Hello and happy Monday! I wanted to give you something to make the beginning of your week a little brighter so here is the first part of the epilogue! I truly thank all of you for all your love, support and ideas for this story! It's been a blast!
PLEASE READ! Also, since this story is sadly almost over, please check out a the first part of my new story I'm writing called "A Walk In Our Stars" that was previously updated right above this story and my other story in progressed "Where the Heart Lies".
BearKick15: Aw, thank you so much!
LabGirl2001: It's all good. Sorry for all the emotional stuff but I'm glad you still liked it!
Kickfeaver: Well, it's kind of the ending but I know…
Maddyliza1234: Aw, sorry but thank you! And I also sent you a PM regarding your question so I hope you got it!
bellafan22: Sorry but thank you so much!
XoThatCrazyChickoX: Surprise! I had to catch you of guard…lol. Haha, I know it was awkward and same here my friend! Thank you so much for the kind words and don't worry, I won't stop anytime soon. Back at you!
Kicklover24: I'm sorry and I know…it was sad for me to write and dang, no pressure at all…lol. Hopefully you'll like these chapters! But thank you and I know right…
Starships13: Thank you so much!
Enjoy!
One Month Later:
Everyone was settling into their new lifestyles fairly well as there was never a dull moment. From their parents coming out to visit soon after they left, bringing the other items they left behind or helping them set up their apartment Bobby had graciously got for all of them to even pulling out the parent card, making sure they had everything they needed and was set and ready for school. And of course, they all explored the new city they would call home for the next four years.
School had finally started, was going well and they all kept in touch weekly via video chats though the first few times were a little difficult as everyone forgot about the different time zones and finding a common time that worked for everyone. Eddie who was in Texas, Kim who was in Missouri and Jack who was in Illinois were in the same time zone other everyone else an hour after them.
Jack went to visit Kim as much as possible as she was only a state away. Milton who was in Massachusetts was going to New York often to see Grace and Jerry. Milton, Julie, Kelsey and Eddie all made monthly weekend visits to each other, showing that long distance didn't phase them at all.
They were all adjusting to college and for the most part loved the changed but subconsciously, they were all counting down to the holiday break, not realizing how much they missed home. But soon enough the holidays had arrived and everyone headed home, excited not only for the break but to be home with their family and friends.
Bobby threw a holiday party at his mansion as everyone came and caught up with each other. All the adults were happy the kids were enjoying college but they were still their babies after all and the eight were relieved to finally have a breather and relax. "I'm so happy to be home", Jerry exclaimed as they were sitting in an empty room together.
"I know right! Who knew college could be so stressful", Kelsey cried out.
"Um, we all did and it's only going to worse", Milton grumbled.
"Ok Debbie Downer, thanks for sharing", Kim hissed, glaring at Milton.
"Alright, alright. Let's not think about school right now. Let's just think about the nice month we'll have together", Jack intervened, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, Jack's right. Let's just have fun and live it up!" Grace cheered excitedly.
And that's exactly what they did. From being the young and stupid teenagers they once were to doing crazy and maybe slightly illegal dares, they did it all and loved every second of it. They hung out a few more times during their break before it was back to school and a new semester of adventure.
One Year Later:
It was summer once again as the eight got a letter stating, "As soon as you land, the game begins", and luckily for them, they all landed the same day, just different times. Milton was the first to arrive with Kelsey no more than fifteen minutes behind him. They both ran to baggage claim, grabbing their luggage only to see a bright green paper tied to the front. Ripping the paper off, they both read, "Now that you started college, let's keep your brain busy. Inside your suitcases (don't ask how) are pictures and certain items. Figure out the place when you have all the pieces. Good luck".
The two found their parents and took off, excited and ready to start another round of this summer game.
Jerry arrived back in Seaford, grabbing his luggage and then calling the guys to see who was here. Both Jack and Eddie didn't answer as Milton of course was not surprised that Jerry didn't remember anything. "Milton, when did you get it?" Jerry asked happily.
"Um, I got in this morning. Do you not remember our conversation from last week?" Milton replied slowly.
