might be the last time I get to hold her like this."
"I’m going into the Army tomorrow."
"I’m going to get shipped off to Raptor Jesus knows where… And there’s a good chance I might not be coming back…"
"It brings my situation into a somber light..."
"I double my embrace on Lucy, the more primal part of my mind unwilling to let go of her."
"I raise her up and press my head against her chest."
"Her heartbeat greets me."
"It is soft yet hastened, like it’s trying so desperately to come off as calm and relaxed when it knows what terrible future awaits."
"A heartbeat I may never again hear…"
"It almost breaks my own heart."
"I can feel Lucy’s hands trace along my shoulders and across my neck to cup my face."
"Her angelic hands ever so gently guide me to look into her eyes."
"She has a smile with a hint of mischief."
"Before I realise where this is going, her finger lands on my nose."
F "Boop!"
"Her smile widens to a playful grin and I can’t help but join in."
"Such a beautiful sight to behold..."
"How can I resist?"
"I inch closer, and our lips meet..."
"..."
"All in all, it isn’t that bad a night at all."
"..."
"I woke up absolutely spent."
"I’m covered in feathers, and Lucy’s ambrosia scent hangs heavy over the bed sheets."
"Lucy’s already awake, and she’s bathed before me."
"Now she’s rummaging through my fridge for whatever food we have left."
"Rather than waste time asking the obvious, I decide to hit the shower."
"As the water strips away last night’s scents off me, I get to thinking how Lucy must be feeling right about now."
"I imagine what tomorrow will be like, not just for me but also for Lucy."
"How, suddenly, she’s about to have another big change thrust upon her life."
"The third or fourth one this year...."
"from the non-binary thing, to the band, to the betreyal, and finally to having a human boyfriend..."
"...Only to have him go so abruptly..."
"I'm surprised she hasn't gone insane after all she’s endured."
"I open the bathroom door and see Lucy sitting on my bed, staring blankly at her phone and swiping across messages."
A "What's up?"
F "Naser said he'll be here in about an hour. Knowing him, it'll probably take forty minutes."
A "Ten bucks he leaves another set of skidmarks on the road outside."
"I sit next to her on the bed."
A "What are you checking?"
F "Old messages and photos."
F "You know, it's weird. There's not enough pictures of you in here…."
F "Hold on, let’s fix that!"
"Lucy raises her phone and points its camera lens at me."
F "Stop smiling! You look retarded."
"{i}click{/i}"
F "Alright, cool."
"We go silent again for maybe a minute or two."
"The overbearing silence’s broken when Lucy lets out a heavy sigh."
F "...D-do you really have to go?"
"I can’t help but let out a heavy sigh of my own."
A "Today, I'll get on a bus and it'll be a Michael Tarpit movie for a few years."
A "I honestly never thought these last few months were ever gonna end…"
"There’s a heavy silence between Lucy and me for a few seconds."
A "It... It still feels wrong to me, you know?."
A "That I'm still too ‘new’ at this boyfriend stuff."
A "That I’ll never get the hang of it."
A "That if only I had a few more months of practice… maybe I could be better at it..."
"Lucy lets out a short snort."
F "I mean… you're not THAT bad at it… most of the time anyway..."
"I let out a single bitter chuckle."
A "I must've been the single most boring guy you've ever dated..."
"Lucy lightly punches me on the shoulder."
F "That’s bullshit, and you know it!"
F "If anything, I'm the boring one!"
"Lucy deflates as she grabs on to her right arm."
F "I mean, take away my spikes, wrist bands, and stompers and what do you have?"
"The wonderful girl that single handedly changed my life?"
F "Huh?"
"God damned mumbling…"
A "I, uh.. I never really thought about it..."
A "I suppose you trying hard at being tough was endearing to me. At least when you weren't physically assaulting me."
A "There was something else though. I knew it when we were talking on the rooftop."
F "I wish I knew what that was."
"Lucy cringed, her hands moving to cover her face."
"Emotions warred across her face as she tried to form coherent words."
F "I-I can’t... can’t stop wondering what you saw in me back then..."
