Chapter 14: Friends Forever

Here it is the long awaited next chapter! This is also the last real chapter of this fic. The epilogue will be next. I'll try to make it long. I am going to try to write a full length Ryella, I got inspired randomly today, because I've recently gotten back into Ryella. The trailer will be after the epilogue. It's very dark and angsty so be warned. It's not my usually fluffy Ryella, this deals with major life or death stuff. Now that I've freaked you guys out enough, let's proceed back to Jelsi.

A week passed since Jason had gotten back from L.A. It was now the day that every kid dreads and waits for their whole lives, our high school graduation.

Jason woke me up at 8:30 that Saturday morning by saying, "Kelsi, wake up, it's finally time, we're getting out of that God forsaken school!"

Later on that day around noon, the doorbell rang. Of course, it was Hannah and Ryan.

"I never thought this day would come so fast." Ryan sighed, "I'm going to miss East High."

"Me too!" Hannah said, dramatically, burying her face in Ryan's shoulder. Ryan looked down at her for a minute before looking back up at me and shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

Hannah sat back up and we started talking about what we were wearing to graduation when Jason came in the room with Justin in his arms.

"Where's Kayleigh?" Ryan asked

"Oh, she's back there in that little bouncy thing, at least I think that's what it's called, oh well, who cares, it's a chair-like thing and she's watching T.V." he said

I rolled my eyes and was about to get up when Hannah shoots up, nearly giving Ryan whiplash by her medium length hair and ran past Jason.

"Jason, you can't just leave her in there she's only almost four months old, you really cannot do that!" she yelled as she ran.

Minutes later, Hannah came back with Kayleigh in her arms and sat back down beside Ryan.

Ryan held his hands out at her. Hannah gently gave Kayleigh up to Ryan. We kept talking about Graduation until the alarm on Hannah's phone went off and she read off of her alert memo that she had to go get her hair fixed for the ceremony.

"Holy crap!" she said, flipping her phone down and sliding it back into her purse.

"Sorry you guys," she said, "I've got to go!"

"Wait a second." Ryan said, standing up, "Do you need a ride?"

Hannah looked at him with a sad look on her face, "Maybe."

Ryan rolled his eyes and smiled as he handed Kayleigh to Jason and followed his girlfriend out the door, sliding his arm protectively around her waist.

"Where do you think they'll be in five years?" Jason asked

I looked over at him and smiled, "They'll either be happily married without kids or divorced, but still getting along with maybe one kid. Honestly, I couldn't see them staying together with kids, I'm not sure why."

"Because," Jason began, sitting Kayleigh down beside her brother in the floor, "That's our story."

He eased over to me slowly, tilting my chin up to face him and kissed me softly on the lips.

I smiled as the kiss released and he took my hands, "Here's to the future," he said.

"Yeah, here's to the future." I repeated.

That night, all of the seniors at East High School were all crammed into the auditorium as they put us all in cap and gowns and got us situated.

Me and Jason were kind of late because of something that had happened at the house before we left, but we were still alright with time.

After Jason and I got into our gowns we went and sat with Hannah, Ryan, Troy, and Gabriella who were sitting near the orchestra pit, dangling their feet into it.

"Is anyone other than me really freaked out about what's going to happen after tonight?" Troy said

"A little" Gabriella admitted, "I don't want to go and like, never see you guys again."

I nodded in agreement, "Sam here."

"And I don't want to go without seeing your two cuties either." She smiled at me.

I returned her smile and looked over at Jason, "I don't think that's possible," he said as Ms. Darbus got on the stage and yelled that it was time to go into the gym.

As the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" filled the whole gym, I completely internally panicked. I wanted this day to come so bad, but now that it was here, I was afraid I'd never see my friends ever again.

I watched as Zeke went up and then Troy, then Martha and then finally Jason went up and got his diploma. The whole gym went wild with applause. Many names later, I went up on that stage and officially graduated from High School. I turned my tassel to the other side and smiled proudly as I went off stage and hugged Jason.

"And I present to you," Principal Matsui said, "East High School's graduating class of 2008!"

We all smiled and tossed our hats in the air. Jason turned to me and grabbed my hands and kissed me full on my lips. When we broke apart, I looked around and saw Hannah and Ryan in a similar position as well as Troy and Gabriella.

Later at the after party, there were lots of hugs, tears, smiles and every other emotion someone could think of.

As I stood there with the love of my life, my best friend, and I guess, love of her life, or something like that, with my little girl in my arms, I had never been so happy in my life. This was truly the beginning of a whole new adventure, and I knew that with my friends there, I could do anything.

All we needed was a little hope, and a little faith.