As I prepare for my last finals, I can't help but look back at my four years of college and all the wonderful people that made it worth remembering. Now I know I've done this a lot, but I still have to thank Shadowfax for being the best friend/roommate/Beta a writer like me could ask for. Saying Goodbye will be hard but I have to.
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"This is it," Tom stared into her mirror, which was one of the few things in her bedroom that wasn't boxed up.
"Pet," As she heard her father's voice from behind her, Tomorrow jumped. "Sorry," Spike apologized, "but we need to get going. Don't want to be late to your own graduation."
"I know dad. It's okay, Connor's picking me up in a few minutes."
"Alright," Spike kissed her cheek. "I'll be downstairs, but if he doesn't show up, I'm driving you over to UC Sunnydale myself in half an hour. I'm proud of you Pet." He smiled as he closed the door. His smile slowly began to fade, "I know she would have been proud of you too."
Tom sat down on her bed, where she was designing her college memory book. She knew that it was a high school thing to do, but she loved making a scrapbook of what made college at UC Sunnydale so special. "I remember it like it was yesterday."
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(Four Years Earlier)
"Hey," Connor smiled as he walked up to what would be his dorm room and noticed a boy he assumed would be his roommate.
"Hi," the boy smiled. "So are you my new roommate?"
"Looks like it," Connor shrugged.
"Well I'm Chris. I was starting to decorate when I found out I was out of tape. I'm just going down the hall to get some from the supply closet. I'll be right back. So, just go in and make yourself at home."
When Connor walked in he was in shock. There, covering almost every inch of the wall, were pictures of Tom. "Wow."
"Oh, I see you've noticed my Tomorrow Summers Poster Gallery." Chris smiled walking in. "I hope you don't mind. She is the most amazing pop star the world has ever known. I would die to meet her in person."
"Hey Connor," Tom yelled coming in. "Your dad wants to know where he should park the car."
There were two thuds on the floor. One was Chris seeing his dream girl in person and the other was Tom seeing a wall devoted to herself.
"Tom, are you okay?" Connor asked running over to her.
"Are there really hundreds of pictures of me up on that wall?" She asked.
"Yeah" Connor admitted, "But Chris seems harmless enough."
"Hey Babe, I thought we were having an intimate conversation," came a husky voice from the doorway. Then he noticed the wall of posters and the fact that Tom was on the floor being held by Connor. "But apparently guys have to go all out to get your attention."
"And you are?" Connor asked as he and Tom struggled to get up.
"Rick," Chris said getting back up. "I thought you gave up trying to chase every girl who comes in the dorm, especially ones that are as out of your league as Tomorrow Summers."
"Hey," Rick smiled and winked at Tom, "Can't blame a guy for trying. How was I supposed to know she was taken?" Then staring at Tom and Connor, "You two are happy, right?"
"Very," Tom assured him. Rick shrugged and walked back down the hall. "Okay well I'm going back down to the car and calling my dad to thank him for not letting me stay on campus. Chris, it was interesting meeting you," she shook Chris' hand. As Chris was about to faint for the second time, she kissed Connor before leaving, "and I'll see you downstairs in a few to move your stuff in."
"You are the coolest guy in the world." Chris exclaimed. "You are actually dating the girl Seventeen Magazine rated the sexist teen alive. I've got to know everything about her."
"Trust me," Connor smiled, "You wouldn't believe half of it."
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"Hello," Tom answered the phone that had knocked her out of her memory. "Amanda, where are you and Max? Have you heard from Connor? Are all the Gammas sitting together? Well give them my love. Sisterhood never ends. Amanda, I've got to go. There's a knock on my door." As Tom hung up the phone Connor walked in, and she smiled at him. "Well, I was worried you weren't going to make it."
"And miss today of all days? I was the one who had to talk you into doing this."
"I know, but it still feels weird knowing I'm leaving."
"And by the next time we come home to visit, you'll be Mrs. Tomorrow Angel."
"Shh, dad doesn't know that we're taking off after graduation. Besides just because I'm marrying you doesn't mean I'm taking your name. Tomorrow Angel sounds like the name of some bad stripper."
"Tom, I don't care what your last name is as long as you're sure we're going through with this."
"Absolutely Connor. I know I haven't been there for you since mom, well for awhile now, but the fact that you were so understanding and patient with my decision to come home from the Gamma sorority house and mourn with dad was incredibly sweet."
"We all miss Aunt Buffy, and we all knew you and Uncle Spike would need some space after the cancer took her. I'm proud of you for being able to finish school. Aunt Willow was telling me that after your Grandma Joyce died, your mom quit college to raise your Aunt Dawn."
"Dad told me college was too important not to finish. He really kept me going in school and I kept him from committing suicide. Yeah, he tried a few times, but he stopped. I think I've reminded him that he still has us."
"Will he be okay without you?"