"What? Psst…I remember", Jerry answered, his voice rising an octave higher.
Though Jerry couldn't see, Milton rolled his eyes, lightly chuckled and shot back, "No you don't Jerry. Because if you did, then you'd remember that once you landed, you were suppose to come to my house. And, I'm also assuming you called Jack and Eddie too, right?"
Jerry was silent for a few minutes the mumbling incoherent things back at Milton under his breath, hating the fact that Milton was still so smart and then quickly yelled, "See you in ten", before hanging up.
Jerry found his mother who cried with happiness when she saw him and quickly pulled him out of the airport and to their car. Ten minutes later, on the dot, Jerry pulled up to Milton's house as his mother practically pushed him out of the car. "Nice seeing you to ma", Jerry grumbled as he grabbed his suitcase and walked up to Milton's front door. Being as he was already in a bad mood, Jerry thought it would be fun to add more to the group as he continuously rang Milton's doorbell. Seconds later, the door swung open to reveal a pissed off Milton. "Must you do that every time you come over?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did put you in a bad mood? Good, join the club", Jerry sarcastically replied, shoving past Milton.
Milton took a deep breath, closed the door and followed Jerry into the family room as Jerry plopped down on the sofa with an evil glare. "Jerry, I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. But you have to admit, you don't pay attention to us very much", Milton apologized.
Jerry sat forward, putting his elbows on his knees with his head in his hands and replied, "I know and you don't need to apologize. I'm sorry or getting angry at you when you didn't do anything. I guess I'm just tired. Not from this but from the past school year and actually being on my own. I mean, every time we video chatted, I just looked at everyone, wishing we were back home and all together, you know. And then there's the fact that Grace and I hardly saw each other and we were the closest. I saw you more than my own girlfriend. I guess I never realized how hard it was to be all alone".
Milton gave Jerry a sad smile and responded, "But you're not alone. I mean, I know we're not physically close like how we were before but we're still all here for each other. We're just growing up. It's just a part of life Jerry, but know that no matter what happens we're only a phone call away. And besides, you need to perk up because one, this is year number two for the summer games and two because you'll see Grace very soon".
"Yeah, you're right. I can see why you're the smart one in the group", Jerry smiled.
"Um, thanks", Milton laughed a Jerry got up to grab his stuff.
"Ok, so what do we need to do?" he asked, pulling out the two envelopes in his suitcase.
"Did you read your clue?" Milton inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Really Milton? Did we just not talk about this? Jerry shouted, shaking his head and giving him a duh expression.
"Yeah, ok. So anyways, we all have clues and need to put them together to figure out the next clue", Milton answered, grabbing the envelopes out of Jerry's hands and opening it up.
OoOoOoOo
Kim had finally arrived at the airport, running down to baggage claim. Upon arriving she saw her dad standing odd the side with a big grin on his face. "DADDY!" Kim cheered, running over to him and hugging him tightly.
"Honey! It's so good to see you", Chuck replied, giving her a squeeze. "How was your flight?"
"Eh, fine. I fell asleep for a little bit because I spent the last two nights packing up all my stuff", Kim said yawning.
"And how's Jack?" Chuck continued in a calm manner.
"He's good. I haven't seen him since spring break so I can't wait to see him", Kim grinned.
Chuck noticed Kim's new glow when talking about Jack and before even thinking, blurted out, "You're not pregnant, right?"
"Dad", Kim chocked as her cheek turned red. "No, I'm not pregnant".
"Ok, that's good", Chuck breathed out, feeling relieved but then awkward.
The two waited for a few minutes for Kim's suitcases in silence as neither of them wanted to talk anymore. Chuck spotted Kim's bright purple suitcases and went to grab it as Kim beamed when she saw a bright green card on the front. Once Chuck came back with all of Kim's luggage, she ripped open the card and then jumped up and down, practically dragging her father out of the airport. Within minutes, Kim arrived at Kelsey's as she quickly kissed her father on the cheek, jumped out the car to grab her suitcase and then ran up to Kelsey's front door that swung open before Kim had a chance to ring the doorbell as screaming could be heard from a mile away.
