Elizabeth Jensen hobbled into the outhouse after waiting for Justin Foley at the breakfast table for twenty minutes. She frowned when she saw him still asleep on his bed. "Justin, what the fuck?" She frowned setting her crutches down against the table and sitting down in a chair. After the riot in front of the school, Justin took Elizabeth to the emergency room, and she had broken her ankle. "We have the first day back after the stupid fucking break."

Justin jumped up from his bed with wide eyes. "Fuck, is that today?" He questioned his girlfriend, rubbing his eyes.

"Yup." The girl rolled her eyes. "They closed the school, but somehow, we still have to make it up." She traced her finger along the pattern on the wooden table. "Apparently, there's some whole investigation into what started it, what you and Diego were fighting about." Justin let out a sigh, and Elizabeth looked up at him. She noticed how red and sweaty his face was. "Are you okay, babe? You don't look like you're feeling great."

Justin nodded. "Yeah, I must have the flu or some shit."

"Am I going to get the flu now?" Elizabeth let out a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. It did not work. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you sure it's the flu?"

"I haven't used in days." Justin shook his head, slipping off his sweaty, long sleeve shirt. "I probably just need some sleep."

Elizabeth stood up with her crutches and moved to Justin's bed, sitting down next to him. "Do you need any help? Do you think you need to go back to rehab?"

The boy's eyes widened as he shook his head. "Please, don't tell your parents."

"Okay." Elizabeth sent him a soft smiled, taking his hands and kissing his knuckles.

"I just some time to get better."

The girl pressed her hand against her boyfriend's cheek. "I know, baby. I believe in you."

Justin grabbed his phone and looked down at it, seeing the time. "You should get going to school."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home with you?" The boy shook his head in response.

*

Jessica Davis and many members of HO had entered the basement of the school that morning to see all of their stuff had gotten trashed. "They must have just searched it while we were gone, or something." Jessica shrugged as she started to clean up. Elizabeth and Isabel Henry had joined her, along with other members of the group.

Isabel approached Jessica with a smile across her lips. "I really enjoyed spending time with you over the break." She giggled before biting her lip.

"Me too." Jessica nodded, looking down at the ground.

"I- uh- wanted to- uh- ask you-"

"Woah, did they bring the riot in here?"

The girl turned to see Diego Torres entering the basement. Isabel frowned. "No." Isabel shook her head. "We think someone searched it while school was off."

"Looking for what?" Diego let out a scoff, glancing around the room.

Jessica looked between Diego and Isabel before letting out a sigh. "Uh- Girls, can you give us a moment." Isabel could tell Jessica was really only talking to her, so she nodded and sat next to Elizabeth at the table.

"A whole week and not even a text." Diego stated.

Jessica started organizing some papers. "I was ground." She answered. "No screens."

"So, if I look at your phone, I won't see any texts to Isabel?" Jessica's eyes snapped up towards Diego, as Diego cocked his head to the side. "I'm not fucking stupid, Jess. I figured out something was happening there."

Jessica sighed, shaking her head. "First of all, you won't look at my phone, and second of all, it's none of your fucking business."

"She sure was protective of you." Jessica rolled her eyes at Diego as she went back to organizing. "She sure didn't want you arrested."

Jessica looked up with a smirk. "She probably just wanted you arrested more."

"You're playing this so cool when it can go really bad for you."

Jessica set the papers down on the table and turned to Diego. "What exactly do you think you're threatening me with?"

Diego raised an eyebrow. "I think you know."

The girl let out a chuckle. "That's funny. I gotta tell Isabel." Jessica turned to look at the girls. "Hey, Isa-"

Diego slammed his hands on the table, causing Jessica to gasp. "Don't you fucking laugh at me." He snarled, pointing his index finger in her face.

Isabel made her way over to the pair after hearing the noise. "Is everything okay over here?"

"Yeah." Diego nodded before raising up a folded piece of green paper. "I'm on my way to Foundry's. Maybe I'll talk."

"So talk." Jessica shrugged. Diego frowned as he left the room.

*

The whole entire friend group sat in the outhouse, listening to Clay Jensen explain how everything that an anonymous person had done during the second semester had been Clay's subconscious coming to light. "Jesus Christ, Clay." Jessica sighed as she sat at the table. "You're going to destroy us."

"I'm sorry." Clay spoke from his bed, hugging his knees. "I wasn't in my right head for a long time."

"Foundry's interviewing ever single person." Jessica spoke up again. "He's going to find out why Clay's been doing all that shit."

Tyler Down looked at his lap as he and Alex Standall sat on the couch. "So what? So, they interview us all one by one. We just lie. I mean, we all know how to do that. I got pretty good at it."

