Friends, Enemies, and Exes Ch. 12 (FINALE)

"Charlie..."

"I'm the bad guy in this," he interrupted. "And the only way I can apologize is to make it right."

"I know," she said. "Come on, now. You're gonna be alright, kid."

"So are you," Charlie said.

Before she even knew what he was doing, he erased the memory in his hand, and moved on to end their story.

**********

Katie

It ended in a blinding flash. One moment he was there in her mind, and then next he was standing in front of her on the lawn of the cabin once again, Penny still impaled gently on his cock. Then he set her down gently on her feet, and tried to keep her still. It looked like she would fall over from some great fatigue.

It's over, Katie realized. I can't feel him anymore, he's... he's...

He was gone, walking Penny into the cabin while Katie still knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face. And it was cold outside.

Behind her, a thousand women were blinking and glancing around at one another, waiting for someone to explain why they'd gotten naked. Finally, little Cumslut, No... Alex... stepped up and started shouting in her singer's voice. "Yeah! Free the nipple!"

All thousand of them started cheering, trying not to look like the odd woman out.

"Do whatever's comfortable, ladies, but if it's too cold, get dressed. Now let's FUCKING ROCK!"

Katie got to her feet again, knees caked in mud. Her dress was sitting on the ground, torn into pieces. Unsure of what to do, she walked back to the tour bus and hopped into the shower. As she was drying off, the cold and endless void within her suddenly intensified.

It was a feeling like waking up from a dream, only worse. Not comforting at all. At the end, the dreamer always knew who they were, where they were, what was true. Katie did not know any of it. Least of all who she was.

Emily Kisch found her weeping in the bed where she always was, naked and shivering. "Katie," Emily said. "What's wrong? Was seeing him too much?"

Is that what we came here for? It was suddenly hard to remember. It seemed like there had been some kind of plan, but that sounded odd too. "I think so," she answered. "I... why did we come here?"

"I wanted you to start meeting other people. You seemed to like the band and I'd met them before so... do you really not remember any of this? We might want to get this all checked out. I need to make sure you're not suffering from -"

"No, I remember now," Katie said. "I'm just... I didn't think Charlie would be here."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. We can find a way out of here if you want."

"I just need to sleep for a little bit."

Emily nodded and held her hand. "Okay, Katie. I'm here if you need me."

"Em?"

"Yes, Katie?"

"I... I want to go see my parents. I want them to know that I'm back."

**********

Lanie

She still got calls about those weird months at Ashley's house, sometimes. Lanie said all she could by now. "It was a weird time for us all, but we're going to remember it fondly. No regrets."

She still loved to think about that concert where it all came to a head. Some dinky little cabin in Maine, of all places. But by the time they got there, some serious bands had gotten word about the impromptu Fifth Manor tour that was picking up steam. Suddenly it was a whole festival, half a dozen bands playing for free to a growing crowd of a thousand (and by the end of it, two thousand) fans of serious music.

And when it was over, the snow melted and mixed into the mud on the ground, it was like everyone woke up from a dream. All at once, they just knew it was over.

Ashley had dropped some serious money to make it all happen, and even more for the fines accruing all along their cross country route for performing without a permit. But she didn't seem to mind. She had really mellowed out ever since the Pleasant Valley reunion.

Lanie went home in a new year, hoping for a new Lanie. All the girls who lived at the house had taken the time to really explore themselves, discover their passions and pursue them. A lot of them had chosen to stay with Ashley and keep up their work. Lanie had wasted all that time on sex.

Now it was a little embarrassing. She'd done a lot of things she never imagined she would do, and all for the fun of it. It was fun, I won't pretend it wasn't. But I could have used my time more wisely. At least she could say one thing for sure. There were a lot of things she'd crossed off her bucket list.

When the spring came around at last, Lanie went out for coffee with Ashley, and they bashfully reminisced about their time living together. And unavoidably, they discussed the elephant in the room.

"Have you heard from Charlie?" Ashley asked.

"No," she said. "He just kinda disappeared after the end of the tour."