F "And all this time we've been hanging out, I still can’t comprehend why you stuck around us--me!"
"I consider for a moment, and a memory smashes it’s way to the forefront of my thoughts..."
"{i}Glancing at her for a moment, the expression on her face sort of reminds me of something.{/i}"
"{i}It was probably just leftover embarrassment from the concert, but she seemed to have a lost look on her face.{/i}"
"{i}Or maybe it was confusion.{/i}"
"{i}Or a mix of the two...?{/i}"
"{i}Either way there's something on her mind.{/i}"
"{i}I can't help but think that that must be how I looked on my first day.{/i}"
A "I think… I felt like you..."
"Lucy stares at me pleadingly with those beautiful citrine eyes of hers."
A "For the longest time, I didn’t know who I really was or what I wanted to be…"
"I tighten my grip on Lucy’s hand and stare deep into her eyes."
A "Lucy whatever you want to do-"
"Lucy, in response, glances away in what almost feels like shame."
"Almost instantly, I realize why…"
T "{i}IT WAS {i}YOUR{/i} IDEA.{/i}"
"The two of us wanted so badly to avoid the subject, and yet here I was dredging it up and twisting the metaphorical knife deeper into the wound."
A "I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to bring her up..."
F "..."
F "...Please… Don't think about Trish that way."
F "She's not at fault. I'm just a fucking idiot..."
A "Lucy..."
A "I just... forget that I have to walk on eggshells around certain topics..."
"Lucy puffs her cheeks and jabs me in the ribs."
A "Ow!"
"Lucy crosses her arms and lets out a single scoff."
F "Like *I* have to be careful when I catch you muttering, watching the newest season of underage panty shot quest and having war flashbacks fits through the night?"
F "Oh Anon, what's wrong? Please stop crying because you remembered the projector incident!"
A "War flashbacks? I won’t go to war for at least a month after I pass boot camp. Assuming I pass it, that is."
"Lucy raises an eyebrow."
F "Rock bottom, war, vietnam, you know what I'm saying."
A "I moved on, ok? Just like how YOU moved on from that non-binary, liberal, Trish-militantism, right?"
F "Who said I did?"
"Lucy unfolds her arms and puts her head on her hands."
F "I..."
F "[i]*sigh*[/i]"
F "I didn't work out as a tough person, I didn't work out as a big musician, and I sure as hell didn't work out as a lover, given how many exes I have..."
F "This whole thing with making everyone's lives around me hell, testing the waters with identifying my gender… it was a complete disaster..."
F "You can't really compare the damage I did to myself to you jerking off to cartoons, okay?!"
"Lucy’s eyes widen in horror as she facepalms and falls back on the bed."
F "...Fuck... I might have said too much…"
F "I already ruined our last day together with stories from when I was just a shit person..."
"Lucy’s eyes start to shimmer."
A "Hey! It's fun to compare!"
A "I still like you, so I guess girls have it easier."
"Lucy picks herself up and gives me a narrowed-eyed stare."
F "You just ‘like’ me?"
"Her eyes droop, and so do her shoulders."
"I'm not certain if she's serious."
"But suddenly she tosses herself into my arms."
"She puts her whole weight into her embrace, almost like she wants to tackle me."
"I try to hold us both upright, but the awkward angle and the unevenness of the bed eventually causes us both to fall back into bed."
"The world really disappears when we're like this. Something I’m infinitely glad for..."
F "Anon... do you like me better the way I was before…"
F "Or do you like me better for who I am now?"
"I say my next words without hesitation."
A "You're much better now."
A "Not cutting weeds in my eyes and kicking me in the face."
A "Though I guess you miss your old life."
A "I must feel like a killjoy in comparison..."
"Lucy slides her head over my shoulder and wraps her arms up from underneath me."
F "I don't care about that."
F "This is so much better."
F "I don't like being forced to care about something I'm usually indifferent towards, or pay attention to what someone thinks is more important than what I'm already thinking about."
F "I just wanna...figure it out on my own, you know?"
