The Aftermath of Getting Away With Murder

Erase That, Too

They were heading home, now. They'd turned the car around, were back on the road to Pip's college. To Fairview, after that.

And for the next month, planning the wedding of Pip's dreams.

Pip was finally driving, for the first time since they'd left campus. And since she was driving, that meant that she was blasting Taylor Swift, Ravi sighing in the passenger seat as all four girls sang along, loud and very proud.

It would take a few days to get home with no stops along the way. Pip barely had a few days.

In total, they would be on the road for three days. Pip had to be back on the morning of the third, which meant somebody would have to drive at night.

Nat had volunteered, but Pip had told her no; she was hurting just as much as Pip was, and she needed her rest.

But then, so were Naomi and Cara, weren't they?

All of these girls were hurting for different reasons, and none of their pain was less than the others; maybe she shouldn't base this off of hurt.

When Pip turned Nat down, Naomi volunteered, because it's not like she slept much, anyway.

Naomi was like Pip, in that sense. Not sleeping near enough as needed, due fully to trauma. Being haunted in dreams as well as life in itself.

They were working through life together, Pip and Naomi. Holding their families close and their friends closer.

—

"Spring showers," Cara said, looking out the window at the rainy skies above them, bringing Pip out of her head.

She was lost in it again, thinking, remembering.

"Pretty." Pip mumbled with a nod, glancing over to Ravi.

He watched her closely, her hands on the wheel, her tense leg, her head nodding along to their music as she did. 

It was their second day driving home, and by now, Pip was dreading the return.

She had realized, at some point along the way, that Luna had probably spent spring break throwing parties.

Luna throwing parties meant Pip cleaning a messy dorm.

Sure, Luna would pick up beer cans and trash, but she wouldn't clean like Pip would. She wouldn't mop, sweep, dust. She wouldn't wash the sheets; and now Pip was realizing that Luna had probably let people sleep in Pip's bed without a care in the world.

Pip groaned, sighing when Cara asked what was wrong.

"Luna." She said. "I am putting my money on me coming home to a messy house tomorrow. I need to wash my sheets. Somebody remind me to wash my bed stuff."

"Why?"

"Because people probably had sex in it."

"Okay, ew," Ravi said.

"Um, as if you guys don't -"

"Cara Ward, don't you dare."

"Okay, I'm not daring."

All five of them laughed together, Pip brushing her hair over her shoulder as she turned down the music.

"We have time for Starbucks, don't we?" She asked.

"Oh, definitely," Naomi nodded, the rest of them agreeing, as well.

Pip smiled, glancing over at Ravi, and at her friends behind her as she pulled into the drive-through.

Small moments like these were the ones she had to cherish; hold on to.

As she began to order, asking her friends what they wanted, her phone began to ring.