Prompt: There is a school shooting and the Fosters have to deal with the aftermath.
It started off as an ordinary day. Breakfast was a rush. Stef left for work and Lena drove everyone to school.
Wyatt as always was waiting for Callie, and they walked Jude and Connor to their class. Mariana went by herself and Jesus ignored Emma who had a locker a few doors down.
Emma always brushed past him, her head held high, and he would bite his tongue wanting to call after her.
Brandon arrived later and met up with a few friends by his locker.
His locker neighbor would hand him a piece of fruit and he would chew it as she corrected her boyfriend's English homework. The boy on the other side asked him about what the math homework was as he watched the girl from across the hallway laugh with her friends.
Brandon would recite the homework and then thank his locker neighbor and head to class. The girl in question would then follow him and head into the same class, joining him was the girl from across the hall. Brandon would take his seat in front and they would sit behind him and next to him.
Mariana would enter her class and sit in silence as she no longer had Lexi with her. She ignored Hailey and doodled in her notebook.
Jesus and Emma would go to class and sit next each other but looked in opposite directions. They hadn't talked since the whole Hailey thing.
Jude and Connor would enter class and whispers and blush as the two girls would give them knowing smirks. They would then all talk until the bell rang. No one said anything about the two holding pinkies under the desk.
Callie and Wyatt would enter their classroom talking and laughing and take their seats next to each other in the back of the class.
Each of the Fosters were in separate hallways on different floors.
They were unaware that their lives was about to change.
*The Day Before*
Bri kissed her friend's cheek..
"Thanks for the ride, Jay! See you tomorrow!"
She walked down her driveway and paused as she noticed that her door was open.
She grabbed her phone and dialed, Jay.
"Calling your boyfriend?"
She whirled around.
"Robby."
She hung up on Jay and instead dialed 9-1-1.
"Jay's just a friend. And you are not my boyfriend."
Robby leered at her and he pinned her against the wall.
"You and I are forever."
She twisted and squirmed.
"I'm not yours."
The police cars were heard and he slapped her.
"If I can't have you, no one can."
He took off and the police found her on the floor crumpled, shaking in fear.
*That morning*
Bri had worn a lot of makeup that day to cover up the bruise his slap gave her. She had grabbed a hoodie to cover her arms. She laughed as Jay told some story. She looked up to met Brandon Foster's eyes. She smiled and walked behind him as they entered the classroom, in the main hallway on the first floor.
She didn't notice Jay watchign her.
He smiled at his best friend, man did he love her.
She tuned out the conversation around her until Brandon touched her shoulder.
"Briana? Are you okay?"
She jumped and nodded.
Brandon gave her a worried look.
Bri let her eyes drift shut when a loud bang caused her to jerk awake.
Everyone exchanged worried looks.
Then the alarm system rang and a voice was heard.
"Students remain in your classrooms. There is a shooter in the school. Lock doors and stay away from them and windows. "
Everyone began to panic and Bri found herself swept away into a corner of the room.
People were calling the cops as shots rang out. Then a voice rang out from the speakers.
"I will give you all five minutes to get out of here. Briana Ticket however, needs to stay. Also anyone not out in five is fair game." He laughed.
Everyone was taking off and Brandon grabbed her and pulled her away.
"Why are ?"
She shook her head.
Meanwhile, on the third floor, Mariana had excused herself to the washroom before the first shots rang out.
She was washing her hands when the shots rang out. She let out a scream and locked the bathroom door. She shakily dialed 9-1-1.
Even though they were told they could leave, she didn't. She couldn't. She was in shock.
Jude and Conner were in the classroom nearest to the shooting, on the first floor. The teacher immediately had the kids in the corner of the room as she ordered them to dial the police. Jude called Stef, as he watched his teacher stand in front of them as she could shield them from the terror.
Callie and Wyatt were on the second floor, in their history class.
Callie was daydreaming when the shots rang out. The second she heard them, she jerked awake and looked around looking for Jude, survivor mode kicking in. Wyatt grabbed her when he saw her stand up. He knew she would go after Jude. She kicked but he refused to let her go.