A "If you're talking about me wanting us to marathon Lucky Star, then fine, I'll stop."
"Lucy pulls away from our embrace just enough for me to see the red of her cheeks and tears streaking from her eyes."
F "Y-you.. fucking dork!"
"I let out a small chuckle as I wipe away some of her tears."
A "I just like seeing you ramble."
A "You'll find stuff that interests you."
A "Just do you, Lucy!"
"Our foreheads touch."
"She grabs my face with both her hands, all the while looking at me like I’m the most precious thing in her life."
"All I want to do is bring her closer to me."
"I wanna keep picking apart her brain, become acquainted with every single corner of her mind and still realize there's always something more to her..."
"I love you, Lucy. So very, very much."
F "Anon, I… I love you."
F "So very, very much…"
"..."
"Naser somehow manages to defy our expectations by being late for once."
"But that’s good, as it gives Lucy and I a chance to spend the next ten minutes gathering the last of my belongings and trashing what I couldn’t take."
"With the apartment cleaned and cleared, I leave the keys on the kitchen counter, sparing one last look at the place I called home for the last few months."
"As much as it sucked, the tiny excuse of a flat had been my sanctuary."
"Now that I was leaving it, a part of me felt like I was losing a friend."
"I try not to think too much about it as Lucy and I make our way outside."
"Naser isn’t here yet, so we end up standing by the apartment lobby with nothing but our thoughts."
"A part of me thanked Naser for his lateness."
"It gave Lucy and I some more time together."
"Lucy’s the first to speak up and break the silence between us."
F "...What am I going to do when you're gone?"
"Lucy’s words surprise me, but I’m ready with an answer this time."
A "You'll make the right choices."
A "You're the only smart person I know."
"Lucy gives me a deadpan look."
F "I’m being serious here, Anon."
A "So am I, Lucy."
A "You're a goddamn Intellectual!"
"Lucy bashfully turns her head away, appreciating the compliment."
F "You know, the guys in the army aren't the smartest lot."
A "I'll manage."
F "I don't know if I'm supposed to be jealous or fearful."
"Lucy begins snickering."
F "They're gonna send you back in a shoebox!"
F "Hahahahahahaha!"
"I can’t help but roll my eyes at Lucy’s words."
A "Thanks for having *so much* faith in me..."
"Subconsciously, I let out a sigh."
A "I know you’ll have plenty of fun getting back to your own life, especially since there’s no semester in the fall to hold you back."
F "Eh, the mosh pits will not be as entertaining without you fumbling around awkwardly in them."
A "I could do without them."
A "You, on the other hand, seem eager to go back to that."
F "What do you mean?"
A "Back to the mosh pits, meeting strange people, having fun, maybe going for that solo career I know you can achieve."
A "You should leave your options open while I'm gone."
A "I don't want to hold you back or make you waste time waiting for me."
A "...We might not even see each other again..."
A "But... I'll never forget you, Lucy..."
F "..."
"Lucy stirs like she just got stabbed in the heart."
F "Fuck... that hurts like hell."
F "I’m the one who’s supposed to barge in and break us up!"
F "...I've done it so many times..."
F "But..."
F "The fucking allosaurus dickwad I had my first time with wasn't half as special as you."
F "And I didn't just date boys, you know."
F "I didn't limit my options, and I still think there was more to you!"
A "As in...?"
F "You know I'm bi, right?"
A "..."
A "Like...?"
F "Well, not really."
F "Or rather, I don't know why I did it anymore..."
A "Lucy..."
"Lucy grits her teeth in anger."
F "It wasn't serious, okay!"
F "Those people had problems that needed addressing."
F "That's not me!"
F "Anon, please, don't ever think my parents ever--"
A "Lucy!"
"My voice causes my girlfriend to flinch."
"I move to place a hand on her shoulder."
A "Lucy… It's okay..."
A "Your parents are cool."
A "I would never believe they’d hurt you."
"Lucy lets out a sigh."
F "Anon… I don't wanna dump all my baggage on you."
F "It's not right."
F "And It was just a phase."