OoOoOoOo
Jack arrived at the airport eager to get the summer starred. He stopped in the gift shop to grab a bottle of water and as he exited, he saw spotted someone every familiar. He quickly made his way over to them and whispered, "Fancy seeing you here", which caused him to get punched in the face. "Fuck", he hissed as he held held cheek.
"Oh shit! Jack I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" the person asked, quickly grabbing his bottle of water and placing it on his check, hoping the coldness would help.
"I'm fine. It's my fault for scaring you. How are you Grace?" Jack smiled.
"I'm good. Happy to be back and being able to see Jerry", Grace answered with a smirk.
"I'm sure you are. Let's get out of here Rocky", Jack ginned, giving Grace a hug.
The hugged for a minute and then made their way it baggage claim, excited to be able to actually see everyone in person. "Hey, weren't you suppose to get in before me?" Jack suddenly wondering, thinking back to their conversation for a week ago.
"Yeah I was, but my flight got delayed for some reason", Grace responding, shrugging her shoulders.
Soon enough, their luggage arrived as Jack being the gentleman that he is, grabbed Grace's suitcases as well as his own and then exited the airport to see their parents waiting for them in the drop off area. "Well creep, I'll see later", Grace winked as she waved goodbye and walked over to her parents.
Jack just laughed and walked over to his parents to see his mother crying once again. "Mom, you know I love you but you have to stop crying", Jack cooed, hugging her tightly.
"Oh, shut up", she cried and laughed at the same time, hitting his shoulder.
"Are you ready to go?" his father joined in after putting Jack's stuff in the trunk, smiling like the Cheshire cat.
"Oh yeah", Jack agreed as they all got in the car and drove off.
Both teams were working hard on their puzzles as it made no sense what so ever. They didn't understand any of it and began to not like this game again.
OoOoOoOo
An hour later Julie arrived at the airport to see Eddie waiting for his luggage. "Eddie!" she screamed running over to him.
"Hey Julie!" Eddie smiled, hugging her.
"Why is it that the first two people to leave are the last ones to arrive back home" Julie laughed one they released.
'Haha, I dint even know. Are you ready the summer?" Eddie wondered with a grin.
"If I say yes, I know something bad will happen because I'm so confident but if I say no then it's going to be even worse. So, I'll just say, I don't know. What about you?" she wondered.
"Yeah, same as you", Eddie replied, trying to keep a positive attitude.
A minute later, their luggage started to appear in the carouse as they both grabbed theirs and smiled when they saw a note tied on the front. They quickly ripped it open and then started to make their way outside to their parents as Julie waved, "I'll probably see you real soon" as she turned left.
"Yeah, you're probably right", Eddie laughed, heading straight.
OoOoOoOo
Within fifteen minutes, Julie and Eddie arrived at Kelsey and Milton's as it was now officially game on. Everyone's pictures and items were sprawled out all over the floor as they tried to put it together. "Are you sure that they all go together?" Kim asked Julie who was staring hard at the pictures.
"Honestly, I have no idea. But they have to match somehow", she huffed.
"So, how's it going?" Jerry asked the three guys who were huddled around Milton's' table.
"Well, it would be better it all four of us were working on this but its slowly coming together", Milton replied bitterly.
"Hey! I tried to help but Jack kicked me off of my side", Jerry pouted.
"First off, I didn't kick you off. I told you to take a step back and to stop playing with the pictures and secondly, you could have come back at any time to help us", Jack shot back as Jerry quickly jumped back in excitedly.
Hours passed as it was close to turning into evening as everyone was exhausted. All the girls were lying on the floor with two of the guys falling asleep at the tale and the other two on the floor. "Why can't we figure it out?" Eddie groaned, rubbing his temples.
"I think we're too stupid to figure it out. College has made us stupid", Grace snapped.
"No! There has to be something, any little thing that we can figure out", Milton pushed.
"Maybe we're looking at it all wrong. Maybe we're thinking too much about it", Kelsey said after a minute of silence.
