There Goes My Life

by Alexandria M

Dean Ambrose was the class rebel and the class slacker living in a world of doing whatever he wants breaking all the rules while Anastasia Bennett was the class over achiever, following all the rules and making people happy. What happens when Dean and Anastasia get paired to work on an English project in school how will they impact each other's lives?

45. There Goes My Life

*I want to take the time to thank everyone that reviewed, followed and favorited this story. It means a lot to me. Thank-you for taking the time to read the story.*

*ENJOY THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THERE GOES MY LIFE*

I stand backstage at the arena with other cyber school kids ready for my high school graduation. There was a time I didn't think I was going to make it to this point but I didn't give up. I look over my Valedictorian speech to make sure everything is perfect and where I want it to be. I take a deep breath as we take our places in line before we march out. I adjust my cap as our line starts to move. I march out at the beginning of the line. Tears fill my eyes as I see the arena filled with family and friends. I spot my dad, Dean and Talli in the crowd. Dean holds Talli up for me and helps her wave to me. I smile at her and wave back before I blow her a kiss. I make my way to the stage while the other students probably about 150 other students make their way to their assigned seats. I look out at the others as they stand in their spots everyone has a different story and everyone has a different reason why they are here whether they were bullied, did better on with cyber school or just wanted something different that works for them. Everyone is different, everyone's circumstance is different. My choice to do Cyber school was to be home with my daughter and because I didn't want to be in school with people that were going to judge me every chance that they got. Cyber School worked better for me and I got to work at my own pace to get where I am today. It was the best decision I made. Everyone's eyes are on me as everyone is in their place and they play the National Anthem. I take a seat when it's over and everyone follows me to take a seat.

I look over my speech as the man in charge of the Cyber School talks to the graduating class; congratulating us on our success, talking to us about our hard work and dedication to Cyber School and our education. He talks about how each and every one of us is different. He goes on to talk about what opportunities lay in our futures and how proud he is of our accomplishments. "At this time, I would like to introduce you to the Cincinnati Cyber School Valedictorian of 2015, Anastasia Bennett." I take a deep breath and stand up as the audience cheers and claps for me. The guy shakes my hand as I take my place at the podium. I adjust the microphone and look over my speech before I start to talk.

