The next morning Therese was nervous to return to school. Peter drove and picked Therese up, so she would not have to drive. They started walking to class. “Hold my hand.” Therese told him. Peter obliged, and held her hand tight as they walked to class, opening the door for her.

Peter walked her to her seat and sat in front of her as he always did, but now to not be distracted by her, and Therese had early developed the good habit of kicking him when he fell asleep. There were no assigned seats, but people tended to sit in the same seat regardless.

Kara came in next, having used makeup to cover her black eye as much as she could. “Can I sit here?” asked Kara. Therese nodded yes.

Kara sat down next to Therese. “I should have done this a long time ago.” said Kara.

“You were always welcome.” said Therese, as there was not a cell in her body not excited to have Kara sitting next to her. It felt right to Therese.

“I brought you something. Happy Birthday.” said Kara as she handed Therese a card, and in it was a picture of two of them as little girls, each holding a stuffed bunny.

“You remembered my birthday?” asked Therese in her flat surprised voice.

Kara reached into her folder and pulled out a birthday card invitation, 12 years old, handwritten, much of it in faded crayon to Therese’s 6th Birthday, it had crude drawings of bunnies on it. “I saved it, forever.” Kara told her. Therese stared forward, with her flat affect as tears rand down her cheeks.

“Thank you.” Was all Therese could muster, looking at the picture of them in younger days with great big smiles on their faces.

Megan came in with another mean girl and Kara’s replacement, eager to be promoted in the ranks. It was herpes girl, Peter laughed to himself as she looked at Kara and then sat next to Megan in Kara’s old seat. “Don’t worry, college is better, no one knows who you are, or even cares.” Therese told Kara.

“I hope you do.” said Kara softly to herself.

Once again, like clockwork, Mr. Shank asked the class to solve a difficult problem, and no one volunteered. Therese attempted to get Shank’s attention, but he tried to avoid her, he didn’t want to press her again. Finally, Therese raised her hand.

“Yes, Therese?” Shank asked.

“I want to solve the problem.” Therese told him flatly, as she always spoke. The teacher motioned his hand for her to come up to the front, the most he was willing to commit himself out of fear of causing her to relive pain. Therese stood, and started to walk to the front, her bag strap catching her foot, and she stumbled. Peter caught her. Megan giggled. The original mean girl, Tabi, giggled to replicate her behavior.

Kara stood up and picked up the paper containing Therese’s solution. Peter helped Therese stand. The three of them very carefully and deliberately walked to the front of the room. Kara held the worksheet while Therese steadied her shaking body with one hand, and Peter stood next to her. “I’m done. Thank you” Therese announced, and they turned and walked back to their seats.

“Yep, this solution is perfect.” announced Mr. Shank, standing with his hands on his hips and giving himself as much credit as he could, staring at the proof. “Final exams start tomorrow, good luck.” He announced as the bell rang.

“What are you doing this summer?” asked Kara.

“Working.” Therese said. Therese had not given it much thought.

“Do you think we can ever hang out again? I have some of our old VHS tapes of Space-Girl Michelle.” said Kara, remembering they had spent a summer trying to record every episode they could without commercials. It drove their mothers crazy, the girls had to switch houses every day to give their mothers a chance to watch their soaps.

“I have a copy of the Amsterdam.” said Therese proudly, although it sounded as flat as most of the things she said, and Kara had been gone too long to decipher.

“Shut up, I thought it was banned! That is the first Space-Girl movie ever made!” said Kara, betraying everything “cool” about her and announcing to the class she was a giant Space-Girl fan. “Is it really black and white?”

“Yes, it is. You can watch it with me.” Therese told her.

Kara felt relaxed, she could be herself, the person she forgot. She felt terrible about betraying their friendship, for giving up on her friend when she started changing, for being too scared to visit her in the hospital. The weight of her choices hung on her shoulders. “I’m sorry for everything.” said Kara.

“Quit being an apolognaut. We’re Space-Girls.” said Therese.

“From the fleet.” said Kara, hugging her old friend. Peter wished he knew what the were talking about, but before Therese, Vivo was the only Space-Girl fan he had ever met in his entire life for so long, and now he was in love with one. It was rumored Space-Girl conventions were held in Porta-Johns because so few people showed up, and the ones who did needed a place to dispose of their memorabilia. The two reunited best friends walked to the next class together, and sat together, vowing never to be separated again.