"That's it!" Jerry shouted, jumping up from the floor.
"What?" Kim wondered.
"We need to clear our minds and not think about what we were just looking at. With a clean slate I know we can see something we didn't see before", Jack shared as both teams got up and went back to work.
They started at the pictures and items, trying to spot anything remotely similar to what they already knew. After half an hour Kim finally noticed something. "Oh my god, it's not the picture themselves, it's what in the pictures. These are landmarks!" she screamed, picking up her other pictures to study them more.
"Really?" Grace asked, doing the same thing.
"She's right!" Julie agreed as they were all relieved to be making some sort of progress.
"Hey, doesn't this look like that café we saw in the movie the girls made us watch?" Eddie probed, showing the guy's his picture.
"Yeah, it does…wait!" Milton started as he looked down at his pictures. The guys saw the wheels turning in Milton's head as in any moment, something big was going to happen. "Look at your pictures and name the first thing you see?"
"Food", Jerry answered.
"Sculptures", Jack added.
"And mine is a gondola", Milton continued as the guys all thought about what they all just shared.
Meanwhile, the girls were studying their pictures when Julie noticed a small something in the corner of hers and suddenly yelled, "Look for anything that goes with Paris, France, Italy, those types of things. I think I know where this is going",
Kim, Kelsey and Grace nodded in agreement as seconds later they all found something. From a famous dessert, to another landmark to a famous person as they all started to put the pieces together.
"Oh, I got it!" Kim cheered, jumping up and grabbing her purse with the others following suit, now getting excited.
As the girls were on their way to their location, Jack and Milton started putting their idea together until they finally figured it out as all four were out the door. With both teams not knowing where the other was, the girls took a chance and went the normal way as the guys cut through the neighborhood.
Within ten minutes, both teams were edging closer to their destination as shadows and flashes from across the way caught their attention. "Is that Kim?" Milton asked Jack upon seeing the flash of blonde hair under a streetlamp.
"I think is. It looks her and here are three other girls with her", Jack answered as they increased their speeds.
"I think the guys are catching up. I saw a flash of red hair", Kelsey added.
They all ran a little bit farther before coming face to face. "Jack!" Kim yelled, running over to him and jumping into his arms.
"Hey baby", Jack smiled, tightening his grip on her waist and kissing her neck.
"Jer-Bear!" Grace cried, running over to Jerry as he picked her up and swung her around, giving her a kiss.
"Milti!" Julie cheered, happy to see him.
"Jules!" Milton screamed as they hugged and he kissed her forehead.
"Eddie! "Kels!" they said at the same time, embracing in a hug and as Kelsey squealed with happiness.
The eight made their way to their destination with an extra bounce in their step as it was great back together. They arrived in front of the building, all sharing a nod before pushing the door open and being greeted with a shouting "WELCOME!"
The eight smiled as everyone was there. Their parents, Rudy, Bobby, Joan, Phil, Ms. Applebaum, Mr. Funderburk and Sam as it seemed to be a welcome home party instead of a challenge which was a nice change. "So glad you could finally join us", Rudy sang in a joking tone.
"Yeah, yeah", Jack grinned, hugging his old sensei.
Rudy went around and hugged everyone else as Bobby asked, "I hope the puzzled wasn't too hard".
"Um, well, it wasn't necessarily hard per say. We just couldn't get it in the beginning", Milton confessed.
"I told you they'd overthink it", Ms. Applebaum said, hugging the eight.
They went to mingle as Kim noticed Jack's eye was a little red. She walked over to him and whispered in his ear, "Babe, is your eye ok?"
Jack smiled and replied, "Yeah, its fine. Don't worry", kissing her cheek.
"Well, ok. But what happened?" Kim pushed.
"Grace hit me", Jack mumbled and then started to walk away, not wanting to talk about it now.
"Wait! What do you mean she hit you?" Kim hissed, gabbing Jack's wrist to stop him.
"Kim, it's not that big a deal. I accidently scared her at the airport and as her reflex, she swung at me. Trust me, I'm fine", Jack finished, kissing her forehead and then walking away again.