Jesus was also on the first floor. Jesus was staring at Emma when the shots rang out. Everyone froze and his eyes met hers, wide with panic and fear. Emma reached for his hand as they stood together. She pressed behind him tightly. She was afraid.
Robby had a list, a long list that ended with his Bri.
When the announcement was made, Callie tore away from Wyatt, looking for her brother. He followed her.
She weaved past students who were all rushing towards the exits.
A student shoves her out of the way and she hits her head on the lockers.
Wyatt picks her up and drags her into an abandoned classroom.
Time had run out.
Jude and Conner may have one of the coolest and now bravest teachers ever. As soon as they were told to run, their teacher rushed to her purse and pulled out her pepper spray.
"Follow me and run as fast and far away."
She leads them out armed with her pepper spray. The kids take off running when they hear shots. Jude ducks and Connor grabs his hands.
The kids race to freedom when they hear a scream.
"You can't escape me!"
Jude turns to see a bullet coming towards him, a flash and scream of "Run!" cause him stumble as Connor pulls him outside, but he turns around to see his teacher crumple to the ground, having taken a bullet trying to protect the kids.
He is crying and sobbing and when they get outside, he collapses into Connor's arms. Likewise, many classmates are crying. One girl is being rushed away in an ambulance, having been shot in the leg. Another was shot in the arm.
"Jude?"
He looks up to see Mike.
"Ms. Amber…."
He shakes his head and Mike feels his heart break as Jude and Conner cry. Then the other seventh graders cry as they realize their homeroom teacher is dead. He hates leaving but he needs to go.
His eyes are drawn to a rookie officer.
"Madison!" Keep an eye on the kids. Here's a list of names. Mark them off as they go."
He takes off gratefully that Lena gave him a list of students in case something horrible happened.
Madison begins checking off kids as they come out.
Lena was in her office when the shots went off.
She called Mike and then left her office. The closest classroom were the eighth graders so she sent them out the back door.
All she could focus on was getting the kids to safety, and hoping that her kids would be okay.
She was motioning for the kids to run when the shots got louder.
There was a scream and she saw a girl fall, clutching her leg. Lena didn't even think, she rushed forward and picked her up and carried her outside.
She turned to go back but an officer grabbed her.
She screamed and cried, begging to be let in.
They took to her where Jude was, where she sobered up and comforted the kids and they waited in vain, hoping.
Bri was trying to convince Brandon to leave her, but the stupid boy refused.
She wanted to scream.
She needed him to go, time had run out and he was fair game. She didn't want anyone to die if they didn't have to.
Mike and his men were split up, half were focused on getting kids out, the other half on getting the psycho.
Mariana trembled in the stall, mind panicking.
Then someone entered the bathroom and her heart began pounding.
"Mariana?"
She choked back a scream, and let the tears slide down her face.
The steps got closer.
"Mariana. It's me Vico."
She didn't make a sound.
"We need to get out of here. Do it for your brother."
That got something out of her and she shakily opened the door and collapsed into Vico's arms.
She was back to a little girl, hearing gunshots go off and watching a man fall in front of her.
Vico picked up the small girl and then rushed through the hallway and down the stairs.
Then he heard a gun. He darted into the nearest classroom and made her stand behind him.
" Listen to me. I need you to run, Don't look back Mari. Can you do that for me doll?"
She nods and he walks then to the other door, his front facing where he knows the gun will be pointed at.
The door opens and Mariana screams.
The gun goes off and Vico yells, "Mari, run!"
She turns and takes off, feet pumping, adrenaline pumping. She runs straight into Mike's arms and scream in terror. He holds her tightly until she calms down.
He hands her over to another officer and they take her outside where she sits next to Jude silently, thinking of the boy she left behind. Lena fretted behind them.
Meanwhile, inside, Jesus and Emma were trapped. They had fallen behind the rest of their classmates as everyone was shoving through. They would have gotten out quicker but Jesus refused to let go of Emma's hand.
They walked in silence listening for gunshots.
Emma flinched when a shot went off near the staircase. A body fell. Her hand tightened around Jesus and then she took a deep breath.
In front of them, only several feet away were two escapes. One that would lead to stairs that would lead to the back of the school. The second one was a door that led to the back of the school. Between the door and them was the shooter.