English class was boring, but at least Kara and Therese sat next to each other.

Therese hid in the back through art class. If the rest of the class seemed to know what happened, they didn’t show it, oblivious to their own world. Mr. Monty had heard, he discretely slipped Therese a handmade card, that said “Welcome Back.” and had a beautiful drawing of a bunny inside. Therese read it and cry smiled. She looked up and Mr. Monty smiled, then turned back to his painting. She stuck the card in her notebook to add it to her permanent treasures.

Therese reluctantly went to Chemistry class and was surprised to see Benjamin completely dry, and prepared with his notebook out and pen ready. “Oh thank God, you’re back. Here’s a copy of the notes from last week.” Benjamin’s handwriting was as bad as Ben’s, but she could read it and recognized the effort he put into the completeness of his work. Therese hugged Benjamin, who grinned awkwardly.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“I can’t believe you did all this.” said Therese, looking at the notes which were very detailed.

“It seemed important, and I figured I owed you.” said Benjamin. He was relieved beyond words that Therese was back.

“Just promise you’ll always write me and let me know you guys are okay? And never forget you are someone special, someone good and someone who matters.” said Therese, and Benjamin looked away. She looked at Benjamin, he was glum. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Before, since I was a little kid, enlisting is all I ever wanted to be. It still is, but, I kind of think I blew other options. I don’t want to ever hurt anyone. I’ll get money for college though, Lord knows I’ll never get a scholarship.” said Benjamin.

“This isn’t a second chance, this is opportunity. You don’t have to stop being who you are inside because of where you are, ever.” Therese told him.

“I guess I already signed the papers anyways, but you really think I can be someone someday?” asked Benjamin.

Therese held up the notes he made for her. “You already are.” reassured Therese. Benjamin smiled, he liked Therese, she was a good person and her kindness brought peace. As soon as the class started, Benjamin was already distracted in his doodles. Therese looked at the notes he made and wondered how hard he struggled to focus.

Finals week was a lot of stress, and a lot of testing. Thursday night, Therese needed a break. She picked up the phone and dialed. “Hi, is Kara there?” she asked. Shortly after, a knock on the door came from an equally stressed teen needing a break.

“Kara?” Therse’s mom asked, in disbelief, seeing the little girl she once knew, standing there holding an old robot Gopher toy and a bag of chips. She had missed Kara as much as Therese had. Kara was her second daughter, the girls’ inseparability had defined them for so long.

“Hi.” answered Kara, embarrassed at her absence from the house she was once greeted as the other daughter. “Therese invited me over. Space-Girl night.” said Kara, holding up the robot gopher.

“I hope you girls are watching that in your room.” said Kara and Therese’s mother, Mary. “Welcome back, I missed you.” she offered Kara a hug, and Kara embraced her, crying. Therese’s mom patted her back. “Welcome home.” Therese’s mother hugged her. It was true, it was home. Kara had lived there for the summer during her parents’ divorce. That summer meant more to her than she could ever tell anyone.

“I am sorry, I didn’t invite you to her birthday party, I thought you girls were not talking.” said Therese’s mom.

“I kind of had to quit being a piece of trash first.” said Kara.

“Stop right there. No one who speaks unkindly of you will ever be welcome in this house, and I will not tolerate that behavior from even you.” said Therese’s mother, Mary.

Kara broke into tears, and took a gripping mom hug from her other mom. “I got the birthday cards from you every year, I am so sorry. I should have come sooner.” Kara said.

“It would have been nice to have you home sooner, but it is never too late. Welcome home, we love you.” said Therese’s mother, continuing the hug.

“Kara?” Therese’s dad had walked up to see who was at the door. “Welcome back.” he said, accepting her hug. “Therese is in her room.” he said, walking away, and then “Please leave the garden outside.” Kara grimaced, so long ago she and Therese had decided to build a garden in Therese’s bedroom. Her dad didn’t notice until after the dirt was in the room, and the two little girls were carrying buckets of water. Kara walked to Therese’s room, she knew exactly where it was. Therese was sitting on the bed. She looked up at Kara.