Nerves have never really gotten to me. I don't consider myself a nervous person all the years of dance and dancing solos helped me with my confidence. Public speaking has always been my thing. This is no different. I have no nervousness in me at all. I look out at my classmates many of which I never met before a few of them I have met at club activities and some testing days. I take a deep breath. I spot my family in the audience once more and smile at them before I begin my speech. "A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn. Class of 2015 we made it! We're graduating and moving on with our lives. Many of us with plans of the future, the plans of going to college, going to work in the work industry, the plans to travel to another country or the plans to discover ourselves and what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Many of us have made plans since we started high school 4 years ago, we've been making plans all our lives just some of our plans have changed along the way. When we're younger we dream of what we want to be when we grow up. I wanted to be a ballerina. Being a ballerina was my dream, it was my plan in life and go to college to be a writer. Writing was going to be my back up plan but being a ballerina was everything I wanted to be in life. Every one of us has had that dream some of us still have that dream but some of us have hit the bend in the road that takes us beyond that plan and gives us a new plan putting our lives into perspective. My plan was always to be a ballet dancer for the American Ballet Theater in New York City but my bend in the road came in January last year when I got pregnant with my little girl. I had my dream almost reached, it was in my hand it was there but I found out the news that I was pregnant and I gave up my dream, the dream I had been working for since I was 5 years old. It devastated me to let it go. It devastated me to give up on my dream but I was not giving up my baby. I wasn't going to terminate the pregnancy. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. Thoughts of what am I going to do with my life now popped into my head immediately. The fear of never finishing school popped into my head. It was my fear that made me almost consider terminating my pregnancy but I couldn't do it. There was no way I could do it. I had to refocus, set a new goal, look to achieve a new dream. I had to turn at the bend in the road to see where my life was going to take me, where I was going to end up, who I was going to be. I set up a new goal, I was going to finish high school, I was going to go to college, I was going to be a mother and I was going to reach my goals of being a writer someday. It's not easy to be a mother, it's not easy to have a baby screaming at you while you're trying to study about the war or to study calculations. It's not easy at all but achieving goals and reaching our dreams isn't easy. It takes hard work and dedication. I was to the point last November when I was so overwhelmed, so frustrated just ready to give up that I didn't think I was going to be standing here today. Two very special people in my life wouldn't allow me to quit, they wouldn't let me give up. My boyfriend that struggled through his life, has been given the lowest of cards in life to play wasn't going to let me just give up on my dreams. He pushed me and believed in me that I could do this. I could reach my dream. I could finish high school and I could go to college. His faith in me made me work harder. If he could tell me I could do it there was no reason that I couldn't. Life is about working hard for what we want. Becoming a mother could have been the end to who I am and who I wanted to be. It could have been if I had let it consume me, if I had let my circumstance take control, if I let myself blame my circumstance. Like I often told my boyfriend you can't blame your circumstance for what you've done. I couldn't blame being a mother on quitting school, giving up and just walking away from it all. I couldn't blame that circumstance of being a single parent the first three months of her life, her father in jail and living on my own for dropping out of school it could be blamed on laziness, low self-esteem because I felt I couldn't do it. Looking into my daughter's eyes, seeing her smile at me knowing she's depending on me to provide for her I knew I had to keep going and that I didn't need to give up. She was and is my motivation to become who I want to be. My daughter was a couple months old when she had open heart surgery it was the hardest thing I had to do as a mother give her into someone else's hands to perform this surgery. IF she could fight and overcome open heart surgery at 2 months old there is no reason why I can't fight and overcome being a teen mother to get my diploma, to go to college and reach my goals. Success isn't earned, it's worked for. You have to work hard, you have to give your all to achieve success. Becoming a mom could have been the end but it was the beginning, the beginning of a new life, a new motivation. I'm not telling you this story because my daughter is amazing but because life throws us curve balls, the paths we take aren't always straight. There are unexpected twists and unexpected turns they are going to take you away from your plans, they're going to turn you in a different direction and things are going to change. You can either give up and not keep going or you can travel the unexpected twist and let it play out how it should. It's not easy being thrown off your path in life but it's going to happen at some point. It's frustrating, it's upsetting but in the end you're going to be so grateful and thankful because sometimes it's the unexpected twist or turn that lead us to the greatest moments, the greatest success and bigger dreams than we could have ever imagined. Every twist and turn is NOT the end but a beginning, the beginning of finding new success, working toward new success, new goals and new dreams. Life isn't easy it's hard work but never give up because something unexpected happens. Embrace it and flow with it you never know where it might lead. A bend in the road is not the end unless you fail to make a turn," I say with a smile. "Thank-you," I say as the arena is filled with cheers and applause as I take my seat.

"Anastasia Eve Bennett," the guy calls out as my family cheers for me. I make my way up to the podium and take my diploma from him, shake his hand and turn my tassel as I hold up my diploma. I did it. I graduated high school. I make my way back to my seat and take a seat as he calls up the rest of the students. "Let's hear it for the class of 2015!" he says as the audience cheers before we throw our caps up in the air.

"There's mommy," says Dean with a smile as I walk out of the arena and meet my family so they can congratulate me. "Congratulations, Baby," he says as he gives me a kiss on the lips before I pick Natalia up and hold her in my arms.

"Thanks," I say with a smile.

"I'm so proud of you," he says with a smile. "And your speech was amazing."

"Thanks," I say with a smile as Natalia reaches for my diploma. "Yes that's mommy's diploma. She graduated high school," I say as I let her hold it as I put my cap on her head and she smiles at me with the same smile as her dad. I kiss her cheek and say, "I couldn't have done it without you, Natalia."

"Anastasia," says my dad with a smile. "I'm so proud of you," he says giving me a kiss on the cheek as Natalia lets out a scream.

"Thanks, Daddy," I say with a smile. "Dean, can you take a picture of my dad and me?"

"Sure," says Dean as I hand him my phone to take a picture of my dad. If it wasn't for my dad I doubt I would be standing here right now. He did play a very important role in my life and in my senior year of high school. We couldn't have done it without him. My dad and I smile for the camera as I hold Natalia in my arms.

"Thanks," I say as my mom comes over to me. "Hey, Mom," I say with a smile as she greets me with a hug.

"Congratulations, Ana," she says, "you should be proud of yourself."

"Thanks," I say with a smile before I have Dean take a picture of us together. "I love you both so much."

"I love you," says my mom.

"I love you, Ana," says my dad. "You worked hard. I'm proud of you. Full scholarship to NYU, valedictorian you are amazing. I couldn't be any prouder of you."

"Thanks," I say with tears in my eyes. "Can someone take a picture of me with my family?" I ask.

"Family?" asks my dad with a smile.

