Chapter Fourteen: All That Matters Is You

Marco

"What happened?" I heard a voice ask from above me. I dried my face off as best as I could, and looked up.

"I'm so glad to see you," I told him, sighing.

"Why don't we go to the park," he suggested. "Our bench? Then you can tell me all about it."

I knew he would be able to make me feel better. He was always able to. I took his hand and let him help me up. We walked to the park in silence, hearing only the crickets around us.

"So, spill," he said, taking my hand as we sat down on our bench. The only light we had was the moon, but it was enough.

"All this time, I was worried that I was hurting him, by hanging out with you," I complained. I tried not to cry again because it wasn't going to help me. "I confessed to him that we kissed and he forgave me when he was doing this behind my back. He was cheated on and it destroyed him, so why would he do this to me?" I whined, laying my head on Rory's shoulder.

"Don't hate him Marco. We're all fucked up from this year. Most of us were screwed up way before that…"

"I know. I just never thought that he would do this to me. Maybe I deserve it," I said, sighing.

"You don't deserve to be hurt by anyone," he said, lifting my head up and looking at me.

"You never hurt me," I whispered, smiling.

"Not even when I broke up with you?" he asked.

"No. Not even then. You were giving me the chance with Andrew that I needed. And I knew that. You've always been here for me Rory, no matter what," I told him.

"I would never leave you."

I saw in Rory the love that I needed. I threw my arms around him, hugging him until I thought it was safe to let go. We both missed the sunset that day. But we'd found each other again, and that was all that mattered.

Jesse

"I screwed up so bad," I groaned, holding my head in my hands.

"We both did," Andrew answered, rubbing my back. "But as much as I feel horrible about hurting Marco, I wouldn't take back what happened. Because I love you," he whispered.

I looked up at him and stared. My mind was racing. Love? But what about Marco? I managed a weak smile.

"I love you too." And I really meant it. Andrew pulled me to him and kissed me softly. I leaned my head on his chest and looked over at Gracie. She had just fallen asleep, and we had her in the middle of Andrew's bed, with pillows surrounding her so she couldn't roll of the bed.

She'd gotten so big—she'll be turning one next month. The time was passing so quickly.

"She's lucky to have you," Andrew said, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I doubt it. But I'll try to be a good father," I said.

"And so will I."

I looked up at him in surprise, and he just smiled back.

"I love her so much. And I want to always be there for her. And for you," he added.

"I have to find Marco," I said quietly.

"I'll stay here with her," Andrew told me, motioning towards Gracie.

"No…come with me," I requested.

"She can't stay here alone."

"Why not?" I asked.

"You can't ever leave a baby alone Jesse! What if she wakes up, and gets into something she shouldn't. She could hurt herself, or worse," he said frantically.

"I have a lot to learn," I said, sighing.

"You obviously never had any sib…never mind," he said.

"My sister always took care of me. I never had to know how to take care of anyone before," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'll take her to your room in case Marco goes back there," he suggested.

"Okay. Call me if you see him," I said.

We kissed one more time, and then I left, still not sure if I was ready to face him. But it was now or never.

Nate

I knocked on the door frame and he looked up. He'd been packing to leave this place, like I should have been too.

"Hey Nate," he said. His mouth was pressed into a firm line, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "What's up?" he asked.

"I just wanted to say thank you, for what you did back there. I hope you're not going to get into any trouble," I added.

"They won't press charges. They know that I have more dirt on them than they could handle," he replied, finally smiling. "And you're welcome."

We stood in silence, looking at each other. It was weird, because it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. We were just standing there, and never broke eye contact.

I'd just opened my mouth to say something when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, startled, and slowly turned around. It was only Tyler.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah." I turned back to Remy. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was looking at the ground now. "Thanks again," I said.

"Don't mention it," he replied, glancing up and smiling one more time.

Tyler put his arm around me and led me away to help me with my own packing.

"Where were you today, before graduation?" he asked.

"It's a long story," I said. I didn't really want to relive it, though I knew I'd have to explain sometime. I sighed, wrapping my arm around his waist and putting my head on his shoulder as we walked down the hallway.

"I've got time," he replied.

Thomas

I knocked on Theresa and Ellie's door. My stuff was already packed. I was ready to leave the school behind, and leave my dad behind too.

Ellie opened the door, then stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a short nightgown that hung just above her knees.

"I thought you were Theresa," she mumbled. "She forgets her key sometimes."

"Isn't that hers?" I asked, pointing to what she was wearing. I stepped in and closed the door.

"Yeah. I didn't get a chance to wash my pajamas yet. She sat on her bed, letting her legs hang over the edge, then made sure I couldn't see her underwear.

"It looks better on you," I said. A frown crossed her face. "Sorry," I told her. "So she's not here?"

"No. She left right after the ceremony," Ellie told me.

"She told me that she was staying here to help you pack," I said. She lied to me, but I wasn't sure why. What was she hiding?

"Sorry," she shrugged. "She's just not here."

"Well, at least you are," I pointed out. I walked forward a little and she didn't say anything. I rested my hands on her legs, and gently pushed them apart a little more, just enough for me to stand in between them.

I left my hands there, on her thighs, and she leaned forward. We stayed in that position, looking into each other's eyes for a few minutes. I moved my hands up to her cheeks and gently pulled her head towards me.

She leaned in even more, helping me, and placed her lips onto mine. We kissed briefly, and broke apart, looking at each other again.

