Finch closed the door behind her headmaster, crossing the room to sit at the foot of Lizzie’s bed.
“I, uh …” Finch didn’t really know how to start. She thought if she dropped it all on Lizzie’s at once - all the mushy, gushy feelings stuff - she might scare her away. So, she eased into it. “I know we weren’t, like, great friends before.”
“Because I was pretty awful to you, yeah.”
“No.” Finch shook her head. “Because I was listening to one side of the story. One side of the story that, as it turns out, was really fucking biased.”
Lizzie glanced up in surprise.
“I’m not stupid. I mean, I was. But I saw Josie’s true colors.” Finch reached out to hold Lizzie’s hand in hers. “I know you’re not the selfish sister she made you out to be.”
“But I am a selfish person. I made you relive the worst day of your life.”
“Yeah, uh, about that. I think you jumping in Malivore sort of … undid your memory spell.”
“Oh my god …”
“I don’t really understand spells and witch business, but what I do understand is grief. And burying the memory so deep that you can’t even remember it is not grieving.”
“You’re saying it’s a good thing you remember now?” Lizzie furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn’t imagine how.
“I’m saying that after nearly a decade, I’m finally grieving the way I should’ve back then. That you’ve helped me do that.”
There were tears threatening to fall from Lizzie’s eyes again, and she wondered how she hadn’t run out of tears yet. “You called me evil.”
“You’re not evil. I didn’t know that you were just doing what Josie told you to.”
“Well I’m sorry anyways.”
“I’m sorry too.”
Lizzie reached for Finch’s shoulders and pulled her close. So maybe she wasn’t going to lose her new friendships after all.
The door slowly creaked open, and the two of them turned in sync. Josie stood there with an unreadable expression on her face.
“Can I talk to my sister?”
“Sure.” Finch slid off the bed, giving Lizzie one last glance before she left the two of them alone.
Josie sat in her empty spot. “Sorry for being so awful when I didn’t know who you were.”
“Okay.” Not It’s okay. Just Okay.
Josie perked up. “So we’re good then?”
“I don’t know.”
Josie looked like someone had just yanked the rug from underneath her feet, but Lizzie didn’t backtrack. She was being honest, and honestly she didn’t know.
“I’m going to keep living with Hope.”
“Oh.”
“And I told dad about a lot of the stuff from before.”
Josie’s forehead crinkled. “Stuff from before?”
“Stuff like you spreading those rumors about my episode and blaming Hope. Not to get you in trouble or anything. I just want everything to be out in the open now.”
Josie’s mouth hardened into a straight line. “Okay.”
“Cool.” Lizzie didn’t exactly know how to continue the conversation, so she just stood. “I have somebody else I have to go see.”
“Go.” Josie motioned for her sister to do what she needed to.
It felt like Lizzie couldn’t get out of the room fast enough.
YOU ARE READING
Without Me
FanfictionLizzie's dreams of being a superhero had gotten her into messy situations before, but nothing like this. She sacrificed her life during the final showdown with Malivore but what life she sacrificed wasn't what she was expecting.
