Lulu walked into the living room with a smile on her face, excited at the idea of spending the whole weekend out of town and in the middle of nowhere, alongside the people she loved the most.

She had a small bag hanging on her shoulder and she dropped it near the one that belonged to Fezco.

The noise caught the man's attention and he walked out of the bathroom, "You going already?"

Lulu didn't waste a second and she wrapped her arms around his torso, gently pecking his lips, "Yeah, gotta help Lexi out on a few things."

Fezco pouted, caressing her back with his fingers, "Okay, ma'..."

"I'll see you in there, anyways," Lulu said, "Just... don't be too late, okay?"

Fezco pretended to be shocked at her words and she brushed him off with a giggle, pulling away from his embrace and shooting a look at her sister, "You didn't pack your bags yet, am I right?"

Zahia did look like she was all over the place, desperately running her hands through her hair as she seemed to be looking for something in the living room, moving every cushion from the couch, "I'm almost done, I swear!"

Lulu rolled her eyes, "Whatever, but don't forget to go get your tickets or you won't be able to watch the play, I got us a full row with Rue."

"Okay!"

Finally, Lulu noticed Ashtray from the corner of her eye. He had a backpack at his feet and glared at Lulu's on growing smirk, "Damn, you're all set. I'm impressed."

Ashtray mocked a laugh, "Shut up."

She lifted her hands in the air but playfully tiptoed behind him to pinch his cheek, earning a slap on the hand in return. Lulu giggled and opened the front door, turning around to look at them one last time, "Okay, I'm going. Text me when you're there!"

She took a few extra seconds to make eye contact with Fezco, making him wink, and she finally left the house, hopped on her scooter and drove all the way to the school.

... ... ...

The adrenaline was highly palpable within the school walls, students in costumes were running around, some of them were rehearsing with their faces buried in lockers —making Lulu laugh as she could easily picture herself doing the exact same thing if she ever was in their shoes, and others were carrying props to the auditorium.

She found a determined Lexi in the backstage area, checking some final details on a clipboard. She let out a sigh of relief when her eyes met with Lulu, "Are you sure this isn't just all shit?"

Lulu couldn't help the loud laugh that echoed loudly all around them, "Oh, Lex... From what I saw, it's absolute genius," she reassured, giving her a comforting hug, "And... sorry to break it down to you but it's kinda too late to change anything now."

"What if everybody hates me after?"

Lulu rolled her eyes, "Let them, it doesn't fucking matter. Like... do you care what people actually think?"

Lexi stared at her with her eyes opened widely, unable to answer. She didn't know if she cared about their opinions or more so about their opinions of her changing.

"You're just scared of sharing your opinions," Lulu explained, "Cause you know most people aren't gonna like what you say about them. Hell, am I gonna like what you see of me?", the girl grimaced, fully aware that she had fucked up many times and that it would be perfect to create a messed up character, "I have no fucking clue. I might love it but I might hate it."

Lulu caught Lexi's face contorting in panick but she was quick to shake her head in disapproval, going further to the point she was making, "No, no, it's okay if I hate it. That'd be weird if I didn't, y'know? You're gonna show what people hate most about themselves. And why'd they freak about it? Cause they're not comfortable with these parts."

Lexi knew how mature Lulu was. She had been for as long as she could remember. But hearing her using the perfect words to comfort her into being her most vulnerable self on stage —bringing everybody else down with her as well, almost made her tear up right there in the crowded hallway.

"So... for someone else to notice and to actually make a fucking play about why everybody's just messed up?" Lulu added with a smirk before letting out an excited shriek, "Hell yes! I can't fucking wait for anyone to try and come at you 'cause I'll beat their asses!"

Lexi tackled her in a big embrace, "Thank you, Lulu... Really."

The two girls pulled away and shared a warm look, the kind of looks that could only exist within a strong relationship, Lulu clapping in her hands joyfully, "Okay, you don't need me anymore!" and she walked past everyone, knowing Rue was probably waiting for her outside, "Everyone, break a leg!"

And she was right, Rue was standing outside of the school building, chatting with Enolla. She jumped on her back, Rue letting out a fearful scream before recognizing her best friend's giggles, putting her down and desperately trying to glare at her but it was no use when she noticed Lulu beaming at her, "You look so good!"

Rue's heart warmed at the compliment, she could feel in her tone that it was genuine and that it was in no way a comparison to all the previous states she had witnessed in the past. She just pointed out what she saw, "Thanks! I do... feel good."

Lulu pecked her cheek and finally focused her attention on Enolla, giving her a hug, "Hey! Perfectly on time, as always!"

"You know me," she replied with a smile.

Lulu scrutinized the parking lot, "Refn's not here?"

"Not yet, but you two should go inside," Enolla said as many people were starting to walk inside the school, "I'll wait for him."

Lulu and Rue didn't waste a second, both eager to see what Lexi had put together in her play. But when the doors were a few minutes away from closing and that her sister, Fezco and Ashtray hadn't made their way inside, she let out a long sigh and decided to text her sister.

i swear if you guys are late

imma kill you all

jk i love you

you're stuck with me anyways

SO HURRY UP

She rolled her eyes when the lights were turned off and that they still hadn't made it. They wouldn't like what was coming for them after the play.