F "I'll never do it again."
F "It was so humiliating..."
F "Naser might have known... and he suffered so much because of it..."
F "I can't imagine just how much more my parents would've hated me if they’d known the real truth."
F "So just forget it."
F "It was an obsession."
F "One I was convinced would make me happy."
F "But it was never meant to be."
F "All those relationships were just about who had the most baggage they could dump on each other and gain the most pity points."
F "And I always lost because I never had it that bad."
F "I… I was just an ungrateful slut."
"Lucy lets out a groan and facepalms."
F "I don't know if I'll ever live this shit down!"
F "Anon, please say you don't think less of me now I've told you all this..."
F "I'm more than all that!"
F "I wanna show it to everyone that matters to me!"
"I reach out and grab Lucy’s hand, squeezing it as tight as I can without causing her discomfort."
"I consider saying something, but I ultimately decide against it."
"Instead, I only stare deeply and softly into Lucy’s citrine eyes."
"Before I can do anything else with my girlfriend, I hear the sound of tire screeching and the roar of an engine."
"A familiar gray-toned car pulls up right next to us, stopping so abruptly that it leaves a set of skid marks."
"Lucy reaches into her pocket and pulls out a ten dollar bill."
"I motioned for her to keep it."
"Something told me that where I was going, I wouldn’t be needing money."
"Soon as the car comes to a complete stop, it’s driver disembarks, all the while munching on the remains of a delectable-looking hot dog."
Nas "Sorry I’m late guys. Decided to stop by Tracy’s hot dog cart to get something to eat, but she took a bit longer than usual."
"Naser chomps on the last of this meal and licks his fingers clean with a satisfied smile."
Nas "Anyway, you two ready to go, or do you guys need a few more minutes?"
"I look at the time on my phone."
"Much as I wanted time to stand still, the bus departing to boot camp would be leaving in less than an hour."
"I give Fang one last look, and she in turn looks at me."
"We both know what needs to happen next."
"Doesn’t make it any less painful…"
"Without another word, Lucy and I get in the back of the NasCar."
"Naser, without a moment of hesitation, floors the gas pedal, and he flies off down Skin Row’s small streets."
"A part of me bids my old neighborhood--shitty as it was--a final farewell."
"The drive towards the pick-up spot is quiet."
"Not one of the three of us wants to say a word."
"Fifteen minutes of silent driving, and we arrive at my designated pick-up location."
"The three of us get out of the NasCar and stand around the bus stop, waiting for the inevitable."
"Lucy mentioned needing to do something, heading into the office."
"The silence between Naser and I is deafening."
"Naser suddenly clears his throat."
Nas "Listen, Anon…"
A "Yeah?"
Nas "Uhh… you’re gonna be gone for a while."
A "... Yeah."
Nas "Yeah."
Nas "..."
Nas "So uh… rifleman or infantry or whatever it’s called?"
A "Huh?"
Nas "What’re they gonna make you do? Something like digging ditches? N-not to come off as rude or anything."
"I sigh and shake my head."
"At least he was starting to catch his poor words now."
A "I mean, yeah, I’ll be doing that too. But they had me take an ASVAB test. They want me to do some more mechanical stuff."
A "I think the code thing was 12K… 19K?"
A "They were pushing me into being a tank guy."
Nas "Can you even drive dude?"
A "..."
A "Anyway, I decided something more up my alley."
"It’s kind of like shitposting. But more official. I think."
Nas "What’s shitposting?"
A "N-nevermind. The number thing is 46R."
"Naser nods his head and looks off."
"Before the silence could set in again Naser speaks up, his voice carrying a tone of relief."
Nas "I’d been meaning to say for a while."
Nas "Thanks, Anon. I mean it."
Nas "I didn’t know what I was doing for a while."
Nas "If you didn’t take the hit and get us together at Moe’s, I’d still be feeling sorry for myself like some loser."
Nas "Honestly… I’d still be that scared little kid stressing over being something I didn’t need to be."
A "I didn’t do much at all, it was Moe and Rosa really."
