After Jessica had died, it was as if Blake started a new life. Blake did not bother making any new friends, so it was just him and Lynn. Nobody could replace Jessica. It was like there was a dark hole inside his life that could not be filled. People treated Blake more kindly after Jessica's death, because, if not, they would get Blake angry. Blake had been short as a nine year old, but fast forward four years, and he was different. He had had a growth spurt, he was tall and had hit his voice break. He was also very sporty, having joined the athletics and soccer team. Nobody crossed him, and there were no incidents. Except one: it was soccer training and Blake was playing defender. He was running after the opposition team's striker, a kid called Brock Andrews. Blake performed a fair slide tackle on him, sending him to the ground. It was not a foul as Blake had got the ball, but Brock thought otherwise.
"Fuck off!" he swore.
"Shut up!" said Blake, walking away.
"Now I know why Jessica Grey hung herself! Because she hung around with you!" yelled Brock.
That done it. The match was forgotten, and Blake ran over to Brock, pinning him to the ground.
"Say that again, you piece of shit!" shouted Blake, punching Brock several times in the face. "Fucking say that again!"
Blake was eventually pulled off Brock and they both got a red card. Blake didn't care and walked back to the changing rooms. After getting changed, he sat alone at the lunch table, until Lynn sought him.
"Hey, I heard what happened, are you okay?" she said consolingly.
"Fuck off." said Blake out of anger, not thinking about it. He regretted it at once.
"Hey!" said Lynn, her tone changing at once. "Don't take that tone with me, Langermann."
"Sorry!" said Blake hastily. "I was just angry at Brock for, y'know, what he said about..."
He couldn't finish the sentence, but Lynn understood. Blake had not thought about it in ages. It was not as if he had forgot about Jess, he visited her grave every single day. But if someone just mentioned it out of the blue, it was hard to put out of his mind.
"So, you still on course for being a cameraman?" said Lynn, changing the subject (though Blake was glad of it.)
"Yup." he said, a little proudly. He had always wanted to be a cameraman. It was one of the things that had never changed about him. "What about you?"
"Me? An investigative journalist." Lynn said, a dazed look about her. It seemed like she was fantasising how amazing it would be to be an investigative journalist.
"Well, I could be your cameraman!" said Blake.
"I'll pass." said Lynn, and they both laughed.
Fast forward another year, and a fourteen year old Blake was hit with another tragedy. His mother had died in a car crash. When Blake heard the news, he did not cry as he had when Jessica died, but did not speak to anybody or get out of his room for a week. Only Lynn dropped in occasionally to console him. What was more, his father had stopped eating, and within a month, he was gone too. That was it. Blake's grief was so hard, that he even contemplated suicide. He had lost Jessica, his mother and his father in just five years. The only reason that he didn't take his own life was that Lynn would not be able to live with herself. He could not see anyway that he could ever be happy again...
Blake was now the Last Langermann. The only person he had left was Lynn. She was more than a friend now, but they spoke as best friends did. She went with Blake to Homecoming and Prom. Blake and Lynn had also graduated high school with excellent grades. Blake was now seventeen years old (almost eighteen) and was now thinking about university. He. and Lynn had both made applications to the University of Colorado, Boulder, for a journalism degree. The whole of July that year was enjoyable, as Blake and Lynn both went to Scotland on holiday. It was a very beautiful country, with great, bustling cities, such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, to lovely highland sceneries up North. It also rained rather frequently, and was much colder than back home, but it was a good experience.
When they both got back, they were now anxiously waiting to see if they had been accepted into the University.
"I'm so nervous..." said Lynn
"If you don't get in and I do, I won't go." said Blake truthfully.
Blake woke up the next morning and checked his email anxiously. He saw the email from the University! He clicked on it, both excited and nervous. He read through and reread. He had got accepted! He lept out of his bed with glee. "Mom and Dad would be so proud." he thought.
Immediately, he phoned Lynn.
"Lynn? Have you got the email? Yeah, I got accepted!"
"Oh, well done." she said, but she sounded sad.
"What about you?" Blake asked nervously.
"I didn't get in..." said Lynn.
Blake could not believe it. He was not going to go without Lynn.
"I'm not going then. Not without you." said Blake.
"Haha!" yelled Lynn. "I was joking, I got accepted. I was just testing you to see if you would go without me!"
Relief flooded through Blake.
"Oh, thank God!" he said.
Blake went to Lynn's house later and talked about the University. It was the best one in Colorado. Lynn's parents congratulated them.
"Oh well done, Blake, we knew you would get in!" said Mrs. Reid affectionately. She was becoming very close to him, seeing as he had lost his own parents. Mr. Reid clapped him on the back. They were both treating him as if he was their own son. He appreciated that. The rest of July was as a lazy summer holiday should be. They would be off to University in September for the first semester. Blake was now happier than he had ever felt after all his tragedies. He had got accepted into a great University and was going to pursue his career. And he had Lynn with him to support him. He was a little bit nervous, but Lynn was really excited, and her excitement projected back onto him. It was as if it was contagious!