Chapter Twenty – Epilogue

Max's POV

The Hall was decked out in white and blue – the school colours. Some students had painstakingly set out a few hundred chairs in neat rows. Those chairs were now occupied with proud camera-wielding parents and joyous grandparents. If Max squinted she could just make out her parents' stern faces. They kind of stood out from the sea of loving adults.

She spotted Fang sitting with the other students towards the front of the Hall. His shock of dark hair was noticeable even in the most extreme situations. Either that or she was just really good at picking him out of a crowd. He looked sexy in dress pants and a nice shirt. But she thought he looked sexy in just about anything.

"Are you nervous?" Nudge asked, peering out at the crowd. They were both behind the stage, waiting to do their respective parts.

"A little bit," Max admitted.

"You'll be great."

"I still can't believe that I was chosen to do a speech. I mean, graduation is a pretty big deal. I hope I don't screw it up."

"Yeah, that'd be pretty bad," Nudge said with a straight face.

"Not helping!"

Nudge laughed and gave her a shove. "Don't worry, it's not like anyone's actually going to remember this day," Nudge joked. Max glared at her.

There was a sudden hush as the lights dimmed and the Vice Principal started her speech. Max was too busy chewing her lip and worrying to pay attention. But she figured it would be boring anyway. Then she worried that her speech would be just as boring. Oh God, why was she chosen for this?

The ceremony went past in a blur of speeches and performances. Nudge performed a wonderful solo on her violin. The music started off fast and upbeat. It was incredible how talented she was. Then it mellowed down until it was legato. Max thought that the song symbolised the end of their high school experience. It started off with energy and drive and now it was slowing down in preparation to finish. It might have just been her, though. Nudge got a standing ovation. She deserved it.

It was Max's turn next. She walked over to the podium and nearly had a heart attack (she was that nervous). She calmed down, however, when she saw Iggy give her an encouraging thumbs-up from the crowd. She was too nervous to find Fang in the crowd.

With a big breath she started to talk. To her amazement, the words just began to flow. She didn't even have to look down at her notes. She just talked passionately about the students that she'd grown up with. "The experiences I've had during high school will stay with me for a lifetime. The mistakes I've made during high school will guide my decisions for a lifetime. And lastly, the friendships I've made during high school will last a lifetime," she finished. She believed those last few lines summed up everything she had to say. She met Fang's eyes in the crowd and smiled. Her breathing was short and her face was flushed after speaking so passionately for so long. She was surprised when everyone stood up to applaud her.

The Principal took over next. He called out all the students' names and shook each of their hands. After that they were officially graduated from high school.

"You were amazing," Fang whispered into her ear as she joined him outside. He kissed her temple and she couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She was turning into a regular wimp.

She was totally useless when it came to Fang.

"Thanks," she replied, enjoying the feel of his arms wrapped around her.

"Get a room," Iggy said as he joined them. His hand was wrapped firmly around Nudge's.

Max stared at them for a full minute before she realised what was going on.

"You two are dating?" she exclaimed.

Iggy grinned and Nudge looked shy for once.

"Took you long enough," Fang teased.

"There were complications," Iggy said sheepishly.

"What? What's going on?" Max demanded.

"They've been in love for months, but haven't done anything about it," Fang said patiently. "I thought you would've noticed by now."

She hadn't noticed because she had been too wrapped up in Fang.

"I knew something weird was going on between you guys," she said, trying to retain some of her pride. "It just never occurred to me that it was anything more than friendship. I'm not that dense."

"Whatever makes you feel better," Iggy teased.

She glared at him and he abruptly shut up.

"It's okay Max, we know why you were distracted," Nudge piped up, giving Fang a sly glance.

Max blushed bright red.

Fang just took her hand and smiled.

"Well, I want to hear everything," Max told Nudge. She felt awful for not completely understanding earlier. Of course, now that she thought about it, the signs were all clear.

Nudge led her away from the boys and started to talk.

That night, Max lay curled up against Fang. They were in their cave, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the beach. She ran her fingers over his chest and tried not to feel like a complete cliché.

"I'm so proud of you," she told him. Her father had worked Fang hard, but Fang had never backed down. He was rising through the ranks quickly and her father had even acknowledged what a good employee he was. She had no doubt that one day they would be running the company together.

He kissed her forehead and she felt him smile against her.

Sometimes she felt like this would all end. How could she be so happy with her life when she was only a teenager? How could she already know who she was going to spend the rest of her life with? How could she be such a cliché?

As if reading her mind, Fang smoothed his hand over her hair. "Not every good thing has to come to an end."

"How do you do that?" she asked.

She felt him shrug. "You're an open book to me."

But it was more than that. They knew each other so well now that it wasn't about reading expressions or body language. It was more instinctual than that. It was just a fact that she knew everything he was feeling and he knew everything she was thinking. It was magic.

"I suppose you're right. If my life is a cliché, then I suppose I'll just have to settle for being happy for the rest of my life. Everyone wants their life to end in a cliché."

Fang was kissing her then and she fell into the feel of him. She would never get sick of the feeling of his mouth against hers. Every kiss was something new and exciting. Every time he kissed her it was like he was worshiping her mouth.

She smiled against him and pushed him back onto the mattress.

THE END

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed my story. Please leave a review :)