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[There were small conveniences in Sadie's mom being a post worker. Sadie never missed her mail, for one thing--and for another, Sadie always got her stuff rather promptly. When she got her acceptance letter, she stared at it in shock for a couple of seconds, then screamed and danced around for joy with her mom. Then cried a little. It was a lot of emotions.

And now, she was carrying a vague sense of dread with her into work the following day. Now, she was being confronted with the fact that she'd have to say goodbye to all of this. Just for a couple of years, but all the same--no more visits from Steven, no more Beach City regulars, and no more Lars. Which for better or for worse, was just weird to Sadie. She saw him more than 40 hours a week, for years.

Sadie had been a little off through her shift, the melancholy starting to drag her down--which felt kinda weird with her mixed excitement and anticipation. She finished counting the till, then stepped outside so that Lars could lock the shop up.

She bit her lip, her eyes stuck to the floor.]

Hey, uh... Lars...

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[It was pretty strange, to see Sadie slowly drift into a melancholy state. It's not really like her... unless the work day was particularly dragging. But even then, she'd be bored more than anything else. So Lars was a little tipped off by that, but he checked it in as circumstance. Like maybe she was just feeling moody or something.

Though that wasn't the case, and it was brought to his attention that maybe she was upset for a more legitimate reason than "just because". He looked over his shoulder with an eyebrow slightly raised in concern, as he turned the key into the backdoor's knob.]

Yeah, what's up? [The door now locked, he shoves the key in his pocket and flips around, to lean his back against the door as he curiously watches Sadie, feeling a bit nervous about what she wanted to talk about.]

[Man. Sadie feels her stomach fill with butterflies, and not for any fun rom-com esque reason. She feels quite nervous herself, because there's no tip-toeing around big news.]

Okay, [Sadie lifts her hands, exposing her palms to Lars as she waves her hands slowly apart.] First, uhh—don't—freak out.

[Sadie knows that's easier said than done—and in retrospect, she's only given him a reason to start getting anxious. Her hands curl under her chin, and she finds herself unable to look at Lars, at first.

When she does, though, she... still can't get it out. She's been thinking about how to tell him all day, and now she's at a total loss for words. It should be good news, shouldn't it? But maybe she already knows he might not take it that way.]

I—...um.

Geez.

[Telling him not to freak out means this was something that'd obviously bug him, right? So.. what? Naturally, his mind jumps to the first thing he can think of, which would be that she got herself a boyfriend. But that.. wouldn't bother him! And even if it did, she wouldn't know that it would, right....

Lars watches carefully, his his expression turning into an annoyed scowl, despite his emotions leaning towards anxious more than anything.]

...what? If you got somethin' to say, spit it out already Sadie. I ain't gonna bite or whatever. [His posture is straighter, as he leans a bit forward towards Sadie expectantly.]

Well, I'd hope not... [Sadie recoils a little, blinking up at Lars.]

Anyway, um. I'm. [GOD, she can't look at him. She's not even saying goodbye or anything so dramatic—she has the whole Summer in Beach City to enjoy before she moves. But it still hurts to where Sadie sort of has to drop her gaze, blinking the burn off her eyes a little.

Her voice is steady, though. Nothing amiss.]

I'm gonna be moving, at the end of the Summer. Like—kinda far... I've been applying to schools for a while—and I got in somewhere! [She manages to give him a weak little smile, but it doesn't last.]

So... I had to give my notice way in advance to corporate...

[As he listens, Lars' expression slowly starts to fall, it being more in tune with his emotions. He leans back away from Sadie, his arms dropping to his sides along with his gaze, shifting to the side away from her. She got into a college that's.. good, sure it is. He should be happy for her! But... he can't help hide that fact that he wasn't.

His gaze turns back towards Sadie, and he unconsciously holds onto one of his arms with the other, his expression looking a bit melancholy.]

...you're moving? [He didn't really mean to ask that question, he wanted to ask more about where she was going, how long she'd be gone, what kind of major she's trying for.. but that's the first thing his mind jumps to.]

[Seeing the way Lars's disposition kind of crumbles breaks Sadie's heart, but she isn't sure what to do about it. She anxiously folds one set of fingers over the other, looking guiltily Lars's way. She should be happy too, of course—and she is. But this was the part she'd been looking forward to the least.

