Prized Possessions - Chapter 9 FINAL

December 31, 2008. New years day was only hours away from now. It was the prefect time to celebrate on this special occasion. A chance to hang out with long time friends and enjoy the final day of the old year.

Hilda was in the middle of putting on some light make up. Janae and Hilda had made arrangements to schedule a double date for the new years eve party. She wore a purple halter ruffle skirt mini dress and heeled black shoes. The dark skinned girl was nervous to say the least. It was going to be the very first night that she actually went out.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. It must've been her date!

"I'll get it!" Hilda shouted, walking over towards the front door. She opened it to reveal the most beautiful sight she's ever seen. Margret had on a kimono with brooch mini dress with simple and comfortable black shoes. Her honey brown hair was straight, going down near her shoulder blades. Margret was also wearing a simple red hair ribbon that Hilda bought her on their first Christmas together.

"Hi, Hilda." Margret smiled.

"Hi there, gorgeous." Hilda winked at her girlfriend.

Margret blushed at the comment. "D-don't call me that." she said, walking inside Hilda's home.

"Oh come on, why not? The dress looks good on you, Margret."

"Thanks. I guess I'm not use to complements sometimes."

"You'll get use to it eventually." Hilda kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "I just need to wait for my aunt to leave the house. Man, I'm so excited! We're going to have a hell of a good time. What about you?"

"I'm ready too, I guess." Margret replied, slightly timid. "As long as we don't get close to any weirdos."

"Sweet Margret," Hilda hugged the slightly taller girl. "you worry way too much. Loosen up a bit, eh? For me?"

Margret leaned into the hug, her forehead touching Hilda's lightly. "Oh, all right. If you say so."

"Good." Hilda said before releasing Margret. "Besides, we deserved this night together. It'll be great for the both of us. We've been through so much."

"Alright, Hilda. How do I look?" Whitney asked her niece, appearing at the living. She wore a simple grey dress with knee high boots. Like Hilda, she was also wearing light make up.

"Whitney, you look just fine."

Margret nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, girls. Anyway, I'll be heading off, now!" Whitney informed Hilda. "Adam is on his way to pick me up. Hilda, make sure you call me in case of an emergency. And don't forget to turn off the lights before bedtime."

"Auntie, I'm eighteen, not ten." Hilda reminded her caretaker. "Just have some fun, ok?"

"Of course, Hilda. Same goes for you."

BEEP! BEEP!

"Oh my gosh! That must be him, right now!" the thirty-five year old aunt said with excitement. "See you two later!"

Whitney walked outside to join Adam in his car. "Hey, Margret," Adam said, "don't have too much fun at the party."

Margret rolled her eyes. "Dad, just get out of here."

"Gladly." Adam smiled at his date and stepped on the gas pedal. Both adults were now on their way to a restaurant. After a few moments, both Hilda and Margret laughed together.

"Wow, who would've thought that your dad and my aunt are dating? Talk about small world."

"I know." Margret agreed. "I never thought Whitney would be the second woman dad showed interest in."

This was shocking news to Hilda. "Whoa, really, Margret?"

"Yes," Margret nodded. "Ever since mother passed away, dad spent most of his time taking care of me. I'm glad he's pursuing what he wants now."

"Me,too." Hilda agreed. "Come on, we should get going, too."

Margret took Hilda's hand and smiled. "Okay!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hilda and Margret didn't know what to expect when they arrived at YOUNG & CLASSY night club for the first time.

Inside the club, there wasn't much activity, surprisingly. There were about 25-30 people eating, chatting, and dancing. Both girls thought it was going to be more crowed than normal. Margret spotted someone waving towards them.

"Hilda...isn't that your friend waving to us?"

Hilda turned to see what Margret meant. "Yeah, you're right. It's Janae and Lucy!"

The two girls walked over to the reserved table to meet with them.

Janae sported a green chiffon accent dress, green tights, and black high heels. Lucy wore a white empire waist black lace overlay dress and knee high boots.

"Hey, you two!" Janae greeted the pairing with a smile. "You made it on time." She went to hug Hilda.

"Of course we did, Janae." Hilda hugged the older girl back.

Janae noticed Hilda's new bob cut hairdo. "Wow, look at you! Like the new hairstyle."

"Thank you."

Margret walked forward. "Hello."

"Janae, Lucy, this is my girlfriend, Margret."

Margret had some idea who the older couple were. Nonetheless, Margret politely greeted them. "Hello."

"Hi, Margret," Janae smiled. "Glad to have you here with us."

"Thank you for having me." The blonde girl replied, sitting at the table with Hilda. "Is this really a nightclub? Shouldn't there be, like, a thousand people here?"

"This club was built recently." Lucy explained. "Many people have just heard about it several days ago."

"Well, that shouldn't matter anyway. At least it's less crowed here, right?" Janae shrugged. "Anyways, We're here to party!"

The two couples sat down at a reserved table and began to read through their menus. After a few moments, all of their requested dishes were served. Both couples began chatting amongst themselves and joking around.

"So," Margret asked out of curiosity. "how did you two get together as a couple?"