Ani Achola shrugged from her seat at the table. "That might not be the answer, speaking from experience." She was referring to when she framed Montgomery De La Cruz for the murder of Bryce Walker.

"They talked to Diego today." Elizabeth spoke as she sat next to Justin on his bed.

"I was supposed to have Diego handled, but I am sure that I do not anymore." Jessica let out a deep breath.

Clay crossed his arms over his chest. "Here's the thing. Diego's onto us. So is Estela, so is Winston. Foundry heard the tape, and now he's interrogating the whole school, starting with Diego, and who knows what he said."

"They're only doing this because of the parents." Charlie St. George stated from his seat at the table. "My dad told me all of the Boosters have been calling him. They asked for an investigation, and the school caved."

"So, we're dead." Elizabeth groaned, leaning her head against her boyfriend's shoulder.

Charlie shook his head before presenting his idea. "What if we got our parents back on our side?"

"But they have, like, computer stats on how much we lie to them." Jessica spoke to the football player. "How do we get them to trust us now?"

Charlie shrugged. "We tell them the truth." All of the teenagers looked up at Charlie with wide eyes. "I mean, you don't tell them all of the truth. You never tell them everything, but you just tell them enough that's true to make them trust us again."

"We're in a war her." Clay shook his head.

"Yeah, and we're losing." Charlie retorted. "We get them back on our side, and we might have a chance."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrows. "You want us to ask them to stop an investigation?"

"Not directly." Charlie answered. "First, we get them on our side by confiding in them, and then, we asked them to help us get back prom. It's like a bait and switch." Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "Ease off the police stated so we can get back prom, and the investigation quietly goes away before they put it all together."

Jessica let out a scoff. "And they're going to believe that we care about prom?"

"I spent three hundred dollars on my dress, so I do care." Elizabeth chuckled.

"I do, too." Charlie sent Elizabeth a nod.

"So, do I." Tyler joined them.

Jessica looked down at the table and shrugged. "Yeah, me too." She let out an exhale. "Tell our parents the truth."

Clay crinkled his nose before speaking. "This might be the riskiest thing we've ever done."

*

The next morning, the Jensen family sat at the breakfast table, with the teenagers beginning the first step of their being honest plan. "So just to be clear, you're not fans of Gordon Lightfoot then?" Matt Jensen furrowed his eyebrows.

Elizabeth sent her father an awkward face. "I had no clue who he was before any of this, dad."

"Yeah." Clay nodded. "We didn't know you'd start... you know, singing his songs."

"Alex Standall is obsessed with this song, 'The Wreck of Edward Fitzgerald'." Justin stated from his seat next to Elizabeth.

"Edmund Fitzgerald." Matt corrected him. "It's a classic."

Lainie Jensen let out a sigh. "The point here is that all of you have been lying to us."

"Not lying." Elizabeth shook her head, taking her mothers hands in her own. "We just haven't been totally telling you the truth."

"What about you?" Clay raised an eyebrow at his parents. "You lied about putting those tracking apps on our phones, and you paid for all that security."

"Don't forget about those horrid drills." Elizabeth tagged onto her brother's thought.

Clay nodded at his sister before turning back to his parents. "Or did you forget to mention that while I was strapped to a gurney?"

"Clay, we never meant for that to happen." Matt shook his head. "We were trying-" He didn't finish his thought because all of the kids raised their eyebrows. "We thought- uh- somehow those things might help keep you all safe."

"We're your parents." Lainie sent the kids a small smile. "If you're not going to tell us what's going on in your life, we still have to know somehow."

Elizabeth frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her seat. "Why did you just, I don't know, ask us?"

"We ask all the time." Lainie stated. "I think you know that has gotten us nowhere."

"That's fair." Justin nodded, placing his hand on his girlfriend's thigh.

Clay nodded. "Okay, so- uh- new deal." The parents nodded, waiting to listen to what Clay has to say. "If you are really worried about my safety, keeping me alive, then we have to trust each other again. We have to talk."

Matt smiled. "We'd like that."

"Although, at this point," Lainie spoke, "it seems that you all know more of our secrets than we do of yours."

Clay let out a sigh, looking down at his lap. "The vandalism at school, the broken windows, Bolan's car. I did all of those." The parents eyes widened. "Dr. Ellman thinks I may have been dissociating, because I do not remember any of it." Lainie looked over at her husband. "And I'm- I'm working to integrate my trauma, to live with it rather than shut it off."

"Oh, honey." Lainie sighed.

Clay looked over at Justin, signifying it was his turn. "I've- uh-" Justin spoke, looking down at the table. "I've been using again." Lainie let out a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. "And I got fired from Monet's for stealing money, and I- I stole a few things from you guys." Elizabeth's eyes widened as she looked up at her boyfriend. "A watch and a necklace... to buy."