A "It was you and Lucy that patched things up. And I’m glad you guys made amends."
"Naser gives me a surprised look, but he smiles and nods."
"We hear the unmistakable roar of a city bus overpowering the other cars as it turns onto the street."
"It’s still a few lights away though, so Naser gets back in the drivers’ seat to leave Lucy and I alone."
"Lucy had come back at some point. I was kind of happy she kept quiet to give me and Naser our moment."
"All this time we avoided saying goodbye to each other but eventually it has to happen"
A "Lucy."
F "Anon..."
"A horrifying tugging pain hits me in the chest."
A "You'll be fine while I'm gone, right?"
F "Yeah."
"I seriously have no idea what's gonna happen to her. I reprehend any thought that something bad might happen to her."
"But still..."
A "Can you promise me that..."
A "...If I do see you again, that you'll be a better person."
A "Us both. Better persons."
F "Ok."
F "I'll be a better person."
F "But you have to promise me something too."
F "That you'll come back."
"I mutter."
A "Ok."
"She mutters."
F "Ok. Good."
"It's settled, then."
"We hugged once again, but she put some serious muscle into it. I reciprocate."
"I want to feel the imprint of this embrace for hours."
"Her heart's racing."
"Stronger."
"The bus driver grows impatient and starts honking. The time has come."
"Sure enough, I was still feeling Lucy's hug after we separated. Naser rolls down the window of the car."
Nas "Good luck, man."
A "Same, man."
"I gripped his hand."
"He squeezed my hand in return, and then recoiled. My grip was stronger than he was anticipating."
"I got inside and waved back at them. I give the driver my regards and laid back, looking at my feet."
"I must've thought about a lot of things then, like what if I just jumped out the window and ran to her,"
"or if I would die and never see her again like in that green day music video, I looked back to see if I could still get a glimpse of her..."
"...my eyes frantically search the small figures, and there she was."
"I caught her in mid-motion, crying in Naser's shoulders."
"And then the bus rounds a corner and they’re gone."
"Vanished from each others’ lives."
"I was dropped at a hotel with the other dudes, a surprisingly diverse crowd of humans and dinosaurs conversed."
"We waited there for another bus that took us to an airport."
"I think I might have slept as soon as I sat on the airplane seat, because I don't remember the take-off or the drill."
"I was fortunate enough to get a seat by the window, I flipped it up and saw a desert with a two-lane road cutting through."
"I don't even know where I am now, only that I'm nowhere near Lucy."
"Gone is the halter top, torn jeans, and spiky hornband."
"In their place, a simple golden sun dress and a large red ribbon tied around her head crest, looking for the world like a pair of red bunny ears."
"Her hands remain on my shoulders, and I can see that she’s checking me out now."
"I’m proud to say I’m no longer a lanklet, especially with how my uniform blouse’s rolled up sleeves feel like they’re cutting off the blood flow to my hands."
Lucy "You’ve really changed since I last saw you, Anon!"
Lucy "I’m so glad you’re safe after all these years!"
Lucy "I got so worried for you, what if something happened overseas…"
Lucy "What if you got lost or hurt..."
Lucy "What if you never returned at all…"
A "Hey, have more faith in me."
A "I still got all my limbs, right?"
A "I didn’t get bruised too bad."
A "Like uhh, remember that time I fell down the stairs?"
F "All this time I was a huge dick to my family, I idealized things too much and lashed out at them for not being on the same page as me."
F "I wanted to be a rockstar, so I wanted them to behave a certain way I think it would fit for that lifestyle."
F "I was being unfair and unrealistic towards them, I wanted them to hate me and somehow that was gonna further my career."
F "Looked like it worked for a lot of famous people."
F "I didn't want to make my family sad anymore, so I just did what I've always should have done and learned to love them, to thank them for all they did for me."
A "So you kept playing? I'd love to see what else you've composed over the years. I'm sure it's great."
F "I know I needed to be a famous musician to make you happy, I know I needed to have forgiven Trish and the others, but it just didn't work out.{w=0.3} I couldn't do it."
