Blame It (Of Mice & Men)

Epilouge

EPILOUGE

"Happy Birthday, Nova, Gabe, and Luke, Happy Birthday to you!" the people on the tv screen yelled. The 10 year olds blew out their candles, nudging eachother to try and blow the most out.

The camera panned to show me crying. I looked over at Alan who was holding the camera and glared at him before covering my face.

Alan chuckled and the camera panned again to show Julia texting. She looked up from her phone and pushed the camera out of the way. "Dad, stop," she whined. "Look at Nova, Luke, and Gabe, not me." That was the year she turned 15.

I pushed pause as Alan came in, lugging another box. "There's just a few more left," he grunted, walking out the front door. Today was the day my Jellyfish left for college. The day she left me. The day I'd dreaded since she was 5.

Gabriel and Luke walked by, holding boxes as well before walking out the door and handing them to Alan. I heard the bedroom door shut as Julia and Nova walked out, smiling. "Okay. I love you too Uncle Tino. Bye," she said, hanging up her phone and putting it in her pocket. Julia's last duffel bag was swung over her shoulder and I stood as she looked over at me.

"Don't cry, mom," she said, walking over to hug me. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek, holding her close to me. "Don't leave me," I whispered into her ear. "You'll always be with me," she said, pulling away and placing her hand on her locket Alan and I had gotten her for her 18th birthday. Inside was a picture of all of us, grinning happily. Her phone vibrated again and she pulled it out, looking at the caller ID. "It's Uncle Austin. I'll be right back," she said, walking into the kitchen.

"Mom, it'll be okay, I promise," Julia said as she walked back into the living room. "You still have these goofballs to take care of for another five years," she chuckled, pulling Nova to her side. Nova scoffed and rolled her eyes before turning to hug her big sister. "I love you," she said. "I love you too, Nova," Julia said, kissing the top of her head.

We all walked outside and Alan wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side and kissing me. Julia hugged Lucas and Gabriel, and despite their "toughness" about the situation, they both teared up. Julia looked at Alan and the tears that had been threatening to fall from her eyes, fell as he let go of me and pulled her towards him.

"I love you, daddy," she whispered. "I love you too, Julia," he said, tightening his grip on her a bit. "I guess you're the one that gets to leave me now," he chuckled sadly. "I'll be back for Christmas," she said wiping her eyes.

We all gathered and shared a group hug before Julia climbed into her car, waving goodbye before driving off.

"I'm gonna miss her," Luke admitted, flipping his blonde hair from his eyes. Gabriel nodded in agreement, his brown eyes finding his sister's. "As long as she's happy," Nova said, wrapping her arms around Alan. We all nodded and walked back into the house, sitting on the couch.

"So what now?" Luke asked, sitting on the floor as Casper, the white cat he'd brought home in the 5th grade, sat in his lap. "How about you sign a paper promising you'll never leave your mommy, and then I'll make some lunch," I said, snapping my fingers.

Alan gave me a look and I frowned. "Okay, how does lunch sound then?" The kids smiled and went to the table as I made sandwiches how I knew each of them liked, before sitting at the table myself. "So Luke, how's the band coming along?" Alan asked as he took a bite of his sandwich. Luke smiled. "It's going great."

"Oh mom! So I made the volleyball team. And cheerleading tryouts are next week," Nova said excitedly. "That's great, Nova! I told you you'd make it," I said, smiling.

"How's basketball been, Gabe?" I asked, popping a Pringle into my mouth. "Oh man, it's been so good. The team is really awesome this year. This one guy named Zack..."

I smiled as he kept talking about the sport, all of us laughing as he exaggerated the plays and scores. I smiled as I looked at my family. I touched my own locket and it wasn't until Alan asked that I realized I was crying. "I'm just really happy."

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There it is, guys! The last chapter of Blame It! I've loved writing this story and it's bittersweet to see it end. Thank you for reading my stories! Stay tuned for more fan-fics in the future! Much love!