Lizzy had been pretty good about hiding her pain whenever she was out and about with her friends, especially after she had been given a whole day to calm down and accept that it was really the end of her relationship with Mac... That it wasn't some horrible nightmare, or her own twisted imagination playing tricks on her mind.

Today was another long day; after all, time seemed to crawl by whenever you just want to be alone... However, she was not about to repeat what she had done the previous time; locking herself up and vanishing would just invite endless questions from her peers. Best to just suck it up, act like she was fine, and maybe she would start believing her own lies.

Now that she was back in the security of her own room, however, she immediately collapsed in bed, burying her face in her pillow, not even bothering to change out of her dress.

Smiling hurt. Laughing hurt. Acting happy hurt.

She couldn't do either without feeling like she was forcing herself to do things she didn't want to do, like she was just lying to her friends constantly... And this routine was wearing her out. She wasn't sure how long more she could keep it up for.

Groaning, she then moved to crawl under the covers, her eyes closed as she grabbed her bolster and hugged it close. Somehow, it seemed odd to be in her own room on a Frightday night; she had gotten used to going over to Mac's room... Gotten used to that routine where he would welcome her with a kiss before they settle into his bed, where he would cuddle her, kiss her, and hold her firmly in his arms the whole night, so that she would wake up the next morning feeling warm all over and smelling like him.

Suddenly, the bolster she was hugging felt too soft and too small. She whimpered, trying to hold it tighter and closer to her, only to realize that it was much too cold... Mac was always warm and she was always more than happy to cool him down.

That ache in her chest returned, and her eyes started to water even as she buried her face into the bolster, trying to muffle her sobs in order to not wake her minipets up. Thinking about Mac used to make her so happy and giggly; right now, it just pained her to think about everything he had ever told her or done for her. It frustrated and hurt her to think that their relationship was built on lies, and her nails dug into the cloth of the bolster as she sobbed harder.

Why would Mac say all those things? She refused to believe that he would be so swallow, that 'Puppy' could possibly hurt her so deep; she had always insisted that he was a nice person, that his bark was worse than his bite. Why wouldn't it apply in this situation? Beside, he didn't say that he hated her. Just that he was tired of playing. Of babysitting her.

That thought alone caused her to wince, and she curled up, the bolster flush against her body and in her arms, like she was trying to replace his absence with it, with limited success.

Feeling something nudge her shoulder, Lizzy initially ignored it but looked up a second later, coming face to face with Rosenthal.

"Did I wake you?" She whispered, her voice shaky as she reached out a hand to gently stroke his muzzle, "Sorry..."

The Pata-Pata just nuzzled her hand before curling up on the bolster.

"I don't understand Mac anymore. Did he change? Did I change? Ah... D-Do you think Mac would still take me in as a friend?" She asked; it was hard to believe, but she was seriously asking her minipet a question, and looking expectantly at him for an answer.

Rosenthal heard the word 'Mac' and 'friend', and instantly nodded.

"I can't hate Mac," Her voice dropped even further, her eyes filling up with tears again, and she quickly wiped them away using the back of her hand, "I still love him and if I can't love him as... As his ghoulfriend, maybe I could be his friend." Somehow that thought sent a sharp pain through her heart; what if he found someone else? Then she would have to watch him hold hands with that someone else, and kiss that ghoul... And as his friend, she would have to be happy for him.

Rosenthal just paused, tilting his head; 'Mac', 'love' and 'friend' all in one sentence? He nodded enthusiastically; he knew that his owner loved that reaper. It's the only reason he even tried to get along with him, not that he had ever stopped being suspicious of him.

"Thanks Rosenthal," She wasn't sure why, but she giggled softly at his reaction - it was the first real giggle she had in a while... And it was almost liberating. Her eyes lidded, and her breathing soon evened out.

With that dull ache still throbbing in her chest, she somehow fell asleep.