"I hope so. Aunt Willow, Aunt Cordy, and Aunt Faith all promised to come by and check on him. Besides, when he finds out that we're going to Vegas to get married and then to your dad's old hotel in L.A. to live, he'll have so much blind hatred toward you that he'll live just to outlive you. This isn't the end, it's just a new beginning."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"This is it," Tom stared into her mirror, which was one of the few things in her bedroom that wasn't boxed up.
"Pet," As she heard her father's voice from behind her, Tomorrow jumped. "Sorry," Spike apologized, "but we need to get going. Don't want to be late to your own graduation."
"I know dad. It's okay, Connor's picking me up in a few minutes."
"Alright," Spike kissed her cheek. "I'll be downstairs, but if he doesn't show up, I'm driving you over to UC Sunnydale myself in half an hour. I'm proud of you Pet." He smiled as he closed the door. His smile slowly began to fade, "I know she would have been proud of you too."
Tom sat down on her bed, where she was designing her college memory book. She knew that it was a high school thing to do, but she loved making a scrapbook of what made college at UC Sunnydale so special. "I remember it like it was yesterday."
^^^^^^^^^^^^
(Four Years Earlier)
"Hey," Connor smiled as he walked up to what would be his dorm room and noticed a boy he assumed would be his roommate.
"Hi," the boy smiled. "So are you my new roommate?"
"Looks like it," Connor shrugged.
"Well I'm Chris. I was starting to decorate when I found out I was out of tape. I'm just going down the hall to get some from the supply closet. I'll be right back. So, just go in and make yourself at home."
When Connor walked in he was in shock. There, covering almost every inch of the wall, were pictures of Tom. "Wow."
"Oh, I see you've noticed my Tomorrow Summers Poster Gallery." Chris smiled walking in. "I hope you don't mind. She is the most amazing pop star the world has ever known. I would die to meet her in person."
"Hey Connor," Tom yelled coming in. "Your dad wants to know where he should park the car."
There were two thuds on the floor. One was Chris seeing his dream girl in person and the other was Tom seeing a wall devoted to herself.
"Tom, are you okay?" Connor asked running over to her.
"Are there really hundreds of pictures of me up on that wall?" She asked.
"Yeah" Connor admitted, "But Chris seems harmless enough."
"Hey Babe, I thought we were having an intimate conversation," came a husky voice from the doorway. Then he noticed the wall of posters and the fact that Tom was on the floor being held by Connor. "But apparently guys have to go all out to get your attention."
"And you are?" Connor asked as he and Tom struggled to get up.
"Rick," Chris said getting back up. "I thought you gave up trying to chase every girl who comes in the dorm, especially ones that are as out of your league as Tomorrow Summers."
"Hey," Rick smiled and winked at Tom, "Can't blame a guy for trying. How was I supposed to know she was taken?" Then staring at Tom and Connor, "You two are happy, right?"
"Very," Tom assured him. Rick shrugged and walked back down the hall. "Okay well I'm going back down to the car and calling my dad to thank him for not letting me stay on campus. Chris, it was interesting meeting you," she shook Chris' hand. As Chris was about to faint for the second time, she kissed Connor before leaving, "and I'll see you downstairs in a few to move your stuff in."
"You are the coolest guy in the world." Chris exclaimed. "You are actually dating the girl Seventeen Magazine rated the sexist teen alive. I've got to know everything about her."
"Trust me," Connor smiled, "You wouldn't believe half of it."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Hello," Tom answered the phone that had knocked her out of her memory. "Amanda, where are you and Max? Have you heard from Connor? Are all the Gammas sitting together? Well give them my love. Sisterhood never ends. Amanda, I've got to go. There's a knock on my door." As Tom hung up the phone Connor walked in, and she smiled at him. "Well, I was worried you weren't going to make it."
"And miss today of all days? I was the one who had to talk you into doing this."
"I know, but it still feels weird knowing I'm leaving."
"And by the next time we come home to visit, you'll be Mrs. Tomorrow Angel."
"Shh, dad doesn't know that we're taking off after graduation. Besides just because I'm marrying you doesn't mean I'm taking your name. Tomorrow Angel sounds like the name of some bad stripper."
"Tom, I don't care what your last name is as long as you're sure we're going through with this."
"Absolutely Connor. I know I haven't been there for you since mom, well for awhile now, but the fact that you were so understanding and patient with my decision to come home from the Gamma sorority house and mourn with dad was incredibly sweet."
"We all miss Aunt Buffy, and we all knew you and Uncle Spike would need some space after the cancer took her. I'm proud of you for being able to finish school. Aunt Willow was telling me that after your Grandma Joyce died, your mom quit college to raise your Aunt Dawn."
"Dad told me college was too important not to finish. He really kept me going in school and I kept him from committing suicide. Yeah, he tried a few times, but he stopped. I think I've reminded him that he still has us."
"Will he be okay without you?"
"I hope so. Aunt Willow, Aunt Cordy, and Aunt Faith all promised to come by and check on him. Besides, when he finds out that we're going to Vegas to get married and then to your dad's old hotel in L.A. to live, he'll have so much blind hatred toward you that he'll live just to outlive you. This isn't the end, it's just a new beginning."