Even if they ran, someone would get hurt.
The shooter seemed to walk away and she squeezed his hand.
"We need to run, up the stairs."
Jesus shook his head.
"I'm not risking it."
"We either run now or never."
"You could get shot."
"I'll be okay."
Emma stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes.
"I'll be okay."
She kissed him gently and then pulled him up the stairs, running,
They rounded the corner and then ran towards the door. It was locked.
"Shit Emma."
"I can get it."
She bent down and pulled out a bobby pin.
"Please God."
She fiddled with the lock.
"Emma."
She smiles triumphantly and opens the door.
Jesus laughs and hugs her. Emma looks away from him and her eyes meets his -the shooter. He is grinning and the gun is pointed at Jesus' back. Her heart stops.
It all happens so fast.
Then she pulls away and opens the door.
The shooter laughs and Jesus tenses. She shoves him ahead of her and he stumbles down the stairs , she hears the snap of his ankle but it's followed by the sound of the gun going off .
The bullet hits her and she falls on top if him, blood staining them both.
Robby laughed and continued on searching for Bri.
Jesus is panicking, he's pretty sure he broke his ankle and Emma is bleeding. He brushes hair out of her face and kisses her forehead.
He pulls her up to a standing position and leans on the railing as he puts all her weight on him.
Brandon was trying to pull her out but she couldn't.
They heard shots go off and they took off.
Wyatt pulled Callie closer to him. He cradled her close. He had two options. Stay and hope that Robby doesn't find them or look for a way out.
He chooses to get out.
Carrying Callie isn't easy. She's really light but it's dangerous and he's scared because she hit her head.
He walks carefully down the stairs when he hears the click. The bullet hits his leg and he falls down. His first concern is Callie and he cradles her closer, his hands protecting her head as he hits the floor, he hits his head taking the injury meant for her but rolls over in case any more bullets follow.
He hears footstep running and a laugh as Robby runs.
Brandon had enough with her and picks her up and throw her over his shoulder.
He runs until Bri begs him to stop. He puts her down and drags her behind him. They are peering down to see if there is anyone on the stairs when they see Wyatt and Callie fall. Bri watches with tears on her eyes. She has to save them. She runs down the stairs towards Robby.
"Robby!"
Brandon hisses as she takes off, following her.
Robby looks up and smiles.
She runs faster but then he looks up and his smile turns scary. He points his gun past her, toward someone else and she runs faster.
"Robby"
She screams "No!" She knows that voice. She would recognize it any where. It's Jay's.
She's too late.
The trigger is pulled and she turns around to see Jay with a bullet through his chest. "No."
She crumpled and Brandon is torn.
Go to Bri or Jay ?
Seeing Bri' s face, he goes to Jay. He drags the boy out of the line of fire and takes off his shirt , trying to stop the bleeding.
Bri feels like her heart was ripped out. She stands up and turns to walk down the stairs to Robby.
"Why drag everyone else in? Why them? You have me, I'm right here. "
She is standing in front of him, the gun pointing at her. "Shoot me. Kill me. You are a dead man anyway."
Robby smiles. "I killed them cause I could. You are mine and only mine."
She shakes with anger. "I'm not yours. You can take my body. But I will never ever love you, again. Robby stop this, you need help. Let us help you."
Robby raises the gun to smack her when she kicks up, making him drop the gun.
She snatches it up and points it at him.
"Bri, you don't have the guts to pull it."
She laughs, broken and hollow.
Mike and his buddies gave spent a good deal of time getting victims out, and they are not any closer to catching the shooter when they hear it. BANG BANG.
It's right around the corner.
They run to see the gun clatter to the floor as the girl holding it falls apart, sobbing.
They draw their guns and it's Amy who touches the girl and gathers her into her arms.
Mike stares at the shooter. Robert Fugl. Thief, drug dealer. Shooter. Killer. Dead .
He sighs and looks up the staircase to see his son's shoe. His heart stops. Brandon.
He nudges Amy whose eyes widen at the shoe. She whispers something to her partner and he goes up to check it out.
Mike waits anxiously.
"We need a medic!"
Mike scrambles up the stairs to find his son with blood on his hands, staring at the body next to him.
