End Flashback

“I am happy, you know”, Shane murmurs, taking a long breath and playing with Carmen’s shoulder loop.
“You are?”, Carmen answers gently, kissing her chest.
“Yes. I finally understand that my happiness depends on you. And you are here”. She frowns. “Well, technically you are not back home, yet, but at least now you’re here, in front of me, and you’re telling me that everything is going to be alright and that your mothers won’t kill me. So… yeah, I am happy”, Shane concludes, looking up.
Carmen smiles, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dance floor.
“Let’s join our friends, then”.
They walk together across the Planet, stopping in front of the table where everybody – Jenny, Alice, Tasha, Bette and Tina – are sitting.
“Hi guys!”, Carmen says beaming that million dollar smile of hers, “Can we take a seat?”.
Everybody smiles. Everybody nods.
Shane sits nervously beside Alice, moving her chair back a little and allowing Carmen to seat on her lap.
“Your show was great”, Bette says to Carmen, sipping her Margarita.
“I am glad you liked it”, Carmen replies, sneaking her arm around Shane’s shoulders and brushing her hair.
Carmen’s body language is talking to Shane.
It says: it’s okay.
It repeats: everything is going to be alright.
Carmen clears her voice.
“I just wanted to tell you guys and I and Shane are back together”.
Alice nods.
“We already knew it”, she raises her eyebrows, “I mean, it’s pretty obvious. You guys are so disgustingly sappy!”.
Everybody laughs and even Shane seems to relax a little.
“Alice, I am sorry”, she abruptly whispers into her best friend’s ear.
Alice turns her head and.
Incredibly.
Unexpectedly.
Surprisingly.
Flashes Shane her brightest smile.
“That’s all I wanted to her, Yoda. That’s all I wanted to hear”, she whispers back into her ear, patting her knee.
Shane’s eyes widen.
“So… are you not mad at me anymore?”, she asks cautiously.
Alice just smooches her on her cheek.
“No”, she simply replies.

”And every father’s pain
Casts a shadow over a broken son
You’ll be whole again
And I’ll be whole again
All those years
I was hurting to feel
Something more than life”*

“Jenny”, Shane says then, clearing her voice, “Can I offer you a drink?”.
Jenny stares at her with her big hazel eyes.
“No, thanks”, she finally says, breaking eye-contact.
Everybody stops talking.
Jenny gets up, grabbing her purse.
“Bye guys… I’m going to meet Nikki”. She smiles a joyless smile, looking at Shane. “Do you remember Nikki, Shane? The girl you –“.
“Okay, stop”.
Carmen’s voice, firm and serious. Not angry. Just firm and serious.
Everybody freezes in place.
Jenny and Carmen exchange a long, endless gaze.
Hazel eyes into dark eyes.
Dark eyes into hazel eyes.
“Jenny, please. It’s enough”, Carmen says, in a low, serious tone.
Shane is staring at the table, her jaw clenched.
Jenny lifts her chin.
“You are just wasting your time, Carmen”.
Carmen licks her lips and shakes her head.
“Jenny… I love you. I really do. And even Shane does. So please…”, she watches her with begging eyes, “…Can we just forgive and forget?”.
Jenny doesn’t blink and doesn’t look away.
“Please…”, Carmen repeats.
Jenny just sighs and walks away.

**

SOUNDTRACK:
* “After All These Years” (Silverchair)