In Pursuit Of ✔

Los Angeles

Henley slowly pushed herself out of the car. She hobbled out onto the sidewalk, leaning on her cane.

"Do you want me to wait for you, or will you call me when you're done?" The agent in the driver's seat leaned across the front seat, staring at Henley through the window.

"I'll call you," Henley reassured her. Despite what the agent may have seemed to suggest, Henley knew C.O.D.E. wouldn't be far. They never were these days.

The car drove off from the curb, and Henley turned around to face the apartment building. Almost four months after graduation, Henley was finally going to see her best friend.

Henley had warned Alyssa that she was coming, of course. Her friend would probably have a heart attack if Henley just showed up at the front door after months of being presumed dead. But they hadn't spoken much; the explanation Henley owed Alyssa wasn't one she could give over the phone.

Henley had begun to ask, or beg, C.O.D.E. to allow her to travel to Los Angeles from the moment she arrived home in Boston. Unfortunately, while C.O.D.E. was relatively willing to work out the security details, Henley had a harder job convincing her doctors and physical therapist to clear her for travel. It took her a month, but Henley finally made enough progress on her physical health to convince them.

Now, Henley hobbled up the stairs of Alyssa's apartment building. Alyssa had just started medical school at UCLA, but despite being back in a university environment, Henley could hear no sounds of ongoing parties. Alyssa lived relatively far from campus; apparently, she had lost her taste for party lifestyle.

On reaching Alyssa's door, any nervousness that had been coursing through Henley's system dissipated and excitement replaced it. If anyone could give her a sense of normalcy, it was Alyssa.

As soon as Henley rapped her knuckles on the door, it flew open. The two girls stood there staring at each other.

"Honestly, I almost didn't believe it," Alyssa breathed. "But you're actually here."

"There were definitely a couple times that I didn't think I'd ever make it here, either."

A few more moments of staring and then the two girls were in each other's arms, both trying not to cry.

"Oh my gosh, come in, come in," Alyssa said, standing back from the doorway. She eyed Henley's limp and cane, but refrained from saying anything just yet.

"I like your place," Henley commented. The apartment was small, but clean, with updated appliances and nice furniture. It was a dream compared to the place the pair lived in at Berkeley.

"And I only have one roommate, which is nice," Alyssa said happily. "Although she's nothing compared to you," she added generously.

"No one compares to me," Henley teased, dramatically flicking the brown tips of her hair off her shoulder. She took a seat on Alyssa's couch, standing for too long was still uncomfortable, and Alyssa went into the kitchen, pulled out two cartons of ice cream, and handed one to Henley as she returned to the living space.

"Ugh, chocolate chip cookie dough, it's been so long," Henley moaned as she dug into the pint.

Alyssa pulled her feet up onto the couch, curling into a ball. "My roommate is with her boyfriend tonight, so we have the place to ourselves." She left her statement open. Henley knew she wanted answers.

"I know you must be dying to ask questions," Henley beat her friend to the punch. "And I definitely have answers, and I definitely owe you an explanation. But, I just really want to know, what happened that night from your perspective?"