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Both Bea and Mae sat on the roof of the car in their swimwear, dangling their feet and thumbing passing cars. Unsurprisingly, every time they did so, someone would pull over. However, it took three tries before that someone actually had jumper cables. And it was unexpectedly a woman in a pickup truck - who immediately reminded Bea of one of Germ's aunts.

“Ya'll girls need a ride?" said the hefty bird-lady as Bea and Mae ran up to the passenger side.

“Not exactly," Bea said. “What we really need is just a jump start. The car runs fine, the battery just died. Do you have jumper cables?"

“Why sure! Hang on, let me get turned around."

Mae looked at Bea proudly as they walked back to their car. “Told you it would work!"

“I should carry a spare bikini in my car at all times instead of a spare tire. But I doubt this lady pulled over because of our legs!"

Mae shrugged. “You never know. Did you see her plates?"

“Yeah. I wonder what she's doing all the way up here?"

Bea had already opened the hood on her car, and soon the lady had turned the truck around and popped her hood. In less than five minutes, Bea's car was running again, and she shut the hood while the lady took the jumper cable from her and closed her own.

“Now, you might have a bad alternator girls. Batteries don't just die on their own you know."

“No, we sorta left the radio on all night."

The lady cocked her head to one side. “You been out here all night? Doing what!?"

Mae reflexively looked at Bea and giggled.

“Oh… I see. None of my business anyway. Well, you girls be careful now. You should be good to go."

“Thanks again, Ma'am!" Bea said as the big bird-lady got back in her truck and waved before checking for oncoming cars, then making a U-Turn back onto it.

Bea looked at the radio and switched it off. Mae nodded her agreement and they began the long drive back to Possum Springs with Mae's feet out the side window again and her head in Bea's lap.

“So…" Mae said as the miles slowly passed by. “When are you thinking of going to college?"

“I think this fall semester will be too soon. I'll probably need to stay on as manager of the Pickaxe…"

“Ol' Santello's!" Mae reminded her.

“Oh, yea. Ol' Santellos. Anyway, they'll probably want me to stay on as manager for at least a year I figure. So probably fall of the next year."

“Couldn't Germ do it? He's been working there a long time."

“He has, but they'll want someone experienced."

“Oh. Well that kinda sucks for you I guess."

“Mae, I'm going to college. Even if it's not that soon, it's still awesome!"

“I suppose. At least we'll have plenty of time to get ready. Make sure we can get a dorm room or something."

“You think we should look into an apartment instead? More privacy."

“Ooo! Share an apartment with you? That would be so… adult!"

“Well, it's a possibility anyway. Say, what were you majoring in anyway Mae? I never knew."

“Didn't really have a major. I figured I'd worry about it once I got all the standard stuff done. What about you?"

Bea smiled. “I'll tell you later. And like you said, it won't really matter the first year anyway."

“Say! Think we can be in classes together?"

“Probably not. You've already got some 101-level classes in so you'll be ahead of me."

Mae's head rocked from side to side on her lap and Bea looked down at her for a second.

“What?"

“Failed 'em all Bea. I'll have to start over."

“Failed them ALL?! 1st level classes? How did you manage that?"

Mae shrugged. “I was pretty fucked up, Bea. I barely went out of my room by the end. I stopped going to classes. But I think I could do it with you there! But…"

“What?"

“Bea, I don't want to pressure you, but I don't think I could do it without you. What if you find a boyfriend or something while we're there?"

“Oh Mae, don't worry about it okay? At very worse you could come back to PS again. Besides…. I'm not looking for a boyfriend. At least, not for the foreseeable future! You're a pretty good lover, girl."

Mae hugged Bea's hips and smiled. “So… you won't feel I'm pressuring you to stay with me then?"

“No Mae. Besides, it'll be good to have someone there from home. I met a lot of the college kids at those parties, but I don't really know them. Except Jackie. Oh god! I just realized! Now they'll all know I wasn't in college before!"

“Well, better late than never?"

“Yeah. Better late than never."

The afternoon grew later before the whine of the tires finally changed into the drone they always made when passing the bridge into Possum Springs, and Bea slowed down as they approached the town.

“Will you miss it? Possum Springs I mean? And your dad?" Mae asked as she sat back up and put on her seat belt.

“Oh hell yes," Bea said as she pulled down the back road that led to her normal parking place behind the Pickaxe. “And no. Mostly I'll miss the memories and places where I grew up. But I'm ready Mae. I'm soooooo ready!"

Bea stopped, shifted the car into park, and got out. The warehouse door was open. She hadn't expected that.

“Odd. You think Germ opened without me?" Bea asked, but Mae just shrugged and they stepped in.

“Hello?" Bea called.

No one was in the warehouse though, so Bea opened the door that led down the hall to the store with Mae just behind her.

She stepped out and was shocked to see her dad waiting on customers behind the counter while Germ was helping some other people in the aisles.

“Bea," Mae whispered.

“Yeah?"

“Your dad seems to be doing fine. You wanna maybe just head to your apartment instead?"

Bea turned back to her, and the words that Preacher Karen had said came back to her.

“You know what? You're right Mae. Let's just slip back out through the warehouse."

She took one last look at her dad. He was older, and frankly pudgier than he used to be, but he seemed to be doing just fine, without her to remind him of his dead wife.

“You going home Mae?" Bea asked as they walked down the back road. “Your mom and dad are probably worried."

“I should. And I guess I can finally break the news about college to them too. Right?"

Bea stopped for a second and thought of something.

“What?" she said distractedly. “Oh! Sure. The deal is done. You can tell anyone you want. But Mae… what if my dad is okay working at the Pickaxe without me?"

