"Three can keep a secret if two are dead," he quoted as he traced the shape of her face on the picture in the book. "I can't believe you chose such a macabre line for your yearbook quote." Putting the book down, he joined her in front of the mirror on top of her cabinet.

She shrugged, "Hey, that line sums up my feelings about high school in a nutshell." She twisted her hair in a bun and pinned it back with her hair clip.

"What meaning does that line have anyway," He said as he straightened his tie in the mirror. He smoothed his hair back with his palms, letting the gel sit in his hair.

She smiled, "It's a secret that only I know." She adjusted her strapless dress, turning her face one way and then the opposite way.

He shrugged, "Whatever. You'll tell me eventually." Holding his arm out, he looked into her eyes.

"Ready for the last dance of high school?"

She smiled again. "Of course." And she linked her arm with his.

-

The dance floor was loud and thunderous, the neon lights flashing over the flamboyantly dressed students as they danced without inhibition, releasing years of stress and tension from their shoulders. Their arms were flaying in the air, reaching for the chandeliers that hanged from the ceiling. The crystals of the glass chandelier reflected off light into many unparalleled directions.

"They're beautiful," she whispered as she stared up at the transparent glass above her. She stopped moving to the beat and just stood there, staring up at the ceiling.

"imagine if they fell down and broke into infinitesimal pieces on the ground." He said. "Then they would no longer be beautiful but be just broken glass."

She shook her head. "No. What is broken can always be pieced together," she said.

"But it can no longer be the original piece," he shot back. "But an imperfect variation."

"There is beauty in the imperfection of things," She closed her eyes, reaching out to the ceiling and swayed as the music changed to a slow tune.

He thought for a moment and then nodded his head slowly.

"Yes. Because the flaws are what give them character and personality."

She smiled, eyes still closed. "And it's all just a reminder that nothing perfect can last forever. We are meant to be broken and then fixed and then broken again."

He agreed, "It's an endless cycle that ends with our hearts and bodies being more torn apart as the days go by."

"It is. But we are still alive and whole and functioning, and isn't that something that should be celebrated?"

He looked into her eyes again. "I'll celebrate you."

 "As will I."

-

He came to her in the night, tissues in hand. As she laid there clad in sorrow, he dried the tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I love you," she whispered.

He stared straight into her soul.

"As do I.'

-

The dance ended at midnight. She could hear the clock tower in the distance ring its bell as she excited the venue.

"It's too bad that had to end," she said to him. "I had fun."

"As did I. But everything good has to come to an end eventually."

"I know. But isn't the end just another beginning?"

He nodded.

"I look forward to the next chapter."

"As do I."