Frenemies

43

Epilogue
Grayson

I look at the gorgeous girl in front of me whom I call my girlfriend. She has her hair loosely curled and they hang in front of her cleavage as she poses for pictures her mom is taking. She glances at me, moves her hair out of her chest, and winks at me. I feel heat creep up my neck. How can she be this hot?

Truthfully she has always been hot with the way she would yell at me and the way she would put her hair up in a bun in frustration. I lived for those moments: those moments where I would do anything to make her talk to me. I'd had a crush, if you want to call it that, since the first time I saw her in high school. She was sitting in her seat, wearing a black skirt with a purple tank top, her hair hanging down her shoulder so much longer than now. She had glanced at me once and to impress her, I had put my paper up. She had only furrowed her eyebrows and gave me the meanest look, but I had never seen her any hotter before. 

The way her full lips pursed up and her eyes giving that foxy look, so fierce and so hot. I'd been obsessed with getting that look from her ever since. Just as I'm about to sweat off my suit and tie, I hear my name. I watch as Stacie walks over with all of my siblings and it causes my heart to hurt. How am I going to leave them after this summer? 

"Bubba", Nathan shouts calling me something I'd never heard him call me again and when I glance at Anna, I see she has a smirk on her face. He is not going to embarrass me at my graduation. I glare at her but she only high fives Lily and I feel betrayed as Stacie laughs as well. I grab Nathan and start walking to my girlfriend.

"I feel honored standing by you, Mrs. Valedictorian", I say placing a hand on her shoulder. I swear when she turns to me, my world slows with just her in the view. I can't wait to live with her, to hug her, to kiss her at any given time. Her eyes soften at me and I lean over to give her a quick peck on the lip. I hear a few groans but I only pull away with a smile on my face. 

"I got that captured", her best friend, Katie, says and it makes Julie laugh. I stare at her, studying how beautiful she looks with her makeup on. She is radiant. 

"Are you ready to give your speech?", she asks me and I laugh. 

"Are you ready to give yours?", I saw back and she laughs. 

"You're giving yours first", she says and I shake my head, smiling. 

"And you're valedictorian. Hope you can top mine."

"Oh I will", she says, crashing her hip with mine. I love how competitive we still are. 

••••

After giving my speech on the importance of working hard and never giving up, I am so excited to hear Juliette's. When I pass by her to get back to my seat, I stop her for a second and meet my lips with hers. She gasps as we haven't rehearsed that yesterday. I press my lips to hers for a second longer and the whole audience cheers, I do hear a few groans but when I look back, I find my family smiling. Nathan with his arm around Stacie, Anna and Lily giggling together. They are the reason I keep going. 

With a last touch on her shoulder and a dazzling smile returned, I walked back off the stage and sat in the chair, coincidently in front of her. She looks down at me and I smile at her. She clears her throat and starts: 

For the better part of my highschool experience I have known one thing: to be the best. I thought I had it down: I got the best grades, the best awards, but there was something I was missing. 

She stops to look at me, and my heart flutters. 

I handn't meet another person who would inspire me to be better. Who would show me his life, his past, his present. He thought me the art of trust, the art of family. He is the one that kept me going. He is a guy who infruarated me, and I don't mean that lightly. I hated the way he would stare at me knowingly, the way he would talk to me, but I hated the way my heart reacted to him the most. I thought it was because of the 'hatred' but after I spent time with him outside of school, I found out that it was because I liked him. The realization made me pause for a second, to think about it. But ultimately, there was nothing to talk about, he had weaseled his way into my heart. And once I let him in, he taught me the foundation of going on. He is the one whom I learned how to move on from, how to take the negatives and turn to positives. If he would have me, I look forward to being pushed into getting through college. 

She goes on about navigating through new situations, but I'm not listening. I'm only focused on my speeding heart. My love for her blossoms and as I watch her talk on stage, I only think about when I'll have her in my arms next. Thankfully, that moment happens after the loudest applause, me being the loudest. She beams red on stage and makes her way to her seat. 

She has the nerve to almost pass my seat without glancing at me so I stand up and place a hand on her arm. She doesn't get a chance to look at my properly before I pull her in for a hug. It's the tightest I ever hug her. "I love you, Juliette", I whisper into her ear, wiping at my eye.

"I love you too, Grayson", she replies and I savor the hug a little longer despite the crowd applauding louder. After a kiss on the top of her head, I pull away holding her hand. The crowd cheers louder and I find my family smiling down at me. 

"Okay if the Valedictorian and salutatorian are done making out, we can continue", my principal says into the microphone laughing. 

"I'll see you at the finish line, baby", I say to her as she takes her hand away from mine. She looks at me one last time and says,"I'll be with you the whole time, Gray." 

And she would; she would be stuck with me for the rest of my life helping me navigate through life by loving me and I will love her eternally in return. The two of us are meant to be so we will be. We will stay together as long as we are alive. 

THE END.