June 11th

The rest of the school year felt like it all went by too fast. Way too fast. Even when Skye couldn't wait to finally graduate, her attitude had changed by the time the day finally came. Yes, she hated certain things about school with a burning passion, but at the same time, there were things about her school years that she could appreciate. Would it be silly to say that Skye never really appreciated school until her senior year? Probably, but it was true.

Skye had no doubts about the lessons she's learned this year. If anything, the things she's experienced regarding relationships and life, in general, were more educational than any academic lesson ever. Chemistry class was still a blast though. She would never take that for granted. But still, nothing could compare to all of the life lessons from the past year alone.

As Skye was surrounded by all of her classmates, diploma in hand, the graduating class all cheered as they tossed their caps into the air, celebrating their first moments together as high school graduates. Everyone went to catch their caps, but as Skye jumped up to reach for hers, a familiar taller figure grabbed it for her, and when she turned around it was none other than Levi, who had the biggest grin on his face.

"Hey!" She whined, but her frown immediately turned into a blush and a smile once Levi carefully put Skye's cap back on her head.

"Ah, there we go." He said, also tucking a few of Skye's curls behind her ears. "Who else would have a graduation cap with clouds decorated on them?"

"Hmph." Skye pouted as she adjusted her cap. God knows how many times it almost fell off her head today. She was lucky it didn't fall off when she got her diploma. Now that would have been incredibly embarrassing. If only she could be as cool as that one kid who did a backflip off the stage though.

"Congratulations, Skye Simmons. You didn't drop dead before graduation because of me." Levi teased. After being given the opportunity to read everything Skye wrote to her future self prior to them becoming official, Levi never failed to make little references every now and then, just to press his girlfriend's buttons. Skye should've known showing him would be a huge mistake, and she never failed to get irritated every time.

Skye merely scoffed and rolled her eyes, making Levi pout then pucker his lips for at least a peck from her. "Can I get a kiss-"

At the worst possible timing, his attempt for a kiss was an immediate failure when Skye heard a familiar voice that instantly caught her attention. "My girl is a high school graduate!"

"Nini!" Skye gasped, completely disregarding her boyfriend and running towards Nini despite the torturous pain that was the high heels she wore today, notably heels her grandmother bought and insisted that she wear today. If only she could have worn sneakers like she wanted to in the first place.

"Never mind." Levi frowned and let out a sigh. He wasn't mad at her or anything, the poor guy just really wanted a kiss from his girlfriend. He would wait though, fear not. He's been shown to be incredibly patient, hence waiting so many months to finally date Skye.

Skye and Nini ran into each other arms, almost tackling each other in the process. They thankfully saved each other from falling, continuing with their hug. Since Nini attended a different school, her graduation occurred a week earlier, and you can bet that everyone in the squad was there to watch. It would have been a crime if they weren't there, especially Danny.

As the two girls shared their graduation excitement, Nikki's voice could be heard in the distance, and they looked over to see her running towards them whilst holding onto her cap so it didn't fall off her head. "Don't forget about me!"

They immediately ran towards her, turning the previous hug into a trio hug. Skye, Nini, and Nikki all squealed together in excitement, which was completely incoherent to Levi, who stood alone until he saw Danny pouting just like him.

"She didn't even greet me first." Danny sighed as he walked up to Levi and rested his head on Levi's shoulder.

"Hey, buddy." He softly smiled, wrapping an arm around his friend as they watched the three girls celebrate. Out of nowhere, Xavier could be seen the happiest he's ever been, spreading his arms out as he ran across the football field towards Levi and Danny, which also caught the attention of the girls.

"I'm a fucking high school graduate, bitches!" Xavier yelled out for everyone, even teachers, to hear. Levi and Danny burst into laughter as he continued to run around the field, but were immediately distracted when their respective girlfriends properly greeted them.

Nini hugged her boyfriend, practically squeezing him to death, which he didn't mind. Danny could never resist a hug from her, simple as that. While Levi was caught up in their cuteness, Skye planted a kiss on his lips, much to his surprise despite asking for it before he was interrupted earlier.

"I heard you before." Skye grinned, kissing him once again, which he was more prepared for this time.

