Hey guys! I'm sorry to say this... but this story's going to end soon. I managed to squeeze in this chapter, and then there'll be two more chapters, and "The Secret" will be complete! But don't worry, "Death isn't the End of Love," Beth and Kevin's story (the spin-off I was referring to in the last chapter,) will be there. And then, the "Surprise, Surprise" stories/series will be over. Wow... I can't believe I actually made a sequel. And I'm planning a spin-off, too...
Kim
That day finally arrived.
I was pulling on a sleeveless sky blue dress, with a smooth bodice, with a small sprinkling of white jewels, and a skirt that had rows of ruffles.
Over that I slid on a loose, blue gown that had a yellow trim, and stuck a special, you-only-wear-this-once-or-twice-in-your-life-time-unless-you're-a-vampire hat.
The tassel tickled my cheek, and I beamed at myself in the mirror while slipping into my black flats.
Graduation.
No one remembers the series of events that happened in November, what with my two suicide attempts, and Beth and Kevin dying. But they're forever etched in my brain.
But at least I have my wonderful boyfriend, right?
Oh. Right. I hadn't gotten to that part.
After that wonderful kiss he'd given me, Jack and I had gotten back together, to the joy of our friends, and, frankly, the whole school.
Mrs. Johnson, Mandy's mom, passed away after having a heart attack. Mandy had already turned eighteen, and she still had a boatload of money, so Mandy could support herself.
Brody and Donna got together again, but no one really cares. They aren't in our lives anymore, not since Brody cheated on Mandy and Donna pretty much betrayed me.
Jerry and Grace were still going strong, and so were Kelsey and Eddie. They'd been together so long, longer than most. They knew each other like no one else.
And Mariela and Jeremy were engaged.
Jeremy has his own apartment, and is going to the local community college and funding for Alex's tuition. And... now that I think about it, Jack seems OK being around Jeremy.
"Darling, you ready?" Mom called.
"Coming!" I smiled as I walked down the stairs.
"In conclusion, the class of 2012 will always help each other through every roadblock," Milton finished. He'd promised to make a short speech when he was elected valedictorian, but it was a little too long anyway: Jerry fell asleep.
Suddenly, we all shouted and threw our caps in the air, and let the tears and laughter begin.
"It's finally over," Jack whispered in my ear. He had somehow snuck up behind me, just to scare me.
"It's finally over," I echoed, staring out at the spectators.
Suddenly something caught my eye.
I saw Beth and Kevin, waving happily. Mrs. Johnson was beside them, clapping. Even from this far away, I could tell she had a tear or two for her remaining living daughter.
"You see Beth and Kevin?" Jack murmured in my ear. I nodded.
Beth opened her mouth, and I heard her voice reverberate throughout my brain.
"Congratulations, Kim. Your life is going to be amazing, and when you see us, we'll show you something." I stared even more intensely at her, and I thought I saw her raise her left hand, point to the ring finger, and then point to Jack.
"Congratulations, Kimmy," Kevin's voice echoed in my brain.
I grinned even wider. I was going to be with Jack for even longer.
We partied until deep into the night, when we'd all decided that we could see each other tomorrow.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off, Slamming on the "OFF" button so hard it fell off my nightstand, I rolled out of bed.
"Morning, Kimmy." I shot up. There, in my rocking chair, was Jack.
"Jack!" I exclaimed, rushing into his arms.
"How are you Kim? Great start to your morning, huh?" He asked cheekily.
"It would be better if you were downstairs making out with Donna," I teased.
Jack sighed. "How many times must I tell you not to remind me of Donna!" He groaned.
"A million," I replied. Finally I got out of his embrace.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Your Mom has a surprise for you, and she asked me to keep you company."
"Can I go down now?" I immediately asked. "I'm hungry."
Jack chuckled. "Probably."
When I got downstairs, my mom was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper. "Hey mom," I greeted as I gave her a kiss.
"Hello, darling. I have a late graduation present for you," Mom handed me a small blue box.
When I opened it, all I found was a set of car keys. Wait...
"Go outside," Mom laughed.
When I got out there, all I saw was a red convertible and a license plate that said, "JAANDKC"
"It stands for 'Jack Anderson and Kim Crawford,'" Mom explained enthusiastically.
