Epilogue - Will

*Six months later*

    "William!"

    I groaned, glancing around the football field for my mom. I saw her clutching the paper program to her chest as she ran towards me, her hair flowing in the wind behind her. She was dressed in her normal blouse and pencil skirt combo, having just come from work, but surprisingly she made it on time. My mom grinned, wrapping her arms around me before pulling away to look at me proudly. "I'm so proud of you, William."

"Thanks ma," I mumbled, plastering on a smile for her and fixing my cap, which she'd managed to make fall slightly to the left. I made sure it was sitting straight up before excusing myself to my seat on the makeshift stage they'd set up in the middle of the field for today. I took my seat behind the principal, looking to my right to see Toby grinning at me. The two of us had been chosen as valedictorian and salutatorian respectively, and there were more than a few angry peers that the new kid had beat them out for the spot.

"You nervous?" Toby mumbled to me, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. Our fellow students hadn't walked out yet; the only reason Toby and I were allowed out was because we were to be seated behind the principal.

"Welcome to the Harrison Park High School graduation for 2020!" The principal announced when the crowd found their seats. The band started playing Pomp and Curcumstance which was our queue to stand up for the our approaching peers. We stood up as we were taught, our hands behind our backs to watch as the students filed to their alphabetically assigned seats in an orderly line. Mallory was the first person to come into our view, throwing a wide smile and a blown kiss Toby's way before standing in front of her seat. Toby pretended to catch it, chuckling quietly to himself and I couldn't help but smile.

After what went down at Ashlynn's house, Toby and Mallory's relationship only strengthened. Mallory had to go to therapy for a little bit because of some PTSD issues from the whole event but he decided to go with her to every appointment and helped her overcome the fears that came with it. They had been together a little over seven months by now and were going strong. Toby and Mallory had decided to go to college together all the way in Florida; Toby for psychology and Mallory for nursing.

The next person to catch my eye was Ashlynn, staring straight at the ground as she walked. She was so focused on the plush green grass of the football field she forgot to look up to find her chair and tripped over the feet of the person assigned to sit next to her. She went bright red, muttering something to them before standing in front of her seat.

After what went down, Ashlynn was arrested but let go. Because we left the details about the gangs out, there wasn't enough proof to charge her with anything so she got let go. She sure learned her lesson, though, because soon miss popular Ashlynn was the social outcast with zero friends. After word got out about what happened, no one wanted to be her friend; she officially finished the last six months of school alone, which was just what she deserved. From what I heard, Ashlynn was taking a year off to try and become an actress in Hollywood. I wasn't sure how that would pan out for her, and I can't say if she made it I'd ever watch her work.

Since Toby's last name was Fuller, I noticed they left his seat empty in the F section and he smiled a proud smile at his empty seat awaiting him. I saw my empty seat in the G section, the row behind his, and lightly bumped fists with him out of sight of the principal. I couldn't believe Toby and I were here on stage, waiting to give speeches to our friends and classmates. Graduation is something that, while you're in school, seems so unattainable and scary. Once you get to graduation it's a whole other thing and it's nerve wracking in a different way. It's a great feeling, knowing you've accomplished more than twelve years of school.

The next person to come into our view was my breathtakingly stunning girlfriend, Analise Loughty. Analise had gotten shot, but thankfully it was a flesh wound and she wasn't kept in the hospital long. Annie and I were still going strong, almost seven months down, and we spent time together every day. At first it was hard for her to get rid of me, I was so worried; I seemed really clingy on the outside looking in, but I was just worried. She insisted she was fine, since her gang had let her out because of what happened, but Drew hadn't taken it lightly at all.

I glanced over to where the family sits, seeing Drew, Alisha and Bella. Alisha was seated on Drew's lap and they were watching the graduates walk in, and Bella was seated next to them jumping up and down at the site of Annie. Her and Annie had had that Peppa Pig marathon, and were just as close as before Annie got shot. Analise was Bella's best friend, and half the time we went out, she tagged along; something I didn't mind at all.

I let my gaze fall back to Annie who was looking at me with a look of adoration in her eyes. She'd been so proud of me when I told her I got valedictorian and even offered to help me write my speech, but I declined. I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, including her. Annie sent me a wink, which I returned, and I mouthed 'I love you.' She grinned, holding her heart before mouthing, 'I love you, too.'

