The good things don't always soften the bad, but vice-versa; the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant.

MAY 23,

"Rose, let's go! Get off your husband and get dressed! You can have all the naked time you want after we grauate." My best friend called from the bottom of the stairs. If she had even looked behind her, she would see that the husband (who wasn't even my husband yet) she spoke of was in the kitchen, not up here with me.

It was 3 weeks before the wedding, and every day I was getting more and more excited, and more and more nervious. But not about marrying him, I would do that a million times. I was nervious because I was scared that I would trip and fall flat on my face. Or something would go wrong and everything would get all messed up, or my dress wouldn't fit right (even though Lissa promised me it would). But she had promised me a hundred times that everything would be fine, and I had to believe her, if I didn't I would chicken out and just tell Dimitri that I wanted to elope.

Which Lissa and everyone else would kill me for.

So rather than sweat over the wedding that's still 3 weeks away, I would take care of what I could at the moment. I would get ready for graudation. Walking to my closet I pulled out the outfit I had just gotten last week, it was a pair of tight fitted blue jeans, and a kind of blueish green shirt. The shirt had only one sleeve, so that it came over my left shoulder and left my right shoulder bare. To show off the tattoo that I had just gotten last week.

Lissa and I had decided that we wanted to get matching tattoos (we tried to get Mason Eddie, Andre and Dimitri to get them too but they said no. losers) as like a best friend thing. Ya I know we just got matching belly rings but those can come out, tattoos are forever. The tattoos we got were hearts, only with the infinity symbol going though it sideways. They were cute, and thankfully they were nearly fully healed. They were just over our color bone.

Smiling to myself I pulled on my cloths and sat on the bed to pull on my socks and the heeled ankle books I had gotten with the outfit. I normally hated them but they looked good with my jeans so I got them. With them I had on my black belly ring and the cute thumb ring I had gotten a while ago. It said not all who wonder are lost. I saw it and fell in love with it. Than in my ears were a pair of dingley earrings that had stars on them. Finishing it off was a gold necklace that matched my new tattoo.

After looking in the mirror to make sure I looked alright, I fluffed my hair one last time to make sure the curls that I had put in them would stay, than grabbed my phone, wallet and keys and walked down stairs.

"About damn time woman, I was about to come up there and drag you down here." Lissa said trying to sound mad, but I knew she really wasn't. She was just as excited as I was to be graduating, we had waited all of our lives for this and it was finally here. "Oh and the camp ground called, wanted to make sure we were still coming on the Friday. I told them ya and that's all set up."

Between Dimitri and me we had decided that we wanted our wedding to show how young we really are, so we decided that we would do a whole weekend getaway thing rather than just one day. So when we told lissa that she had suggested renting out a hotel all weekend, but we wanted more. So the camp ground that Olana and Dimitri's sisters had gotten us a cabin at we rented the whole thing for the full weekend.

There were 16 cabins and we were having all of our wedding party (Lissa, Sonya, Karolina, Viktoria, Sydney, Christian, Mason, Eddie, Andre and Dimitri's friend Ivan from Russia and Karolina's kids Paul who was ring bearer and Zoya who was flower girl) and of course us, plus our parents and a small group of other friends.

I was really excited about doing it that way, since it had been so long since I had gone camping and to be able to share a cabin with the love of my life? Ya kind of perfect. I couldn't wait.

While lissa was prattling on and on about different thing, I walked over to where Dimitri was standing, holding a chocolate fudge brownie. God I loved that man. "Hey lissa, I love you but can you shut up for 5 minutes and live in the now. Ya I am all happy and whatever to get married, but look at the right now. We are going to be graduating in a couple hours. High school. Finished. We did it!" I said laughing as she gave a squeal and ran over to me and gave me a hug.

"I know I am so happy, I thought this day would never come. We should all go and do something after the ceremony. Like go get some pizza like we used to do or something." She said as the front door opened and the rest of the gang walked in.

"D-day is here babies! After 12 long years we are finally done with school. Unless you're like some nerds, and get a scholarship to some fancy school." Mason said laughing elbowing Andre in the side playfully.

