words are sharper than swords

"No," she shook her head, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder, "I think you're just right. Don't ever change and all that crap."

She gave a little laugh and a roll of her eye.

"Well, I think I've been gone long enough that people can't yell at me for cooping myself up with Tre 24/7 - gotta go make sure he didn't bite it on me while I was gone."

The nervous tone to her laugh showed that she was only half joking; Ashleen briefly wondered if she'd always have that worry with her now - that the next time she'd see him would be the last.

She wondered if she could handle this without breaking.

"I'll talk to you later, Fro, yeah?"

Frodo smiled lightly and nodded his head. "Thank you for staying around long enough to listen to my woes, I hope I wasn't wasting your time," he said and ran his fingers through his hair.

Finally deciding that he'd take the Jules Verne novels, he placed the other books back on the shelf. He gave her a slight wave before making his way to the pay counter. But turning around, he glanced at his fellow Prefect and asked, "You're sure you'll be fine, Ashleen?"

Nodding her head slight in recognition of his thanks, giving it the acknowledgement she knew it was rude not to do otherwise, but not feeling like wasting any more time on words, she turned to leave. Her brave face - the only face the girl knew how to wear in public to be perfectly honest - still in place.

Her feet, excited to go towards their destination, the desire, the need to be there to comfort herself with visual truths, flew her across the store. The only thing that stopped her was his voice, a vocalized concern, from a person that she couldn't remember the name of little less than an hour ago. It stopped her, a small frown crossing her face.

Was she going to be fine? That was a very good question. Did she know the answer to that? Of course she did, Ashleen always did. The answer to that question no matter the time of day, place asked, or person asking him, never changed.

Turning around, she gave the boy a wide grin, her favourite one, the one she'd used years and years before standing a top a jungle gym, beaming down at a pair of golden eyes. It was the grin that said I'm Queen of the World. "I'm always fine."

As long as Tre was around, was hers. If he wasn't, then what did it matter?