Janae and Lucy looked at each other.

"Well...that's a good question there, Margret." Janae smirked. "And I'm glad you asked! The story of how I got together with the lovely Lucy is an epic tale. An epic tale full of laughter, thrills, and tears..."

"Is it?" Margret asked, "In that case, give us the highlights."

"Okay, then." Janae began. "Back in Teen Health High, five years ago, I was just a member of the disciplinary committee. My job was to enforce the laws of the school. To make sure to keep students in line at all times. Lucy was the delinquent, believe it or not. She barely came to school every day!"

"Really?" Hilda seemed very surprised to hear about that. "I always thought it was the other way around."

"Lucy was the one who actually confessed to me first. It happened during summer vacation. I was in disbelief. Plus, I had a boyfriend at the time. But, it wasn't as perfect as I thought...

"Why do you say that?" Margret asked.

"Because," Janae answered "he was seeing one of my teachers on the side. I caught him in the act on Valentine's day and dumped him on the spot before breaking his jaw."

"Oh."

"Afterwards, I started hanging out with Lucy, as a friend. I didn't realize the extent of Lucy's feelings until she protected me from a creepy stalker who tried to seduce me by force. During the aftermath of that, I came to realize that I was only living up to the standards of stereotypes and traditions when I was with my ex-boyfriend. Joining disciplinary committee was also just a way to appease my uptight parents. I started dating Lucy at junior year and the rest was history."

"Wow," Hilda commented "so when Lucy started coming to school more often, were the teachers surprised?"

"Yes, they sure were!" Janae laughed.

"In the end," Lucy said "the both of us overcame our problems and earned a happy ending, just like you two."

Hilda and Margret looked at each other, admirably. They probably would've been in denial still if it weren't for a love confession gone wrong. Hilda wanted to help Margret with her problems, and in return, Margret helped Hilda with hers. The couple's friendship and love for one another changed their lives for the better, and neither of them regretted a thing.

Suddenly, Janae heard Kagami's "Tiger Track" playing in the background.

"Oh mah gawd!" Janae shouted with delight. "This is my favorite beat! Come on girls, let's dance!"

"But, I'm not-!" Margret was cut off by Hilda dragging her down the dance floor.

The two couples ran over to the dance floor. Janae was getting right to the dancing with Lucy following her lead. Both girls were in sync as they danced naturally. Hilda had to suppress a giggle watching Margret trying (and failing) to keep a steady rhythm.

"Hey, don't laugh, Hilda!" Margret shouted at her date. "I'm not good at dancing!"

"All right, I'll help you." Hilda grabbed both of her lover's hands. She placed them on her shoulders. Then, Hilda placed her hands on Margret's hips. "Okay, now, sway your hips back and forth."

Margret did as she was told and Hilda mimicked her movements.

"Wow," Margret said, starting to get the hang of it. "This doesn't feel as embarrassing as I thought it'd be."

"Told you!" Hilda smiled.

The dancing went on for several minutes until the DJ stopped the music.

"All right, everyone!" the DJ announced, pointing at the big clock. "The new year countdown begins now!"

Everybody in the club looked at the clock with anticipation. Margret grabbed Hilda's hand.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...!"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Confetti came down the dance floor. Many couples were making out. The whole club was filled cheer and excitement. The new year had finally came. After an hour and a half, the final session was a slow dance for couples only. Hilda and Janae were there with their respective lovers.

"I'm so glad we came to this club, Hilda." Margret whispered. "I had tons of fun, tonight."

"I could tell you were enjoying yourself." Hilda responded. "And I'm glad you are."

"Thanks."

After a moment of peaceful silence. Hilda glanced at Janae and Lucy. Then, she spoke up again.

"So, Margret," Hilda asked. "what are you hoping for the new year?"

Margret lifts her head up and looked at Hilda straight in the face. What more could she hope for? What more could she want? She's moving on with her life. She parted ways with her teddy bear, Peter. She gained a girlfriend and a better life for herself. Margret kissed Hilda softly and said "I already have what I want right now."

Hilda nodded. She too already had what she wanted in her life. "So have I, Margret. So have I..."

Margret leaned her head closer to her girlfriend's shoulder. Hilda held her even closer as they continued slow dancing. There was still more challenges heading their way in the future. But with friendship and love by their side, Hilda and Margret knew that they were going to be all right.

In February 2009, Hilda's father, Oscar, was released from prison after serving 16 years in prison for drug dealing. He and Hilda are now repairing their broken father/daughter bond one day at a time.

Hilda and Margret graduated from Teen Health High in June 2009. They plan on attending campus together after summer break. The have remained a couple ever since.

Janae and Lucy have become mentors to Hilda and Margret respectively. Margret seems a bit concerned, since Hilda has begun taking questionable intimacy advice from Janae since summer break.

Whitney and Adam are still going strong. They have dated since December of last year.

The End

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Notes: Well, this is it. The final chapter. Once again, another story is finished! It was an emotional and difficult journey but both Hilda and Margret made it through, together. Thank you very much for reading this story!