Annie and I decided to go to college together as well, but in Virginia. We'd both been accepted to the same college, UVA, and were going to live off campus with Drew, Alisha, and Bella in tow. We wanted to get out of Chicago more than anything, and when we both got the acceptance letters to UVA our fate was pretty much decided for us. Analise was going for a degree with the intention to become a pilot after finishing school.

I wasn't happy at first with her decision, but I understood it after a while; it truly was the perfect profession for Annie. I'd worry out of my mind for her every day, but that would happen anyway. I was going to get a degree in law, which was more than thrilling for my important lawyer mother. Little does she know, I wanted to go for a criminal justice degree - I wanted to be the one to physically put people away.

Raelynn was the next person to come into view, closely followed by Tommy who was more than a few rows behind her but had cut in line to catch up to her. I rolled my eyes as they made out for a few seconds before Tommy ran back to go stand with the other W's, getting scolded by the onslaught of teachers standing around. The two of them had banded together after what happened and had now been a couple for four months. No one expected it, especially not Analise, but truly they made the perfect evil couple. They were going far from here, from what I heard; Tommy was going for an architectural degree and Raelynn was going for accounting, their college of choice being one in California.

Colin was the next person I noticed, smiling up at Toby and I with a thumbs up. Colin had joined our group shortly after he was released from custody on the count of self defense and had quickly become a good friend to all of us. Colin was in a relationship with Lacey, Toby's sister; they'd met during Christmas time and got along so well, they decided to get together a couple weeks after. She was in the stands, cheering both her boyfriend and her brother on. Colin wasn't joining anyone in college, he decided to join the Navy straight out of high school but would be keeping in touch with all of us.

Last but not least to come into view, was Justin. He had a grin on his face as he bounded to his seat which was placed near Tommy's, but just far enough away to be fine. Justin took what happened the worst of anyone, and it took a lot of therapy to get him back to his normal self. Because he'd focused on Analise's wound more than his own he'd lost a substantial amount of blood and slipped into a coma in the ambulance; it took him a week to wake up.

Justin had severe PTSD and nightmares from what happened, but eventually he returned to his goofy self and he never once blamed Annie, even though she falsely blamed herself. Justin was following Annie and I to college but decided he'd get a dorm on campus; he was single and he planned to stay that way as a 'eligible bachelor' as he called it. He was going for his doctorate; he wanted to help people who were hurt, and that situation with Annie fueled his love for it.

I looked towards the stands, smiling at Drew, Alisha, Bella and my mom before seeking out Nev and Buck off to the side in handcuffs with a police officer on each arm, four altogether. They hadn't died by the hands of Drew and Quincy that day, but they came close. It worked out, because they were getting more than what they deserved with two life sentences each for the attempted murder of two teenagers and the murder of several other people. The police were told it was a house party gone wrong, so Drew and Analise were spared any legal action, thankfully. We felt awful for lying, but couldn't have the actual victims getting locked up for trying to support their family.

When everyone was seated, principal Vitali decided to speak again. "Please give it up for you valedictorian, William Gryer!"

Roars of applause met my ears and I stood up, wiping my sweaty palms on my graduation gown. My gaze swept the crowd and I saw the only people who weren't clapping were Raelynn, Ashlynn and Tommy, but that was fine for me. Hoots and hollers sounded and I grinned at my friends individually before offering a wave and a wide smile to Drew, Alisha, Bella and my mom who were all standing on their feet. My mom and Analise's family had grown close over the past few months and Annie and my mom were almost inseparable at times.

I took my prepared speech out of my pocket before looking up and back down at it. I crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the crowd where Annie caught it with a questionable look. I cleared my throat, walking up to the microphone before tapping it. "This thing on?" Laughs and chuckles erupted from my fellow classmates, making me grin. "I wrote a speech for this, but now my girlfriend has it so I guess I should just wing it."

"In my time here, I've learned a lot. The old Will would have clung to that speech like a leech, afraid to get one word wrong, but the new Will? He's got this." Laughter sounded, encouraging me to go on, so I did. "I wanted to thank my ma, first and foremost, for doing the best she could despite our circumstances. She wasn't always around in person, but she was always around in spirit. She's had to take on the roll of both mom and dad, since my dad died, and that takes a lot, so give it up for her!" Applause sounded from the students and the stands, and I caught my moms eye, sending her a smile. "I'd also like to thank my friends, for showing me what true friendship was. I've been through a lot in my life, some deserved and some not, but it wasn't until I got to Chicago that I knew what true friendship is like, so thank you Justin, Toby, Mallory and Colin."

