I stared at myself in the mirror as those around me cooed and cawed about the dress I was wearing. I had to admit, I did look amazing! The dress was a dark shade of red and was cut in all the right places. My hair was curled and pinned to the top of my head and my makeup was flawless. "Mikey's jaw is gonna drop when he sees you." I gave my mom a smile and continued to look at my reflection. At this point in my life, I knew there was no way I was gonna get Jax to accompany me to the senior prom. I had asked him on numerous occasions but he would never budge and told me that it was stupid to go in the first place. He didn't want to spend his night dancing and hanging out with people he either didn't know or didn't like. I don't even know how to describe how my relationship with Jax is at the moment. There was a time where we hardly seen each other or even spoke on the phone. He was busy with the club and doing whatever he wanted to do. I had to focus on my studies and applying for colleges was torture enough. The last time that I had seen him, we had gotten into a fight about me going off to college. He knew that I dreamed of going off to college and bettering myself with a job that I loved. He was even accepting of that at one point. I had told him that there was a possibility that I would be heading off to Washington State since I had gotten accepted into one of the colleges up there. At first he was silent and still, and then suddenly he just started blowing up. At one point, he even demanded that I either pick him or the college. I couldn't believe that it had come to that but I wasn't going to give up my education for some boy that I was madly in love with. I loved Jax with all my heart and soul but it wasn't right for him to make me choose like that. Even though it wasn't what he wanted to hear, I told him that I was going to be attending college in the fall and not to contact me anymore. I didn't need that kind of stress in my life. I'm only 18 years old but I'm dealing with relationship problems that people in their 20s and beyond deal with.

"Mikey's here!" My sister excitedly announced from the door.

I looked at myself once more and decided that I looked good enough for now. My mom helped me down the stairs since my dress dragged the floor and was becoming a tripping hazard. Once I reached the bottom step, I noticed Mikey standing by the door, his hands positioned tightly in the pockets of his black trousers. "You look great, Katie." He gushed, causing my cheeks to turn red. Mikey had been a best friend of mine since the 10th grade and he was my only choice, other than Jax of course, to take to prom. People probably thought we were dating since we were so close but he knew that Jax was the only guy I truly loved. "You don't look so bad yourself, McKinley." I could hear snapshots going off as my mom circled around us like a shark would its prey.

"Let's go outside and get some shots by the trees and flowers." I rolled my eyes as Mikey took my hand and led me out the door. We posed for a couple pictures that my mom begged us to take and then we were on our way to the dance. The car ride was filled with jokes and assumptions of how the night was going to go. When we arrived, we posed for a few more pictures until it was time to sit down for our pre-prom dinner. It was a time where we could all just shat about how our future was going to be and what we were gonna be doing after graduation. I couldn't believe how many people had parties already planned. My only plan was to graduate and then go out to dinner with my family. I wasn't into the whole party scene that my classmates loved so dearly but it would be nice to get out and mingle with people that I probably would never see again.

After our meal was over, the real fun began. The music was blaring through the ballroom as everyone crowded around each other and danced their night away. Fast and slow songs played throughout the night as more and more people decided that it was time to start another party elsewhere. Before we knew it, the clock was striking midnight and it was time to head back home. Mikey was trying to convince me to go to a part with him but I was too tired at that point. All I wanted to do was get out of this dress and into a pair of comfy pajamas. We soon pulled into my parent's driveway, Mikey soon shutting off the car. "I had a really good time tonight." He smiled once he was fully facing me. "Wish we could do it again." I just smiled at him as I nodded my head in agreement. "Me too, Mike." We remained silent for a few more seconds before we both agreed that it was time to say goodnight. Mikey walked me to the door, once again telling me that he had a great time. I figured the nice thing to was give him a kiss on the cheek for being a part of the best night of my life. This was the first time in a while that I'd enjoy myself without having Jax near or even thinking of him. Maybe I was finally getting Jax Teller out of my system….

Graduation was getting closer and closer as the school year was finally coming to an end. I had my valedictorian speech ready to be read in front of my entire class and all those in attendance and I was finally signed up for college orientation. I guess you could say that I was a bit nervous but it was more excitement than anything. I was ready to pass into my next chapter of life and see what it had in store for me. I would be going to a new state and city, with new people and a new life. College was the time where I would find out who I was and would be the ultimate test to see if I was ready to be by myself. I had spent my teenage year sheltered by my parents, who demanded to know my every move at any given second. I guess I couldn't blame them for that since it was partially my own fault for them being so protective.

"Kathryn, phone!" My mom yelled from up the stairs. Another thing I was looking forward to was having my own line. My parents weren't the type to give Jordan and I our own phone line in our room, another one of their protective factors I suppose. I made my way down the stairs, picking up the abandoned receiver not even knowing who was on the other line. "Hello?

"I need to see you." Jax's voice filled the other end. "Please don't tell me no." My heart rate started to pick up as his question swirled through my mind. I hadn't seen Jax in quite a while and now he suddenly wants me to drop everything and meet up with him. "I, uh, I have stuff to do today." I stuttered. "Make up assignments and such." I heard him make a noise on the other line, telling me that he didn't buy my lie. "Katie, please." He pleaded once again. "Please baby." I let out a sigh as I tried my best to muster up the courage to tell him no. "Where? I finally answered. I swear that boy was my biggest weakness. He probably knew that I couldn't say no to him seeing as we hadn't seen each other in weeks. Jackson Teller was a weakness and a sickness at the same time. He could make me weak at the knees and make me do anything he pleased. On the other hand, he was almost like a parasite that would keep infesting himself into my core. He was a sickness that I couldn't get rid of nor did I want to get rid of it. "Meet me at TM in an hour." With that, he hung the phone, leaving me more confused than before. I had no idea why he wanted to meet up but it was always a mystery when it came to Jax. I quickly made my way back up to my room, throwing off the outfit I had of and replacing it with something more appropriate. I had told my mom that I was meeting up with Penelope and helping her with the party that she was throwing on graduation night. She of course took the bait and allowed me to go. I drove the short distance to the garage and saw that there were several bikes parked in their normal spots. I parked next to what I assumed to be Gemma's car and made my way inside the establishment. The room became silent as the door closed behind me and all eyes preyed upon me. "I'm here to see Jax." I croaked out.