Km shook her head at her boyfriend. Of course that would happen to him but then laughed at it as that was so Jack and Grace, always getting into some little mess. She dropped the matter and went to socialize with everyone else as this was what they had been waiting for. To be home and ready to have some serious fun. And of course, it's always enjoyable when you throw food into the mix as the smell of pizza filled the air.
The rest of the night was filed with laughter as they all knew it was going not be a great summer once again…and it was a great summer. Fantastic for that matter as the challenges were bigger and better. Everything was more exciting and nothing felt better than a friendly competition with your best friends during the summer.
But sadly, the summer was coming to an end and they were once again going back to school with another set of memories.
Two Years Later:
The eight survived their sophomore year of college as it was harder that the year before. Being in college opened their eyes and mind to the outside world. They were learning not only the necessities for their future job but about themselves and what they could offer the world. Of course, they always made sure their summers were open so they could come home for the now annual summer games and it was times like that they loved the most. They got to get away from the stress of school, hang out with their friends and have fun doing it. Every year was a new adventure and never disappointed so they all knew the summer was gong not be epic.
They were all at Jack's house catching up and it just like old times. Eddie was raiding Jack's refrigerator Jerry, well, he just being Jerry, Milton and Julie were sharing information that no one really cared about, Grace was filling everyone in on all the gossip she had, Kelsey had a pen a paper with her writing down her never ending ideas and Kim and Jack were being all couple-y. "So, everyone excited for junior year?" Milton asked with a small smile.
"Depends. Is it like high school?" Grace answered.
"Yeah, probably", Julie replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Then no. I'm not looking forward to it", Eddie said while still stuffing his face.
"Yeah, I agree. I mean, it means that we're getting close to end again and that mean finals. And I have a big final performance that I don't want to do", Jerry huffed.
"A dance performance? That's awesome and totally your scene. What are you so nervous about?" Jack wondered.
"Because all these dance companies will be there recruiting us for their company and that scares the shit out of me because this is my life, you know. What if I'm not good enough or what if no likes my performance?" Jerry confessed.
"Jerry, you're an amazing dancer with natural talent and charism. People love that about you and we know you'll do great. And besides, you aren't the only one that has their future riding on your final performance", Kelsey said patting Jerry's back.
"What are you talking about Kels", Kim inquired.
"Well, Grace also has her dance performance. Eddie has his cooking final and I have to put on a fashion show with my designs", she sighed.
"Wow, this is crazy. There is so much everyone needs to do but you know what? We are warriors, so let's not worry about all this just yet. We all have this whole upcoming year to prep and the whole summer to be crazy and stupid. I mean, were twenty years old now, not teenagers anymore and yeah, out lives are changing but we still deserve to have fun while were young". Jack announced firmly.
"Yeah, Jack's right. The whole reason we come home every summer is for this game. This is the only chance we still get to still feel like a teenager and not worry about things besides beating the other team", Kim smirked.
Everyone laughed but agreed wholeheartedly. The summer games were the one thing they vowed to never give up on, no matter how crazy their lives got. And this year, Bobby and Rudy thought it would be fun to change it up and have it be couples instead of guys against girls and everyone was up for the new idea though it was going to be hard going against Kim and Jack but you never what could happen during the games.
And that's exactly what happened. Eddie and Kelsey swept the board and won as Milton and Julie came in second and could have won if they really didn't overthink everything. Grace and Jerry ended up in third because they were either fighting and not talking to one another or spending their time making out, kind of like Jack and Kim who ended up in last. Jack and Kim always started the game strong but somehow along the way, got distracted and ended up just enjoying the day together.
You would think the others would be mad that the strongest couple wasn't even playing most of the game but in the end, they all used this time to be a couple and some were just batter at staying focused.
Three Years Later:
They had all made it through their junior year with blood, sweat and tears as it was a brutal year and their most stressful to date. And though everyone was excited for the summer, this summer, there was a slight change to their schedules.