He checks for a pulse. It's faint but there.
Brandon points down the stairs. "Callie."
He calls down to Ash who runs to check on the two kids.
"Medic. Concussion and broken bones."
Mike is escorted outside to where Stef is talking into a walkie-talkie. She had not been allowed inside.
"Mike…."
"Brandon is fine. Callie hit her head and Wyatt took a bullet in the leg."
"Jesus is still missing."
Mike nods and turns around to see Jesus stumbling towards him, Emma on top of him. They look horrible and then he collapses on the ground. Two medics run to them as Mike grabs Lena and another officer grabs Stef.
After that parents are called to pick up kids and many are called to the hospital.
Mike hates having to tell them the news that their children are dead but Amy steps up to deliver the messages.
She deals with sobs and the scream and the accusations.
Mike waits with Lena and Stef, as they squeeze his hands. Connor and Jude are huddled around Mariana who is trembling with cold.
It was a few hours later when the first doctor came.
"Family of Jesus Foster?"
They all stood up.
"Jesus is fine. He has a broken ankle and will be in a cast for about three months. He is resting. Carrying Miss Emma down the stairs was noble but resulted in him passing out. He put a lot into getting her down the stairs which saved her life. "
Mariana sighed in relief.
"Only one at a time. He's still sleeping."
Mariana followed the doctor to her brother's room where she collapsed into the chair next to him and grabbed his hand as the day sunk in. She cried quietly as she thought of all the dead especially Vico, who saved her life.
A pretty brunette who looked like Emma called Jude and Connor over to her and pulled out a deck of cards. She distracted the boys and herself that it let the adults talked.
Two hours later, after Mike's third coffee, Brandon came limping in. He had been checked over and then questioned about what had happened.
"Jesus is fine. That's all we know."
"Dad what is going to happen to Bri?"
Mike sighed,
"Self-defense she shot him in self defense. She will be fine, I promise."
Brandon nodded.
He sat down and patted Jude's head. He held a hand out to the women.
"Brandon Foster."
"I'm Lily, Emma's older sister."
She dealt out the cards again and they started another game.
A few doctors came by and let them know the status of some of the other students and staff in the shooting.
It wasn't till around 11 PM that they got news on Callie.
"Callie Jacobs is doing fine. She hit her head which resulted in a concussion. She's lucky. It could have been worse if the boy wasn't with her. Only two at a time."
This presented a problem since Jude wanted to check on his sister but didn't want to let go of Conner's hand. Stef also needed to see her. So Stef went in first with Lena and then ten minutes later they left and Jude and Connor took their spots watching over Callie.
Conner's mother,who was a nurse, checked in on them.
They had yet to hear anything about Emma or Wyatt, who now Stef and Lena knew had helped their children.
Lily, know not having the kids, had taken to pacing the floor, a short while later, a tall man entered with a three year old on his hip and Lily automatically took the boy and began whispering to the man.
The doctor came in with news on Emma half an hour later.
"Miss Emma, will be okay. The bullets hit a rib which resulted in broken ribs but she will live. Another one hit her back shoulder. She lost a lot of blood but she will be okay."
Lily slumped against her husband in relief.
They went to go see her.
Lena went to check on the other students and see who everyone faired.
She took note of all the students who died.
Mike left to talk to Madison and Amy and a few other rookies who showed they had what it took to do the job.
He learned that Bri was in the hospital being treated and Robby was in the morgue.
Brandon wanders around ducking into rooms, talking to some of his classmates.
He finds Jay sleeping with Bri in the bed next to him.
He looks at them for a few seconds until a hand on his shoulder makes him turn around.
It's a nurse.
"I didn't have the heart to ask her to leave."
He smiled and walks out.
He comes back just as the nurse comes to deliver news about Wyatt.
"He had a concussion and a bullet hit his shoulder. He got lucky because it could have hit his back and then he would have been either paralyzed or death. He needs someone to make sure that he doesn't get worse and wake him up every few hours.
He decides to watch over Wyatt, since everyone is busy.
It's a quiet evening and Brandon is thinking about everything that has happened. When he wakes up Wyatt, his first question is about Callie.
