I was greeted with laughter when I entered the studio on Monday. Mark caught my eye and led me with a wry smile over to where Emily and Shawn sat on the couch, talking loudly. And friendly.

"And then when the prince came out in his underwear!" Shawn laughed.

Emily giggled. "My favorite part is always when he is trying to decide which girl is really his princess and which are imposters."

"But the whole town's there!" he exclaimed, "He sees these people everyday and he still can't remember who they are?"

"Wow," said Liz, who had been sitting between them awkwardly the whole time just trying to be included in her friends' conversation, "that's so funny. Too bad I don't get it."

"You would," Emily sang, "if you'd have agreed to come with me."

"But I'm glad you didn't," Shawn cut in, "then I wouldn't have been able to go."

Emily grinned at him. "I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. You're a good theater buddy."

He winked at her. "I learned from the best."

"Come on!" Brenner barked, approaching from behind, "Get dressed!"

"So," I said slowly to Emily as we waited for our turn on set, "Friday was pretty eventful."

She beamed. "Oh, Rosie, it was wonderful! We had just planned on going by ourselves and not meeting up, but when Shawn got there, the only seat left was right next to where I was. He was a bit disappointed, but he ended up enjoying it, though I doubt the people around us appreciated our talking the majority of the time!

"After the play, we went to dinner, but it was so late the only reasonable place open was McDonald's. That was a blast! We just sat and talked for hours, it was just like old times."

"Wow."

She sighed. "It was amazing, Rosie. Everything I've ever wanted. It--it made me remember."

"Remember what?"

Emily smiled to something off in the distance. "He's my best friend."

It seemed that Shawn finally remembered, too. They spent the day together, laughing and reminiscing, digging up inside jokes and teases long buried in the sands of time.

"It's disgusting," Kendall spat, glaring at the two during lunch, "we get it, okay! You've rekindled your beautiful romance. No one cares!"

"Please," I said, "they're just friends. They're excited to finally be on good terms again."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, be excited on your own time."

Shawn and Emily had left the world behind them, much to the disappointment of their friends. Liz, Mark and I sat in awkward silence during every break, insure whether it would be more impolite to listen in on their conversation or to strike up our own right next to them.

"I have regrets," Mark muttered eventually.

"I regret your actions, too," Liz growled, "if you hadn't have pushed them together, we wouldn't have become the third, fourth, and fifth wheels."

"At least it's not awkward because half of our group doesn't like each other," I tried.

Liz rolled her eyes.

I went to bed that night relying on the hope that maybe the next day would be more like normal, but no such luck. By this point, they weren't even bothering to stay with the group. Emily and Shawn sat off to the side, probably not even realizing their friends were no longer around.

I didn't see what the two found so interesting. They sat talking, one occasionally making the other laugh, but not doing much else.

Their week was spent in solitude, with each as the other's only company. I want to believe they didn't mean to, but they sure gave people something to talk about.

Kendall ran up to me the moment I walked in Monday morning.

"Of course!" she shouted, "It all makes sense now!"

"What?" I asked, at this point used to being bombarded by her nonsense.

She smiled sadistically. "Why are they being so secretive?"

"They're not--"

"And why are they hiding out from everyone?"

"I don't think--"

"Something's up."

"What?" I demanded, wanting to get on with my life.

Kendall wiggled her eyebrows. "They're messing around."

I laughed aloud. I couldn't believe she would jump to conclusions so quickly.

"No they're not."

"You don't believe me?" Kendall demanded, "Ask her."

I snorted. "Ask her?"

"Yeah. What's wrong? Can't handle the truth?"

"Even if it was the truth," I exclaimed, "you can't just walk up to someone and ask if they're having an affair!"

"Why not?"

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "What's wrong with you?"

"Come on, Rosie," she pressed, "the only way we'll know for sure is if we ask!"

"Then ask her yourself."

"Fine," Kendall squared her shoulders. "Come with me and I will."

Rolling my eyes, I followed her over to where Emily stood gathering her things, Shawn having already left.

"Hi, Emily," Kendall said.

She looked up. "Hi."

"We have a question for you," Kendall began evasively.

Emily's eyes flitted back and forth between us. "Okay,"

"Emily," Kendall hesitated, then finished quickly, "Rosie wants to know if you're having an affair."

"What?" Emily and I cried at the same time.

Emily stared at me incredulously.

"No!" I exclaimed, "I didn't--"

"So, it's true, isn't it?" Kendall continued in a cruel attempt to catch her, "Why don't you just admit it?"

"I--I don't know what you're talking about," Emily gasped.

"Oh, come on! It's obvious something's up. Did it just happen recently or has this been an ongoing thing forever?"

"I--"

"Wow, just when you think you know a person--"

"Kendall," I cried, "just stop!"

Emily glanced around at us in indignation. "You are both horrible! How could you possibly ask such a thing?"

She then stormed away before I could insist that I had nothing to do with it.

Emily didn't talk to me the rest of the day, despite me trying many times to apologize for Kendall's behavior. I stalked around in an awful mood, which worsened substantially when I looked out the window around three o'clock and saw my mom standing there.

I hurried outside.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"I have a job for you."

My heart sank. That could only mean one thing.

"We're a little short on cash," she said. "Go get some."

"No," I said with more confidence than I felt. "I'm not stealing for you. I have a job. That should bring in all the cash we need."

Mom stuck her lip into a pout. "I need extra money for Vegas this weekend. Those slot machines aren't going to play themselves."

My anger boiled up. "Why don't you just not go to Vegas?"

She huffed. "What did I do to deserve a daughter like you?"

She turned and got into a car--where she got one I had no idea--and sped away.

"Mom!"

I ran after her without thinking, knowing that if I didn't steal some money she would. I turned a corner without stopping to look for oncoming traffic. I didn't notice the sleek red fender until it was too late.