Life Moves On - A/U One Shot

One Shot

The day finally came. Graduation day. The day Clay and his friends would finally get to leave Liberty High forever, never to return again. Ever since the tragedy of Hannah Baker's death, and the speech Mrs. Baker gave at the ceremony five months after her daughter took her own life, Clay had put a lot of thought into what he wanted to do after high school. He had looked at several colleges and explored different jobs that he might want to pursue after high school and college. But it wasn't until the speech that he started thinking differently. Clay thought back to when he shot one of Tyler Down's guns, and how good powerful it felt, even just holding the small, heavy, dangerous object.

When Clay thought of something he wanted to do with his life, he talked to his parents about his thoughts. Even though they seemed slightly hesitant about it at first, Lainie and Matt slowly opened up to the idea the more they talked about it with Clay. After all, it was something he had dreamed of doing ever since he was a kid. The more they talked, the more supportive the boy's parents became of his choices.

After Clay filled out a form and sent it in through the mail, he even called Mrs. Baker. The two became closer after the ceremony, and they kept in touch as often as they could, even with Mrs. Baker now living in New York. When Clay called the woman, she seemed happy to hear from him. The two easily started up a conversation which lasted for a long time. Eventually Clay brought up what he had originally called to talk about. He explained to the woman about what he had been thinking about recently, and that he had applied for a job that he had always wanted as a kid. Hearing this, the woman was happy for him, because he was moving on with his life and chasing his dreams. But there seemed to be something that Mrs. Baker wanted and needed to tell the boy. However, she didn't know exactly how to tell him, or if it was even the right time to do so. "Actually, I was planning to fly down there, just for a short visit. Maybe we could meet up and talk before you leave. There's actually something I need to tell you, but I feel like it would be better for me to tell you in person." Mrs. Baker had said. Clay slowly nodded his head before replying. "Yeah. It would be really good to see you again. When do you plan on visiting?" He asked.

Sadly, their plans never worked out as, a couple of weeks later, Clay recieved a letter in the mail saying that he got accepted and was to leave as soon as possible. After getting that letter, Clay packed up the things he would need and said goodbye to his parents and friends before leaving for the airport to go to the location that was provided in the letter. Unfortunately, the day Clay left was the day that Mrs. Baker came back to visit. When Mrs. Baker arrived at the airport, she gathered her things and headed towards the exit, spotting Lainie and Matt waiting for her as they had still agreed to meet up, as well as give Olivia a place to stay during her visit.

As the days went by, Lainie and Matt soon learned about what really happened the day Olivia and Andy found their daughter slowly dying. Olivia told them about how Hannah had miraculously survived the suicide attempt and that she had been sent to a special facility for the help she needed over a time span of five and a half months. Olivia then went on to explain that she had moved to New York to hopefully give her recovering daughter a fresh start.

As the three adults kept talking about what had really happened to Hannah, a small shuffling sound could be heard. The adults all glanced over to see none other than Hannah Baker entering the kitchen. When the girl noticed the attention on her, she gave the three adults a small smile. "Hey." She said quietly. "Hey, Hannah." Lainie greeted kindly as the girl slowly walked further into the room. "Where's Clay?" She asked, not knowing about what Clay had told her mother yet. The three adults glanced between each other. "Why don't you take a seat, Hannah? I think there's something we should tell you." Matt said, gesturing towards the empty chair that was next to his wife. Becoming unsure about the situation, Hannah hesitantly walked over and sat down beside Lainie. "What do you have to tell me? Does it have anything to do with Clay?" She asked, sounding a little worried now. Matt and Lainie shared a sad look before turning to their son's friend and telling her everything.