It's early in the morning when Lena comes in to take his spot. He stumbled out of the room half asleep and bumps into his sister, who is leaning on Jude and Connor.
They head to the cafeteria and he makes a grab for the coffee.
They sit around the table quietly and then Jude speaks.
" is dead. She got us all safely."
He looks down and Brandon pretends not to notice that Connor is holding his brother's hand.
"It's not your fault. Nor yours Connor."
"Vico saved me."
"Vico?"
She nods and traces something on the table.
"He found me in the bathroom and carried me to safety. Robby found us and he told me to run. He's dead. It's all my fault."
She stood up and rushed out of the room.
Brandon texted Lexi who promised to give her a call.
He finished up his breakfast and then took the boys back up. Mariana as already up there, looking much more calmer as she was on the phone.
Madison drives them home so they can shower and change their clothes.
Lena sits at the table with the hot chocolate in her hands as she looks over the list of her dead students.
She needs to come up with a way to honor all the students and staff who died.
Jude came down Connor and they poured themselves hot chocolate.
He pulled the list away and his eyes scanned the list.
His eyes fill up with tears as he takes in all the names.
"We got lucky."
She nods, they did get lucky, nothing major had happened to them.
Mariana comes down in Jesus' hoodie and Brandon follows her, he pours them both drinks.
They sit around the kitchen table quietly, thinking of everything that has happened.
Slowly, they start to Lena their version of what had happened.
After that, they each wandered to their own corner of the house until Madison came to pick them up.
At the hospital, the news that Callie was awake reached them and they went to visit her.
"Hi guys. Hey Jude-bug."
She accepted their hugs and they filled her in.
Brandon carefully told her about Wyatt and her eyes filled up with tears. She demanded to go see him and a wheelchair was brought over.
When she took in Wyatt's sleeping face, she grabbed his hand and his eyes fluttered open.
"Hi Pretty Girl."
"Hey Pretty Boy."
They smiled at each other as they took each other in.
"You are an idiot. You saved me."
Wyatt laughed and squeezed her hand. "You are my best friend."
There so much more they wanted to say but those four words conveyed everything.
Lena smiles as she hears the unspoken "I Love Yous."
They leave the couple alone and head to check on Jesus.
He's awake and arguing with Connor's mom, about something.
She smiles at her son and sighs when she sees Lena.
"Your son is demanding to be released."
Lena shakes her head and promises to deal with it. They are left alone with Jesus who starts to ask how Emma is.
Mariana sits by her brother's side holding his hand. They are not sure what to say. They haven't heard anything since that night.
"Emma?"
Jude leaves with Connor determined to find Emma.
Brandon went to see Jay, who was awake.
Curled up next to him was Bri.
"Thanks for everything man. We really appreciate it."
Jay's hands are playing with Bri's hair and Brandon can't help but smile.
He sits and listen as Jay talks about the shooting and then about Bri.
It's obvious the boy has a thing for his best friend.
Brandon leaves much happier and goes to see Wyatt and Callie who are both on the bed watching a movie.
He walks away not wanting to bother them.
Mariana and Jude and Connor have found Emma and have the news that there was a complication last night.
When Jesus heard, he dragged himself to her side and refused to leave the room.
The nurses and the doctors didn't have the heart to remove him.
Lily simply kissed her sister's head and then Jesus as she steps out to get some air.
Stef was wandering the halls when she saw a familiar figure curled up on the bench outside. The figure was shaking and she stepped out.
"Lily?"
The woman looked up and wiped her eyes.
"Officer."
"Stef, please."
"Stef."
Lily sighed.
"It's been just me and Emma since our parents died, when I was sixteen. Ryder's family took us in since they knew us when we were kids. Ryder and I got married when I was 19 and Emma was about 10. I don't know what I would do if lose her."
Stef looked at the woman and it hit her that Lily was young really young, still a kid in many ways.
"Emma is going to be fine. She's strong and so are you."
Lily nodded and stood up.
"Your boy is in there. He saved her life. Carried her all the way to safety."
"She took a bullet for him."
Lily laughed, "She did, didn't she."
They sit in silence for an hour or two.
The two women walked in together to find Emma awake and Jesus scolding her about what she did.