She knew it would be so, so stupid to stay in Beach City just because of Lars. He wasn't—even her boyfriend, or anything, and even if he was (which, of course, would be totally ridiculous, by the way!! Right? Yeah), that would still be a stupid thing to do.

But she wished she could, honestly. Especially now that things were—better, she thought.]

Yeah, [she reiterates, sounding crestfallen.] In a couple months. Windy City.

Windy City? But that's practically all the way across Delmarva! [His melancholy gaze is quick to change into a shocked pout, and the tone of his voice is very whiny.]

What am I supposed to do while you're all the way in Windy City?

I—I dunno! [Sadie blinks, seeming taken off guard by this response. How was she supposed to be responsible for how Lars was gonna keep himself busy?]

Do what you...always do?

But-- [He stops himself, feeling a bit flustered. Sadie looking off guard like that had him realizing that he was probably overreacting - it's something he'd been trying harder to work on. But.. he still felt justified for being upset. It's not so much the fact that he'll be bored or he won't have much to do while she's gone, but it's the fact that she's.. basically the only person he does anything with nowadays. So to tell him to "do what he always did" was kind of... hurtful, in a way.]

...what about the Big Donut? 'M I supposed to work with some stupid newbie while you're gone? [His expression has taken a sour turn for the worst, his cheeks still flushed a bit red.]

[Sadie had put herself under the impression Lars at least intended to have better things—by his own definition—going for him than just... hanging out with her.

Her shoulders slacken a little.]

I don't know. Probably... It would be better than them making you do all the work yourself, right?

[She decides to not mention that there will be a new person hired before she leaves—who she'll probably have to train, while Lars is on shift.]

Yeah, but I don't wanna be stuck havin' to hold hands with a dumb new guy while he learns how to do his job. [Whether Sadie teaches them herself or not, it's still extremely unappealing, having to work with someone new.]

Or better yet, be stuck with Steven as a co-worker.

Steven's a great co-worker! [Sadie manages to give him a soft little smile.] But, you know, he'd probably have to ditch work a lot to like... protect Beach City, or whatever.

[She's not really sure what to tell him, though. She sort of just ends up staring down at her hands, picking at her cuticles a little.]

...I'm sorry, Lars.

[At her apology, Lars' angry expression softens a little, and he stares up towards the sky quietly as she keeps her gaze down. He'd like to complain more, or try to get her to stay... but this wasn't just some dumb decision she made.
Though personally, schooling wasn't a big deal to him. But still, it was important to her.

At least... more important than he was.]

...so.. how long are you gonna be gone?

...Well, the program's a couple years.

[Sadie kinda frowns, but she walks over to where Lars is, and—slowly rests her back against the wall, sort of mirroring him. She folds her hands neatly behind her back, tucked in the dip of her waist against the wall as she looks up at him.]

But! I'll be back every break! Including the little ones.

And you know I'll keep in touch...

Won't it get tiresome travelin' practically across the country every break? [He doesn't bother moving his gaze yet, and his voice is sounding pretty melancholy at this point. The idea of only seeing her maybe 3 or 4 times a year was depressing, since they usually see each other every day...]

Not if it means I get to see my friends...

[Sadie tilts her head towards Lars a little, smiling, but she's feeling a little melancholy herself.]

[He can feel her staring at him, and looks back at her, quiet. Her smile makes him feel a bit more reassured, but he was still strongly opposed to her leaving. They were just beginning to actually get along without much conflict, maybe even on their way to something more, and now she was just going to.. leave. He idly wonders if maybe he screwed up somewhere, so she was quick to accept the first school she could... no, thinking like that was too depressing. Whether it was true or not, he puts that thought on the backburner for now, though she can see the drastic change in his expression while it runs through his mind.

It only lasts a second, before he realizes he was still staring at her. His face flushes a bit pink in embarrassment and he quickly directs his attention to his other side, while he rubs the back of his head awkwardly.]

So, like... what are you tryin' to get a degree in or whatever? [He'll try to switch the subject to something a bit happier, as he's not one for staying in a sad atmosphere for too long.]

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SORRY FOR THE TRIPLE-POST OOPS

ITS NO PROBLEM

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