Well, here it is, the last chapter! Hopefully it will satisfy all of your wants of J/Cness. Now I'll have more time to work on my other J.N. story Because You Live. If you haven't read it, please do. I think it will be my best yet. Okay, since this is the last chapter, I'd like to get more reviews than usual. Well, go ahead and read on. READ AND REVIEW!
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Gabby stood over her mother's body. She looked so peacefull. Her eyes were closed and rested, her clothes were neatly pressed, and her make-up was flawless. Gabby ran her finger across the shiny surface of the coffin. She had done it. She had killed her mother. And yet, she felt just a small dot of remorse. . .
Gabby was glad that there had been plenty of witnesses around when her mother was killed. A whole room full of people couldn't lie about witnessing the murder. She had been defending an attept at murder. It was as plain and simple as that.
Gabby turned at the sound of a familiar voice.
"Hi, Gabby." said Jimmy. He and Cindy stood side by side, dressed in their best clothing.
"Hey." she said, uncertainly. She hadn't talked to them in a few days, not since the day of the party. Things had just been so complicated. Her life had been moving at warp speed.
"I'm sorry about your mom." said Jimmy, looking at his feet. He wasn't sure if that was an appropriate thing to say, but it was too late to take it back.
"Thanks." said Gabby.
Cindy and Jimmy took their seats at the back of the church and waited for the serivice to begin. They had expected the church to be nearly empty, since Karen wasn't really known. Of course, they hadn't thought about the fact that her face had been plastered on every newspaper in the state, and many in the country.
Not that they were sad to sit in the back of the church. They prefered it that way actually, since their faces and names had also been included in the papers.
Gabby also took her seat on the front pew. Everyone waited silently for the music to begin playing and the preacher begin speaking.
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". . . she was a wonderful woman, and will be dearly missed." droned on the preacher. Of course, he hadn't known anything about Karen, and had only said what he'd been told.
Cindy sighed and looked at her watch. It had only been thirty minutes since the funeral had begun, but it felt like an eternity. She and Jimmy had recieved many glances throughout the service, and by the end she was eager to leave.
Finally, the precession left the church, slowly, one by one, including she and Jimmy.
"That was. . . nice." said Cindy.
She and Jimmy had decided to go to the park before meeting their friends and the Candy Bar. They knew that their friends would try hard to help them get through anything, but they had been through so much together. They needed just a small amount of time alone before facing the world.
"So. . . what's going to happen to Gabby now?" asked Cindy, as she sat on the park bench.
"Well, she's fourteen, old enough to choose where she wants to live. Of course, her aunt is just about the only person in her family still alive. . .so. . " replied Jimmy.
Cindy nodded her head. She hated talking about such uncomfortable subjects, but she had really wanted to know.
"I'm just glad that it's finally over." said Jimmy, after a moment of silence.
"Yeah. . . ." said Cindy, glancing and the tree they were sitting under. "So, should we head over to the Candy Bar? The guys are probably waiting. . ."
"No. I told them that we would meet them at four."said Jimmy, glancing at his watch.
"But it's only two now. Are we going to sit here for two hours?"
Jimmy laughed. "Do you know what today is?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's Sunday, so what?" she asked, with a confused look on her face.
"You're telling me that you actually forgot!" asked Jimmy.
"Forgot what?" she asked. Was it supposed to be a special day?
"Here." said Jimmy, pulling a box from the bag at his feet. He handed it to Cindy, who took it with a shocked expression on her face.
"What's this for?" she asked, examining the box.
"Your birthday." he said, simply.
She had completely forgotten that it was her birthday. Cindy wondered how she could have forgotten such and important day. But of course, she hadn't been aware of much lately, exept all of the drama that had been affecting her life. So, it wasn't that great of a shock that she had forgotten that she would turn fifteen on that day.
"I completely forgot." she admitted. "How did you remember, when I didn't?"
Jimmy shrugged and urged her to open the box.
Cindy sighed and removed the lid from the small box in her hands.
"Oh. . ." was all she could say. She removed the object from its box, and examined it more closely.
It was a necklace. It was thin, and gold, obviously real. It didn't have a diamond or any other type of pendant, which she found rather odd.
"It's for your pearl. I saw the chain that you had it on. . . and I figured. . . "
"Thanks." she said, glancing at her feet.
Cindy unfastened the necklace around her neck and slid the pearl off. She placed it instead on her new chain.
"It's beautiful." she said, putting it around her neck.
"Wait. . . that's only part of your gift." said Jimmy.
Cindy gave him a curious look and waited for him to say more.
"I wanted to tell you something." he said, looking her square in the face.
Oh boy, thought Cindy. This is it. . .
Cindy nodded him to continue.
"I told you at the hospital, but I wasn't sure if you heard me or not."
He opened his mouth to continue, but instead was interrupted. " I did." said Cindy.
"You did?" he asked, although he had already had a pretty good idea that she had heard him, from the way she'd avoided him the entire summer.
"Well then. . ."he said, clearing his throat. "I guess that's that."
"No." said Cindy, looking up. " I want to hear you say it."
That, Jimmy had not been expecting. It was hummiliating enough telling her the first time, and she'd been unconcious. Now, she was fully awake, and expecting it.
"Alright. . . I lo. . . lo. . .you know this is harder than it looks." he said, sheepishly.
"It's not that hard." replied Cindy. "All you have to say is I love you."
"You do?" he asked.
Crap. . .thought Cindy. She had wanted him to say it first, but too late.
"Yeah, didn't you know?" she asked.
"Sure." he said. "And I. . .I love you, too."
Cindy had to listen very closely to what he'd said, he'd said it so fast. But, she had heard him.
"So, what now?" she asked.
"We go to the Candy Bar and enjoy your surprise party." he said, standing up. "I bet you're eager to open presents."
"Not really. What could be better than this?" she asked, stainding up, and taking his hand. She already had what she wanted.
As they walked, Cindy thought.
Things were so much different. When they had been little, it was all about competing, and thriving on each other's humiliation. Sure, they hadn't really hated each other as they'd claimed, but they had been at the age where the opposite gender wasn't accepted. But now, they were in high school. Things had changed for the better. There was no more fighting. No more arguing. Frankly, Cindy kind of missed it. . .
Cindy laughed. Jimmy glanced at her and wondered what she was thinking. He shrugged. He would never understand the interworkings of a woman's mind. As they finally approached the Candy Bar, and pushed the door open, still hand in hand, they were met by a burst of familliar voices.
For a moment, time froze in Cindy's mind. Although everything had changed so much over the years, not everything had. Carl would always love llamas. Sheen would always be in a constant battle between which he loved better- Libby or Ultra Lord. And, of course, thought Cindy, she and Jimmy would always compete in school. But deep down, down, she knew that things were changing for the better. And, as she gazed around the room and the smiling faces of her friends- Sheen and Libby, sitting at a booth, Carl at the counter, and Gabby talking quietly with a group of people, and Jimmy standing beside her, his hand laced in hers- she realized that she wouldn't want it any other way.
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I know, very sappy and full of fluff. But, how else would I write an ending. I wasn't really completely satisfied with the last few paragraphs, but I hope it's alright to you. Please review! and don't forget to read my new story- BECAUSE YOU LIVE