Downright Delinquents

Epilogue

Five years later

"Have you got your lunch?"

"Yes."

"Have you got petrol in the car?"

"Yes."

"Have you got your uniform right?"

"Yes."

"Have you—" I began, but Colin interrupted me. He hastily pressed his lips against mine, successfully silencing me.

"Yes, Mum, I have everything," he said sarcastically with an exaggerated eye roll. "Can I go now?"

I frowned at him, planting my hands on my hips. "I just want this to go well. This is a big deal."

"I know, but I'm not stressed."

"Which is making me stressed," I pointed out with a sigh.

"Hayley." He laughed, gripping my shoulders. He shook me slightly as if that would calm me down. "It will be fine. Breathe."

A smile danced across my lips as I stared at the boy I love. It was Colin's first day as a fully qualified builder. He had received a job offer at a very well-known building company who hired the best of the best. Therefore, I was freaking out. With Colin's unstable reputation, it was amazing that he has been granted this interview. I just didn't want anything to go wrong.

"You look very smart," I smirked as my heart rate decreased and I felt my slight hysteria ebb away. He always knew what to say to make me relax.

He had filled out more since high school. His chest and arms were a lot more defined now, as he did a lot more manual labor. His skin had darkened from sun exposure, and his hands had become rough and callused. His usual dark hair had been streaked by the sun, and freckles dotted across his nose and underneath his eyes.

"Why thank you." He smirked back, knowing very well how good he looked.

Colin and I had finally moved away. We moved to a different state for a fresh start. So far, it had been successfully working in our favor. Colin, as previously mentioned, has been offered an amazing job which he was starting today. After years of long hours and bad pay, he finally made it. I bounced from retail job to retail job as we moved around until I finally landed a job as a receptionist for a doctor.

It was bizarre, actually. At first, it was just a job to pay the bills. But working in that environment really showed me what it was like to help people. Just like Anthony did for me at Downright High, I needed to give back what people had done for me. So I decided to go to university. Yeah, big change, I know. It's amazing what could happen over time. I was in my second year of studying to be a nurse. It was ridiculously hard, but surprisingly, I was enjoying it. I wanted this, so I was going to work hard for it.

Despite a brief period a couple years ago, Colin and I had been better than ever. We would be technically dating for five years next month. I never thought it would be possible for someone to stand me for this long. And vice versa.

We discussed that we would like to be engaged by the end of this year. I told him straight up. I didn't want a surprise proposal, and I didn't want a wedding. We would decide a time to get engaged, buy the ring, sort out what we needed to, and then we would elope. It was what I wanted, and he was beyond happy to avoid the effort and ridiculous amount of financing that goes into a wedding. Who would we invite anyway?

My years at Downright High seem like a lifetime ago. I hated the place, but I was grateful for being sent there. I would never have met Colin otherwise. Occasionally, I drove past the place and thought about my time there. Some horrible things took place inside the walls of Downright High. Those memories would forever burn in my mind. I still had nightmares about it. I didn't think I would ever be able to forget what happened.