Dusk

Rachel and Rebecca had noticed something different about Libby, when she returned to school. Instead of obsessive and vicious, Libby had become thoughtful and solemn. It was as though a whole new Libby had been created in the span of a few days. Rachel and Rebecca were shocked and curious to see what this Libby would be like.

Libby, having recovered from the worst of her grief, returned to school. She still felt horrible, but at least she wasn't crying anymore. Rachel and Rebecca knew their friend was still hurting, so they sought to offer her comfort by rejoining Libby at the lunch table.

"Libby, are you okay?" Rebecca ventured to ask.

"Yeah." Libby replied. "Just kind of sad."

Rachel looked worried. "About what? Maybe we can help."

"We're friends, aren't we?" Rebecca agreed. "Let us help."

"Yeah, we're friends. But…" Libby bit back her response.

"But what?" Rachel wondered.

"I've been so mean, lately." Libby admitted in a small, child's, voice. "Why would you guys still want to be friends with someone like that? Somebody who's mean."

Rebecca, understanding. "It's true we didn't like how you were acting towards Lucinda. However, that didn't mean we didn't still want you as a friend."

"Yeah." Rachel chimed in. "We still want to be your friends, Libby."

Libby looked at her friends with a tear filled, hopeful, eyes. "You are?"

"Of course, Libby." Answered Rebecca.

"Now, please." Rachel put a gentle hand on Libby's shoulder. "Please, tell us what's wrong."

Libby took a deep breath, not sure how to start. "It's Lucinda."

"What about her?" Asked Rebecca.

"Did she do something to you?" Rachel kept her voice steady.

Libby shook her head. "No. Lucinda didn't do anything to me. She's…"

"She's what?" Rebecca prodded.

"What's going on with Lucinda?" Rachel was forcing herself to remain patient. "Please tell us, Libby." She begged.

Libby looked down, staring at a blank spot on the table. "She's moving." Libby, finally, confessed.

Rebecca's jaw dropped. "Moving?"

"But she just got here, this year." Rachel didn't want to believe it. "How'd you find out? Who told you that Lucinda was moving?"

"Lucinda did." Libby felt drained of energy.

"This doesn't make any sense." Rebecca brought a hand to her forehead, rubbing it.

Rachel was bewildered. "This has to be a mistake. Is she sure she's moving?"

"You can ask her yourself." Libby defended, wiping away fresh tears running down her face.

"In a minute." Rachel asserted, she raised her head to search for where Lucinda was seated.

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked. "What did she say, exactly?"

Libby closed her eyes, remembering every word of the moment. "She said it's her mom. Every year, Lucinda's mom packs herself and Lucinda up and they go to a different place to live. Lucinda doesn't get a choice in the matter. Her mom says move and they pack and go. They do it every year."

"I can understand a little." Rebecca returned. "Lucinda's got to go along with her mom. She can't say no. If my mom and dad decided to move away, I'd have to go with them."

"Yeah, and she said because she and her mom move around so much, she doesn't bother making friends. It's too hard to say goodbye at the end of the year." Libby put her head down on the table.

"That's sad." Rachel said. "I can't imagine moving every year, let alone saying goodbye to all the friends I've made in that one year."

"No wonder she's shy and avoids people all the time." Rebecca felts herself getting misty eyed. "She doesn't want anyone to get close. Because if they get close, it'll hurt all the more when she goes and starts missing those that got close to her."

"I didn't know." Libby squeaked.

"None of us did." Rachel confided.

Libby put her arms on the table covering her head while she was baring her soul to her friends. "I admit, when I first started picking on Lucinda, it was because I was bored, looking for something to do. I thought I could catch her off guard and get her to react. See how she defends. Maybe get a look at her personality, in the process. A kind of trial by fire, thing. You know?" Libby sat up looking at her friends. "But Lucinda didn't react. Didn't fight back. Didn't defend. She only shied away until the tension went away, returning to stand tall and proud, once more. I think, I've come to respect Lucinda. I was too stubborn to admit it. I'm sorry it took her moving for me to realize that."

Rachel and Rebecca were both quiet, for a long time. Neither knew how to respond to the conclusions that Libby had drawn. Libby had never sounded like this before. Through the sadness and pain, Libby's tone had an older, wiser, more truthful undercurrent. Libby had, finally, grown up. Rachel and Rebecca were both impressed. Under different circumstances, all three girls would have been proud of this milestone.

"What do you want to do?" Rebecca decided to be brave. "About Lucinda, I mean."

Libby shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I feel terrible for being so mean to her this whole year. I think I want to do something to make up for it."