He had found out last week that he had won a full scholarship to the school of his choice thanks to his amazing football skills. The couch had apparently said that he would not be surprised to see him playing in the NFL soon. The cheer coach had told me that if I had not quit the squad after softmore year I could have gotten a scholarship too. But I wasn't interested in collage; I could barely keep up with high school.

Looking at all my friends sitting around the living room, I took a deep breath. "This is really happening isn't it? This is the first step into the real world. I hope the world is ready for us." I knew deep down that this summer might be the last time some of us hang out like this, and I knew that until the day I died I would cherish every moment I spent with them.

"Ah, Rosie don't go getting all sappy on us now. It's not like this is the end for us all. We are gonna be the group in the nursing homes giving the doctors and nurses heart attacks, and driving everyone crazy." Eddie said rubbing Todd, who had jumped into the couch and was rolling around on him.

"Ya, we are gonna be the guys talking in all inside jokes, and everyone is going to think we are nut jobs." Mason added, reaching over to give the pup a rub. Everyone seemed to love the new puppies.

"Me and you Rose, are going to be the grandma's everyone loves, I will be netting sweaters and you will be giving fighting lessons, while Christian and Dimitri are in the kitchen cooking. Mason Eddie and Andre will just be off playing some game or another. We will always be together. We are family remember. You can't get rid of us that easy." She told me giving me a hug, than to my shock and pleasure everyone got up and joined in on it.

"Ah what's this? Group orgy and we weren't invited? I feel offended." A voice from the door said, and I just laughed. In the last couple months with hanging out with Sydney and everything, Adrian and I had gotten to be friends again. And though me he was back in the semi good graces of everyone else too.

"Should you be talking like that with the baby right there?" I ask as Evelyn who was just over a year old sat playing with the puppies on the floor. When Syd had gone into labor she had told Adrian to get me down there, just so that they could ask if it was ok if they named their daughter after me. I of course said yes, looking at the beautiful blonde baby sleeping in her arms. So they had named her Evelyn Rose Ivashkov. She was just about the sweetest thing ever. (Where she got her sweetness, who knows though)

"oh she hears worse at home trust me" my bridesmaid said, laughing as Lacey parked her butt just behind Evy so that when the enthusiastic puppies jumped on her, the baby wouldn't fall over. I swear sometimes I think Lacey was the smartest dog ever. She was always doing things like this. I half wonder if she was ever trained as a service dog. She really seemed like it.

"I don't know how that is any better. Her first real sentence is going to be something dirty, how did you ever fall for him?" Dimitri asks, smiling as he leaned down and picked the little girl up. Whatever he felt for Sydney and Adrian, he loved Evelyn. I knew he wanted a really big family, and I haven't really told him this yet but I do too. I think that in a year or so I will talk to him about having a baby.

"I have no idea, I think it was all the booze he got into me at that party." She said as she picked up the diaper bag she had set down just as there was a knock on the door. Adrian smiled at all of us and took Evy from Dimitri and leaned over to give his fiancée a kiss.

"I will see you after baby. Congrats you guys, cheesy as it sounds, I am proud of you and I'm happy you all were able to forgive my doushebagary. I really did miss you guys." Adrian said as he walked around giving manly hugs to the guys and kisses on the cheeks to me and lissa.

"Ok guys. Let's go graduate." I said as Andre opened the door and we all, seemly as one, took a deep breath and walked out of the door to walk to the limo that would take us to the real world.

"This year has been quite a year here at St. Vladimir's High School, as with any school we have had our failures and our victories, our good times and our bad. But in the end, I do believe that each and every one of us came out a stronger and better person for it." Principal Kirova said into the microphone, standing on the stage in the huge arena that the school had rented out for the graduation.

Sitting on the stage behind her were all of our teachers, with their black robes with their fancy scarf things hanging down their backs, Camille Conta, student body president, and none other than my best friend. Lissa had been named as the valedictorian of the school since she had a 4.0 GPA. Nerd.