"Uh, where's your dad?" Levi asked, looking around frantically. He loved kissing her more than anything in the world, but he didn't need to hear any of Scott's comments today out of all days. Maybe, just maybe, he would be spared.

"Gee, that's totally something a girl wants to her right after kissing her boyfriend." She said with a disgusted look on her face.

"No, it's just..." He paused, leaning down to whisper on Skye's ear. "I'm kind of scared of meeting your family in person."

"What? You did fine over FaceTime at Mom-Mom's birthday dinner!" Skye protested. Ever since Skye and Levi began dating, meeting her entire family scared the shit out of Levi. In a way, Skye understood given how her father is, but no matter how many times she assured him that it would be fine, Levi feared he would mess up and look like a fool. Getting through that FaceTime call Skye spoke of was a miracle, but he really wanted to make the best impression.

"I know, but-"

"Hey, Skye!" Xavier interrupted what Levi was about to say by tapping Skye on the shoulder out of nowhere, causing her to jump in fear until she realized who was behind her. "I demand to know more on the progress on your book."

Now, the book. After Levi told Skye on Valentine's Day that her notebook could make a really good story, she took that comment seriously and turned it into a passion project. There was still plenty of progress left, but it gave Skye something to work on after graduation, and maybe it could turn into a career. That was the dream, and thankfully she had the most supportive friends in the world there for her every step of the way.

"You're just as idiotic on paper, that's all you need to know." She sassily replied.

"But I crave more!" Xavier whined, which he did every single time he wasn't provided with the details he desperately desired.

"Then be patient, jeez!" Skye exclaimed. "Go bother Nikki or something. We all know you have a-"

"La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la! I can't hear you!" He interrupted, covering his ears with his hands and running away from her. Skye had been quite observant of Xavier since Nikki joined the squad, and it was quite apparent how he had hearts in his eyes every time she was around. It was adorable, really, but the chances of anything happening were slim.

"Works like a charm," Skye smirked.

"There he is!" A voice was heard, one that could be recognized as Scott, meaning it was now showtime. The couple turned and saw Skye's family and Levi's family walking together, not knowing that they had sat together in the audience (and notably gossiped about Skye and Levi like it was a full-time job, of course).

"Well, now it's time for me to put on the Levi Daniels charm," Levi said while he cracked his knuckles in preparation, but mostly to be a tiny bit dramatic as he knew Skye always found it ridiculous and hilarious at the same time, just like now.

"Ugh, you always have that on." She rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Double the charm this time." He winked.

"Could always use those long-ass legs of yours to run away and escape," Skye mumbled and rolled her eyes. Speaking of, those crazy long legs of his even got him a full scholarship. Skye and Levi may have some distance between them come fall, but even that couldn't stop them.

As Skye and Levi walked together to their families, Scott opened his arms out, but notably to hug Levi first, not Skye. "Levi, my man!"

"Scott!" Levi waved excitedly. As he went to hug Skye's dad, Scott wrapped his arms around Levi and picked him up by surprise.

"Jeez, dad," Skye said as she met up with her dad. "You're holding my boyfriend like you're gonna pat him on the back so he can burp."

"This is my future son-in-law!" He exclaimed, still holding Levi who let his arms fall to his sides and desperately wanted to be put down now. Scott was quite, quite confident that Levi would be the man Skye would marry one day. Hell, he called Levi his future son-in-law every chance he got. It made Levi all the more nervous about properly meeting Skye's family when Scott set the standard so high. Thanks, Scott. Thanks a whole lot.

"Haha, can you put me down though?" Levi begged in a voice higher than his usual pitch, also laughing nervously.

"Oh, of course, of course," Scott said, gently putting Levi down and patting him on the back. "Go say hi to the rest of the fam, alright?"

"Will do." He replied, gently tugging his collar out of nervousness before going to wow Skye's family with the Levi Daniels charm that he claims never fails him. Will it fail him now? Nope. He just didn't know they liked him already.

Skye let Levi handle her family on his own, mainly because she wanted to hug her father and chat with him a bit first. Sure, she had hugged him plenty of times in the morning before they drove to graduation, but she just needed one more for good measure. Scott knew better than to pick her up as if she were a baby now, way better.