Julie had started volunteering at John Hopkins hospital during the school year and was now interning in their research lab. Milton was starting on his senior project. Grace and Jerry we both working on their dance performance. Kelsey was busy planning her fashion show. Eddie was starting to travel more, learning more about food and their cultures and Jack and Kim had both found local job, wanting to be more independent.
Throughout the school year, they all shared their plans and as the summer got closer, they tried to finalize a time when they were all free; which lead them to here. It's the beginning of July and all eight have managed to get two-weeks off and they were going to use this time vey wisely.
Rudy and Bobby had made this year ever bigger as they had to cram the whole summer into fourteen days. The teams were back to normal, guys against girl and it started off with a bang as everyone was now twenty-one. The guys had to retrieve their clue from a bar in downtown as the girls went to a club in the East Village for theirs.
Everything was going as planned. The guys were polite when they entered the semi busy bar with Milton and Eddie looking a little out of place with their bottom up shirt and zip up sweatshirt. They ignored the weird glares they got as they made their way to the bar counter. "Um, excuse me sir. Do you have a clue for us?" Jack asked nicely.
The bartender raised an eyebrow and replied, "Maybe. What's it to you?"
"We're in a competition against our girlfriends, so we kind of need the clue", Jack continued.
"Hm, I see. I'll tell you what. You drink the house special and I'll give you the stupid clue", the bartender suggested.
Jack opened his mouth, about to try and reason with the guy when Jerry quickly responded, "Bring it" with a smirk.
The bartender smiled an evil smile and made the drink as the other guests in the bar stared to make their way to the four, wanting to watch them, knowing this was going to be good show. Seconds later, a drink was placed in front of Jerry as he took it and swallowed it one gulp, feeling the burning sensation in his throat and chest and coughing profusely. "Aw, poor macho man couldn't handle it", a guy cooed with a laugh.
"What'd you say?" Jerry hissed, turning to face the guy.
"You heard me. You four walk in here thinking you're tough shit but you're just a bunch of babies. Go home to your mommies", he continued.
"Um, we don't think that", Milton quickly answered trying it make themselves seem harmless, because they really were as Jack shook his head at Milton, signaling his to stop talking.
Jack, Jerry, Milton and Eddie stared at the handful of men in front of them and knew they were in trouble, seeing the men all glare at them. "Look, we don't want any trouble. We just came in for something and now we'll leave you guys alone to enjoy the rest of your night", Jack explained, looking at the bartender who handed him a green envelope.
Jack mouthed a quick thank you, tore Jerry away for the staring contest he was having with the older man and then started to make their way out of the bar. They were about to exit when they heard one of the guys laugh, "What a bunch of pussy's" and then something snapped in Jerry as he swiftly turned on his heels as Jack tried to stop by grabbing onto his arm. Jerry shook it off and marched over the guy who was making his way back to his table and turned him around, punching him straight to his jaw, sending him to the ground.
The other men got heated and threw a punch at Jerry, which he blocked as Jack quickly stepped in to help. "We were so close", Milton thought to himself as he saw Jerry and now Jack fighting. He and Eddie shared a look and then nodded in agreement, knowing they had to help their friends; which was actual kind of excited with this being their first bar fight.
OoOoOoOo
While the guys were in a bit of a pickle, the girls were doing their own thing at the club. It was lively atmosphere with music blaring from the speakers, drinks always in your hand and everyone seemed to be having fun. The girls wandered around for a few minutes, just taking in the place before making their way to the bar and asking the bartender if they had a clue. The first girl looked at them like they were stupid and walked away when a second girl told them they had to play a little game before being able to get their clue. Of course Kim and Grace were all for it as Julie and Kelsey were hesitant but somehow got roped into doing it anyways.
They all had to to get a guy to buy them a drink, get their number and them pass the number of to another girl. Though it sounded easy in the beginning, some of these people were way too wasted to even have a conversation and then throw in the fact that the guys were just being guys and only had one thought in mind.
After their many failed attempts, awkward moment and a half hour alter, the job was done and the girls finally got their clue. They started to run to the exit when they ran into trouble, literally. Julie had accidently ran onto a girl, making her spill her drink all over herself. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry", Julie screamed over the music.