“Rule one. Quit apologizing, once a Space-Girl forgives, she forgives.” said Therese, quoting the Space-Girl code. Kara nodded her head agreeing.

“Rule two. Don’t lick the fingers you pick up chips with.” said Therese quoting the girls’ own rule from so long ago.

“Rule three. Space-Girls never give up.” finished Therese.

“Rule four.” said Kara. “If two Space-Girls grab the same chip, we break it. Because Space-Girls always forget and lick their fingers.” said Kara quoting the girls’ code. Therese smiled flatly, her friend was really back. Therese was able to muster a full half-grin.

Therese put in the lost Space-Girl movie, and they watched. Neither girl said a word until it was over, captivated by the footage, even if it was the second time Therese watched it. “Wow.” said Kara, this changes the whole series. Why did they ban it?” asked Kara.

“I don’t know, it isn’t that bad if you like Space-Girl Michelle.” said Therese.

Kara looked at her toy robot gopher “This really explains so much about you. “

“One apology I still owe you, I am very sorry for the ways I acted, the things I said and I did, I hope you’ll forgive me. I can’t imagine what I put everyone through.” said Therese to Kara. Kara sat back down next to Therese and put her arm around her.

“I really can’t imagine what you went through. It hurt me to see you suffer, but I don’t think for a moment that little girl had much more control over what she was doing, than what was happening to her.” said Kara.

“It was a horror movie. I hope you can never imagine what it was like, but I can’t imagine was like for everyone else, I am so remorseful and embarrassed to the world.” said Therese.

“Part of growing up for everyone, is they need to accept that good people mess up all the time. It’s not what you fuck up, it’s what you do right. If you count your losses, it’ll destroy you. Those baseball players, the really good ones, they get a hit a third of the time. No one calls them two-thirds losers.” said Kara, letting her guard down and revealing her real maturity.

“Did I do anything to you during that time?” asked Therese sheepishly.

“Nothing you could have ever done to me, could be worse than me running out on you and shoving you away. And you forgive me for that?” asked Kara.

“Of course, I only ever missed you. I can’t tell you how many nights I stared at the black window in the hospital wishing my life was different, and you were there. When I did get to go back to school, and I was in the special ed building, there were regular students who would come in to help, to mentor, I kept wishing you would come. I know I screwed up so bad, but I always knew right in here (Therese pointed at her heart), one day we would be like we were again.” said Therese.

“Yep, that really makes me feel like a bigger piece of shit than I already did. I’m sorry I didn’t go to the hospital, it scared the shit out of me.” said Kara.

“Oh fuck, you should see it from the inside.” Therese told her.

“Remember that summer in Jr. High when I did have to stay here with you, during my parents’ divorce?” asked Kara. She was curious how much Therese remembered, especially the part of about Therese travelling back in time, them stealing a space-ship and the worst promise Kara had ever been sworn to keep.

“Not much, I was medicated like a zombie.” said Therese. She really did not remember much, she was very sedated. She remembered Kara’s face being bruised up. “I’m sorry I hurt you.” said Therese crying.

“You didn’t hurt me. My dad beat the shit out of me. That’s why I was here. He was in jail, and mom was in the hospital.” Kara told her, as she lost control and began sobbing uncontrollably. Therese was crying too.

“Oh God, I never knew, I am so sorry. I am sorry. I am so sorry.” Therese said, hugging Kara back. “I’m the other shitty friend.” said Therese. The time period was so confusing to Therese, and mostly she slept, took medications, suffered and slept. It was like her brain was wiped.

“Here, this room, with you, this was the best place in the world for me when we were little, when my dad beat me, and right now too.” said Kara. The two girls sat in silence for several minutes, sharing a box of tissues. They both gained an understanding they had lacked for each other, and further cemented the bonds of unbreakable friendship.

Soon Kara said her goodnights, and left. One more day of finals left. Life was changing. The girls agreed to do Space-Girl night more often. A small void in each of them was filled. A rift in space sealed. Kara looked at her black eye in the mirror when she got home, she was glad it happened. She went to bed holding her own stuffed rabbit and fell asleep dreaming of her and Therese helping Space-Girl Michelle save the day somewhere.