"I wish she could've been here." Skye sighed, referring to her mother. She had never heard from her again after the incident on Christmas Day, but part of her still hoped that one day her mother was capable of changing. Still, that day wouldn't come for a very long time if it were to ever happen.

"Me too." Her father replied, but they couldn't be sad for long. There was so much to be grateful for no matter what life had to throw at them and everyone else in this world. One sad fact couldn't ruin today.

Skye quickly changed the subject, finding that there was no point in moping today. She eyed how it was going for Levi with her family, and it was seemingly going well, but Skye had to ask as sneakily as possible about any details from her dad. "So, what did they say about Levi behind my back now that they've seen him in real life?"

"The consensus is "ooo, he's so tall, so dapper, so handsome," Scott said back, immediately understanding that his daughter wanted to be discreet with their little conversation. They did that sort of thing a lot, and this time was no different.

After hearing the odd consensus, Skye let go of her father and furrowed her eyebrows, unsure if he was speaking the truth. "Dapper and handsome?"

"You heard me correctly." He nodded.

"Hm."

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, whatever." She shrugged. "I'm finally free from the shackles of high school!"

Skye attempted to jump up and down out of excitement in her heels, but it proved to be painful no matter what, causing her to wince in pain. Luckily, she had planned for this problem in advance, but she had to be sneaky about it. "You got my comfy shoes in the trunk, right?"

"Yes, I didn't forget. I parked the car real close too, so it won't take me long to get them." Scott replied. Man, was she lucky he remembered. Knowing she would most likely be out of the house for hours, it would have been a total pain in the ass to deal with any future blisters on her feet if any didn't form already.

"Can you go get them now?" Skye asked. "Cause these shoes suck."

"Of course." Her dad happily agreed, taking his keys out of his pocket now so he could do this as quickly as possible for her sake. "Good luck talking to everyone."

"Thanks." She faked a smile. Now she had to put on some charm of her own. Not exactly Levi-level charm, but enough to pretend that she didn't want to be home in bed sleeping right now.

Skye watched as her dad ran away towards the car, then let out a sigh before turning around and saying hi to everyone. When she saw how Levi was doing, she knew that he was doing just fine by the smiles and cheerful laughter from her grandmother, aunts, and uncles.

"Hey, guys!" Skye said loudly to catch everyone's attention. Levi whipped his head immediately, grinning even more once he laid eyes on her.

"Skye!" She looked down to see her two twin cousins running towards her, so she crouched down to greet them, noticing they were both donning matching outfits that made them look even more adorable than they already were since they were little kids.

"Hi, cuties." Skye cooed, booping their noses, which made them giggle. She took their hands and walked with them to their mother, aka Skye's aunt, who couldn't wait to praise Levi even though he was standing right there with the rest of the family.

"Skye, you really got yourself a good one." She said, attempting to turn it into a whisper, but failed since Levi heard them and let out a chuckle.

"I know," Skye whispered back and couldn't help but blush. She heard Levi laugh even more, and man, did she wish she could give him a taste of his own medicine right now, but couldn't. "Shh! Where's my bestie?"

"He's-"

"Skye!" Never mind, there he was. Skye turned around to see the younger Daniels brother run towards her with a wide grin on his face, and she immediately gasped when she saw that it was her "bestie".

"Lenny!" She exclaimed and picked him up, letting out a groan since she didn't anticipate how much Lenny weighed. "God, you're heavy."

Levi's parents followed not far behind their son, hugging Levi before congratulating Skye on graduating. They too were on the in-law hype train just like Scott. "Congratulations, Skye."

"Aw, thank you, guys," Skye said in awe despite visibly struggling to carry Lenny in her arms. The heels definitely weren't helping either. "I'm so glad my bestie made it today."

"Hey, what about me?" Levi jokingly pouted.

"Excuse me, we're having a moment, Levi." She sassed, although she too was joking just like Levi. The joke simply never got old, and Lenny found it hilarious every single time.

"Ahem, what about my hug?" Skye turned around to see her grandmother, who Levi should honestly be fearing the most here, standing there with her arms extended out for a hug from her granddaughter. She simply couldn't refuse a hug from her since they were always the best, so she had to put Lenny down for her grandmother's sake.

