clean slate | charlie swan

~ the one where they meet

Lex looks around as she drives the beat up u-haul into the small town, holding in an eye roll as she does; of course her best friend convinces her to move to one of the dullest towns she has ever heard of. But what cleaner slate is there than a town you have never been to? This is what she wanted - and what she needed. 

She follows the GPS to the address of her friends home; it has been years since she saw her best friend last and her excitement is bubbling. Cammy moved here with her husband Mick when they graduated, but his parents fell ill and the visits became less frequent; to be fair, it is a long ass journey from Washington to Cali, especially now they're both working adults. Well, Lex WAS a working adult. Now she's barely an adult.

Cammy instantly rushes to the door as she sees the van pull up. "You're here!!!"

Alex smiles and jumps out, running into the tiny blonde's arms. "I am!!"

"Oh Lex." Cam sighs and holds her friend tightly. After a moment she pulls away, cupping her friends face. "My poor baby."

Alex rolls her eyes. "I'm 34 years old, shut up. I'm not the only person who's ever gotten divorced."

"Come inside, I'll show you your room." Cam grins, grabbing her friends hand.

Lex forces a smile; how has her friend still got the same spark she had when they met aged 5? The woman has birthed 4 kids, works 70 hours a week and still smiles. Lex, on the other hand? She was almost arrested just yesterday because someone cut her off and she flipped. Which friend has their life together? We'll never know!

Cammy pulls her through her semi-luxurious home, out the back to the garage. It looks to have recently been extended and repaired, a relief to Alex, and Cammy pushes the door open. "Tadaaaa." She sing.

Lex looks around and smiles, her eyes roaming over everything. "Oh Cam... You know I only asked for a room, right?"

"Now you have a little house. Look, you've been through so much lately and I just want you to have a place you can come and cry, or yell, or let loose." Cam hugs her friend.

Alex looks around the small area; it's been done up to utilise all the space as best as possible. Against the garage door rests a small tan  couch with a few throw cushions, a big fluffy rug in the centre. To the left of the door they walked in there's a small kitchen area, just a few cupboards, a sink, a microwave and cooker. And then a small double bed is squeezed into the corner of the room, neatly made with grey bedsheets and throw pillows. Then a small barn door separates what looks like a small closet and bathroom area.

Lex pouts as she gets emotional. "You're gonna make me cry." She whispers, covering her face.

"Well, I'd rather you cry over something positive than the waste of a space man you just left behind." Cam says. "Come on, I'm making pie. If we hurry up, we can eat most of it before the leeches get home with their dad."

Alex laughs a little and sniffs as she follows her friend back in the house. She sits at the kitchen island and grabs a fork as Cam sets a cherry pie down and sits beside her. "So what's happened since I called you 3 hours ago?"

Alex rolls her eyes as she eats some pie right from the tin tray. "Not much. He's messaged every day telling me to let him know when I get here. Then I see he's out with some random girls again." She sighs.

"And why haven't we blocked his number already?" Cam rolls her eyes. "I t-"

"Camilla Hargroves, you say one more syllable of what I know you're about to say and I will shoot you." Alex warns, pointing the fork at her friend.

Cam smirks, chewing slowly. "You sure you're done being a cop?"

"Yes. Done as done can be." She says, putting the fork down. "Plus I don't think I want your husband as my boss."