I thought she might look away, but she didn't. A small smile formed on her face. I kissed her this time, sliding my tongue into her mouth.

I had climbed onto the bed, hovering over her, and was about to kiss her again when I realized what I was doing. Theresa was still my girlfriend. I stopped and sighed.

"I can't do this," I whispered.

"Thomas, I'm sorry," she said, looking away from me for the first time.

"I have to go."

I left as quickly as I could without looking back.

Theresa

"I'm glad you came," Lindsey said, still gripping my hands as if he wouldn't ever let go.

"I figured I should come see you since you should have been graduating tonight," I told him, giving his hands a little squeeze.

"Theresa, have you thought about what I asked you last time you were here?"

"I can't leave him," I said. "I don't think I can break his heart like that."

"What do you think will happen if he finds out about us? You don't think that will break his heart?" he asked.

"How would he find out about us?" I asked, suddenly a little angry. "Are you just gonna call him up and tell him?"

"All I'm gonna say is that I'm not sneaking around when I get out, if you're even still there. And I don't even want to be doing this. So you either tell him, or I will. All it takes is one letter or phone call, and I'll have him out here to see me."

"Are you threatening me?" I nearly yelled it, but then remembered where I was.

"If that's what you want to call it, then yeah, I am. Let me know what you're planning on doing the next time you come back. Or don't come back at all."

He stood up and walked back to the guard, signaling that he was ready to go back in. I wanted to chase after him; scream at him to rethink it. But I knew I couldn't do that. They would probably think I was trying to kill him or something, and then bring me to the ground.

I fought the tears and tried to save my dignity as I walked away, back to my boyfriend.

Andrew

Gracie was sleeping in her playpen, and I was sitting on Marco's bed, leaning against the wall. I didn't know what to do, other than sit and wait for him. I wasn't even sure what I would say to him, but I knew I had to be there.

Nearly two hours later, the door clicked open and he walked in.

"Marco!" I yelled, jumping up and running to him. I hugged him and held him close to me. "I'm so sorry." I immediately started to cry, knowing full well that it was going to happen. I was never good at hiding my emotions.

"Get a hold of yourself Andy," he said. I didn't even mind him calling me that. Marco could call me anything he wanted; I owed my life to him. "You're going to ruin your mascara." He pulled me back and looked at me, laughing. "Too late."

"This is not a time for jokes!" I whined, though I was glad that he was in a not so shitty mood. "I didn't want this to happen Marco. I'm sorry. I knew that I was doing the wrong thing and I never wanted to hurt you and…" he cut me off.

"It's not your fault Andrew. We're all screwed up in more ways than one, and I know that you needed Jesse. You needed him more than I did. He chose to cheat on me, and even though you participated, I'm not going to find you at fault. You're more screwed up than any of us, and I can tell that you've fallen in love," he explained.

"That's true; I am more screwed up than anyone. I've got the scars to prove it." I smiled, but then got serious again. "Um…Jesse wanted me to call him if you came back," I said.

"Don't. At least not until I leave okay? I just can't talk to him right now. I will talk to him, but only when I'm ready. I already talked to Remy and he's letting me stay with him for this last night."

"I understand," I told him. "Are you gonna be okay?"

He nodded, then kissed me on the cheek. I sat back down and watched as walked over to Gracie's playpen and lifted her up, careful not to wake her. He kissed her on the tip of her nose and whispered something to her. I think it was, 'I'll always love you.' I was trying not to seem intrusive.

Then he grabbed his bags that had already been packed, and walked towards the door. He took one last look at the room, with an extra long stare at the bed he and Jesse shared. Finally, he smiled at me and went out the door, leaving it open.

Ellie

I can't believe I'm such an idiot. I wasn't sure why I let any of it happen. Yeah, I do have feelings for Thomas. But he has a girlfriend, and she's my only friend who isn't a guy.

I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My makeup was smudged everywhere, and my tearstained eyes were puffy and red. I quickly washed all the makeup off and went back to my bed, where I pulled out my photo album.

There were pictures of me and my parents, before my dad left. Then there were pictures of Marco and I, going all the way back to when we'd first met. After those were some photos of me with Ashley, Craig, Jimmy, and even Paige. I even came across one of the very few photographs that I hadn't gotten rid of that had Jay and I in it. We looked so happy, and I almost wished that I was still with him, and we were both still happy. Almost.

The last two photos were one of Theresa and I, and the other one of Thomas and I. We'd taken them when the three of us hung out a few months ago. I pulled the last picture out and tore it in half. That way, I didn't have to see the two of us next to each other. I separated each half, putting the one of Thomas over myself in the picture with Theresa, and placing the other half by itself in the last sleeve.

It fit. He was with her, and I was alone.

A/N: Yes! The chapter's done on time! More drama to come. I'll say this chapter took place on Friday, June 12 (I just made up a random number because I don't actually feel like counting up from January 14th or w/e, to see if June 12th is on the right day of the week). But I don't think anyone cares anyway lol. It's just for my own organization.

I have to say though that these POVs look much longer in Word, basically because this page is wider. But when I see my chapters up, it looks like I could have written them in five minutes...but I assure you (and if any of you guys write on here, youalready know)it's harder than it looks, and it does take awhile!

emphatic loser: thanks for your reviews...they always brighten my day! I hope you put up your own fic...let me know and I'll definitely read it. I love POTC! I'm really glad you like it. XD