Hey guys! Alright, this is it! Last one! Thank you so much for your reviews and your support. Love you!
Oh, and just a note, pay attention to what Lilly calls Lucas.
:]
Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.
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It was over. Officially. The sentencing was over, everything. Carter would be in jail for a good amount of time, and Lilly was free of him. To say she was happy would be an understatement. She and Jamie were back to normal, and her bruises were starting to disappear. She had been able to move for awhile now, the doctor giving her the okay. It had been two weeks since she woke up in the hospital. Normal seemed like it was near.
She was in her room looking at a picture she had taken when realization hit her. She never sent in her application for the scholarship to Rhode Island School of Design. She sat down on her bed. She needed that scholarship. How was she going to pay for school without it?
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Karen was in the kitchen making dinner when Lilly walked out of her room. She was making Lilly's favorite-Macaroni & Cheese. Lilly sat down at the table. "Hey, Mom."
"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?"
Lilly shrugged. "I…uh missed the deadline for a scholarship for The Rhode Island School of Design."
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry. Maybe you can talk to the school officials, explain to them what happened-"
Lilly cut her off by shaking her head. "I don't think that'll work, Mom."
"Lilly, I want to tell you something." Karen sat down next to her daughter and placed a hand on her knee. "You will be just fine. Andy and I won't let your dreams just fade away. Okay? Everything will work out in the end. Look, I just…I want you to know how proud I am of you. I should've seen what was going on, I should've taken more interest in your life, but I didn't. But you are so strong, and you came out and you still smile like there's no tomorrow. I'm so proud of you for that. I love you, and for the record, I never wanted you to be like Lucas."'
Lilly smiled and hugged her mother.
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"Luke?!" Lilly called, walking into his house and closing the door behind herself. She heard him call back and walked to his bedroom where he was sitting at his desk, typing on his computer. Well, he wasn't actually typing anything. He was just staring at the screen.
"Hey you." He said when he saw her. He stood up and gave her a hug, and they sat down on his bed. "Shouldn't you be at school?"
She shrugged. "What senior doesn't skip just one day?"
"That's true, I guess. What's going on?"
"I just…" Lilly laughed, all of a sudden feeling slightly embarrassed. "I wanted to say thanks, for being there for me."
"Oh, of course, Lil. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm just glad I got to beat the shit out of him before he was hauled off to jail. I'm sorry I didn't catch on before."
"It's not your fault. I knew I should've ended it the first time. I just…I wished I was wrong about him, you know? And then when it happened again, I didn't know what to do."
"Well, it's over now, that's for sure." Lucas wrapped an arm around her.
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It was two weeks later when Lilly got the best news of her life. She was at home, watching TV when she was supposed to be doing homework. The doorbell rang and she stood up and opened the door. She was surprised to see Mitch standing there awkwardly.
"Um, hi Mitch." She said, looking from side to side. "What are you doing here?"
"I um, first, I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened to you. That sucks, and you didn't deserve it at all."
"Oh," Lilly said a bit surprised. "Thanks, but Mitch, I'm really in no position to start anything…"
"Oh!" He stopped her with his hand. "No, that's not why I'm here. Not that that's totally out of…Nevermind." He took a deep breath and handed her an envelope that had already been open. "I knew you were going for one of the scholarships that RISD hands out, and when I heard about what happened, and I figured you wouldn't be able to send in the application. So I filled one out for you. And you got it. Congratulations!"
Lilly stared at him in disbelief. He sent her application in? Wow. Lilly smiled, actually grinned. She opened the envelope and read the letter. And for the first time in two months, hope filled Lilly's heart.
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Ta-da! What do you think of Mitch? Let me know! You'll be able to keep up with him and Lilly and everyone else in my next story. I have no idea what it will be called yet, so just look out for it! I know I posted this really way soon, but, to be honest, I was ready for this to be finished. Lilly has grown to the maturity level she needs to and my work at creating a story is complete. :] Thanks again, and don't forget to review!