"Maybe he felt left out," Ashley reasoned. "It's kind of a blur, but I think we kind of neglected him around the end."

"Maybe we did, I'm not sure. Well, lucky he got to be a part of it at all. He was the only guy you invited to stay at the house."

Ash shrugged and sipped her coffee. "He was always really smart, pretty good at sex. Good combo if you ask me."

"You don't have to tell me, I dated him," Lanie laughed. That was such an odd thought now. Charlie was a good guy, of course. But after long enough, every ex feels like a mistake of some sort.

"Well, he sent me a letter pretty quickly after the concert that just had some business stuff. Long story short it just said to cut him out. I tried calling, but there's no reaching him. I've been pretty busy trying to keep it all together without him, but I've expanded enough to be able to do coffee dates."

"Lucky me," Lanie said with an exaggerated wink. They laughed together and changed the subject. A few months ago, a life like that might have ended with a long make out session followed by a rabid fucking. But that hunger was gone now. All Lanie saw now was a friend.

"Got any plans for the year?" Ashley asked as they parted ways. "I could always use some hands in the company."

"I'll think about it," Lanie said. "Just got a little self discovery to do first."

**********

Alex

Natalie was right, music labels were a fucking cancer.

Fifth Manor spent the winter doing a few collaborations with the bands that so gracefully jammed with them at the "Maine Event" as the online superfans started calling it. Working in the studios where all the Top 40 hits were made was enchanting at first, annoying after a week, and then soul crushing not long after.

Between the four thousand producers, four billion investors, and countless diva cunts trying to put their two cents into a song they had nothing to do with, there was no room at all for the visceral creativity that Lauren had infused into their band.

"This is where art goes to die," Miranda commented one day at the studio.

In the end, they could barely hear their instruments in the final mix. Only Alex's voice came through clearly, and they had the fucking gall to throw a metric ton of compression onto her tracks.

Thankfully, they were not signed to the labels that they so desperately wanted to kill.

By April, they were back at the Elmerta mansion, working on a follow up to their debut. Their following was still small by comparison, but as far as they were concerned, one of their fans was worth a hundred thousand of someone else's.

On their first day back in Lauren's studio, Lily kicked into gear with a new drum kit and instantly inspired their first new track. And once Alex started singing again, she felt all right.

But back in her room, she still had nightmares.

There was a glowing witch that towered over her, shrieking and weeping. And Alex knew she was under some sort of spell, bewitching her into a state of idiocy. It happened every night after the Maine Event, but thankfully started slowing down as the winter died away. A few weeks into writing their second album, Alex thought it might have stopped for good.

But it came back with a vengeance.

This time, she woke up with some sort of odd craving, though she was unsure what it was. She tried her ritual, but no words would come from her mouth. "C-c-c... cahhh..." she ended up stuttering. Then all at once, her brain kicked back into gear. "One, two, three, four, five. A, B, C, D, E... Alexis. My name is Alexis." Good. Done. But what was her body trying to say?

She never found out. It was the last time she had the nightmare.

Later, talking to Miranda about the recurring nightmare, her bassist asked, "Didn't that happen to you back in high school?"

"Yeah," Alex said. "Like my whole mind got erased. They think it was some kind of seizure that caused temporary memory loss, but... I don't know. It was weirder than that. I'm sure the doctors were right." There was something she craved back then, too. And if she went to find the old medical file her parents kept, she was sure she would find it. But maybe it was better not to remember.

"Alex," Natalie said in the studio one day. "I'm seeing a motif in your lyrics."

"Took you long enough."

"Shut up," Lily shouted from behind the drums. "Are you serious? God damn it I'm so stupid."

Natalie picked up her guitar and rested her arms on top of it as it hung from her shoulders. "You're writing a concept album, you sneaky bitch."

"Any objection?"

Miranda leaned into her microphone and leered at Alex. "We're going to have to rewrite all the songs to follow your goddamn narrative thread. Of course there's no objections."

"Wait, let me read the lyrics again!" Lily shouted.

"I'll save you time," Alex answered. "It's about a young woman who's afraid of herself, so she creates an imaginary world where everybody adores her. But she still doesn't feel any better, and the other side of her personality starts fighting back."