"Gotta put you down, buddy, sorry." She said as she put Lenny down to the ground and gently patted him on the head before he ran into Levi's arms.

"Hi, Mom-Mom." Skye grinned then wrapped her arms around her grandmother, making sure to be gentle with her given her age.

"You like the shoes I got you?" Mom-Mom asked once letting go of the hug, looking down at the high heels she bought specifically for this day. The conversation Skye had with her father over these shoes was absolutely hilarious. At least they were able to compromise about having sneakers in the car to switch out of later on.

"Yes, I love them." She lied. "They're-"

"Skye, I got your slip ons!" Scott yelled out, waving the shoes in the air as he ran towards his daughter and mother, also oblivious to the fact that Skye just poorly lied about her heels just now. They were totally in for it now.

"Awesome..."

"Scott." Her grandmother crossed her arms.

"Mom," Scott said nervously.

With tension between the mother and son up in the air, Skye and Levi eye each other and share a look, both asking each other "we should go now, right?" without having to actually say those words out loud. If their intuitions were both correct, then it was definitely time to leave their families right now. Who would bite the bullet and announce their departure? Well, Skye, of course.

"Okay, uh, we're gonna go find our friends now-" She began as she grabbed Levi's hand, who didn't hesitate to take hers as well.

"But your slip ons-"

"Just hold onto them," Skye said quickly as she and Levi walked away as fast as they could, but when she felt her feet hurt for the nth time today, she turned back around to grab her shoes, then left. "I immediately regretted that decision."

"I can just carry you, ya know." Levi chuckled as he watched Skye kick off her heels aggressively in favor of her sneakers. The whole ordeal left her out of breath, so she definitely couldn't say no to being carried, especially by her boyfriend.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that." She replied, and within seconds Levi picked her up in one fell swoop with ease. "Damn, this really is how tall people see everything."

"Yeah, but I don't get a good view until I look at you." He teased, which made Skye blush. Even she couldn't resist the Levi Daniels charm no matter how much she tried to fight it.

"Oh, you." She rolled her eyes, knowing damn well she secretly loved all the things her boyfriend says to her. From the day they became friends to the day they became a couple and to the present moment, Levi never failed to make Skye feel like she was on top of the world, and he didn't intend on ending this feeling anytime soon.

"It's just me and you against the world, Skye. Think you can handle it?"

"Without a doubt."

Levi carried Skye all around the football field until they finally found their friends, who were seemingly in the middle of a very animated conversation. They didn't know what the squad could have possibly been talking about, but it seemed very, very intense. Once Danny was able to spot them though, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to see the couple walking towards them.

After Levi put Skye down, she ran to the group excitedly with her boyfriend not far behind her, wrapping her arms around Nikki for a brief moment before greeting everyone. "Hey! We still on for Rita's and Wawa?"

"Hell yeah! We were just talking about it!" Xavier exclaimed, which caused Nikki to roll her eyes, much to both Skye and Levi's confusion since they had missed quite a lot.

"Xavier started a whole debate on what the best gelati combination is and it's been total chaos ever since." Nikki rolled her eyes. Yeah, this was certainly going to be something.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" He groaned. "The best combo is cotton candy water ice with chocolate custard!"

"No! It's root beer water ice with vanilla custard!" She argued.

"You're wrong!"

"No, you are!"

"Ugh, here we go." Skye scoffed.

This was a reoccurring event, so it was quite easy for her to block the sounds of their bickering and zone out for a bit. She did exactly that, looking off into the distance and ignoring every word that came out of the mouths of those around her. As her eyes scanned those on the football field, she stopped once she saw none other than Hunter. He had been sober since February thanks to rehab and consistent support from his loved ones, including Skye, who wrote him a card wishing him well that he kept in a desk drawer along with other cards that wished the same.

Skye almost let out a giggle as she watched Hunter being smothered by his parents with hugs and kisses on the cheek, but he stopped complaining about it once she caught his eye. She smiled at him as she gently waved, and he waved back before begging his parents to stop smothering him once again. While things may never be the same, it was nice to at least be civil.