Lulu grabbed Rue's hand when the opening scene started, a perfect representation of the funeral that had scarred her best friend for life.

"I knew Jade had been doing drugs but it wasn't until that day, at her dad's memorial, that I realized they were a greater comfort than I ever could be," Lexi's prerecorded voice echoed, " Maybe that's a silly observation but I was only thirteen."

Unconsciously, Rue tightened her grip and Lulu let her thumb trace circles on her skin, feeling Rue relaxing next to her.

"It was the summer before I started ninth grade, back when we thought we'd all be friends forever," a white light illuminated the stage, followed closely by a loud drumroll.

A stool was displayed in the middle of the stage with a camera. Lexi bursted on stage, sitting down and smiling at the camera, "They were six of us," a click and a flashing light as Lexi posed, "There was me, Grace," Lexi smiled one last time before quickly disappearing backstage and Hallie popped up, representing Cassie, "My sister, Hallie," the camera clicked and flashed, "Her best friend, Marta," click and flash, "Marta's best friend, Luna."

"And my best friends, Jade..." Jade stood nonchalantly on the stool, not even bothered by the camera's flash as she was soon replaced by another girl, "And Mona."

Lulu had to refrain a gasp at the visible resemblance, from the hair to the unimpressed look and even to the fashion style that was the perfect representation of how she used to dress up when she was thirteen.

What followed suit was exactly how it had been put together and rehearsed —Lulu knowing that Lexi would go up to Hallie and ask her to tame it down just a little bit.

She cheered and laughed her heart out when Ethan came on stage, portraying Lexi's mother, and she whistled when Lexi walked amongst all the students eyeing her up and down at what she hoped she would look like after puberty.

Then, the scene where Hallie would reassure Grace about her appearance started and Lulu grew visibly impatient that her sister, Fezco and Ashtray hadn't made it yet. She excused herself and grabbed her phone, ready to burst out of the auditorium for a minute when the scene on stage took an unexpected turn, something that had been kept a secret from her.

"A little exchange... and I fall in love," Lexi's voice spoke softly through the speakers, "And I did fall in love."

Lulu was walking up the stairs leading to the door but she froze at the next words, "With Mona."

Her heart skipped a beat. The world stopped spinning and her breath stuck in her throat as she slowly spun on her heels, making straight eye contact with Lexi who was looking at her with an expression that wondered, "Do you hate me now?".

Lexi looked away, now focusing on Mona who was sitting at the edge of the stage, her legs dangling in the air and a contagious smile on her lips, "How cliché, right? Falling for your best friend. Well, let me tell you a bit more about Mona."

Lulu had to blink a couple of times to fully process what was happening on stage. She felt the eyes of Rue and Maddy on her and she quickly sat back down next to Rue, trying to avoid any form of attention.

"Mona's the type of girl everybody falls in love with. Everybody," Lexi confessed through the speakers, "She was spice but she was sugar. Fierce but very caring. And she would fight off anyone who hurt the people she loved."

Mona was now staring at a random girl in the middle of a packed cafeteria, "Sorry, Grace is a what?"

The girl looked terrified, almost shaking but Mona couldn't feel an ounce of pity as she slowly poured her soda over the girl's head, all while carrying a satisfied grin on her lips. Even more slowly, Mona leaned forward and lifted the girl's chin with one finger, cocking her head to the side, "Now... next time I hear you say anything about Grace. I'll make you eat a fork."

At this point, Lulu had a hand covering her mouth at the accuracy of the scene that had just happened beneath her eyes. People in the audience could be heard snickering and gasping but a playful shove from Rue and she was remembering what Lexi had literally confessed in front of everyone, "Did you know?"

"No, but I'm not surprised," Rue said, "Like she said, everybody was in love with you at some point."

Mona was now surrounded by lights, people holding microphones, two cameras and someone holding a clapboard near her face. Lexi appeared at the side, under a bright spotlight, "She went to become a movie star. At fourteen."

The clapboard's sound was heard and suddenly the scene was becoming live, "And... action!" the director said as Mona looked far off into the distance, her face turning into one of sadness in less than a few seconds.

The light that was onto the entire stage slowly started focusing on Mona, the more she was on the verge of crying, the more the light focused onto her and her only.

The cameras, lights and microphones were removed and Lexi's voice broke the silence, "But, then, her life became a movie. A very hard one to watch," Mona now had a bottle of wine in her hands, gulping it down like it was water, "And probably an even harder one to be in," and Mona broke down crying.

Now, it was Rue's turn to grab Lulu's hand and to rub her thumb against her skin.

... ... ...

, soooooooo i'm back?!?!?! i am so extremely sorry!!!! i have been so busy lately with work, moving out, personal stuff and my mental health. i know many of you were pissed that i literally vanished but this story is soooo meaningful to me and i really wanted to write something i liked!

but i'm definitely back on track and you will get the end of this season!!!

sooooo, your thoughts???? some of you saw what was coming with lexi cause i like to drop a few hints (and some go back to season 1 actually eheh)

anyways, what are you expecting next????