"Deep," Lily muttered.

"Lauren's gonna dig this," Natalie smiled. "Got a name for it yet?"

"Not without a vote," Alex said. "But I've got a couple ideas."

"Give us your favorite," Miranda said.

Alex giggled first, and then gave it up. "Empty Mind. Makes sense in a weird way, I guess."

**********

Lauren

The girls wanted to record a lot sooner than Lauren anticipated, but the actual recording sessions were long and numerous. Every time they thought they'd cracked the code, one of them had a new idea for a new sound, or a new structure, or a new lyric. Lauren had to reel their excitement in with finesse, but in the end they were always appreciative.

Working late one night on some of Lily's drum tracks, Lauren began to masturbate. She often did when she was alone at the mixer. There wasn't that much to do at night that she could stay focused on, so when she needed a break this was the easiest distraction. After all, she had an endless well of memories to pull from.

Not many of the girls that still lived in the Elmerta mansion still had sex with one another. Plenty had moved out to go live with new boyfriends, some had coupled up with each other and chosen monogamy, but most had simply lost that hunger they'd had.

Lauren certainly did not have that same desire either, but she did occasionally crave those touches and licks and slaps that no one else could give her but Penny. Just ask already you fucking chicken.

It must have been three in the morning. Not the right time. Certainly not in the middle of a masturbation session. But the bravery was on her. It was now or never.

Lauren: Hey, Penny. Thanks for stopping by earlier. All the girls were so happy to see you.

Penny: Yeah, of course. My pleasure.

Shit, she's awake. Fuck, fuck, fuck...

Penny: Sorry if I seemed out of it. To be honest, being at the house was a little weird for me. Just made me think about Charlie again.

Lauren: I don't blame you at all. Do you want to talk about it?

Penny: Do you think I'm in the wrong at all? Like was it unreasonable of me to break it off like that?

Lauren: Well you drew the line, and he crossed it. I don't think that's unreasonable.

Penny: It just feels wrong somehow. A lot of times it doesn't even feel real. Like I imagined it or something.

Lauren: No, I remember it too. You guys were fighting for like the entire concert.

Penny: I know, I was just speaking metaphorically. I haven't spoken to him since then, do you think I should reach out, for like, closure or something?

Lauren: To be honest I don't think it's time. Besides, he's not talking to anyone. Just kind of fell off the face of the Earth after you broke up.

Penny: Why do you think he did it?

Lauren: Well, I think he never got over Katie. And once she was out, it was like... it all came rushing back to him? I don't know if that makes sense. But it's not like you kept him on a short leash, I mean you let him fool around with all of us. But you knew it wasn't healthy for him to be with her again, and he couldn't understand that.

Penny: You're probably right. You're always right.

Lauren: I'm a smart cookie.

Penny: And a sweet one. What happened to Katie, anyway?

Lauren: Remember that doctor she was with? Dr. Kisch or something? They moved to London together. Apparently there's some psychologist out there who wanted to examine her, and Dr. Kisch wanted to stay involved. I think they were kind of into each other though. Charlie had a knack for bi girls.

Penny: Thanks for that, by the way. I probably never would have known I was bi without you.

Lauren: Feel free to repay me any time.

Penny: Don't kid around, I'm single and horny as shit.

Lauren: You know damn well I wasn't kidding. Besides, I'd date the fuck out of you any day.

Penny: I am definitely not ready to date again.

Lauren: Yeah, I figured as much. Sorry if that was weird, I just had to get that out.

Penny: You know what though? Ask me again in a couple months.

Lauren: Yes ma'am!

Penny: Thanks, kiddo. You're one hell of a listener. I'm gonna get to bed before Sammy starts snoring.

Lauren: Tell her hi for me in the morning. Oh, and one more thing.

Penny: What is it?

Lauren: You're going to be okay.

Penny: I know. Goodnight, L.

Now that was a good note to end on, Lauren thought. Oh, and in the song too.

