FINAL BOY || Ethan Landry

- EPILOGUE -

THE CORE FOUR was renamed by Chad as the ripped six. It's just as awful, if not more so, than the first name, but he means well.

Everywhere I turn I'm reminded of Jasmine and Ethan, and everything that we've lost...but Chad's been able to help me through it and I help him the same.

Tara's not doing as well as we'd hoped but healing takes a long time. She's been pushing Sam away a lot less so at least she has her sister.

Mindy's been...well, she's been Mindy. She likes to pretend that she's fine but we all know Anika's death hit her pretty hard.

"Are you sure, you can do this?" Chad asks me warily as I tighten my tie. "I mean, I would understand if this was too hard for you." He says.

I turn around to face him and place my lips gently on his, before pulling away. "It's fine, babe. Im not missing my best friend's funeral." I tell him softly.

"I know." He smiles down at me. "I just wanna make sure you're okay."

I smile back. "I love how you worry so much." I tell him.

"Yes well, as soon as we get back from Jasmine's funeral, we are going to lay on this bed, and I'm going to show you just how much I worry about you." He smirks.

"Mhmm." I hum as I reach up to kiss him again. "I'd like that." I mumble against his lips.

I'd like that a lot.

~•*•~

THE FUNERAL WAS hard to process. It's hard to believe that my best friend is really gone...and so is Ethan. I've tried really hard not to think about him but there are moments where I feel like I haven't gotten the closure I need.

"Chad! Emmett! Come check this out!" I hear Mindy yell out from the living room. We both look at eachother in confusion before rushing into the living room, where everyone else was staring at the tv.

"What's goi—"

What the fuck??

"Sam, turn the volume up." I mumble, hardly believing my eyes. She does.

"Nineteen year old, Ethan Landry, found still alive at the scene of the ghost face attack from two months ago, confesses to the murder of the young teen, Anika Kayoko and the attempted murder of Chad Meeks-Martin. He has since been sentenced to twenty five years to life in prison. Further details are—"

I click the tv off.

We all sit in silence staring at the television. "Umm..." I start, trying to break the silence. "G-good for him." I stumble over my words as I rush into my room and lock the door. No one comes after me. They know better.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I feel my breath hitch when I see the caller ID. It's from the prison. It's Ethan.

"Hello?" I say shakily as I answer the phone.

"Emmett." The voice breathes. "Thank god you answered, I only have one phone call so I was taking a bit of a risk calling yo—"

"Ethan." I say sternly and he stops talking. "I'm glad you're alive. You have no idea how relieved I am..."

"But?" He asks, knowing that there's always a but.

"But you killed someone. You killed Anika, and while I'm really proud of you for confessing your mistakes, it doesn't change what you did." I tell him. He doesn't reply so I continue. "I love you Ethan, and I will always love you, but I've moved on." I say as a single tear falls from my cheek.

He still doesn't say anything for a while but then..."who?" He asks quietly.

"That doesn't matt—"

"Emmett, who??" He repeats, louder.

"Chad." I whisper and I hear him scoff from across the other line.

"He's alive?!" He questions in disbelief and I wince, remembering that Ethan had tried to kill him. "Is he..." he hesitates. "Does he treat you good?"

His question catches me off guard but I answer. "Yeah, yeah, he does." I say.

"Good." He replies. "Oh and Emmet? I love you too."

This must be what it feels like;

Closure.