The four people mentioned stood up, earning a round of applause before they took their seats once more. "I'd like to thank my theater teacher, Mr. Matthews, for assigning my girlfriend and I roles in his play, because if it wasn't for him I probably would have never gotten the chance to spend time with her." He stood up from his place with the other teachers, offering me a smile and a wave before sitting back down. "And lastly, I'd like to thank my wonderful girlfriend and her family, for bringing out a side of me I never knew existed. Analise Loughty, you've brought out my wild side," I paused for dramatic effect. "Not like that, get your head out of the gutter guys," I chuckled, earning laughs from the students and a few disappointed yet amused glances from our teachers. "You've taught me life isn't fair, but you need to make the most of the part that is. You have single handedly shown me what it's like to live life, and I'm so glad I've gotten to live it with you."

Analise blushed, standing up and sending a shy wave around. 'Aww's' were heard around the audience, but I wasn't done. "When I got here, Analise was an outcast who only had a couple friends, two of which turned out to be snakes. Analise was known as an outcast because people didn't take the time to get to know her, but I did and I'm so glad I did because I love her with all my heart."

After the coo's and Analise's blush died down, I turned to the stands that held the family and friends of the graduates. "Thank you Drew, for taking such good care of Analise all these years even though you didn't have to, but just because you wanted to be a great big brother. Thank you so much for raising such an amazing person, I can honestly tell you you're the most important person in Analise's life." Drew sent me a smile and nod, silently thanking me for that. "Besides me, of course." I earned more laughs. "And thank you Alisha for taking care of Drew for us, he's needed someone and I'm glad he has you and Bella now."

I turned back to my graduating class. "I'd thank the teachers, but let's be honest, we did this ourselves." My fellow classmates and even some of the teachers laughed at that, and I smiled. "No, seriously, thank you to our teachers for being such great sports. If it wasn't for them putting up with our tardiness, our absences, our terrible grades - you get the point. Teachers are underpaid and under appreciated, and I wanted to let you guys know you're important and very appreciated."

"To that kid in the back playing a Nintendo Switch," I called out noncommittally, earning more chuckles. "I know you're getting bored, so I'll wrap it up. Similar to how you guys should when you-"

"William," the principal chastised with a small grin.

I smiled when the laughter died down from that joke and nodded. "Alright, alright, I want to say, no matter what happens, stick with your friends. Make new friends, of course, but know that true friendship is hard to find and if you've found it, stick with it! Have fun, make memories, get jobs, have a blast, and live life to the fullest while you've got it. It doesn't matter if you guys are gonna be my potential doctors or the person getting me my next big mac meal, you're all equally important and deserve to live life, so in the words of my girlfriend, live it up! Congratulations, class of 2020!"

Toby and I walked down to our seats after he gave his brief salutatorian speech, but before we made it I swiftly made my way to Analise. And, in front of everyone, I pulled her in for a passionate kiss. The sparks I always got when our lips met exploded and I pulled away dizzy and breathless like I always did.

"Ana!" Justin called over the roar of the crowd from all the way in the back. "I'm still available!"

"Still never gonna happen, Justin!" Analise called back with a bright smile and a chuckle before kissing me again. "Good job, Rando," Analise murmured against my lips, pecking them once more.

I ignored the hoots and hollers of everyone watching and instead, murmured, "Thank you, Annie. I love you."

"I love you," she whispered, placing another chaste kiss before shoving me back towards my seat. I chuckled, smiling a wide smile before going to take my seat, nervous for the future but excited for the ride. I would have never thought that all of this, all these friends and all the memories would come from simply adventuring with Analise. And truly, I'd never been happier.

A/N: AND THAT WRAPS IT UP!!! Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it, leave me your thoughts! I haven't decided if I'm doing a sequel for it or not, but hey, check out my other work!!! Thank you, also, to a9enba9 for being the first person to completely read this book! She has been a great friend to me and she's got some great stories you can check out too! I hope you all enjoyed this ending to AWA, I'll miss every single one of the characters (besides the bad ones) but all good things must come to an end! I LOVE YOU ALL!

The official word count for this story will be updated, but I know for a fact it's over 50k and that's crazy to me. This is the second story I've ever finished, coming second only to the first story I ever wrote that I deleted right after because I was 12 and it was awful. 

with love, Alex.

P.S. I may do a Q&A with the characters eventually