Rachel nodded, going along with the idea. "We'll be glad to help with that."

"Will Lucinda accept it, though?" Rebecca reasoned.

"I don't know." Libby responded seeing the logic of Rebecca's question. "I wouldn't accept anything nice from me, if I were her. I'd be afraid it'd be a trick of some sort."

"We know you aren't trying to trick Lucinda, Libby." Claimed Rachel.

"I know you guys know I'm not trying to trick Lucinda. I know I'm not trying to trick Lucinda." Libby responded. "But Lucinda doesn't." Libby thought for awhile. "Maybe we could all hang out after school. Like a sleepover or party or something. We could go over to her place or she could come over to one of ours."

Rebecca shook her head. "That won't do. When we were working on that project, together, Lucinda said her mom is real strict. She can't go anywhere nor let friends come visit unless her mom approves and knows about it."

Libby understood. "Okay, we'll set things up for this weekend. Lucinda can talk to her mom and, Friday, the four of us can go over to my house for a fun weekend of movies, pizza, and stuff." Libby raised her head looking around. "Where's Lucinda sitting?"

Rachel scanned the room, looking for Lucinda. She points. "There! She's putting her tray away."

Libby, hurriedly, snatched up her tray. "Come on! We've got to stop her and ask her." Libby races to clean up, so she can intercept Lucinda. Rachel and Rebecca, quickly, follow after her. Just before Lucinda can exit the lunchroom, Libby calls out. "LUCINDA!"

Lucinda stops, turning to see who said her name. "Yeah?!"

Libby runs up to Lucinda. "Lucinda… um…" Libby immediately feels scared. She grabs Rebecca by the shoulders, pushing the girl forward to talk to Lucinda. "Rebecca has something to say."

Rebecca was surprised. "Libby! It was your idea!"

"I know, but…" Libby stuttered. When Rachel joins the group, Libby hides behind both of her friends, red-faced and shy.

A confused Lucinda watches the scene. "Will someone explain what's going on?"

"Tell her!" Rebecca hissed at Libby..

"No, you tell her!" Argued Libby, trying to avoid Lucinda's curious gaze.

Lucinda looked, helpless, at Rachel. "Do you know what's going on?"

Rachel nods. "Yeah. Libby came up with an idea and she wanted to talk to you about it. We wanted to catch you before you left the cafeteria."

"What did you want, Libby?" Lucinda asked in a cordial manner.

Libby felt hot all over. "Um… uh… ah…Never mind." Libby mumbled, feeling ashamed

"Okay…" Lucinda was baffled. She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if you think of it, tell me in A.C.E, tomorrow. Bye." Lucinda turns and goes down the hall to her next class.

"Libby! What happened? Why'd you chicken out?!" Exclaimed Rebecca.

"I… I don't know. I just got scared and couldn't say anything." Libby stammered. "I feel like such a coward."

"You aren't a coward." Rachel tries to offer comfort. "A lot's happened this week. Maybe you're doing too much too soon. Give it some more time, than see if you're ready to ask her."

"That's probably it." Rebecca chimed in. "Give it awhile longer, then see if you're brave enough to ask her."

"Maybe." Libby felt grateful for the solace, while still feeling uneasy about the whole thing. "I should probably get to class." Libby shoulders her bag and walks away from her friends. It would be several weeks before Libby could muster up the nerve to face Lucinda, in order to talk to her. However, by that time, Libby had forgotten. It was almost spring break and Libby was more excited about getting the week off from school than sleepovers. She and her family were planning their annual trip to their lake house.

Every school year in the spring, usually the week before Easter, students would get a week off from school. It was a time to blow off steam after the monotony school and home, that was part of a long, cold, winter. Spring break was also a chance at one last hurrah before May finals and the end of the school year in the first week of June. All the students and teachers were looking forward to it.

Lucinda came home on that last day of school before spring break, tossing her bag on the floor by the front door. She tried the light switch, not finding it to be working. Lucinda didn't have to hunt far for her mother. Cheryl Rayne was sitting up at the kitchen table with a stack of bills in front of her.

"Mom?" Lucinda whined.

"I know. Our tax check came in. I'm going to wire money and pay off all our bills, today." Cheryl responded.

Lucinda shuffled her feet, feeling nervous. "Okay. How soon, do you think, until stuff gets turned back on, again?"

Cheryl thought a moment. "If I can get there by 4? Maybe... today. If not, since tomorrow is Saturday, probably Monday. Do you want to come with me?"

Lucinda nodded. "Sure. I'm ready."

"We can grab some dinner and talk about your day at school, on the way home, while we're at it." Cheryl grabbed her keys and left the apartment, followed by Lucinda.

