One Last Time •||• COMPLETED

Epilogue

"You and I will meet again, when we're least expecting it. One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won't say goodbye my friend for you and I will meet again."
~ Tom Petty

Saying goodbye is hard. Saying goodbye to great friends is even harder.

Although, it's not the goodbye that makes us cry. It's the memories that makes us cry. Being so close to someone, having all these memories with them, just to be away from them. In the end though, you will be with them again.

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. Maybe, it's all a myth, a spoof. Something philosophical to make us realize who we truly love until after they're gone.

I don't know. I have no idea if I am honest. All I know is, my friends bring out the best in me. They're like the siblings god never gave me. Even though, I have three.

Everyone needs a friend. As Hellen Keller once said, "it's better to walk with a friend in the dark, rather than alone in the light."

That says something. Doesn't it?

Or there's, I'd rather have four quarters than a hundred pennies.

I maybe had more than four quarters in my case but, with the $2.25 I had, I got over thirteen years of memories worth reliving and retelling for years to come.

You can't buy your friends. You can bond with them though.

But who knew that the moment I first met them, they'd be this important to me?

They helped me with everything. They helped me find me. They brought out the best in me. And as senior year slowly crept its way into our lives, I realized they helped me create a bond so special, I can't bear to lose it.

I was determined this year, in more ways than one. However, I was determined to have one last adventure. Our last adventure before college, and who knew that, that one weekend trip, made our senior year the most memorable.

It wasn't homecoming, it wasn't prom, it wasn't being accepted into whatever college or receiving whatever scholarship. Hell, it was barely even the destination.

The most memorable thing about senior year, was senior year. Because I had my friends.

You could have all the money in the world, but if you don't have friends, then your life means nothing.

It wasn't until I was sitting at that restaurant in New York, and when I was at that stop light, driving to Florida to go to college that I realized, the most memorable thing of the year was my friends.

We had our adventures together. And it wasn't the destination we were at that made it great, it was the fact that we had each other.

We had our sleepovers, where we were princesses marrying the prince, our deep sea adventures, fighting off whatever monster stood in our way. We were unstoppable.

I guess that part of me never grew up. It was too hard for me to let go. Because in the end I had it all. I just felt the need to have one last adventure before we went our separate paths.

All I had wanted was One Last Time with my friends. I just didn't realize it wasn't going to be the last time. It was just going to be the last page in the chapter of our stories.

Our stories have quite been told completely though. John and I got married at Twenty One. Everyone else eventually got married and became successful in what they had wanted to do.

We all had kids, who are best friends and sleep over each other's houses every other weekend.

Jack and Maddie had two more children, twin girls, Phoebe and Tori.

I had four kids, Vito, Jace, Hunter and little Maisy, who just recently joined our family a few months ago.

John is still apart of the army and refuses to retire, even though I beg him refusely to do so. He has a job though in a big business and they're located all across the world, so if he is ever deported he can still work there wherever we live.

Me on the other hand, well, I'm an artist, a film maker, a sister, a daughter, a mother, a wife and a friend.

I'll say this, I'm pretty damn good at it too.

This wasn't anything special, it was just a story. A chapter in my life, that I look back and read from time to time. That's when I decided to share it with you. No bullshit, this all happened.

As I wrote this, I laughed, I cried, I smiled and every other emotion under the sun.

Like I said, all I wanted was one last adventure. However this one must come to an end. Thank you for reading.

Mackenzie Orlando xoxo

I hit send and closed my laptop. Leaning back in my seat.

"Hey, you finished?" John asked, entering my office.

I nodded and smiled, "just sent to Veronica."

He smiled back and kissed me. "Congrats babe, how about we go celebrate. The boys are at Carson's house, Maisy is with your mom, we have the house to ourselves," John smirked.

I laughed and hit his chest, "you're still the same from when we were seventeen."

"Hey something's never change. Like my love for you," John said, kissing me.

I smirked at him. "You know how to make me happy."

"Still hasn't changed since we were seventeen," Johnny mentioned. "Oh speaking of being seventeen, what's the name of your story?"

I look at him and smile. "One Last Time."

Guys this is it. This is the end of one last time go hit that vote button for the last time. And more stories to come (hopefully).

I hope you guys enjoyed the book, I know it was a mess and I may take it down bc at the time when I wrote it I was projecting my inner fears about college and life onto Mackenzie and so yeah I may get rid of this story.

But anyways that's it. Thank you for reading
Bye loves xoxo