Michelle-Note: Yes, this is the end. And I didn't even have to kill anyone off......yet! *gasp*

Chapter 26: The End! Again!

Ren: Stevens' House, kitchen, Sacramento: 6:32pm: August 15

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was it. In the morning I'd be leaving for a cross-country quest to Princeton. I was going all alone. My parents weren't even helping me to move…said it would build character. I'd already loaded up my silly Jeep with everything that I thought would matter, except my toiletries, which were going in tomorrow. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow everything would change. I'd be leaving everything I know. Everything I'd grown so fond of and been used to…I wouldn't be in my comfort zone anymore. I'd have to readjust. The thought made me feel like I was going to have a panic attack, so I decided not to think about it for the time being.

I sat down for dinner with the family. Even Donnie had come to see me off. This wasn't helping to stop me from thinking about tomorrow…

"Why don't you invite Tawny? I haven't seen her in so long," Mom said, absently. Also clueless.

Louis motioned for her to be quiet, but she clearly missed the hint.

"She's busy." I said, and began scooping salad onto my plate.

"Oh." She shrugged.

"Ruby and Twitty are coming over tonight. We're gonna hang out, watch some movies…whatever," I told her, "After dinner."

"That's good."

So much for me not thinking about leaving. She was going to cry tomorrow. She was going to create some huge scene in our driveway, disturb the neighbors, and embarrass me during my last moments in Sacramento. I needed to mentally prepare for it.

I passed the salad on to Louis, who took it upon himself to say, "I think I'm going to miss you, sis."

"Oh, shut up." I turned to dad, "Pass the bleu cheese, please."

"Be nice to Louis," he said as he handed me the bottle.

"Dad, he tortured me for most of my life."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. How's the salad, Eileen?"

"Excellent." Mom answered.

"College is sweet," Donnie commented, "The parties…the parties…the not living at home…the women…"

I looked at him like he didn't know me at all.

Louis snorted, "Ren…party. She didn't even party at her own party."

"I did," I protested.

"Be nice to Ren," dad said.

After the salad and forced conversation, mom brought out the main course. Asparagus, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and a turkey. It was like a miniature Thanksgiving…all because I was driving across the country in the morning.

Oh God…tomorrow.

In the morning.

As I was attempting to take a bite of mashed potatoes, mom asked as clueless as always, "Why don't you invite Tawny over after dinner?" Louis' head fell, and he again motioned for her to be silent, but she didn't notice until too late. Her focus shifted to him, "Is something the matter, Louis?"

He looked up innocently, "No. Why?"

"You keep making erratic jerking motions…"

Dad and Donnie continued eating obliviously, making content noises.

Louis shrugged and shook his head, "Must be unconscious…or epilepsy?"

She continued to eye him, but seemed to accept his response. She looked back at me and I swallowed my mashed potatoes forcefully before she said, "Did you and Tawny have some sort of tiff? She hasn't been over here in several months." Then she looked back at Louis, "Did you do something?"

"What?! Me?! No. Tawny still talks to me." He said with shock and dismay.

Mom shook her fork at me, "But she doesn't still talk to you?"

"What? Why is this relevant?" I had pushed the girl far to the back of my mind over the past few weeks and completely focused on packing and preparing for college life…memorizing the campus map and the names of the library staff and important things of that nature.

"It's not, I guess. Not my business. I liked Tawny is all, and just noticed she hadn't been around…"

It was like she knew things she shouldn't know and she was trying to pry them out of me. Moms have a way of knowing things and then prying, but I wouldn't give in. I said, "We weren't that good of friends anyway. She was Louis' friend."

Louis nodded in agreement, but couldn't speak due to a mouthful of food that, for once, he didn't try to just talk through.

"That's not true." Donnie decided to participate in the conversation, "You two were like BFFs."

"BFFs?" Dad piped up, "Is that some of that internet talk? Boy…friend…fondue?"

Louis snickered and forked another huge slice of turkey into his mouth.

I bit into my bread, hoping everyone would get distracted. I even prayed for a brief moment.

And then, as if God decided to give a rat's ass, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" I announced joyously, wiping my hands and running from the room.

Before I even completely got the door open, Ruby burst through, "Oh my God!"

"What's wrong?!" I asked frantically, thinking something horrible had happened.

She waved a magazine in front of me so quickly that I couldn't even imagine seeing what it was, "This is so exciting and relevant to you that I couldn't wait until after dinner to tell you!"

I assumed there was no horrible accident, and I glared at her, although I was grateful she interrupted the Tawny-themed conversation of my family dinner, "What?"

"Guess who is going to Princeton with you?!"

"Who?!" I asked her with faux-enthusiasm, and I even waved my arms.

"London Tipton!" She yelled and shoved the magazine in my face.

I squinted at it. It was some celebrity magazine featuring the thin, over-sexed brunette on the cover with the article title: Princeton Get Ready to Party: London Going to College. I don't know why this was supposed to interest me and I pushed it aside, "Is that…the girl…whose dad owns the Tipton hotels…the one that is famous for absolutely no reason? Didn't she get arrested with cocaine in her pocket a few months ago?"

"Oh my God! Yes! You need to let me meet her!"

This went over my head, "Ok…because only the two of us will be at Princeton together, and she's certain to want to be friends with me…and I am highly inclined to hang out with people who have cocaine in their pockets. Right. I'll do that for you because you're my best friend."

"Ruby, would you like some dinner?" My mom called from the kitchen, "There's enough to feed an army in here!"

The End

Michelle-Note #2: London Tipton?! What?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?! Exactly! It means I have incorporated yet ANOTHER Disney show into this cesspool of lesbianism fanfiction. I bet you can guess who I'm pairing her with too........NOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT!!!