The Aftermath of Getting Away With Murder

Mrs. Singh-Amobi

She let out a scream, unruly and sharp.

The pillow muffled it, of course, but it still burned her throat.

"Oh, my god, Cara!" She shouted, rolling onto her back. "I can't even right now. I just can't,"

"I know, I know," she said, petting her best friend's hair. "It's so hard when you have to be away from your fiancé for just over a day. It's so hard when you're marrying him tomorrow."

Pip giggled softly. "Yeah..." she hummed, a smile on her lips. "Wow..."

"Yes, I know. Now, get up, lover-girl; it's time to get dressed."

"Ah, you don't even know how excited I am..." she sat up, lunging herself at her closet.

She was back in Fairview today, Cara preparing  her for the night that ahead of them, waiting in the corners of their smiles and the creases of their eyes.

She opened the doors, grabbing two hangers and turning back to Cara, spinning on her heels.

"Okay, this one is a more...um, casual approach, I think." She said, holding up the first one.

Short, mesh sleeves with lace above the bust; the skirt short, lace around the hem.

"Or, this one; it's definitely..."

"Sexy. I like that one."

"Does it go with your guys's dresses?"

"Oh, definitely. The satin matches ours, and the lace is super cute."

"Okay, sexy-satin-lace dress, it is." Pip said with a grin, gazing down at it.

It was a satin spaghetti-strap dress, the bust defined but cut off half-way through; lace finishing it off.

"You've got to show Ravi. I mean, this dress on you is going to kill him. In a good way."

"Mm, maybe I'll change into it tomorrow night."

"Dirty!"

They giggled together, a warm and friendly feeling filling the room, buzzing, humming, singing.

Pip hadn't been okay for a long, long time, and now she was - or at least, she was trying to be, and to her, that mattered most in the long run.

She was where she belonged again; with her family, with her friends, with the love of her life. If home was a person, these people would be Pip's home.

Home, a heartbeat in her chest. Home, a summer day. Home, home, home.

She breathed deep and exhaled slowly as she turned from Cara, peeling her shirt from her chest and her shorts from her thighs, slipping the satin dress over her head.

"Okay," Pip said, turning to Cara again. "How do we feel?"

"Oh my god," Cara said softly. "Actually, oh my god. It's - Pip, you look gorgeous. It's beautiful. I'm in love with you, can I marry you instead?" She joked, laughing. "Holy shit."

Pip smiled, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Stop it, you,"

"No, you're too pretty. Can you share your beauty, please?"

"You're too pretty, too, Care-Bear."

They smiled at each other, raw and real, before Cara put her hands on Pip's shoulders. "Okay, Pips, let's do your hair."

Pip grinned, Cara ushering her to her desk and sitting her down.

"Still want pigtails?"

"Just the tiny ones, yes,"