I don't like to think I killed him, but there's that little part of me that blames myself every day for it. On good days, I can convince myself that it was a simple accident. But on bad days, I stare at the bottle and try not to.

It was a drunk driver. Sodapop was five miles away from my hotel when a drunk driver swerved and hit him. They said that he died instantly.

I flew back to Florida that night.

Nine months later, I had a baby girl. I named her Scarlett, after the lead in Gone With The Wind, Johnny's favorite book. I know It's what Sodapop would have liked.

I finally bought a house, and I'm trying to move on. I know it's what he would have wanted for Scarlett and me.

From what I last heard, Vivian got remarried and had a second child. A few months after I returned to Florida, she sent me a post card apologizing. She told me that it wasn't my fault, that it was hers for choosing to be with someone that she knew wasn't fully invested. Since then, we've kept up regular contact. I'm visiting her in Tulsa soon.

I wish I could move on as easily as she had, but I just can't. As cliched as it sounds, Sodapop and I were, and still are, soul mates. There's no one else for me. As hard as I'll try to move on, it won't ever work. And I'm okay with that.

I wonder constantly why it happened right then. Right at that moment.

I had just got him back and he was ripped away from me again.

But I can't think about that. I need to think about how nice it was to see him again, to have some closure.

Now it's a good thing that I get to see a little piece of him every day. Good memories are brought back when I look at her.

In a sense, I am still waiting for him. I'm waiting to see him again in the afterlife. Then, I will be truly happy. And it will be worth it. All of it will be worth it.

I've waited this long already.

(Thank you all so much for your reviews, follows, and favorites over the course of this! It really meant a lot for it being my first full, complete story. I've had a few ideas for a sequel, but I don't know if I should actually write one. What do you guys think? Once again, thank you for everything, and stay tuned for future stories! Much Love, Maddie)