Emily: fidgets with her sleeve Well, shit. This letter can't mean anything good, right?
Stranger
Dude, I don't even know what's up yet. Just read it, alright?
Emily: takes a deep breath and opens the letter, reading it aloud "Dear Emily, we regret to inform you that your grandmother has passed away..." pauses, her voice breaking Oh, fuck.
Stranger
oh i am so sorry em.
Emily: tears well up in her eyes Sorry doesn't cut it, does it? It's like...the world just keeps kicking me in the gut, you know? First my dad, now Grandma. What's next? Huh, Janelle?
Stranger
im here for you.
Emily: sniffles, wipes away tears Yeah, I know you're here for me, Janelle. You've always been my rock. But... sighs heavily I just can't help but think that this is all some fucked up sign. Like the universe is trying to tell me to get my shit together or something. Do you ever feel like that? Like everything is just one big messed up sign?
Stranger
yeah.
Emily: pacing back and forth You know, Janelle, sometimes I wish I could just escape this shitshow that is my life. Just run away and start over somewhere new, where no one knows all the fucked up shit I've been through. Have you ever felt like that? Like you just wanna disappear and never look back?
Stranger
yes em. every day.
Emily: stops pacing, turns to Janelle with a determined look You know what, Janelle? Screw it. I'm tired of feeling like I'm stuck in this never-ending nightmare.
Stranger
i know baby.
Emily: grabs Janelle's hand firmly We're gonna get out of this town, Janelle. We're gonna leave all this shit behind and start fresh somewhere new.
Stranger
but where would we go?
Emily: pauses, thinking for a moment We need to find a place where we can start over, somewhere far away from here. Somewhere no one knows us as the failures.
Stranger
somewhere without our pasts.
Emily: nods, determination in her eyes Exactly. Somewhere we can reinvent ourselves and leave all this pain behind.
Stranger
yeah..
Emily: grabs a map and spreads it out on the table Okay, Janelle, let's figure out our escape plan. We need to find a place where we can start fresh, where no one knows our pasts.
Stranger
where should we go?
Emily: traces her fingers across the map, pointing at a small town in the middle of the country How about here? It's far enough away from our old lives, and it seems like a quiet little place. Maybe we could find some peace there. What do you think, Janelle? Should we give it a shot?
Stranger
yeah that sounds good.
Emily: starts packing her bags, making phone calls to arrange travel plans Alright, Janelle, let's start making arrangements.
Stranger
calls my brother to tell him im leaving town
Emily: finishes packing her bags, grabs her phone and dialed Janelle's number Hey, Janelle, I've made the calls. We're leaving tonight. Meet me at the bus station in two hours. We've got a long journey ahead of us, but we're doing this. Together. No looking back.
Stranger
yeah no looking back.
Emily: arrives at the bus station, pacing back and forth impatiently Janelle, where the fuck are you? Did you forget? We can't miss our bus!
Stranger
walks in the bus station
spots Janelle and rushes towards her, giving her a tight hug Fuck, Janelle, I thought you bailed on me! I can't do this alone, you know that, right? Janelle: laughs softly Would you really expect anything less from me, Em? We're in this together, remember? Now let's go before we miss our bus!