99 Skinny • Adopted by 5sos #Wattys2016

Epilogue

its been turdy seven years hi how are you

***

D A I S Y

October had rolled around. And then came the 23rd, the one year anniversary of the release of Sounds Good Feels Good.

Ashton thought this occasion deserved a celebration, so we decided to go to the beach. Dani and Malina were visiting from America and Bryana lived with us now, so everyone was here.

I was upstairs in my bedroom, helping Ruby tie her bathing suit top.

"Can you lift your hair?" I asked her, holding the two strings. She nodded and reached back, holding her hair up in a ponytail.

"What happened after I was gone? Didn't mom and dad want to keep you?" I asked, not being able to help the angry tone in my voice.

"Oh. . ." Ruby mumbled.

"What?" I knotted the two strings then stepped back.

Ruby turned, staring up at me.

"Mom and dad got in a car crash months ago. Neither of them made it. . ." Ruby trailed off.

"What?" I gasped. Even if I had hated them for abandoning me, it still felt like a knife to my heart. "Ruby, are you serious?"

She nodded, and tears welled up in her eyes. "One day I ran away. I went to find you. . . It was raining and our parents got into the car and went out to find me –"

Her sentence was cut off when she began sobbing. She cupped her face, crying into her hands.

"The rain only picked up. They must have been driving fast to find me or something, but they slid and crashed into another car," Ruby said after calming down. "I still feel guilty after months."

Tears were welling up in my eyes too, but I pushed them back because in certain situations someone had to be the stronger one and not cry. Usually that person was Ashton, but today it was me.

"It's okay to cry," my sister sobbed. "You don't have to be strong all the time."

I hugged her tight and let her cry on my shoulder. "It's okay, Ruby. We're your new family now."

I sniffed, pulling back to whipe her tears. "You have me, and Ashton, and Luke, and Michael and Calum. It's okay now."

"Promise me we'll stay together for the rest of our lives? I can't lose anyone else," Ruby hiccuped.

"I promise. We'll be together forever."

***

I let out a content sigh as I stepped onto the sand. Seagulls cried out as they flew above us. The waves crashed onto the shore, causing a few little kids to run away squealing.

"Let's take a group picture!" Ashton chirped.

Michael groaned, "You promised you wouldn't take a thousand pictures of us."

"Just one."

Ashton walked off and handed his phone to and older couple, asking them to take a picture of us.

Like the unenthusiastic teenagers that were dragged to the family trip, we scuffled over to Ashton, and gathered round. An old woman and her husband laughed as Michael laid down on his side onto the sand in front of with his hand on his hip. We all stood around Michael, looking like the only normal ones.

We were all hugging onto each other, and smiled as the picture was taken. Ashton thanked the couple, then we all spit up.

Michael and Malina were wading in the water, Dani and Calum were petting the dogs that walked by, Ashton and Bryana were laughing at Michael when he'd fall over every time a wave came, and my sister, Luke and I were sat on towels.

"Hey Daisy?"

"Yeah?" I looked over at Ruby.

"You're so pretty, but so skinny. Are you okay?"

I guess nobody told her.

I didn't take offense from that, since she was only curious. It's not like she would know.

I smiled softly. "I'm okay."

"Do you think seagulls have feelings?" Luke interrupted, staring at a pack of the birds a few feet away.

"Shut up, Luke," my sister and I chorused.

Luke gave us an odd look, before we all busted out into laughs.

"I think Michael is rubbing off on you guys," Luke said.

"Shut up, Luke," Michael walked over, his hair soaked.

"See?"

Ruby laughed, leaning on me for support.

"I've only been here for a few weeks and I already love it here," Ruby laughed, wiping imaginary tears.

I sighed and leaned my head onto Ruby's.

"I love it here too."

***

(hey don't forget to check out the new version !! it's up on my account <3)

you know my love is real for yall when I dont watch Clannad just to write this lmao feel special

guess I'll have to check off "completed" once this is up... :(

once again, thank you guys for all of your support I love you so much <3

I dont intend to write a sequel (@ some of you, please stop asking if you can write one im sorry but no)

but if you miss me (lmao jk) you can check out my new book its called forever

its a little slow rn but soon it will get better (I hope idk what im doing with my life at this point)

stay positive. ily <3