Lainie looked as if she was on the verge of tears. "Justin."

"I'm not using right now, but it's been pretty rough this time." Justin continued, and Elizabeth grabbed onto his hand.

"Do you need to go back into treatment?" Lainie questioned him.

Justin shook his head. " I hope not." He answered. "I going to- uh- I think I need a few days to rest and clean up, and - uh- I'm going to start working the steps again, and I'll pay you guys back." He spoke, making eye contact with Lainie.

"I had a drug problem a bit last year, too. It was when Justin was in the streets." Elizabeth spoke up from her seat, glancing up at her boyfriend. "I would drink every day, even at school, and I would take some drugs. But I have tried to stay mostly clean since then. I promise."

"Kids, you need to know we are here to help you through this." Matt spoke calmly to his son. "But, these are both much bigger discussions."

"Yes." Clay nodded. "And we will have them, but- uh- we just need your help on something."

The Jensen parents leaned against the table, waiting to hear what the kids had to say. "I want to go to prom, and I think these two losers agree." Elizabeth giggled as she motioned to her brother and boyfriend.

*

Jessica smiled as she entered the basement to see the girls of HO sitting around the table. "We got it!" She giggled. "Prom is on!" The girls around the table cheered.

The girl made her way over to Isabel, Ani, and Elizabeth sitting at the end of the table. Jessica looked glum, and Ani raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" She spoke as she shoved a granola bar into her mouth."

"It's not like I'm going." Jessica shrugged. "Another big victory, and I'm the loser, yet again."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth chuckled, rolling her eyes at her friend.

Jessica leaned he elbows onto the table. "You know, I am just going to quit politics and marry rich."

"Yeah, that'll go well." Ani spoke sarcastically. "You know, rich people, in general, are asses."

"Why don't you go with me?" Isabel smiled from her seat across from Jessica. "I mean, only if you're comfortable with it, of course."

Jessica looked up at the girl and smiled. "I am comfortable with you being my date, but is that the way you're going to ask me to prom, loser?"

Isabel let out a chuckle before standing up on the table and looking down at Jessica. "Jessica fucking Davis!" Isabel smiled as she spoke loudly. "Will you do the honor of being my date to this year's senior prom?"

"Okay, yes!" Jessica smiled, pulling Isabel off of the table. "Of course I'll go to prom with you." Jessica pressed her lips against Isabel's, and the girl was shocked. Jessica had never done that in public. After a second, the shock faded, and Isabel just simply kissed the girl back. Girls around the table cheered. She pulled away and looked directly in Isabel's eyes. "I expect a limo." She joked.

*

Elizabeth sat on Justin's bed the night of prom, while he was laying down. "I'm staying with you, okay? Nothing you can say will change that."

"But I want you to go." Justin frowned, sitting up.

The girl shook her head. "I don't want to go without you, Justin."

"But I don't want you to not go just because of me."

"I'm not fucking going without you. End of story."

Clay interrupted them, making his way out of the bathroom. He was wearing a white button down shirt with his bow tie. "I feel like I should stay home with you guys, too."

"Dude, it's your senior prom." Justin chuckled as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend.

"Are you sure you can't come for a little bit?" Clay questioned the two in front of him. "Charlie got an eight person limo."

Justin looked up at Justin with his eyebrows furrowed. "Is it somewhat gay that you're going with the two of them?" Elizabeth's eyes widened as she punched Justin's shoulder. "Ow!" He exclaimed, sending her a glare.

"Okay, A, so what if I were? Would you love me any less?" Justin chuckled at Clay's response. "And B, it's actually the sort of the opposite of gay, because Alex asked me to tag along because I think he's afraid Charlie's going to make a move." Clay spoke, moving to grab his jacket.

"Mmhmm, yeah." Justin nodded. "He is super known for his hands."

Clay grabbed his jacket off of the mirror. "So, yeah, there you go."

"Yeah, no, I don't really feel like it, and I'm not feeling great." Justin sighed, laying back down on the bed.

The boy put on his jacket and made his way back to the beds. "Justin, come on. Just go."

Justin shook his head as he let out a cough. "Are you okay?" Elizabeth questioned him, laying down next to him.

"Yeah." Justin nodded.

A horn honked outside the window, and Clay let out a sigh. "Dude, I'm worried about you."

"Don't worry about me."

Clay made eye contact with Elizabeth who shrugged before wrapping her arms around her sick boyfriend. "If either of you need anything, Dad's in the house." Justin nodded before waving to Clay. Clay frowned as he left the room.

