Riding with the boys

Epilogue

Epilogue

2 years later

"I want to propose a toast! To Sophia and Derek. Thirteen years of education has finally paid off. Now, enjoy tonight, you two. Tomorrow you're in the real world."

Everyone laughed at my dad's speech as my family, and Derek's family sat around the big corner table in Roget Hills' new Italian restaurant to celebrate mine and Derek's graduation.

"Do you two have any big summer plans?" Derek's Aunt Delilah asked, sipping her wine.

"We're spending two weeks in South Carolina," I answered. "With our friends, Mandy, Jenna, and their boyfriends."

"Ohhh, I guess you two have earned quite a lot of trust from the parents, huh?"

I chuckled and looked to my parents.

"If I could have kept her from turning eighteen, believe me, I would have," my father said.

I squeezed Derek's hand under the table and smiled up at him. We both really loved spending time with our families to celebrate graduation, but we were both anxious to get away as soon as we could. We were leaving for South Carolina Monday morning, and I couldn't wait. We were officially free of the public school system forever, and nothing at all to do until we left for college this fall. Of course, Derek and I had both gotten into the University of Michigan and that was another chapter we were excited to start together.

I took a bite of my pasta, and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the bus boy come to the table next to ours. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Andrew didn't see me at first, but boy did I see him. His hair was longer, long enough he had it pulled back into a stubby little ponytail underneath his hairnet. He wore an apron, but I could still see he'd lost the rock-hard body he once had.

It had been two years since I'd seen him. The night of the accident, when he'd been led away. That was the last time. Last I heard he was in Detroit, serving out his sentence at a federal prison. I had no idea he'd gotten out.

He cleaned the tables off, and I couldn't help but notice how empty he looked. Andrew Harper was no longer the big high school golden boy. He was an ex-con, working as a bus boy. I never expected more.

He disappeared back into the kitchen as quickly as he'd appeared and I stayed quiet, not bothering to tell anyone I'd seen him. Olivia had pulled out her cell phone and was telling everyone Cambree had had her baby.

"It's on Facebook," Olivia explained. "She had a little girl."

I shrugged. Cambree and I never made up. That was fine. I'd gone my way, and she'd kept on going hers. Ethan dumped her eventually, and Taryn and Laurel lost interest after that. Cambree found a new group he of friends, and with that came a boyfriend. At the beginning of the year, we'd all found out, without surprise, the guy had gotten her pregnant and dumped her. Her dad kicked her out, and last I heard about her she was living with her brother and his new girlfriend.

Sometimes I wondered if we'd made up, put all those hard feelings between us, would she have ended up like that. But then I would shrug the thought off and remind myself she'd made her choices, and I'd made mine. I couldn't change anything, and looking back now, I still didn't think she deserved a second chance from me.

"Maybe this will change her life," my mother said.

I shrugged. I really didn't have an opinion on any of it. As far as I was concerned she, Andrew, and the whole lot of them from that one slot of time in my life was all in the past. They were staying there, too. I'd decided long ago what was important and I still had the important parts in my life, mainly the gorgeous man who'd been by my side through my worst and stayed there all the way through it. That was what mattered the most.

Everything else was just a bad memory, and I'd stuffed it away where it belonged.

Derek squeezed my hand again, and slipped a ring onto my left ring finger. I felt myself gasp as I glanced down at the familiar diamond. He'd given it to me last night, but we hadn't told our parents yet. We planned on a very long engagement, so there should be no heart attacks involved when we broke the news, but either way, I was nervous about telling my parents I had an engagement ring on my finger the day I graduated.

He leaned forward, and kissed my cheek before putting his lips against my ear. "Let's tell them. I'm ready."

I looked at him, and his confident smile warmed me. I held tightly to his hand, and shaking, I rose to my feet, Derek following.

"Hey, guys," I said, clearing my throat. "Derek and I have something we want to tell you all..."

The End

A/N:

YAY IT'S FINISSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't thank you guys enough for sticking with me through the whole thing when I didn't update quite as much. Y'all are definitely the biggest motivators for me to finish this book so thank you so much!

And please check out my other story, Where home really is :) thankssss

Can I thank you guys one more time? Okay? THHHAAAANNNKKKKYYYOOUUUU!!!!! I LLLLLLLOOOOOOVVVVEEEEE

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LEME GIVEE YOOUU A KISS YOUUUU!!!!!

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