Stay With Me (Scömìche Short Story)

Epilogue

The quiet - Troye Sivan
See you again - Charlie Puth & Wiz Khalifa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 years later

"Thank you so much, Dallas! You've been a great crowd!"

Scott looked out at the audience as they gave him a standing ovation, his eyes scanning through and trying to take a mental image of the scene in front of him. This was his first ever solo concert; and it was amazing! While the crowd wasn't as huge as it used to be with PTX, it was still pretty packed in the small venue, and the energy had been absolutely unbelievable. Not that he was surprised; the pentaholics had always been a wild bunch, even when it came to supporting just one member. This was his first show of his mini tour, and it felt great to start it out in his home state. And despite having a smaller crowd he loved the intimacy he felt with the fans, and it was very reminiscent of Pentatonix's earlier shows.

He looked towards the left, where he knew he would see some familiar faces. Among the sea of screaming fans stood his parents, along with his sister, her husband, and their son Landon. The kid had grown up quite a bit over the past few years, and the little blonde boy was currently jumping excitedly on his chair, cheering happily for his uncle Scotty. Behind them were Mike and Nel Grassi, whom had decided to attend since it was Scott's first show as soon as they heard about it. He had been quite shocked when they said they had gotten tickets to the concert, but the Grassis had always been like his second family, and they had always shown their support for almost anything Scott did, so it didn't take him long to get over the initial surprise. He felt comforted with their presence, and he was glad to know they didn't shut him and the rest of PTX out after what had happened to Mitch.

Since Mitch – or his ghost at least – had left Scott in the hospital room three years prior, Scott had had a tough time getting used to it. According to Kirstie, Scott had started behaving the same way he did the first time, when Mitch had actually just died. But the difference this time was that the blond girl had refused to let him be in solitude and was there to constantly monitor his progress; and thanks to her push, he had also started seeing a therapist. Dr. Thompson was a wonderful person to be with, and she was barely surprised when Scott told her about Mitch's ghost. Apparently he hadn't been the first person to tell her such an absurd story, and he was grateful that he didn't have to spend the next few sessions convincing her about the reality of his experience like he had to with Kirstin.

Despite having a pretty gruesome few months at first, Scott was definitely glad to see noticeable improvements in himself. As time went on, it became easier for him to understand Mitch's decision and to forgive him for making it. It was still hard though, and somedays he would find himself crying in bed as he recalled some childhood memory of his best friend, or randomly shedding tears whenever he came across a #RIPMitchGrassi post by some fan on social media. He even spent many nights binge watching Superfruit and Pentatonix videos with ice cream and vodka, although those became less frequent over the first year until he eventually stopped doing it. And around the year and a half mark since Mitch left, Scott had finally decided to start up the YouTube channel again, making vlogs, challenges, Q&As and collaborations of his own on Superfruit. The fans appreciated it too, and they continued to support and heal with him.

As the first couple of years flew by, he gradually got better and better. And as he started finding it easier to move on, so did Mitch's parents. Apparently they had initially been avoiding Scott and his apartment, scared that it would hurt too much to be reminded of their precious son once they saw his room and belongings or spoke to his best friend. They had needed some time away too, to grieve and to help each other get over their loss before they could take Mitch's belongings back with them. But they were doing much better now, throwing most of their time into work and their grandchildren; and they still kept up with the other four, inviting them over for a visit whenever they knew they had any business down in Texas, which the band had been very happy about.