"I love it," was all I got out.
College, here I come.
I showed up at a banquet hall for a going away party for us wearing a silver dress that glowed in the moonlight, and matching silver heels. Jack, who drove me, wore a black tux and a turquoise tie.
"Hey!" "Jack!" " Kim!"
People called out to us as we walked into the banquet hall.
"Nice going away party, right?" Jerry observed, his arm around Grace. In true loyalty to Grace, he hadn't checked out another girl. Even when an exceptionally attractive girl had thrown herself at Jerry, Jerry simply rejected her and walked away. That girl hadn't given up that easily, but that's another story.
"Yeah," Jack unwound his arm around my waist to drag Jerry off somewhere.
"You've been going out for so long," I commented.
"I know. We started going out when Jack started dating Donna," Grace replied.
"Yeah, that was so long ago, remember?" Kelsey added, joining our conversation.
"It was when Beth started giving Jack the notes," Mandy stated.
We all turned to stare at him.
"The notes?" We all asked.
Beth slowly pulled out two folded pieces of paper. She handed one to me, and one to Grace.
Opening it, I faced Beth's familiar, cursive handwriting which almost immediately brought tears to my eyes. Slowly, I read it aloud:
Jack,
Yesterday, Kim was over at my house. She stayed the whole afternoon, and then slept over. She was polite, and sad. You know how strict and... sort of oppressive my parents are, right? Well, that night, they let us do a lot of things. We were allowed to stay up all night. Heck, they even told me nicely they didn't think they could handle a dog! Which I know you know I want.
Needless to say, we didn't stay up all night. But you know what she did? She called someone she told me you were jealous of. I'm not telling you who. She told him what happened, and we met him at the park. He was sympathetic, and I know him. We met at a karate dojo a while back, before he moved to Seaford. He was the best friend that was like you, Jack. We liked hanging around with him. He apologized profusely to Kim about something, and Kim forgave him. I wouldn't be surprised if he took your place... or even if he became Kim's boyfriend.
You wouldn't know, or CARE, that you hurt them. Amanda and Kim cried themselves to sleep last night. Kim refused to talk about you. Amanda shattered every picture of you on display, (and there were a LOT.) and I just watched. You had to give in to a girl. You always said to stick up for what you believed in. You never wanted to hurt a girl, and you hurt two.
We swear by the light of the dragon's eye, to be loyal, and honest, and never say die. Wasabi. You never were that honest when it came to girls, weren't you.
Beth.
"This was before Jack found out Brody joined the dojo," Mandy explained.
Then Grace cleared her throat, to read the note in her hands.
Jack,
This is the only way I can get to you without everyone noticing. I'm sorry for being so mean to you. I'm just... torn. Brody is like you, Jack. But he's NOT you. He doesn't have an adorable and annoying hero complex, he doesn't have a long-term history with the guys, and he's... different. (Who says "Brochacho" like he does?) But Kim's already replaced you with him. I think she likes him. Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if he became her boyfriend.
But I want to hear YOUR side of the story. So, if you want, meet me at Falafel Phil's at 10, when it closes. I'll make sure the gang isn't near to see you. If you don't come, fine. Bear the weight.
I really miss you.
Beth.
"Even faced against a guy she despised for ruining our lives," Mandy sobbed, "she tried to save him."
And with that, we all broke down, garnering the attention of our boyfriends. They comforted every one of us, lending a shoulder to their girlfriends and a hug to their best friends.
Even after two years, the memories of that fateful year hadn't completely vanished.
Turning my head slightly, I saw that Jerry and Jack had come back. Coming to my side, Jack wrapped his hands around my waist, and put his head on my shoulder.
For a few minutes, I felt the comfort of him alone, but then that changed, and it felt like Beth and Kevin were here.
Jack froze, and he whispered in my ear, "To our right, by the bathrooms," he whispered into my ear.
Turning to face that direction, I saw Beth and Kevin, leaning against the walls, waving to us.
Slowly, we waved back, gathering the attention of our friends.
But when they turned to look where we were, they only saw the bathroom doors.
I really need to stop writing so many slightly depressing chapters. But hey, it's looking up.
~squirmyorchid~