Her attempt at blocking out Xavier and Nikki's argument failed, so Skye had no other choice but to snap back to reality and let this quarrel ride out no matter how long it took. "Who the hell mixes chocolate with cotton candy? You're disgusting!"

"Well, you're disgusting-er!"

"That's not even a word!"

"Oh my god, just make out already," Nini said out of nowhere with a groan, causing everyone but Xavier and Nikki to burst into laughter thanks to her comment.

"You know, I'm really gonna miss moments like these when we all head our separate ways," Levi said once the laughter died down. He knew so much would change once summer was over, but as long as he along with everyone else kept these memories close to them, then things would be just fine. Plus, it's nice when Xavier thinks of an idea so crazy yet so genius sometimes. For example, the idea he was just about to propose to the group.

"Well, wait!" He said after letting out an overly dramatic, loud gasp. "We should, like, all go on a road trip before everyone goes off to college or something! Like one last hurrah!"

"A road trip?" Everyone questioned.

"Yeah, like, I don't know, Disney World! No, Niagara Falls! Wait, the Grand Canyon! The-"

"We can figure out the details later." Danny interrupted before Xavier's head exploded while trying to think of destinations.

"Anyone got an RV?" Skye asked.

"No..."

"Eh, sounds like a problem for the future us, I guess." She shrugged. Although, the idea of a future "us" compared to a future "me" didn't seem that bad of an idea, and Skye couldn't be happier about it.

•••

Dear Future Us,

Senior year was a success, but now we have the rest of our lives to look forward to. Let's make the most out of the next chapter in our lives and no longer fear what lies ahead.

What's the worst that could happen, right?

Sincerely,

Past Us.

•••

MARIA TALKS!

well, this is the end, like, actually the end.

i have gone through such a rollercoaster of emotions since the beginning of this book. there were times where i felt so low and that no one (and i mean absolutely no one) believed in me, and there were times where i felt on top of the world, although there were more lows than there were highs. i'm completely different from the person that i was when i wrote the very first chapter. i was pushed to face my innermost demons, fell in love, got my heart broken... a lot, and well, just a lot of crazy shit.

this has been one of the most difficult yet rewarding experiences of my time as a writer. i've been writing ever since i was 11 years old. i'm 19 now. it's genuinely so crazy how time flies and how far i've come. i feel as if this book is my most prized possession, even if most people won't understand that.

i love skye simmons and every character i created for this book with my whole being. they're all so cool in their own way and if i could spend just a day with them i would feel complete. sharing my pain with skye was so healing for me and it's shown me that i shouldn't be afraid to open up among many other lessons. everything skye has learned, i've learned too. i can only hope that one day i'll find my levi daniels (although i think i've already found him), and i hope the same for everyone else. by the way, your levi daniels doesn't have to be a man :)

another thing; remember nikki's now ex-boyfriend victor? well, he has a face claim now! kind of awkward that i never gave him a face claim until literally the very end, but i decided to do so since he plays a pretty important part in the book. plus, xolo maridueña??? HELLO??? mans is so fine. i also plan on heavily editing plus adding more content to the first chapter, but that won't happen until i feel like getting around to that.

moving on! i'm so happy to have proven to myself that i could write an original book and FINISH IT. it is nowhere near easy to transition from fanfiction to original fiction. it's so scary, but it's also so FUN. i'm still learning every day, so don't think that i've got it all figured out. i barely had a clue what i was doing in the beginning.

i hope to write more original stories, and i hope to get more people interested in them too. i have so, so, SO many ideas. hell, i've got a whole trilogy idea under my belt. the possibilities are endless, people! i would love to hear that people want more originals from me.

also, if no one noticed, i left room for a potential spin-off/sequel in the future, hence the whole road trip idea thing. if that idea ever comes to life, who knows when it'll come. i think it would be a blast to bring these characters back for some summer fun.

if this is the last time i'll ever write for these characters, then i must take this goodbye seriously. and, well, if i ever miraculously manage some sort of book deal and/or tv adaptation deal, then i'll see you there! my dream cast still stands, cough, cough.

to everyone from the past, present, and future, thank you for reading dear future me. it's been a real ride.

peace out <3