"Yes of Dean, Natalia and me," I say, "we're a family"

"Okay," he says as I hand him my phone. He snaps a picture of Dean and I smiling holding Natalia between us. "You three look good," he says.

"We are good," I say with a smile before I kiss Dean's cheek.

ONE MONTH LATER:

DEAN's POINT OF VIEW:

"It's everything I imagined it to be," I say to Ana as we are walking along the ocean in Ocean City.

"I told you I would get you to the beach someday," she says with a smile as she looks at me with her dark brown eyes as Natalia walks between us holding our hands. "Think she's going to be walking soon?"

"Yeah," I say, "she's smart just like her mommy."

"I don't know," she says with a smile. "I think she's smart like her daddy," she says with a smile as we stop to let the waves hit Talli's feet and she giggles. It feels so amazing to have two people that love me the way that they do. I watch as Ana scoops Natalia up in her arms and walk out into the ocean further. I smile as Ana splashes water on Natalia's blue and white polka dot bathing suit, her strawberry blonde hair covered with a white sunhat. Natalia giggles as Ana laughs with her. I've never met anyone as happy as Ana and I have never seen a baby as happy as Talli. They are my everything, the reason I wake up in the morning and the reason why I breathe. I never knew I could love two people as much as I love them. Natalia looks at me with her blue eyes and takes her chubby little hand and waves to me. I smile as I wave back as Ana looks back at me. She's perfect, the perfection I needed in my life to motivate me and push me in the right direction. I don't know where life is going to go for us but what I do know is I want to spend every day of my life with her. I walk out into the ocean and join them for a little before Natalia grows tired of the water and we make our way back to the sand.

I sit in the sand with Natalia helping her scoop sand into the bucket with a shovel as Ana sits across from us. "I love the beach," I say with a smile.

"I knew you would," she says, "I'm glad we can do this as a family."

"Me too," I say, "are you okay with being in New York by yourself?"

"I'm okay," she says, "the school has a great daycare for Natalia to go to while I am in class. You are going to come visit us right?"

"Every chance I get but I have to stay in Cincinnati to work. I wish I could go to New York with you. Maybe I could find a wrestling promotion in New York to work for but until then I have to stay in Cincinnati. Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you," she says, "it's just you promised me you would go where I go but I understand why you can't. Just as long as you come visit us as much as you can," she says, "then I'll be okay. I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," I say. "I want to be there for Natalia, I want to read her bedtime stories. It hurts knowing how much I am going to miss being away from you two."

"I'll text you pictures every day and I'll call you every day. We can facetime every day," she says.

"That works for me," I say with a smile. "She's perfect, Ana," I say as Talli looks up at me with her blue eyes handing me the shovel. She stands up in front of me as I take the shovel away from her. "What are you doing?" I ask her as she smiles at me. "What are you going to do? Are you going to walk for Daddy before he goes back to Cincinnati?" She laughs at me and scrunches up her tiny nose. She turns and faces Ana. "Go ahead," I say as I let go of her. "Walk to Mommy."

"Come on," says Ana as she holds her arms out for her. Natalia has been ready to walk for a couple weeks now and every time she goes to try to walk she stops and sits down choosing to crawl instead.

Natalia looks at me and then looks at Ana. "Go ahead," I say with a smile.

"Come on, Talli," says Ana with a smile as she holds out her arms for her. Natalia looks back at Ana and lifts one foot before putting it down in the sand. She lifts up the other foot and puts it down in the sand. "You're doing it," says Ana with a smile. "Dean, she took two steps, three, four," says Ana with a smile as tears fill my eyes as Natalia takes her first steps. She makes her way to her mom by herself. "You did it! Dean, She walked! She walked by herself," she says with a smile before she kisses her cheek a thousand times as Natalia giggles and laughs. I smile at my two favorite girls very proud of both of them.

Ana, Talli and I spend the rest of the afternoon on the beach and after we take showers at the shower house we spend some of the evening on the boardwalk having dinner together as a family for the last time in a while since she's going to New York for school. She is going to get situated in the apartment they have for her and to get settled in before class starts and I'm going back to Cincinnati to finish up my wrestling training and to start my wrestling career. I hope that I'm not away from them too long and I know I promised Ana that I would go wherever she goes but she understands. We both have opportunities in front of us that are taking us in two different directions but as long as we love each other no amount of distance is going to change that love or us stop loving each other. I'm not about a long distance relationship or not seeing my daughter every day but I am about making a better life for all three of us, working towards achieving my goals of being the provider for both Ana and Natalia to give them opportunities, to give Natalia the things she wants, the things she needs but I can't do that unless I finish what I'm doing in Cincinnati. I love both my girls and I'm doing this for them. There are things we both have to do to reach our dreams and while the sacrifice is large we'll be back together on a daily basis, raising our family together and living like we should someday but right now our relationship is going to be done on Face time and through phone calls and text messages. It's going to be hard but in the end the reward is going to be worth it all.