**********

Penny

Living with Sammy was nothing like it was as kids. There was always a guy at the apartment, usually in Sammy's room, sometimes in Penny's. And they just never fought like they used to. There was nothing to fight about anymore. Not after all they'd been through.

During the day, Penny was pursuing her teaching credential. Not a notion she'd ever really thought of before, but at least it was something. At night she would pop by the bar down the street where Zoe worked, have a few free drinks and see if any of the girls were interested. It was something worth exploring.

Zoe would often point out any girl she knew was bi or lesbian, and Penny would try her best to clue them in. It was hard to tell sometimes, and Penny especially thought she didn't give off a very gay vibe. Still, she managed to get invited to bed every now and then.

When the fish weren't biting, and when Sammy didn't mind, Penny would bring a guy home and ride him as long as she could. Somewhere along the line she'd picked up the right technique to get herself off quickly, and then the rest was a bonus. More often than not, the guy would last a respectable twenty minutes. When she was lucky, he could go for thirty.

Lauren messaged her often. It was fun hearing about all the ins and outs of their musical expression, and reassuring that someone really cared in the end. Maybe Lauren really was good girlfriend material. But Penny wouldn't risk it just yet.

Not until she could get that stupid boy out of her head.

Something just didn't quite add up. Something was missing from the story.

She could have sworn Alex used to be taller. Sammy used to have a birthmark on her thigh and a little vein that showed between her eyes. Lauren's hair was always a perfect red now, and she never seemed to talk about getting it dyed. And wasn't Lily famously flat-chested in high school? Could augmentation surgery really be that convincing?

Sometimes she humored some crazy part of her mind and researched the Mandela Effect. But it was more of a flight of fancy than a real suspicion. I'm grieving, she decided. Charlie was the fucking love of my life, and he broke my heart.

But so be it. Penny was not about to let anyone tear her down. Even someone she'd given almost half her life to.

It was getting easier, just like anything did with time. Her twenties weren't going to get away from her like everyone said that they would. How could they with so much possibility on the horizon?

It was only a week since Lauren floated the idea of dating when Penny got a card from her in the mail.

Happy Anniversary!

You have been cordially invited to the Six Year Pleasant Valley Reunion, exclusive to Penelope Olivia Galloway, Lauren Saoirse Wexford, Alexis Nicoletta Hanley, and Elana Rowan Underwood. If you are not any of the aforementioned bad bitches, fuck off this is our jam. But if you are, get ready to drink, bowl, and cry at dumb rom-coms with your bestest friends in the fucking world!

Sincerely, Lauren

Now that was just what she needed. Penny ran to her closet, ripping through her clothes to find something that said "girls' night" a little louder than they would expect her to wear. It was time to stop being a sad sack.

It was time to stop being Penny and Charlie, and to just start being Penny.

**********

Charlie

"Charles was my idea, your mother wanted to name you Beverly."

"No shit."

"None. We knew you were a boy too. Not that there's anything wrong with a boy named Beverly but that's just not you, you know?"

"Well I prefer Charlie anyway. Thanks, Dad."

They were at a little bar on Long Island, cracking peanuts and watching the Yankees swing their way to an easy victory. Once a week they would drive out to Yankee Stadium and see them do it in the flesh, and in between, Charlie would spend most days at the library working on some research for Professor Truxes. If he could make a strong enough case, they'd be off to find some original documents for their own thesis.

Until then, Charlie was enjoying living with his dad again. Joseph Ellis was the kind of man who could make anyone feel comfortable. A natural at being a friend, an expert at being a father. Exactly the kind of man Charlie wanted to be.

"Let me ask you something," Joseph said to his son. "About the whole thing up in Maine. I've been wondering but I felt like you needed some time not to think about it."

"Go ahead, I'm ready."

"How did you do it?"

Charlie nodded and cracked another peanut, but forgot to pop it into his mouth. "I figured out what our mistake was. We were trying to find a solution where I stayed in the picture."

Joseph leaned back against the booth seat. "You didn't scramble it all up like I did. You took yourself out."

"It took a couple false memories. I had to justify my disappearance for everyone. Easier for some, harder for others. And Penny..."

How will I ever forget her familiar face?