Emma laughed and kissed him to shut him up.
Jesus pulled away.
"That's the third time, you kissed me first. Both times to shut me up."
Emma laughed and then coughed. He gave her some water and rubbed her back.
"Thanks."
Lily entered the room and hugged her sister.
Two weeks later.
By this time, everyone was out of the hospital and people had been buried. Lena went to every funeral and her kids went with her.
They were all gathered in the school gym ready to have the ceremony for the dead.
Callie and the other students insisted on working it, so she no idea what the surprise was.
Callie stood up at the microphone. Wyatt behind, a hand on her back, supporting her.
"Two weeks ago, I was sitting in class with my best friend. A typical day. We were talking about a movie we wanted to go see and then how we were going to the beach afterwards to look at the stars. Then we heard the shots. My life changed after that. I lost friends, classmates, teachers. We all lost someone. We will never forget what happened."
Emma limped forward. Jesus stood next to her, their hands intertwined.
"Meredith Rogers was a senior. She was an amazing cheerleader and always had a smile for everyone. She wanted to be a nurse.
Snow Quinn and Brooke White were both freshman. They were best friends. Snow loved to swim and Brooke was in basketball. Both were involved in the yearbook."
Jesus stepped up.
"Paige Matthews was a junior who always had something to say. She was known for her volunteer work. She was on the dance team.
Paul and Jose Sanchez were cousins and were sophomores. They worked at the local autoshop and were going to take over the business from their fathers. Paul's younger sister instead will take on the legacy."
A tiny brunette hunched in her seats, sobs coming out of her mouth and the boy next to her squeezed her knee.
Wyatt walked up and paused to kiss Callie's hand.
"Ms. Riley Evans was my math teacher. She was three months pregnant and was hoping for a boy. She leaves behind her husband and two year old daughter. She actually made me like the subject, well at least not be afraid to ask questions.
Coach Thomas Lore was the football captain. He ushered a his gym class to safety and came back in to rescue many others. His daughter has offered to take over her father's position to win him and the school a regionals."
Brandon stepped up.
"London Prince, known as Lolly, for her love of lollipops was a senior. She was captain of the cheerleading team and captain of the softball team. She was an excellent writer and was going to go cheer for the Dallas Cowboys, her home team.
Her brother Sergio Prince was an artist. He had hopes to design tattoos and I know for fact several students carry his legacy on their body. He was painting a mural on the bridge project.
Apple Gold was my locker neighbor. She always gave me fruit in the morning. She was really smart and kind to everyone.."
Mariana stood up shakily and held onto the stand for dear life.
"Daniel Queen was in 8th grade. He played the trumpet and loved animals.
Vico …"
She stopped and took a deep breath.
Jesus left his seat and stood behind his sister.
"Vico was a senior wrestler. He….. he saved my life. He cried me to safety and took a bullet so I could get to safety and for that I will always love him. He didn't have to save me. We weren't friends but he saved me. "
Jesus helped his sister to her seat where she broke down.
Connor stood up.
"Angelo Martinez was in my gym class and he was on the baseball team. He was the best pitcher I knew. I'm proud to call him my teammate and brother.
William Bennett wasn't someone I knew really well. He was quiet and you could always find him reading something. Whether it was comics or books or fanfiction, he was always reading. I'm going to miss seeing him curled up in one of the windows basking in the sun, reading."
Jude walked up and Connor took his hand.
"Ms. Amber had a way of making everything seem okay. An F meant you were having an off day, nothing major. She always had chocolate in her desk because it always fixed everything. She used to blast music in her class and sometimes we would go in to find her dancing to some country song or some pop song. If she was in a really good mood, she would be singing along. She led us all out to safety and took bullets to make sure we all got out okay.
Walter was our janitor and he never complained when you asked him to open your lock. He always seemed to be around when he was needed."
A couple other students got up to talk about the dead,
Then it was Jay's turn.
He surprised everyone.