The next morning we wake up early in our hotel room. We take Natalia to the beach to collect some seashells before we go to have pancakes together before we hit the road. "Daddy is going to miss you, Baby Girl," I say to Natalia as I stand outside of Ana's car holding her in my arms as she plays with a stuffed animal I won for her on the boardwalk. "But I'm going to call you every day and talk to you every day. Be good for Mommy and soon Daddy will be out in New York to visit you. I love you so much," I say as I kiss her cheek.

"Bye, Daddy," she says with a smile before tears fill my eyes as I kiss her cheek.

"I love you so much," I say as she looks at me with her big blue eyes. She's not even a year yet but she's so smart. I can't take how smart she is and how much I am going to miss of her life once again. "Bye, Baby," I say as I put her into her car seat. I buckle her up and hand her favorite blanket to her. She smiles at me as I wave to her. She waves back at me with a smile on her face. I blow her a kiss before I shut the door. "This is harder than I thought," I say as I wrap Ana up in my arms. "I'm going to miss you two. I'm going to miss you so much," I say as she wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my chest.

"It won't be long, Dean," she says. "You have a job to do. I get it. I'm going to come back to Cincinnati to visit you when I can and you're going to come to New York when you can. We promised we would support each other no matter what. I am supporting you working in Cincinnati to achieve your dream and to reach your goals. I love you so much and I am so proud of you. You're doing what you always wanted to do. When I see you again, you're going to be on top of the world."

"Ana," I say. "I love you. I know you're going to do amazing in school. You're going to be the best writer anyone has ever seen. I'm going to give you the world, Ana. When all this is said and done we're going to have a nice house, a couple more kids, you'll have a job, I'll be a wrestler and we'll be married. I'm going to give you both the world."

"I know," she says. "I love you."

"I love you too," I say with a smile before I kiss her lips softly. "You drive carefully and you call me as soon as you get to New York."

"I will. You drive carefully too. I love you, Dean."

"I love you too," I say as we walk to the driver's side of the car.

"Behave yourself," she says with a smile. "Don't let those little fan girls try to sway you in their direction."

"My eyes are only for you and my heart is only yours," I say with a smile. "Don't let those college boys persuade you."

"Never," she says. "I love you, Baby."

"I love you too," I say opening the car door for her. "Do you have everything?"

"Yes, I have everything," she says.

"Good," I say. I kiss her lips softly and deeply before I help her into the car. She smiles at me and waves as she starts the car. I shut the door and wave back to her. She blows me a kiss before she puts on her seatbelt.

Tears fill my eyes as she starts to back out of the parking space. I wave to her before she pulls onto the main road and is out of sight. My entire life just left to go to New York. The day Ana told me she was pregnant with Natalia was the scariest day of my life but when I met Natalia I knew what love at first sight was. She quickly became my world she was everything to me. Ana is everything to me being separated from them isn't going to be easy but it is what I have to do to give them the world. I make my way to my car and climb in. I start the car and Kenney Chesney There Goes My Life comes on. Tears fill my eyes as the lyrics begin.

All he could think about is I'm too young for this. Got my whole life ahead hell I'm just a kid myself. How 'm gonna raise one. All he could see were his dreams going up in smoke so much for ditchin' this town and hanging out on the coast. Oh well, those plans are long gone.

And he said, "There goes my life, there goes my future my everything might as well kiss it all good bye there goes my life."

A couple years of up all night and a few thousand diapers later that mistake he thought he made covers up the refrigerator oh yeah, he loves that little girl. Mama's waiting to tuck her in. As she fumbles up those stairs she smiles back at him dragging that teddy bear, sleep tight blue eyes and bouncing curls.

He smiles, "there goes my life, there goes my future my everything I love you Daddy good night, there goes my life."

THE END!

*A/N: What did you think of Ana being the valedictorian? What did you think of her speech? What are your thoughts on Natalia walking? Are you surprised that Ana and Dean won't be living together for a while? Do you think that would have any impact on their relationship? Do you understand why they are living in two different states? Please review and thank-you for reading. The sequel "You're Still The One" should be up by the end of the week please look for it and I hope that you read it. :)