The girl was in surprise for a second and ignored Julie's apology as she shrieked, "You bitch. This is a three-hundred dollar dress!"
Julie opened her mouth, about t reply but got cut off by Grace. "Now, you listen here sweetheart", she said with a sweet smile. "Number one, my friend said she was sorry and it really was an accident. Two, no one ever talks to my friends like and thirdly, it doesn't matter that something spilled on your dress because that dress is not working for you at all. You're still ugly as fuck",
The girl gasped in horror as Kim, Kelsey and Julie's eyes went wide in pure shock, knowing Grace just stared a fire. The girl grabbed her friends drink and threw it in Grace's face hissing, "You're not any better looking".
Grace's eyes turned from pleases, pissed to deadly within seconds as she pounced on the girl, both falling to the ground. "Shit", Kim grumbled to herself, bending down to get Grace up off the floor only to get pushed back by one of the girls' friend. "Oh hell no!" she shouted, pushing the girl back return.
Grace and Kim were in full fight mode as Julie and Kelsey tried to pull their friends off of the two girls they assumed were the girls' friend as they somehow ended in their own fight. And so, a night that stared off fun, took a complete one-eighty and ended up in a bar brawl and club bitch fight.
OoOoOoOo
An hour later, the guys were in thrown into a holding cell as they were beat up and exhausted. They all stood on opposite sides of the cell as silence fill the air, no one knowing what to say. After a few minutes, Milton started to pace the cell mumbling, "I'm so dead", over and over again.
"Will you shut up?" Jerry barked, glaring at Milton.
"Hey, back off Jer. It's your fault we're in jail in the first place", Eddie shot back.
"Excuse me?" Jerry hissed angrily.
"You heard me", Eddie growled. "Why couldn't you just ignore him? Why did you have to punch him?"
"Well, I'm sorry but I don't take insults kindly. And besides, that guy was a totally douche. Were we just supposed to take that from him?" Jerry probed.
"YES!" all three yelled as silence filled the air once again as they were all fuming.
"Look Jerry. We know your reasoning for punching him was logical but you have to learn to pick your battles. We always fight for good, not just because someone insulted us. We've always been picked on so what makes this any different?" Jack asked, breaking the tension.
"I don't know. It's just the way he said it. It was like taunting me. I just wanted to prove a point", Jerry sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sorry guys",
"It's fine, really. It was actually kind of fun being this badass fighting in a bar", Milton grinned.
"Well, let's not push it", Jack laughed. "But I do have to admit, it was pretty fun and the games are always unpredictable. This is another one for the books".
Everyone laughed, agreed and instantly went back to being friends and letting the incident go. They were all smiling until Milton said, "Um guys…what about the girls?"
"Fuck. We're so screwed", Jerry groaned, throwing his head back against the wall.
"Oh yeah. We're definitely fucked", Jack agreed, knowing the girls would never let this one go.
Eddie was about the join in the conversation but stopped when he saw someone very familiar from where his was sitting.
"Ah…well all be damned", he smiled to himself. "Nah, we're not as screwed as you think".
All three eyes snapped opened and stared at Eddie who just held up his pointer finger, signaling then to wait one second. A minute passes as yelling was heard and all four ran to the bars, knowing that voice. They all shared a smirk as the voices were become clearer and closer. "This is bullshit!" they heard the familiar voice yell.
"Oh. This is way too perfect", Jerry thought as the people were now right in front of their cell. "Well, well, well, mamacita", Jerry grinned as they all spun around hearing the familiar voice.
"Jerry? What the hell are you doing in a holding cell?" Grace asked, walking over to him.
"What are you doing here?" he shot back, seeing handcuffs on her.
"No reason, this is all a misunderstanding", she replied back calmly.
The smile never left Jerry's face as he laughed, "Grace, baby. I know you got into a fight, you all did. But to it make it fair, we did too".
"How'd you know we got into a fight? And you got into a fight? What'd you do Jerry?" she hissed.
"First off, you all look a hot mess, no offense. You have bruises and scratches on your arms and chest and secondly, why do you assume it was me? I could've ben helping out one of my friends", he pointed out firmly.
