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"Get up

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"Get up." I groan when Faye's voice wakes me up. She pushes my shoulder lightly but repeatedly and I swat at her hands.

"Go away. Please." I beg but I can still feel her looming over my bed. Cracking open one eye, I look up and see Faye fully dressed and ready to go.

"But it's my sleep-in day," I whine.

"C'mon, I'm taking you on a date." She pulls at my arm and I shake her off, sitting up by myself. I rub sleep out of my eyes and check my phone.

"Is this a setup?" I ask groggily and she shakes her head. "You're not going to leave until I'm ready are you?" She shakes her head again. "Pick out my clothes. Nothing you would wear." I leave the room to climb into the shower, taking my sweet time.

Looking at the clothes laid out on my bed, I shrug and pull them on as Faye plays a game on her phone. "Alright, let's go." I get Faye's attention, tugging the hem of the skirt down on my thighs.

"I'll drive." She says, holding her hands out for the keys and I hesitate. Faye can technically drive a manual transmission, but I always prefer to not be in the car with her when she does. "Chill. I've been practicing. Reece's Jeep is a stick." I give her the keys and don't ask questions; it's better to just go along with what she says.

"How are your classes going?" Faye asks as she puts the car in reverse and backs out of the parking space. I'm slightly paranoid with her behind the wheel but I use her words as a distraction.

"Good. Calculus is surprisingly easy and I love chem labs, they're so much fun." I smile, rolling down the window.

"You're such a nerd, I love you." Faye laughs and I stick my tongue out at her.

"What about dance? Anything exciting? I'd love to come watch you practice."

"Right now we're basically just rehearsing for the Winter Showcase auditions. It's like a recital. The Nutcracker. All that good stuff." She says and I watch her expression closely.

"You look nervous." I notice and Faye grimaces.

"That obvious?" She turns to face me quickly and I shake my head.

"I just know you."

"I'm afraid I won't get a role. It would look so good on my resume if I got a lead role. I've been practicing like crazy but I don't know if it will be enough." Her tough exterior cracks.

"Hey, don't say that. Whatever effort you put in will be enough. And if they can't see that, there will always be next time. You have years to put that on your resume." She smiles and I relax in my seat.

I'm surprised that when I look out my window, all I can see is suburban houses. Looking over at Faye, she smiles and parks the car next to a regular-looking house. "What are we doing here?" I ask as I climb out and Faye does the same.

"Taking a walk. Doing some stuff." She links arms with me and walks me towards what looks like a garage sale. A grin breaks out on my face.

"So that's why we're up so early."

"Your room is still empty, hun. We're going to find you some cool stuff to put in it today and later we can decorate together." I squeeze her arm tighter as my eyes well up from the thoughtful gesture. We skip excitedly towards the lawn full of random items.

As kids, Faye and I loved to go to garage sales but I could never buy anything for myself. I learned that the hard way when my mother found a ceramic puppy figurine on my nightstand and casually dropped it on the floor. At eight years old, I knew better than to try that again.



After Faye and I have a backseat full of random decorations, we stop at a photo store and get pictures printed to put up on my wall. Most of them are of the two of us at various stages in our lives. Faye had her flaws, like anyone else, but she was my favorite person in the world and I was taken aback at how much she has always cared for me.

The two of us spend the rest of the day finding places in the apartment to put our knick-knacks and covering an entire wall in my bedroom with the printed photos of us. I'd been calling this place 'home' since I first arrived here, but that name has never felt more true than it does standing here with my best friend and looking at a wall full of our memories.

 I'd been calling this place 'home' since I first arrived here, but that name has never felt more true than it does standing here with my best friend and looking at a wall full of our memories

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