"Okay." Lucinda said, getting into the passenger side, buckling up.

There was a little store, not far from the place Lucinda and Cheryl lived, where utility payments could be made for a fee. Bills were paid instantly. Cheryl had just finished paying the bills and was just about to leave the store with Lucinda when someone called out to Lucinda.

Cheryl looked in the direction of the voice that called her daughter, finding the Chandlers. "Isn't that your principal?"

"Looks like it." Lucinda gave a friendly wave to the approaching family. "Hi, Libby. Mr. and Mrs. Chandler."

"Hello, Lucinda. Mrs. Rayne." Mr. Chandler shook Cheryl's hand. "This is my wife Liz and my daughter Libby. Libby and Lucinda are in the same grade at school."

"Hello, Mr. Chandler. Liz." Cheryl smiled at the Chandlers. "Libby, how have you liked hanging out with Lucinda in class."

Libby was polite to Mrs. Rayne. "I like it, fine, Mrs. Rayne."

"We're doing some last minute supply shopping, before we head up to our lake cabin." Liz explained, being cordial. "What brings you two here?"

Cheryl felt awkward in public and, especially, around rich people. "Just paying some bills, is all. Lucinda and I were about to go out to dinner."

Mr. Chandler nods. "Ah, don't let us keep you."

Cheryl and Lucinda were about to turn and go when Libby asked. "Mom? Dad? Can Lucinda come with us to the lake house?"

Liz glanced at her daughter with disapproval. "Libby if you wanted to bring a friend with you to the lake, you should have told us beforehand."

"Liz." Mr. Chandler put a hand on his wife's arm, then returned his attention to Cheryl. "We'd be more than happy to have Lucinda with us, but if you and her have other plans, we'll understand."

"It is short notice." Cheryl focused her gaze on Lucinda, searching for a clue as to what to decide. Lucinda appeared just as nervous as Cheryl felt. "I think with the time needed for Lucinda to pack and get herself ready, it might delay your trip too much."

Libby frowned at the floor. "Okay, I understand."

"Sorry, about this." Liz apologized for Libby. "Libby gets an idea in her head and she says it. That's the way we've raised her. She simply needs to learn about timing and the need to prepare for things like this."

Lucinda felt bad for Libby. "Maybe we could do something when you guys get back from your trip."

Mr. Chandler. "I like that idea. Maybe the girls could have a sleepover."

"Libby could come over to our place." Cheryl asserted. "We'll take good care of her."

Liz started fishing around in her for a pad and paper. "We could exchange phone numbers and make arrangements." She jotted down their phone number and handed it to Cheryl. Then, keeping her pen at the ready, Liz asked. "What's your number?"

Cheryl blushed. "We… don't have a phone. I usually give my work phone in case Lucinda needs to get in touch with me in an emergency."

Mr. Chandler gazed at the small family, seriously. "We'll just have to figure something out, then." He claps his hands, together, once. "Since we've both got places to go and things to do, I think it best that we head off. It was nice seeing you, Mrs. Rayne."

"Yes. We'll have to get together sometime." Liz put away her pen, shaking Cheryl's hand, again.

"Yeah, we should." Cheryl put her arm around Lucinda.

"Bye, Libby." Lucinda starts to go away with her mother.

"Yeah, bye, Lucinda." Libby joins her family, feeling like a fool for waiting too long.

Lucinda and her mother go out and get into their car. Cheryl turns the key starting it up, but not going anywhere with it, yet. "They seemed nice."

"Yeah, they're not so bad." Lucinda agreed.

"Do you want to spend the night with Libby?" Cheryl asked.

"I don't know." Lucinda responded.

"Sweetie, I'm worried about you." Cheryl turned to look at Lucinda. "You don't seem to have any friends."

In lieu of a response, Lucinda sank in her seat. She was staring out the window. She didn't want to have this conversation with her mother. Lucinda didn't want to hurt her mother's feelings by telling her why she avoided people and friends.

After a few minutes of silence. "Guess you're a loner, just like your old mom. Where do you want to go to eat?" Cheryl sighed. She put the car in gear and drove.

"Anywhere." Lucinda sat watching trees and houses go by, for awhile. "I found out a few months ago, that if we stay where we're at. I'll be going to West High School, next year."

Cheryl was pulling into the drive through at a local fast food place. "The place with the metal detectors and all the gang-bangers? No Way. That is too dangerous for you. Don't worry, we'll move somewhere better with safer schools for you to go to."

Lucinda's heart sank. It was the same old story and pattern. "If you say so, mom."