Trust

Chapter 32- Live Your Life

5 Months Later (Lily's POV)
Today is the day we graduate. Ugh I can't believe it, but frankly after this year we all deserve this win.

The past couple of months have been interesting to say the least. Mike and Charlotte got married in Vegas on spring break which we were all extremely surprised about, and of course their parents were not happy, but over time they gave in and agreed to have a real wedding for them this summer.

I look over at Ben and Emma to see that they are all cozied up together as we wait for this thing to start. They are extremely adorable, and in the past few months they have become great gaurdians to Nicholas. Sam on the other hand tends to stay away from that responsibility which is why Emma still babysits Ellie and Ethan, but they don't mind if she brings Nicholas, they love him.

Once the music started playing, we knew it was time to start walking out.
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"And now I would like to welcome our valedictorian Grayson Daniels to the stage." We all cheered for Grayson as he walked up to the podium to make his speech.

"Welcome parents, guardians, and fellow students. Today is a day that we shall remember for the rest of our lives. It's the start of our future. Once we step out of these doors we will be college kids, and high school will become a blimp in our memory. I'll admit, high school wasn't so great for me, however I met the right people and they were able to bring me out of my darkest place. They were the people who liked me for who I really am, and never judged anything about me. As many of you may or not know, this year was hell for my friends and I, but it's the love we share for each other that is the reason we are all standing here today graduating. Love will drive you to do pretty much anything, but you have to appreciate the ones you love and hold onto that even in your darkest times. So to my friends, I love you all so much. Anyways, I'm not going to drag this on for long, but I wish all of my fellow graduates the best and brightest future. This is our beginning, so we shall not say goodbye, instead we say hello. Hello to college, hello to more friends, and most importantly, hello to our new lives. Good luck everyone, and congratulations!"

"WHOOO YEAH GRAY!" I screamed extremely loud, he waved as everyone cheered for him and he walked off stage. "Graduates, you may now move your tassels from right to left. Congratulations to the class of 2019!"
Emma's POV
We threw our caps up high and cheered. I never thought I'd make it this far, but life is full of surprises I guess. I'm glad to have had such great friends that have my back and respect me no matter what.

"We did it guys! Finally out of this hell hole!" Sam says enthusiastically as we all do a group hug. I eventually forgave Sam for making the bet because Logan is proof that holding grudges makes you go crazy, and because life is too short to hold stupid grudges.

"Hell yeah we did. This summer is going to be awesome." Ben replied with his signature smile. I give him a kiss on the cheek. "Ah you two are just so cute!" Lily squeals, Parker turns her around and smirks. "Yeah, But we're cuter."

Ben and I decided to officially get together a couple days after I woke up in the hospital and I couldn't be happier.

Stacey still hasn't found her Prince Charming yet, but I have a lot of faith that when the time is right she will find him. Maybe even this summer, who knows?

"So guys, party at my house tonight. Who's in?" Grayson said with a smile, we all raised our hands and cheered. "Alright everybody, get together for pictures." Amelia said as she got her camera out of her bag.

We all got together and took many different pictures. Some were happy, some were silly, and some were sad, but overall it was pretty fun.

"Someone misses his big sister." Mrs Carson said with a smile, carrying Nicholas over to me. I embraced him with a smile. "Hi Nicky! We're gonna take a picture now okay? Smile for the camera." Luckily she has the day off so she volunteered to watch Nicholas while we enjoyed our grad night.

"Ready to go?" Ben asks, holing out his hand for me to grab, I nod. "I need to make a stop first. Can you take me to the cemetery?" He nods. I turn and give Nicholas a kiss, making sure to thank Mrs Carson one more time before leaving with Ben.

When we arrived at the cemetery, I took a deep breath and got out of the car. "Do you want me to go with you?" Ben asks, I shake my head. "No, I'll only be a few minutes."

I made my way to my fathers grave as flashbacks hit me from the last time I was here. I took another deep breath as I approached the grave. I looked down with a smile.

"Hey dad. Well, I did it. I graduated high school. I think you would be very proud of how far I have come these past couple of months. When I woke up in the hospital I was heartbroken. Mainly because I knew that I could never see your face again, and knowing that I was actually left alone in this world. But with the help of my friends, I was able to get out of that funk. I started seeing a therapist, she's way more helpful than doctor Rick ever was, and I also got another job. I know that raising Nicholas is not going to be easy, but I'm working on it. I kept telling myself that things will get better and it didn't help. It only led me into that hospital bed. So instead I am living my life the way I want, and I hope you'll be proud with the decisions that I make. I love you dad." I kissed my hand and brought it to the top of the gravestone.

I wiped my tears away as I headed back to the car. "Are you okay?" Ben asked as I gave him a hug. I nodded and smiled. "I finally feel free. I have no one chasing me or trying to kill me, and I can actually enjoy my life. So for the first time I actually am okay."

As we drove off to the graduation party, I reflected back on my life. It's scary how things can go from being perfect to being horrifying in just a second. But learning from this I now know that when things get tough you can't just sit back and cower in fear. Instead you need to fight back, and say "I'm going to control my life."

I now have friends who are more like family than anything, the support of adults, and happiness. I plan on taking advantage of these things and living the rest of my life to the fullest, the way it should be. Every moment counts, so go out there, do the things you never thought you could and live your life.