Justin was asleep for the next two hours, with Elizabeth spooning him. When he woke up, he turned to Elizabeth. "I'm sorry you wasted three hundred dollars on a dress you won't even wear."

"It's okay." Elizabeth smiled, playing with one of his curls. "I had fun shopping with Jessica." She glanced down and then back up at her boyfriend. "Can I show you it?" Justin nodded and then watched Elizabeth get off the bed and leave the outhouse.

Elizabeth made her way up to her bedroom and then opened her closet door. She smiled as she found the baby blue flowy dress that she had bought a few weeks earlier. She took it off of the hanger, and set it on her bed. She stripped to her underwear and then put the dress over her body. She looked in the mirror, and her smile grew.

She did wish that she could be at the dance, but she did not want to be there without Justin. She had been thinking about this night with him for two whole years at that point. Without Justin, it would have not been the same.

The girl quickly threw on her heels and exited her room, making her way back to the outhouse. When she entered the room, she saw Justin's eyes widened as he saw her in the dress. "You're so fucking beautiful, baby girl." He smiled as he stood up, making his way over to his girlfriend.

"Thank you." The girl giggled, turning to look at herself in the mirror.

Justin hated that she was not going to the dance because of him. He wanted her to be there with her friends and have fun. He could tell by how she looked at herself in the mirror that she wished she was at the dance, but she was much too stubborn to leave him alone. The boy glanced up at his white suit jacket. "Do you want to go?"

"I told you that I didn't want to go without you."

"I'll go."

Elizabeth looked over at her boyfriend with a wide smile. "Really?"

The boy nodded. "I can see how much you want to go, and you look way too beautiful to just sit here all night."

"I love you so fucking much." Elizabeth spoke before pressing her lips against Justin's.

"I love you too, baby."

*

Isabel and Jessica smiled as they danced together on the dance floor to a slow song. Alex and Charlie had just been crowned Prom Kings. The blonde looked up and smiled. "Thank you for saying yes to coming here with me."

"Yeah." Jessica nodded, feeling her cheeks heating up.

There was a moment of silence before they both spoke at the same time. "There's something I need to-" They stopped, realizing they were both talking.

Jessica let out a chuckle, motioning for Isabel to go first. "I just wanted to say, thank you for taking a chance on me when I moved her." She let out a sigh. "I never thought that someone like you could ever like me, but here we are." The girl giggled. "I'm always so happy when I'm with you. It doesn't matter what we're doing. You make happy." She looked down at the ground and then back up at Jessica. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I'm falling in love with you."

The student body president's smile grew wider. "I was going to say the same thing."

"Really?" Jessica nodded before kissing the other girl.

"You two are fucking adorable." The girls turned to see Elizabeth standing next to her boyfriend.

Isabel's eyes widened. "I thought that you said you guys wouldn't be coming.

"I was able to change his mind." Elizabeth looked up at her boyfriend with a smile. "But, I'll leave you two alone." Elizabeth dragged her boyfriend further onto the dance floor and face him. Justin smiled as he placed his hands on Elizabeth's waist, and she wrapped her arms around her neck. "Thank you."

"For?" Justin chuckled.

"Coming with me." Elizabeth looked down at the ground. "I have been thinking about all of this since our first date."

Justin laughed softly. "You thought that we would be together this long?"

"I fucking knew we would be together this long." She looked back up at him. "I knew that night I would fall in love with you hard and fast."

The boy looked down at Elizabeth's lips and nodded. "I love you more than life."

"Don't say that." Elizabeth shook her head, cupping his cheeks. "Life is more important than any of this. You need to love your life."

Justin pushed a stray piece of hair behind Elizabeth's ear as the slow song ended and an upbeat one began. "I wouldn't love my life if you weren't in it."

"I'm always going to be here." Elizabeth shrugged before beginning to dance to the music.

They danced to the next few songs before their friends joined them, dancing along with them. Elizabeth noticed that Justin was beginning to grab at his bowtie. "Hey, what's wrong?' She furrowed her eyebrows as she watched him begin to lose his balance. She grabbed onto his shoulders, trying to keep him upright, but Justin fell onto the ground, unconscious.

Rewritten
Word Count - 3697

An : okay so I didn't realize how long this chapter was going to be when I wrote it my goodness. Also I'm sorry for the way I went with the storyline but I understand why the writers wrote it that way. I read a lot of articles about why they ended the show the way they did to try and figure out how I wanted this story to go, and this is what I landed on. I know a lot of you are going to be upset, and I'm sorry.

Also I literally cried so much writing this chapter and I don't even know why lol.

Please vote and comment your ideas for the finale and what you want Eliza to do after school!

Have any ever day, lovelies 💕