A Way Back Home | Adopted by Gerard Way (Book Two)

Epilogue

Third Person POV

Two years later.

Emerald looked beautiful, standing in front of the crowd. Evelyn couldn't take her eyes off her if she tried. They both worked so hard to get where they were now, at their high school graduation. Gowns down to their ankles, but both refused to wear high heels and opted for sneakers. Emerald made sure that Eve's were tied tightly before the ceremony to avoid any tripping-on-stage incidents.

Of course, Emerald was the valedictorian, and of course she made Eve listen to her rehearse her speech over and over until they could both recite it in their sleep. She didn't mind, though, and neither did Raven when they came to visit from Rhode Island after Ryder's graduation to witness the ceremony. Ryder was a different story. He insisted on "no spoilers," covered his ears and sang the most obnoxious sound in the world until he could be sure Em wouldn't read her speech in front of him until the big day.

Krash just laughed at his boyfriend and mouthed a discreet, "I'm sorry about him," in Em's direction.

"I'm used to him by now," she shrugged.

Krash was in a wheel chair and probably would be for the rest of his life, but that never stopped him from charming Ryder with his seriousness that he only ever broke from to spit sarcasm at anyone who deserved it, and that unreadable stare. Yeah, no one really understood how his personality and Ryder's childlike one worked so well together, but they did and the pair couldn't be happier. Krash was the third addition— fourth, if you count Jersey the cat (who was still as lively as ever)— to that crappy apartment just past the graveyard and the abandoned school.

"Well, class of 2011, we made it," Emerald spoke into the microphone, her clear and confident voice echoing throughout the gym. Bandit, sitting on Lindsey's, lap pointed excitedly when she recognized the girl on stage. Evelyn smiled fondly. "Sometimes it felt like this day might never come, or that maybe we'd never be able to survive the roller coaster ride that was middle school, let alone high school, and getting this far was beyond our wildest dreams. Sometimes it felt like the hurdles we had to jump to get here were simply too tall, but we did it. We found a way. We accomplished one of the first major milestones of our lives.

"Moving forward, whether we plan on going to college or university, getting married one day, maybe starting a family, we have to remember the years we spent here, the memories we made, and the things we learned. Let's appreciate all the moments that brought us to where we are today. Every time we cried at the kitchen table while trying to do math until one in the morning, every time we scrambled to finish homework in the bathroom before class, every time we got only a couple hours of sleep and yet still managed to get up and get to school on time... well, maybe we don't have to appreciate every moment.

"But what we can appreciate are the friends we made along the way. Often friends become like our family and these connections will last a lifetime. I personally don't know where I'd be without my best friend and I'm so glad I get to call her the love of my life. I definitely wouldn't be up on this stage today without her. Think of the people you have in your life. The ones you can call whenever you need anything, even if it's the middle of the night, and thank them.

"Thank your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, and anyone else who might've supported you, helped you get to where you are today, helped prepare you for the next phase of your life.

"But most importantly, take a minute to thank yourself, to give yourself credit. This wasn't easy. The sleepless nights we've all had at one time or another, whether we were up studying, finishing an assignment, or it was the doubt, the anxiety, and the depression keeping us awake— it wasn't easy. But you pushed through, you finished high school, you got a diploma. Give yourself credit where credit is due. You deserve it. And go get yourself ice cream after this. You deserve that too.