"Take a number sweetheart." One of the guys snickered. The rest of the guys followed suit and began to laugh as well. "Can you just tell me where Jax is, please?" I begged. Between his fits of laughter, one of the guys pointed towards the backrooms. I quickly made my way back there, already knowing what room he would be in. I politely knocked on the door as I heard movement from the other side. Within seconds, the door opened and Jax was in front of once again. "Hey." He smiled. Like I had said, it had been a while since we had last seen each other. "Hi." I replied. You could feel the tension between us but I didn't want this visit to end up in a fight. He gestured for me to enter to the room, which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months. Jax's clothes were thrown all over the floor, along with other items that could or could not belong to him. "Have a seat." The only seat available was the bed and I wasn't going to fall for that old trick. I came here for one reason and one reason only. JAx wanted to talk and that's exactly what we were gonna do. I wasn't going to be persuaded to sit on the bed so he could seduce me into having sex with him.

"I'm good here, thank you." I told him. I could see that's not the answer he wanted to hear but he was just going to have to deal with it. He decided to take a seat on the bed instead, running his fingers through his growing hair. "Kate, what's going on with us?" His voice deepened. "Are we together or not?" I kept my eyes on the floor as I contemplated his question. Last time I checked, Jax and I were together but free to do what we wanted. I knew there was no way he could keep his eyes or his hands off a girl for this long, even though it wasn't me that he was lusting after. "Are you going to answer me?" His question snapped me out of my thoughts. All I could do was shrug my shoulders, not being able to give him an actual answer. Again, my answers so far were ones that he didn't want to hear. "Do you even love me anymore?" I stayed silent for a moment. "It's a simple answer, Kathryn."

"I do." I whispered. "I love you with all my heart but you don't make it easy." I honestly told him. He looked up at me confused. "I've been in love with you since I've been 13 years old and all this time has been nothing but a huge cluster-fuck. Take me going away to college for example-"My anger starting to get the best of me. "I've told you ever since the beginning that my dream was to one day go to college and get a degree in something I loved. I wanted to be able to show my children that their mom was smart enough and brave enough to take the next step to do something with my life. I didn't plan on staying in Charming and giving birth to your children while you get more and more emerged in the club. Not to sound rude or anything, but I don't want to end up like your mother or even my own." He stared at me for a second before rising from the bed. I couldn't help but take a step backward since he was stalking towards me. Before I knew it, Jax had me pinned against him and the wall. He was silent, just staring straight into my soul. "I don't want to be the one who derails you from you dreams, Katie." He spoke softly. "I don't want to be the reason you get stuck in this town and end up like my mother." I kind of felt bad for using his mother as a reference but I was only being honest. "I would love for you to stay here so we can start our lives together but I don't want you to be miserable either." I continued to stay silent, listening to ever word that was coming out of his mouth. "I just want you to make sure that college if the right thing for you before you move away and it ends up being too late."

"Too late?" I questioned. "Why would it be too late?" I was confused by his statement. What- was he moving or dying suddenly? The college was only a few hours away and I planned on coming home every other weekend to see him. Was he not going to be here when I got back? "Well if you're away at college, the girls around here are going to know that I'm partially single. It's been hard enough keeping them away at this point, could you imagine doing that for four years?" I was shocked by his answer. Was he being serious right now. "Really, Jax?" I asked in disbelief. I stood straighter now. "Did you really just say that to me?"

"It's the truth, Kate." He continued to plead his case. "There are plenty of women in Charming that are willing to drop everything to be with me." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "If you leave, there will be girls lined up from here to downtown waiting and willing to get my crow anywhere I see fit." His crow. That was one thing I hadn't received yet during our time together. He had tried on multiple occasions to get me to do it but I always refused. I didn't feel it was necessary since we were still so young and didn't know what the future held for us. "That's real nice, Jackson." I spoke in disbelief. "That's a real caring way of thinking." This was the first time that he had acted in this kind of manner. In all the years that I had known Jax, he was never this mean and cruel. There were times where he would get angry about things but he would just walk away before he said something he would regret. Granted he wasn't yelling at me but it wasn't right for him to be telling me that he wasn't gonna wait for me while I'm away at school.

"I'm just preparing you for what's to come if you decide to leave."

A/N: Hey guys!
Long time no see right! I just want to apologize for not updated in such a long time. This past semester was a killer and i've also been super busy with work. Hopefully i'll be able to update more often since i'm on summer break. Please, please, please let me know what you think of the update. I haven't been updating much due to time and also because there hasn't been much commenting. I hate to beg for comments but they really do help with motivation to update and I love to hear what you all think of my story.

Like I stated in the last update, this story will begin to jump ahead into the future, starting with this chapter. Katie's about to graduate and she has to decide what she needs to do with her life. The next chapter will continue from this one since it was a "to be continued" type of deal. Again, please let me know what you thought and I will try to get my other stories updated soon as well :)

THANK YOU!