Part of the Pack (Daniel Sharman)

Part of the Pack

"Well isn't this déjà vu," Danny said, his eyes smiling.

I giggled, resting my arms on the back of his neck. "Thanks for accepting me so easily, guys." I said, swaying to the music with Danny. Formals are the best.

Hoechlin and Maya and Dylan and Holland danced next to us, and Muse and Erin were off somewhere doing god knows what. Hopefully dancing😉

"Thanks for being so easier to accept," Dylan said, smiling at Holland, who added, "Yea, we're a very cliquey group and you fit in all too well."

I laughed, pressing my ear to Danny's chest. "Where's Carter go, Maya?" I asked.

She grinned. "He went back to Florida for the rest of the summer. He got a job teaching little kids at a summer day camp. It pays really well and he's getting community service hours for college so he's happy. You'll see him whenever you go back to Florida."

I smiled. I wouldn't be going back for a while.

But not for the reason I wasn't going back a few weeks ago.

For a completely different reason.

Because I loved it here.

Because I belonged here.

Neon Lights by Demi Lovato came on and we danced around and went crazy.

Because being wild is for kids.

And you're only a kid once.

And at heart, we were all kids.

****

"Wow," Danny said, staring at the sky, "how beautiful."

We all looked up at the sunset from our spot on the top of a conveniently placed hill.

It was about a half mile from the formal and we were eating a picnic and watching the sunset.

I sat on a blanket with Danny, curled in his lap.

Holland was cuddled in Dylan's lap and Crystal was lying down, using T Pose's arm as a pillow. Muse and Erin were across from them, holding hands and sitting back to back. Hoechlin and Maya were lying shoulder to shoulder, with Maya's head on Hoechlin's chest.

We were the perfect group of friends.

And as we sat there, nibbling marshmallows, laughing, teasing each other, and sitting in completely comfortable silence, I realized something.

No ones perfect.

And that's why the world isn't perfect.

We live in an imperfect world. But, the world is imperfect in a perfect way. Our lives will never be the same, none of them. We've changed each other, and we've changed the world.

I finally had a group of friends who I loved.

Who I fit in with.

Who would stick with me through the roughest of rough times.

Where I belonged.

I was finally part of the pack.

And even though we may not have the most amazing lives ever, we were as happy as we could possibly be. We had each other and that's all we needed to survive.

And as I tightened my grip on Danny's hand, cuddling closer to his chest, the world seemed almost perfect for a few minutes.

And for us, almost was pretty damn good.