Kirova went on talking for what seemed like forever before she called Camille up to make a speech, (which sucked) and finally Lissa stood and walked to the podium. With her long blonde hair and blood red robe she looked amazing, almost regal.

The speech Lissa gave was amazing, truly, and not only because she was my best friend. She had us all laughing, and crying. When she was done and the vice principal Eugene Lazar started reading names, I think everyone in my group screamed their head off when the first name was called. Mason Ashford. When he walked up there, he took his diploma and winked at us all before doing a little happy dance and walking off stage.

Slowly one by one everyone was called, when it was my turn I strode across the stage and took my diploma and shook Kirova's hand. "Congratulations Hathaway. I know these last 2 years have been hard for you, but you have done well. I look forward to seeing you get married." She told me, and I nearly started crying right then and there. But to the surprise of myself and I'm pretty sure everyone else, I reached over and gave her a hug.

"Thank you." I said, with a smile before walking off the stage and back to my seat. When all the names were called, Kirova came to the podium again and said a couple words. The most important being "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to give you the graduating class of 2014. May the world be good to you." Once those words were out of her mouth, everyone started shouting and laughing, hugging each other and throwing their caps.

It was around 8:30 when Lissa, Eddie, Andre, Mason, Adrian and I walked out of the restaurant that all our parents had taken us too to celebrate. It was an amazing dinner, it really was. But we had all agreed that we wanted to go and hang out for a little bit, just the original group. Dimitri, Christian and Sydney had all gone back to our house while everyone else and I walked down the street, to the park where we had all first met.

"This is where it all started, god, I remember it like yesterday. Lissa sitting under the playground playing with her babies, Mason and Eddie chasing the girls around, me and Adrian racing to the top of the jungle gym. All of us, such different people, and yet all of us were drawn to the wild, crazy new girl with the funny accent. When we were kids who could have ever though that we would be standing here today, grown up and ready to face the world together?" Andre said, walking over to the huge jungle gym and smiled over his shoulder. "Race you to the top"

All of us laughed as we raced to the top and just sat there talking for hours. About the past, the future, and everything in between. Andre told us that he had chosen to go to Montana State, so that he could still be close to all of us, he said he couldn't image being so far away that he couldn't hop in the car and drive back. Lissa was joining him, and a scholarship of her own. Planning to study Event Planning, and while that is normally only a yearlong thing; this school offered a dozen different classes on it from everything from christenings to weddings. Mason and Eddie were planning on staying here and opening a studio that taught all different styles of fighting. They ask me to be a partner. And me? I was staying here, planning on getting married and having a family. Or making a bigger one that is.

It wasn't until around 1 am that any of us noticed the time, when Emil Edwards, one of the cops that had worked at the school, came by and saw us. And told us to head home. With great reluctance we all climbed off the jungle gym and walked back to the house. We had decided that everyone was going to stay over, and in the morning lissa was going to play planner again.

A/N: hey my lovelies! So here is the next chapter, it took me a long time to write because I had some major writers block, plus there has been a lot of stuff going on in my life at the moment. Mostly due with my mom, who has been in and out of the hospital since around Christmas. She is doing better than she was but still not 100% I am actually sitting in the hospital room with her. Lol

I was going to make this chapter twice as long, but as I read it out loud to mom, she agreed that it should end here. Meaning that that is one more chapter that is going to be written, so that makes 3 more to go before this ends.

I PROMISE that I will update quicker, my goal has always been that I want to have this story done by the time the movie comes out, and since it was been moved up a week (at least in the US it has, so now it comes out on Feb 7th) I have one week less than I did before. Lol so look for more updates. I am planning on starting 24 after I post this. Lol

So, since I last updated, I got one more of my family to read my story, my oldest sister, and she is going to be super happy I updated. Lol YOU'RE WELCOME SISSY! And thank you, so much for reading this (after bitching at you all summer lol) and the 23 likes you gave me when I told you there was going to be more chapters lol xD love you sissy.

Oh and the quote from the last chapter was from Peter Pan. Lol anyway now to upload and start on 24. Lol until next time, I LOVE YOU! Lol