User:MeGa eXal/sandbox

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Thursdays on campus at Imperial Grove University were quite packed. Usually, there was some kind of sports game on Fridays, whether it be football, baseball, or perhaps basketball; so the college often set up pep rallies to get the hype going.

Linus had plans to attend the upcoming football game, and he had already bought two tickets for himself and Cici. He didn't quite know what else he could do the night of the game, besides sit in his dorm with anxiety.

No, he thought. ''I won't be having any anxiety. I'll do whatever it takes to get through my last year of college, even if I drop dead trying.''

But why would he want to drop dead trying anyway?

Linus didn't have any classes on Thursdays, so at this point he knew who he wanted to visit.

He sat down in his green truck and drove down about five or six miles away from the university and arrived at a small, brown, wooden house. Upon arriving, he found a short, round woman with curly gray hair and a flower pattern dress smiling out the window.

"Aunt Esther?" Linus called out. "I'm here!"

A moment later, the two of them were sitting down at the black dining room table and having coffee.

"So, how have things been?" Esther asked.

"Eh, y'know," Linus answered. "Last year of college, hanging out with Cici, the occasional drowsiness..."

"Have you been taking your medicine regularly?"

"Yeah, but I dunno... it doesn't seem to be helping anymore."

"...is this about your sister?"

"Yeah... Lori."

"Oh, I know you miss her n' all, but I'm glad you've been able to move on."

Suddenly, Linus got a rapid flashback and saw a familiar van slamming into a nearby car. The vision left him wide-eyed.

"Heh..." he smiled and tried to cover it up. "Yeah."

Somehow, his good aunt Esther knew there was something wrong. She knew it was time to tell him.

She sighed. "Linus... there's something I need to tell you."

"What's that...?"

"See......

your parents and Lori still alive. They didn't die in that crash."

"...what?"

All Linus could do was stare at her.

"Y-yeah... we've been in touch for quite a while. I wanted to wait till you were old enough before I let you know."

"...how come? I wouldn't have been mad if you just told me..."

"I'm so sorry. Please don't take this the wrong way, Linus."

"No, no! I'm not mad at all. Just... shocked."

"Well... I wanted to make sure you were old enough to have a choice."

Linus took off his beanie and looked down at his feet. His full hairstyle was curved with a small tuft at the top, not unlike Lincoln's, and it stuck out at the front as if it was reaching for something ahead of it.

"Now that you're almost done with college," Esther continued, "I think it's about time I let you decide whether you want to stick around here... or return to Royal Woods, and see Lori again..."

"Thanks, Aunt Esther... I'll think about it."

Back at his dorm room, Linus looked back at his photo with Lori and shed a tear. Now he knew she was still out there, and they would meet again some day...