The good ending

"You okay Gretchen? You look like you just saw a ghost!"

Alice looked at her friend with curious eyes. Gretchen had always been prone to zoning out, getting all too caught up in her own thoughts.

"I think ..maybe I did? Sorry. I must've spaced out. Anyway, where were we?"

"You were just about to quiz me on history" Rebecca answered softly.

"Yea. Right! Wanna start with the older stuff, or is there something particular you wanna focus on?"

"I'm so fucked, I think it'd be best we started with Pangea, or the big bang even.."

"..That bad, huh?"

Rebecca might've overplayed how much she struggled with the subject. She'd always been the type of girl that refused to take any compliments on her drawings in school, or whatever it may have been. "Nooo! It's totally ugly!! I hate it.." or, "Yours is SO much nicer! I wish I could draw like that.."
Not very uncommon a trait to find in girls at a young age, but Rebecca hadn't grown out of it. At least her friends knew her well enough to disregard most of her self doubting comments. Gretchen knew better than anyone the worst, in fact, she was convinced that Rebecca had the most knowledge about that given subject amongst the three of them. Still, the chance to quiz someone is bound to help yourself too, at least that's the mentality Gretchen had to justify sacrificing her own study time for the sake of a friend.

The sense of normalcy went completely unappreciated as the game which had threatened their very souls had been wiped from existence. Not the boardgame itself, just the "game" which they'd played. The series of events that had unfolded since Alice first introduced that cursed box. Instead of living in their newly corrupted lives, the girls all got to go back to the way things were, with no knowledge of the heroic "sacrifice" that Gretchen had made. That sacrifice being her giving up a wish with unfathomable power just for the sake of saving her friends. An unlikely hero considering the status quo of the group towards the end of the game.

Their currents issues were much more trivial in comparison. The elephant in the room was Himari's intention to travel out of state for a prestigous univesity. While the group had all agreed to stick together, some things apparently weighed heaver than friendship. It wasn't set in stone though, and both Alice, Rebecca and Gretchen alike hoped that spending time together would convince Himari to stay. Sure, they might be doing her a disservice by trying to convince her to prioritize friends over her future. After all, friends don't necessarily stick around. It was naive for them to expect that they'd all remain close as they grow older. Sometimes life just happens and people split.

Thankfully, that wouldn't be the case. At least not yet.

"Guys.. I- I have decided to stay."

"Stay is in hang out with us for a bit longer, or stay is in not going to that fancy pantsy university?"

Rebecca asked with a hopeful tone. Amongst Himari's closest friends, she was the one who wanted her to stay the most. The four of them were all the best of friends, but that didn't mean that they weren't prone to favoritism. Himari had that calm and collected aura that Rebecca just loved. In stormy weather, Himari was the immovable boulder that Rebecca felt she could cling to.
Himari didn't have to answer, she simply put on her trademark smile. More than enough for any of the girls present to understand perfectly well which of the two options she meant.

"I swear I could cry. I won't ..but I could. Why the sudden change of heart? I was sure you'd already decided to leave."

Rebecca, though very pleased to hear the good news, couldn't quite wrap her head around Himari's one-eighty. Just a couple of days ago, it'd seemed as though it was set in stone. Hell, Himari had been looking at apartments and dorms to live in for months now.

"I just.. I suddenly got this overwhelming relief? Like.. Just now. It felt like I'd lost you guys already, but then suddenly got you back. And it was the most amazing feeling to see you here. I know it probably sounds weird, but it really opened my eyes to how much I truly appreciate you.. I probably sound like a nutjob."

On the contrary. All three of her friends understood perfectly what she meant. In fact, they'd all experienced a similar feeling. Reminiscent of nostalgia, but it's in the moment. Being nostalgic about something that's happing right now. Knowing you're in the good old days before you've left them. These are the days they will remember and look back on as the best days in their lives. It all suddenly made sense. But none of them seemed to know why they suddenly felt that way. No matter, the important thing is that they're together. And that they'll be together for a long, long, LONG time to come.