Grace's facial expression changed to small smile as she looked back at the three who were shaking their heads no. Grace laughed to herself, not surprised by Jerry's actions because she wasn't any better. Guess they really were the perfect pair. "Do you know each other?" an officer asked, breaking the moment.
"Yeah, they are their girlfriends and the blonde is my fiancée", Jack replied.
"Well, this just got interesting. Alright ladies, you're in the cell next to your lovers. Go", the officer continued as the girls walked into their cell.
"So, what happened to you guys? " Kim asked once they were locked in and seeing the guys beat up.
"Well, the bartender made us, well Jerry, because he volunteered, drink the house special and then we got called names because we couldn't 'handle' it. What about you?" Milton asked back.
"Well, Gracie here went all crazy on this girl that was yelling at Julie", Kelsey answered with a small smile.
"Damn, we really are alike", Eddie chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Grace wondered.
"Just that, both you and Jerry started a fight and I'm pretty sure like Jack, Kim jumped in in first to help and then we all ended up in the mess", Eddie continued.
The seven shared a guilty smile before busting out laughing. "Well, at least we can we are perfectly matched and that this summer surpassed all expectations", Jack smirked as everyone nodded.
OoOoOoOo
An hour later, Rudy and Booby came to bail the eight out with amused expression. "The eight that fight together, stay together", Rudy sang as the officer unlocked both cells.
"What happened to you eight?" Bobby inquired seeing them worn out and confused at the scene in front of him.
"You don't even want to know", Jerry snickered as he wrapped an arm around Grace's shoulder and walked past Rudy and Bobby with the six following suit.
"Is it really that bad?" Booby cried.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is. I mean, look at where we are. Besides, this was your clue so everything that happened is on you. So, if I were you, I wouldn't want to know what trouble they got themselves into", Rudy answered, patting Bobby's shoulder and walking away.
After that night, things just kept surprising the eight, though luckily, no more arrests were made in the next thirteen days and things were an amazing roller coaster ride. The days flew by as they were all heading back for their final year as this was the last stretch of the race.
Three Almost Four Years Later:
To say senior year was the absolute worse would be an understatement. Sure, they were happy that they were almost finished with school, but there was even more pressure and stress. They hardly talked to one another and the visits became less frequent as there was just no time for anything besides school.
The last semester was just as crazy as everything was just flying by so fast. They all talked about graduation as that was one thing they were not going to miss. Milton was able to make it Jerry and Grace's showcases, Kim and Jack surprised Kelsey as her fashion show and they were all going to be reunited in one week for everyone graduation.
Jack, Julie and Eddie had persuaded their teachers to allow them to take their finals earlier as a 'family' emergency had occurred, and they could finally check that off the list. Jerry and Grace had their graduations first with Grace's graduation a day before Jerry's. Julie's graduation was the next, a few days after Jerry's. Kim and Kelsey's graduations had landed on the same day, one in the morning, the other in the evening as Kim barely made it to hers as their timing was way off. Jack's was the next day with Milton's following the day after which now only left Eddie as everyone was thrilled that one, it was the last graduation and two, that they finally got to go home for a little bit.
OoOoOoOo
Within the next week, everyone was home and able to relax. They were all at Kim's house, catching up and sharing stories of their last semester when a buzzing noise came from the kitchen. The eight got up to investigate and immediately laughed when they saw a walkie talkie sitting on the counter. "Hello?" Kim answered.
"Hello college graduates. I know you've all worked hard these past four years and all have a month off before heading back for you master programs, jobs and other responsibilities but I just thought that we could start this summer off like we did the very first one. Are you in?" the voice asked.
The eight shared a wicked grin and Kim replied, "Definitely!"
"Great. Your first clue is waiting for you in a black box on yours and Jack's front porch. Have fun", the voice sang as the eight took off as the games began once again.
And there you go folks! The second to last chapter! Please R&R and let me know what you think!
Please let's try and reach between 335-340 before the next chapter!
Thanks and until next time,
Missy xx