Quinn awoke that morning to find the Pants neatly folded and sitting on top of her desk. She scooped them up and held them in her arms for awhile, embracing their magic before putting them on. Then she went to room 101 to see Dana and Nicole. Zoey would be arriving back from basketball camp that day and they were going to greet her by the door when she came.
Quinn walked down the hallway and then knocked on the room 101 door. After a few minutes, the door opened. Nicole stood there, looking sad. She held a sweater in one hand and a pair of socks in the other. Once she saw Quinn she quickly threw the socks down and said, "Hey, Quinn… come in."
Quinn walked into the room. It was a mess in there. Nicole's suitcase was out on her bed and clothes were thrown around everywhere. Dana sat on her bed, curled up in a ball, her eyes wide and shiny as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment. Quinn frowned. The atmosphere in the room wasn't a nice one.
"What's going on?" she asked timidly.
"Nothing," Nicole said, picking a t-shirt up from the ground and carefully folding it and shoving it into her suitcase. Dana watched her as she moved around the room, collecting and packing up her things. Quinn sat down on the floor and cautiously glanced back and forth between Dana and Nicole. There was a long silence before someone spoke again.
"Tell her, Nicole," Dana snapped. "Tell her you're leaving."
"What?" Quinn exclaimed. "You're leaving?"
Nicole sighed heavily as she zipped up the front pocket of her suitcase. "Well…yes, I am. I won't be coming back next semester." She choked on her words and told herself not to burst into tears. That wouldn't do anyone any good at all. She didn't want to let her friends see her cry.
"Why?" Quinn said, her voice quivering.
"I've got some things to do at home, that's all," Nicole murmured.
There was another long silence. Then Dana, who had been holding in all her anger, burst out furiously. "I can't believe you're doing this! What's so important that you have to drop out of school? I mean, seriously, do your parents know about this? What would your mom say if she-"
Nicole slammed her suitcase shut, making a loud banging sound. There was a frightened silence that hung in the air. Then Nicole, wiping her eyes quickly, glanced at her watch and said, "Come on, it's time to go meet Zoey." She quickly rushed out of the room. After awhile, Dana and Quinn followed.
Zoey pressed her head against the window. The bus shook as it made its way back to PCA. Zoey's basketball skills had grown plenty, but she herself felt as if she had shrunk. She had no more energy to do anything. Alicia kept trying to get her to do eat or talk, but Zoey had shaken her head in response. Chase and Thomas had also apologized several times, but she wasn't sure what would happen after she forgave them. She was too confused to think.
"We've arrived!" the bus driver called. People cheered and hurriedly stood up to get off the bus and meet up with their friends. Zoey glanced out the window and far away she saw the shadows of Nicole, Dana, and Quinn making their way out to meet her. She quickly ran out of the bus, grabbing her things. She pushed her way past other people and was running toward her friends.
"Nicole!" she yelled. "Dana! Quinn!"
The three girls were waving at her. She got closer and closer and then the next thing she knew, the four of them were embraced in a tight group hug. Then Nicole started to cry. Silent tears ran down her face, but they weren't silent for long. Hearing her cry, Zoey started to wail which set Dana and Quinn off. The four of them stood there, hugging and crying for a very long time.
Late at night, past their curfew, the Sisterhood sat around a candle in the student lounge. They sat in a circle with their hands clasped together as they had the day the Pants had come to them. This time they had tears in their eyes as they spoke of their time in the Pants. They each shared their stories. When it was Nicole's turn she was going to lie and say that nothing had happened to her, but she ended up sobbing and telling them the entire truth.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Dana said, whispering.
"I didn't want to worry you or…"
"That's why you were crying in the bathroom," Quinn said, tears shining in her eyes.
Zoey looked alarmed. "Nicole! Why didn't you write to me?"
Nicole hung her head in shame. "I don't know…"
Each girl sat still. Then Zoey said something that all of them were thinking. "We'll miss you, Nicole. PCA won't be the same without you, you know?"
Silent tears ran down each of the girls' faces. They all nodded. Then Quinn said, in a hopefully cheery voice, "Well, that's ok! We can still keep in touch. And Nicole will be back one of these days." She choked on her words.
"We'll send you the pants when it's your turn, Nicole," Dana said quietly. "We'll still be the Sisterhood of the Nail Polish Stained Pants. You just won't be here at school, that's all. Nothing will have changed."
They both sat in silence. Then Nicole laughed. "Yeah, nothing will change."
They exchanged stories and jokes for the rest of the time. Then the candle burnt out so they all went upstairs. They all had a new burning hope in their hearts. They would always be the Sisterhood no matter where they were and they would always share the Pants. Next semester would be a whole new story for them.
So that's the end! Yep, I hope you guys all liked it :) I'm thinking of making a sequel. You know, like the real Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants has three books out? Should I do that? Leave a review and tell me your thoughts! THANKS FOR READNG!