Some of you got the idea and reviewed toward the end after you figured out why I wasn't updating! So well done!
I know someone pointed out I have 5 reviews like I asked for so I should update, yes I did have five but if you looked closely two people reviewed twice on the A/N I posted!
So here is part one of the epilogue! And I'm expecting some death threats after this one! At least I'll be getting reviews!
Epilogue. Four years, three weeks and five days later.
"I'll have the vanilla crunch sundae, a strawberry swizzle and a bananarama," Izzie told the guy behind the ice cream counter behind the ice cream counter at Slurpy's as she scanned the menu hanging from the ceiling checking to see if she had missed anything.
The guy looked at her strangely but keyed the order in anyway.
"And for you?" he asked looking to me.
"I'll have—"
"Ohh actually, I'll have a cookie monster , with extra chocolate sauce too," she said interrupting.
The guy looked to me as if to ask whether he should be giving the ten year old anything she asked for, but I just nodded in confirmation and he keyed it in.
I raised my eyebrow at her and she said, "What? I'm making up for lost time!"
Yes she was. Four years of Saturday ice cream tradition out of the window, and it was technically my fault since I was the one out of the country.
"And I'll have a chocolate ice cream in a cup," I said and I heard Izzie mumble something along the lines of me being boring.
"That's eighteen dollars," he said and I passed him the money.
"I'll bring it over to your table," he said. I walked over to the tissue and spoon stand and out of the corner of my eye I saw Izzie go and occupy a circular booth clearly meant for about six people, and I rolled my eyes as she spread her stuff out. She had really grown up in the last four years in which I hadn't seen her (not including Skype), and since I had been back I had noticed she now came with a side order of attitude and confidence. I was glad she had finally found her herself.
I looked around and didn't see anyone that I remotely recognised. Slurpy's was now occupied with the next generation of teenagers, and it was crazy to think we had been them a few years ago. Now the trivial high school drama didn't mean quite so much.
The last four years for me had gone by in a blur. Come graduation, I was the first one out of this town. I had agreed to my parents request not to take a year out and agreed to go to college on the terms that my college was nowhere near Verone or Yale. They had taken my request quite literally and let me go to college in France, where all those summers taking French lessons in my Grandmothers chateau in Paris had paid off. At least in France I knew they weren't accepting me because of the influence of my parents.
As much as my Mom didn't want me to go so far away I think she knew it was what I needed to sort myself out and find myself after everything I had been through the past few years. After completing my business degree, I was reluctant to go home. I knew Verone was where Capulet Enterprises and Prince Arbitrations both had their head offices set up and a certain couple that I wasn't ready to see were coming back home after college too. Instead I did what I've wanted to do for the last few years and take a year to just travel. I went to Spain and Italy for three months before meeting up with Ben in Thailand and travelling through Asia, then Australia and New Zealand for the rest of the year, and just travelling where life chance took us, without planning ahead, stopping in a town every so often for a little while, taking random jobs to support ourselves not wanting to have our trip financed on our families money. Even though our parents weren't too pleased, it was just a simple phone call every few weeks to let them know where in the world we were.
I already had a job waiting for me in the New York offices with Ben, by the time the year was over due to start in four weeks, so we finally gave into the complaints and guilt from our families about how they hadn't seen Ben for a year and me for four. Even though we had the time of our lives, we both missed our families so took the next flight out to spend the next month with them before we had to head off to New York. I figured it was time to grow up and face the music. If Juliet wanted to be with Paul and she was happy then so was I. I think people including my Mom just thought it was 'high school' love and I would just get over it, but by the increasing amount of time I spent think about her over the years, I knew it was the real thing. We really did bring out the best in each other.
In the three and a half weeks I had already been here, I had somehow managed not to run into anyone from Riverdale. Chances were, I would have run into Juliet, Paul or even Timmy in this tiny town, but I guess I had been lucky. I was already packed and ready to fly out to New York tonight, a couple of days early to set up.
Most of my own friends had all jumped at the chance to leave the small town. The only ones left of us were Luke and Gabrielle, who had broken up but were still good friends. I'd been hanging out with them and Ben the past few weeks along with Rose who had moved to Chicago to live with her Dad, but was also down visiting her Mom and sister. It had felt like old times, back when I used to live here, and we were all just good friends, no drama involved.
I was about to take the spoons and stack of tissues that Izzie would surely need back to the table when something crashed into my legs. I twisted around to see a little girl, around two or three holding onto my leg like her life depended on it.
"Ummm….Hi," I said and she grinned looking up at me.
"Hi," she said.
"Are you ok?" I asked her trying to figure out what she was doing and how to pry her off my leg where she looked perfectly content.
"Yep, I'm fine," she said.
"Oh. Ok. Good," I said not sure what to do.
"Is your Mom or Dad around?" I asked her.
"Jessie?" A voice yelled out, answering my question. "Jess!" The voice continued sounding closer and more frantic.
Paul Prince rushed through and stopped at the sight of the little girl. Just when I thought I could make it onto the plane without running into anyone. Just my luck. Karma really was a bitch.
"Oh, thank god!" he said to himself, scooping her up in his arms. He looked like a really frazzled babysitter right now. I was so glad Izzie was older now, remembering the times I had to keep an eye on her when she was a toddler.
"Jessie, what did I tell you about just running off like that!" he said to her not noticing me yet. I wonder if I could just slip out without him noticing . Probably not, that would just draw more attention to me.
"Sorry Daddy," she replied and I froze at her words.
A/N: Don't kill me for stopping it there! What did you think about what Romeo has been up to?
Come on guys, let's make it to 100 reviews or even 95 and I'll be happy! Review even if to yell at me for the cliffie! I was going to finish the story in one chapter epilogue but I thought I didn't want to rush it and the story deserves a proper ending! Love you all forever!
xx