"Robert known as Robby was a senior. He was in wrestling and football freshman year but stopped the teams. He was not only the shooter but a victim. He was a kid, a scared kid who lost everything. His parents used to abuse him and two months ago, his dad was arrested and his kothe left. His girlfriend had broken up with him fourth months ago, after he slapped her and kicked her hard enough to bruise a rib. He never received love and when the one good thing left him, it damaged him. His girlfriend started moving on. Going out with friends and having fun. He finally snapped and went on a rampage, that ended up with one of his classmates shooting him in self defense."
He left the microphone and a stunned audience.
Bri walked up.
"It was a normal day, when everyone's lives changed. We will never forget what happened here."
She nodded and stepped to the side as the all behind her was revealed.
The adults and families gasped. The students spent two weeks on the mural. It was of all the people who died, doing the things they love against a sky blue background.
A song began to play, and many students recognized it as a favorite of Ms. Amber.
On another wall, a video showing pictures and small clips of the dead played.
Callie watched as a picture of Vico and Robby appeared on the screen in wrestler gear. Both were smiling and held her arm around each other. The picture changed to a video of Lolly and Sergio playing soccer on the beach with friends. There was a picture of Coach, Angelo, and Meredith with a few other kids. A picture of Robby and Bri at homecoming.
Wyatt stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"You did a good job."
"Says, the artist."
He kissed her head and she closed her eyes.
They stayed like that.
Jude and Conner held hands as they and their classmates decided to have a baseball game in honor of their classmates. No one said anything about them, they were a package deal and everyone knew it.
Mariana sat under a tree and stared out at nothing. A pretty brunette joined her and grabbed her hand. Mariana leaned into her best friend and Lexi joined her at staring at nothing.
Emma and Jesus sat in a blanket resting. He kissed her shoulder where her scar was.
Jay and Bri sat in the shadows, talking about what would happen with them next. They decide to ease into things slowly, and shared a quick kiss.
Mike, Stef, and Lena and the other parents looked around.
"We raised good kids."
That Monday, everyone was entering the school for the first time since the accident for class.
Bri stood by her locker looking at Brandon , who was talking to Apple's boyfriend. They two hugged and walked to their class. Jay touched her shoulder.
"Ready chica?"
She nodded and he walked her to class.
Brandon gestured for her to sit next to him and she did.
He touched her hand as her eyes landed on some of the empty desks- Dustin, Holly, Flynn.
Jesus and Emma didn't ignore each other. They walked into math class holding hands. Emma walked with her head held high as she walked through the door. Her eyes landed on desk- Sylvia- and she nearly stopped. Jesus gently pulled her in.
Mariana held Lexi's hand as she entered the girls' bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror and then she cried. Lexi wrapped her arms around her and cried for her. After a few minutes, they walked out and entered class.
Mariana focused on Lexi's hand. She was going to be okay. She was going to live, for both her and Vico.
Jude and Connor held hands as they and their classmates gathered outside of Ms. Amber's class.
They were having class in another room but they wanted to have one last dance.
One of girls pushed open the door and they filed in. One of the boys put on one of Ms. Amber's favorite love songs. They partnered up. Jude and Connor swayed as their classmates danced in honor of their teacher. Jude and Connor both wore nail polish in her favorite shade of blue.
Brandon talked to Apple's boyfriend and invited Bri to sit next to him. He saw Kat Bennett sitting staring out the window and touched her shoulder.
"Do you want to eat lunch?"
She nodded and Brandon saw that she and her baby brother, William shared the same green eyes.
Wyatt had to convince Callie to leave Jude alone.
"He's going to be fine."
Still it took five minutes for her to leave her brother. She left with the picture of him and Connor dancing.
Wyatt gently dragged her to class where he held her hand on top of the desk and rubbed his thumb back and forth to calm her down. He kissed her wrist and started telling her a story.
Eventually her shoulders loosen and she smiled.
"I Love You."
He mouths to her.
"I Love You." She mouths back.
Stef had called Lena ten times that day and Mike had to stop her from driving to the school eight times, but he sent Amy and Madison to check it out just in case.
Things would never be the same but they would be okay.
They would never forget but they would live, for everyone.
So I think this is my longest work ever. I'm quite proud of this. It's been a while and a lot had happened. I have had a lot to think about and a lot to do. I hope to be on here more often. If you have any ideas, let me know.
Love You Wallflowers
-Queen