“Sure looked okay to me! But you know how I feel about the whole thing. You got pissed enough at me last time I said anything that I'm staying out of it!"

“Mae, if he is okay - without me there… Maybe I can go in the fall semester after all! He can certainly manage better than me. Well, if he keeps up with inventory properly anyway."

Mae gulped. “This fall? THIS fall? Oh... “

“Oh, you'll do okay Mae. I'll be with you, remember! And besides, Angus and Gregg are going to be leaving Possum Springs soon anyway. You'll be all alone if you don't come with me!"

Mea nodded. “You're right. Okay, let's get to planning then. We've got all summer still."

“Oh Mae! It's really happening! I'm going to college! Oh my god, I want to celebrate! Mae, do you understand what this means to me?"

“You want to celebrate?"

“Yeah! What do you want to do Mae. Anything. Let's go party!"

“Just one question… When does the Pickaxe close?"

Bea smiled. “Jeeze Mae! You never used to be like this! What turned on your sex drive?"

“You did! Well, I've always had a pretty high sex drive. I just… kept it to myself. You know what I mean?" Mae said, a nervous look in her eyes.

“Heh. Do I ever. I've got something to show you in my room as proof. But you need to go home first right?"

“I can make a phone call," Mae said, eyeing Bea with a sparkle in her eye.

Bea did a quick time calculation, then she whispered conspiratorially in Mae's ear.

“Okay, come with me. My parents are gone for two hours! I've always wanted to say that."

An hour and a half later, they were taking a bath together at Bea's apartment. The bath was still far too small for them, but it no longer bothered Bea. She'd come to accept that - whatever exactly her feelings for her friend were, they were now far more than platonic, and to pretend otherwise was no longer an option.

“Yeah, but still… Angus?!" Mae was saying.

“Hey, that was a long time ago," Bea protested. “Besides, he's a pretty fun guy if you're nerdy enough. Say, have you ever seen him naked? Is my toy about right?"

“Sorry Bea. I think only Gregg has had that privilege. I kinda doubt it though. I saw Gregg once! We had a pissing contest."

“Ew! Really?"

“Yeah! I lost though. But to be fair, he did have a good four-inch head start."

“Well still. So… if you had one…"

“Who says I don't?" Mae said, pouting as she lounged back against Bea's chest in the bath.

“Mae, you don't have one. You're not the type."

“I've thought about it."

“That I don't doubt. But… if you were to get one, hypothetically, what kind would you get?"

Mae mused about that for a while.

“Probably a cat I guess. I mean, that's what I should like best, right?"

“Not a gator boy's like Jon's?"

“Hehe. It was pretty small, wasn't it?"

“Yeah, but you know you never let on to them, right? Besides, it was kinda cute."

“Yeah. It was cute," Mae chuckled, but then turned wistful. “He was nice though. Kissed me down there even."

“Should I be jealous?"

“Probably. But you're not. If you were I couldn't tell you everything."

“I'm not. I worry about that a little, Mae. I think I should be, but I'm really not. Would you have done him?"

Mae closed her eyes. “Yeah. I'd have done him. If he wanted to... and was nice."

“Oh, I think he wanted to."

“But he took you on a walk before me," Mae said, turning around to face her. “Would you have done him?"

Bea shook her head. “No. I think I learned something with Casey about myself. And with you for that matter. I couldn't do it without having spent a lot more time with somebody. I'd had to know him a whole lot better - and like him of course. Plus, the more time I spend with someone, usually the more I turn them off."

“I've spent a lot of time with you, and you don't turn me off."

“Yeah, but you're weird."

“You are too. A little."

“I am. A little," Bea admitted.

Mae kissed Bea then, and then lay against her, chest to chest in the cooling water of the bath.

“Bea, you never told me. What's your major going to be?"

Bea took Mae's shoulders and pushed her away in order to look directly at her.

“Psychology."

Mae sat back against the far side of the small tub, looking at her friend.

“Psychology? Like… to be a psychiatrist?"

Bea nodded, now more confident than ever what she wanted to be.

“For your dad? Bea, it takes years to become a psychiatrist, and I'm not even sure if it's ethical to try and treat your own dad."

“Not for my dad, Mae. Is it ethical to treat your lover?"

Mae suddenly saw it.

“Really? Do you think you could help me?!"

“A hell of a lot better than that damn Dr. Hank can at least! I just hope I'm not fucking you up with all this," she said, indicating her naked body.

“I sure hope not too!" Mae said, “but I haven't had another bad dream since we started getting serious. So… I think it's okay at least."

“It was Germ that convinced me. He was talking about one of his uncles - a janitor of all things. But he was talking about how the janitor was proud of what he does. He fixes things. It came back to me when one of Germ's aunt's fixed my hand after I fucked it up over Casey. I want to fix things, Mae. But like a good janitor or doctor, I can't until I get the tools to do the job right. Going to college is how I get my tools. And I'm going to need them, Mae. Because there are a lot of fucked-up people out there. Hell, I'm as broken as anybody! But somebody has to start fixing things. Even if just a few things, I'm going to try my best."

“I don't know if I can be fixed, Bea," Mae said, her eyes turning both sad and proud of Bea's choice. “I'm pretty messed up. Maybe even more than you think I am. In fact, I'm pretty sure I am."

“I can try. I can at least try, Mae."

The door to the apartment opened.

“Bea? I saw your car. You here?"

Bea looked at the wide open bathroom door.

“Oh shit!" she said, her eyes going wide.

“Oh shit!" Mae said, looking at her friend with an ear-to-ear grin.

“Oh shit!" said Mr. Santello as he stepped into the bathroom.

The End of Beatrice Santello Part 2.