you're next | dolan twins

t h i r t y

-eight months later-

I watch as my entire graduating class throws their cap into the air. I look up at our school colors, white and blue, mix together in the sky. Everyone around me is cheering, clapping and rushing up to their loved ones to earn the congratulations of graduating high school.

I simply hold onto my cap, looking down at it. There was no way I was tossing it, simply because it's not mine. Sure, I ordered it with my gown and wore it throughout the ceremony, but it was never going to stay mine.

"That for me?" A sweet voice calls out to me, coming through the crowd.

My hazel eyes land on Amanda Harding wearing a white flowy dress and sandals. She has a warm glow to her and she's smirking at me.

"Of course it is." I look down at the white cap that is clenched in my fist.

"Your loyalty to me is amazing, Rach. Even though I'm dead, you still care." She smiles a bright smile as she looks at me.

"You should be here, Amanda." I whisper the words as I stare at my best friend.

"I should, but it's okay that I'm not. The second that bastard Alex died, I found peace. I'm hoping now that you're going off to college with that hot boyfriend of yours, you will too."

"I still miss you everyday." I sigh as I stare at her. Her golden hair is shinier than ever, and of course she has a full face of makeup on. She looks like an angel, exactly how I pictured her in heaven.

"I miss you more. Don't worry though, I'm with you every step of the way." She winks at me before backing up and disappearing into the crowd of students.

"Rachel!" Grayson's deep voice breaks me out of my vivid daydream. I wish it was real, but that's not how reality works. "We did it, babe." He pulls me into a tight hug as I squeeze onto his body.

"I can't believe we graduated." I smile as I stare up at him.

"We got through it together." He cups my face and pulls me into a gentle kiss.

"I love you, Grayson. I can't wait to be in the most famous city in the world with you." I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into another kiss.

A lot has happened over the past eight months. I told the police everything that Alex did to me and they arrested Mr. Porter in the process. I also sat my mother down and told her about my pregnancy and everything that I went through. She was hurt, confused and shocked that I wouldn't tell her about it when it was happening.

She also blamed me for being irresponsible and said that my actions weren't smart, which is the reaction I was expecting. It took her awhile to come back around but she eventually did. Crystal got shipped off to a different part of Virginia for her behavior to be "evaluated." We all feel safer that she isn't close to us, but the damage to our minds has already been done.

All seven of us attend therapy three times a week. It's been helping for the most part and actually brought us closer together. We are never going to be over the things we went through, but we can accept it and try to get our lives back on track. It's also not a surprise that we are all going away to college, wanting to get the hell out of a town that haunts us.

Grayson and I are going to New York City to study criminal justice. My love for him grows everyday and he's my rock, I would never be able to survive without him. Ethan is studying business in New Jersey and Kelsey is moving to California to major in fashion marketing. Nicole is taking a year off to travel around Europe while Jeremy is heading to Seattle to intern for a publishing company. We're all trying to chase our dreams as much as we possibly can.