Pieces of Your Heart

Tattoos

"So are ready for this?" Remy asked, taping another box shut.

The two of them sat on the floor of Alex's bedroom, boxes and other various packing materials scattered between them. Remy had been at the house several times over the last three weeks, helping Elodie pack up the remnants of Alex's short life. There wasn't all that much to do, but nevertheless it was a long process. Every figurine, every article of clothing sparked a memory.

Elodie sighed. "Shit, I don't know. He sounded so disappointed when I told him about San Francisco. Don't get me wrong; I don't want to leave him. But this is just something I need to do for me."

Remy raised her eyebrows. "Yup. Me too."

"Huh?"

"I've decided to tag along with you guys. I'm gonna audition too."

"Oh my God, dude that's awesome!" Elodie said genuinely.

"Fuck yeah," Remy said. "This trip is going to be epic."

Elodie looked down at the ceramic unicorn in her hands. "Yeah. But what if I actually get in? What then? Move to San Francisco and leave Ian behind? Doesn't seem right."

Remy sighed. "No, it doesn't. But it's like you said; you have to do this for you. If he doesn't get it, it's on him."

"That's just it dude. He does get it. I don't know. It's such a crappy situation."

"Well, even if you do get in, maybe it's for the best. I mean he's a good guy and all; but that's a fuck load of baggage to tag onto yours."

"Dude can you make up your mind already? Do you like Ian or not?" Elodie asked lightly, rolling her eyes.

"It's not about whether or not I like him. I just want to make sure you know all you need to know. You don't have the best track record as far as relationships go and I think it would be fucked up if you ended up getting all heart-broken over some old guy just because he's --- well, old, and because he has a lot of drama in his life. Plus you have your own drama to deal with. I mean, we're fucking dealing with it right now."

Elodie looked around the messy room. "Fuckin' A right we are."

Remy got off the floor and picked up a few random knick-knacks from the nightstand. "Keep or trash?"

Elodie squinted at the fat ceramic cherubs.

"Trash," they said in unison.

Elodie got up off the floor and brushed herself off. "Okay," she said. "Time to tackle the closet."

Remy stood back as Elodie threw open the closet doors. Hanging in front of all the other dresses and blouses and designer jeans was her purple gown, the one Alex had worn to her Prom. She ran her fingertips over the delicate material.

Remy stared at the dress over her shoulder. "Dude. You just found your audition dress."

Elodie sighed as she shut the closet doors. "Let's take a break."

Remy called Angel, and minutes later, he was there with coffee and biscotti from the Clean Bean. They sat around the kitchen table and started planning their trip.

"So, did I tell you guys the most excellent news?" Angel said, biting into his biscotti.

"You decided to get a normal haircut?" Remy teased.

"No Miss Clever Trousers. I got us a deal on a rental. A houseboat. We can rent it for a few days while we're there for the audition."

"No shit, that's is pretty excellent!" Remy squealed.