Richard turned and stared back at the horizon, his hand gripping on the handle.

“So, was it worth it? Doing what you could just to get into power?”

“Of course,” Lily replied, trying to keep it together. “It wasn’t like I had a choice. The world won’t wait for weaklings or quitters. You have to do what you can to survive out there, no matter what.”

“But...”

“I like the position I’m in, I’d hate to imagine what could’ve happened if I did things differently.” She wiped her eyes and turned back toward him. “It’s not easy. Sometimes you have to make unnecessary sacrifices to live a good, or even decent life, even if you don’t want to.”

“Or else get swept under the rug and be forgotten?”

“Or worse...”

Richard rubbed his forehead and sighed. “This is ridiculous.”

“Nothing we can do about it. Things happen, things change, we just have to adapt, like it or not,” Lily said weakly. “I learned the hard way back then, had to change myself altogether, appearance, and personality. I needed to get people on my side, gain their trust, nobody would accept the old me.”

“You didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. You shouldn’t need to change to get people to like and respect you.”

“Well, you didn’t know what I looked like or how I acted back then...”

“You’re right, I don’t. For all I know, you could be lying to me, and I don’t think that’s the case. But still...” Richard slammed his fist on the handlebar, catching Lily off guard. “Who are they to decide if you’re acceptable for society or not? That you have to be a certain way to feel loved and sustain a good life?” He rubbed his forehead and groaned in frustration. “Nobody should tell you how to live and control your life! You shouldn’t have to give in to social expectations like that.”

Lily’s mouth gaped; she couldn’t believe what rang through her ears as she covered her mouth. Her face turned redder as more water formed around her eyes. Had anyone ever told her about all that? Somebody cared about her, showed concern for her, enough to express their thoughts and listen to her woes. She didn’t know how to feel about it, especially to someone like him, someone she dismissed at first.

Soon, they turned their heads and finally made eye contact, their faces trying so hard to hide the pain and grief from inside them. Lily’s face changed into a shade of red that matched her hair as she rubbed her eyes and turned away.

“Are you ok?” Richard asked.

“I’m fine,” Lily replied. She turned back to look at him. This time, her face was puffy, but beaming, and her hands were behind her back. “Thanks for the talk. I feel a little better now. I also needed to get that out of my chest, actually.”

“It’s not a problem. Glad you feel better.”

Lily checked her watch and gasped. “It’s already this late?” Now that she thought about it, the music from down below stopped. “I better get going. But first...” She dug into her dress pockets and pulled out a shiny blue object. “Here you go, I have no need for this.”

“No way, you had the real one?” Richard asked, his eyes widening.

“Yeah, this is what you came for, right?”

“Um, well...” He hesitated for a moment, as he had forgotten about it altogether. “Where’d you get that?”

“I stole it.”

“What? Why?”

Lily stepped closer as she handed him the capsule. “I’ll warn you now, don’t trust those members at the W.A.S.P. I don’t know the names, but they’re not as they seem.”

Richard looked down at the object. “Will I like what I see here?”

“The contents are pretty messed up. You guys will have a hard time watching it, especially Mindy. But I suppose that’s the price you pay, she’ll probably still want to see it despite that.”

So, Lily does care about her too, in a way. Probably shouldn’t tempt her, though. “Will I ever see you again?”

“Maybe, I don’t know.” Lily shrugged, then stroked her chin. “Now that I think about it, I do know one guys’ name from a long time ago. His name was Carlos.”

“Carlos?” Richard’s body stiffened up. “I’ve heard that name before.”

“I think they were friends at some point, or at least, acquaintances. But something happened between the two. They hadn’t spoken to each other since, but I couldn’t care less if they have a grudge against one another.”

A grudge, huh? I’ll keep that in mind. Richard stuffed the container in his pocket and smiled at Lily. “Thank you for your time tonight.”

“No problem, and thanks for hearing me out,” Lily replied.

“You’re welcome. Maybe I’ll see you again real soon?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

The two wrapped their arms around each other for an embrace. Time continued to slow down for them as they let the moment sink in. Eventually, the two headed back down to the party. Shortly after, they both went their separate ways.