The Story Of Us

The End

**Katie's POV**

   I remember Ryan sitting on this street corner in Minneapolis. He'd take out a piece of gum and offer me a piece. We'd go here, and people would walk by. Nobody would jump us because Ryan would run them off. The last time we came here, he offered me the same chocolate as the day he came over to my house.

  "This is our chocolate. We should rename it to ours or something." He laughed. "You're too cheesy." I teased. "Yeah well, you gotta love it." He grinned all childish. "One of these days we're gonna look back on this and be like "Katie was an airhead for not going along with Ryan's cheesiness" you know?" He grinned asking a rhetorical question. Then he laughed. "You're gonna miss this."

  I looked up at him, puzzled. I didn't know if he meant it or if he was just kidding around. He scoffed, "anyways!" He looked up at the street. "We better go home." He smiled. Then said, "learn to trust us, will you?" Earlier, he came with me because I wouldn't go hiking with Ed and Alyssa.

   "If you fall, we'll catch you. That's how it's always worked, don't you forget." He reminded me. I laughed. "What was I ever thinking?" I asked him, completely acting baffled. "Who knows?" He teased. "Must be something beyond the mind." Now that I look at these memories, it's like everything he said had a deeper meaning.

  He would sing quietly while we walked.

   How the time passed away? All the trouble that we gave

And all those days we spent out by the lake

Has it all gone to waste? All the promises we made

One by one they vanish just the same

Of all the things I still remember

Summer's never looked the same

The years go by and time just seems to fly

But the memories remain

In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain

Nothing to lose but everything to gain

Reflecting now on how things could've been

It was worth it in the end

Now it all seems so clear, there's nothing left to fear

So we made our way by finding what was real

Now the days are so long that summer's moving on

We reach for something that's already gone

Of all the things I still remember

Summer's never looked the same

The years go by and time just seems to fly

But the memories remain

In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain

Nothing to lose but everything to gain

Reflecting now on how things could've been

It was worth it in the end

We knew we had to leave this town

But we never knew when and we never knew how

We would end up here the way we are

Yeah we knew we had to leave this town

But we never knew when and we never knew how

Of all the things I still remember

Summer's never looked the same

The years go by and time just seems to fly

But the memories remain

In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain

Nothing to lose but everything to gain

Reflecting now on how things could've been

It was worth it in the end

September-Daughtry

  I loved that song. That was a song we deciding would trigger all the memories we ever had. That was our song. Now... life goes on.

I had to move on.

**Alyssa's POV**

  Jackson stared at me. "Why are you with me? I'm a total mess." I told him bitterly. "Because I know who you are." He told me, leaning in to kiss me. I didn't move away. "I want to spent the rest of my life with you."He told me in a hushed whisper. "I know that's what I want." He added.

   No, he didn't pull out a ring or do some cheesy stuff like that. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tight. I didn't mind.

I cried. I cried in his arms. I cried in his chest. I cried for however long past midnight. I didn't go to school, I couldn't. I stayed with Jackson all day. I knew I had to live my life. Jackson believed in me, that's all I needed.

   I needed to get through by myself, I knew that. No one said Jackson couldn't help me though. I know I'd push him away. "What if you leave me?" I ask him, fearfully. "Then I'll come right back to scoop you in my arms." He said sweetly. I could make it. I can make it.

   I will make it.