Lust Front

"FIGHTING FOR"

"Where do we even go next?! We don't have any more clues."

"That's the point. We need a new lead. Who's the last person she met with?"

"...ME!"

"Other than you. We should ask some other people, maybe let's check out the plaza."

"This is a shot in the dark. It better fucking work."

"Relax, Vanilla Ice. Someone there must know something. There's a lot of foot traffic around here. It's only been 30 minutes since the new guy moved in so maybe she's still in town."

"So who do we ask first?"

"Wait. I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Go in the ice cream shop. I guarantee the guy there can help you."

I grumble and walk in.

Cause I know exactly why he's the guy I should talk to.

Juliet stays outside asking people, and I see Shaun laugh smugly when he sees my face.

"Oh, haha! Look who it is, it's CONNER!"

Everyone is confused.

"Shaun. You know Emilia, right?"

"Uh... describe her?"

"Short, brown hair, thin. You recognize her?"

"Dunno, there's a lot of girls I know. What's she like?"

"The hot-headed kind? Really laid back and mostly unserious?"

"OHHH! YEAH! Yeah, she just came and got ice cream actually. Why, are you chasing after her?"

"Uh huh, yeah. It'll be the last time you see her if you don't hurry up and tell me where she went."

Suddenly, a woman in an apron comes from the staff room.

"Shaun. Tell him, he needs to know."

"Aaah. Fine. She bought a moose tracks scoop and went out towards the Royal Hills, that direction. She had her backpack and everything."

"Shit. JULIET, WE GOTTA GO!"

"Heh. Juliet. Man, she's an awesome one. I remember the time we did it on a SURFBOARD, and-"

Juliet walks in.

"Oh, hey Shaun. Wanna finish that sentence?"

"Nah. Wasn't important. Want some ice cream?"

"Honestly, no. Conner, let's get moving."

"WAIT! Not even a goodbye?"

"...Seriously, go fuck yourself. You can have Delilah all to yourself."

Now I know how Shaun is.

"He's dating Delilah too?"

"Sure, you could call it that. But you probably couldn't call it dating. He goes through girls like snacks."

"Why is Emilia going for the Royal Hills?"

"Because that leads outside the wall."

"Why would she leave the wall?!"

"Get herself killed. That's an Emilia thing."

As we start to come closer to a bus stop, I see precisely Emilia with her backpack, right about to get on the bus.

"EMILIA!"

I sprint my lungs out and hug her as tightly as I possibly can.

"What are you doing here?..."

"I found you... What could I do without you?"

"Conner, I need to go..."

"Why?!"

"I can't pay my rent. And this isn't my city anymore."

"Emilia. There are so many people here that care about you! I even brought Juliet because she could help me."

"YOU BROUGHT HER?!"

She waves.

"Hey sis."

"Why do you care about me so much, Conner?"

"Because. You ghosting me for so long hit me so hard that... I didn't want to be alone either."

"I was drunk that night. I wasn't serious at all."

"YOU might not believe it, but it was true. If I wasn't there, you would have been screwed for sure."

"What?"

"A wise man once told me..."

"Please save it. I'm gonna go now."

"NO! Don't get on that bus."

"Give me a reason not to. I wanna start over. Have a new life."

I clench my fists and walk around, right in front of her.

"Start over what? You told me this is what you always wanted. And now you don't want to have a new life because I saw you come close to TAKING your own."

"I..."

"You might be losing a lot but you're not alone in this. And you can still start over in the same town. I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to stay here."

"I have nowhere else to live, Conner."

"You're gonna live with me. I'll make space in my apartment and you'll move in. You're already unpacked."

"...Why?"

"You need me. And you're so afraid to admit it."

"Goddammit..."

She puts her bag down and embraces me again.

"See, we could always work it out in the end."

"Come on, Conner. There was nothing fighting for."