Because You Make Me Smile - Matthew Espinosa

Epilouge

2 1/2 Years Later, Lina's POV

The wind blew my hair all around in different directions as I stood at the pier. The sight was truly beautiful, the ocean breeze enhanced my senses. The seagulls flew above, and the water was wild but still. I love the beach. I love the beaches in California. Where I am now.

I sat on the sand looking out at horizon. The shoelaces of my Vans flew about. I laid down, sighing. I was so tired. College was tiring. The classes in the morning. And then on other days the classes were in the evening. The others in the afternoon. You really got to get your crap together in college. I've only been in college a couple of months. It was fun, but frustrating.

College had taken me across the country, until I settled on one. The California College of Marine Biology. One of the best in the country. Thankfully I never gave up on school, I would've stayed in Virginia.

Virginia. Oh lord, good old Virginia. Back home, back with all my friends. I would do anything to relive my high school years. They really were the best years of my life. My junior and senior year were the best.

I missed the last week of school. I had been suspended. But they let me back the last two days. I had put together the senior prank. Oh my senior prank, I laughed to myself. Well senior pranks, should I say. Our first senior prank, Ambers uncle had given us three pigs. We gave them numbers, 1,2,4. Thus, they would be looking for number 3 when there wasn't one. It was way funnier than it sounds.

At the beginning of the school year the principal had asked everyone to bring a penny, and if not we would get detention all year. No one knew why, but everyone did as told. So our last and final farewell/prank every single student brought a penny to our graduation ceremony. When we received our diploma we would give him a penny in exchange. And by the end he had a pile of pennies around him. He ended up throwing them at my group, he knew it was our idea.

Junior year was also a year to remember. It was a year of fun, and romance. Amber and Sammy remained together all through high school. Even after he graduated, he was a year older than her. He proposed at our graduation ceremony, they are now engaged to be wed in May. They stayed in VA and go to the same college. I remain in touch with them and visit every so often.

Gilinsky goes to a college in California as well. A couple cities away actually, he is in a relationship with a girl named Jessica. They met at college. I still talk to him as well.
Sammy, Gilinsky and Matt- oh Matt. Matt. My heart flutters at the though of his name, body, just him in general. My feelings have not vanished for him but yet grown. Memories flew through my mind of our three and a half years together. We remained together through high school. After he graduated he left to a college in upstate New York to pursue his acting career.

My senior year I was single. I couldn't and can still not imagine myself with someone else. We texted, FaceTimed, and called almost every day. He transferred to a college down here in LA. Coincidentally, right after I came down here for my college. He told me that it was for a better chance in his acting career but I think we both secretly knew it was for me, him and us.

We are together, but still have not yet made it official. I think its time for a DTR talk. Oh Matthew. He's always on my mind.

I got up, walking to my car. The wind sent my hair wild. My hair no longer a dark brown, but a lighter brown with some highlights of black. I had also gotten a tattoo. A white large flower on my upper right thigh, on the side. The flower had a black shadow on it.

I sat in driving towards my apartment, I did not want to live in the college dorms. My apartment was small but rather nice. It was a couple blocks away from my university, a walking distance on a good day. Repeat, on a good day.