4 MONTHS LATER

"I now present to you, this year's graduating class of Maryville High!"

Loud cheers broke out throughout the crowd and the sea of senior students that stood on stage. I felt one of Kevin's arms wrap around me and turned to see him wrapping his other around Debby. The cheering continued as I looked out onto the crowd of people, noticing my own mother clapping amid them, her face covered with a huge smile and what looked like teary eyes from where I was standing.

I heard one student yell towards another, "We did it!"

And we did do it. We all somehow managed to make it through all those years of schooling, to be standing on a stage, being applauded. I couldn't understand how I managed to do it myself, but I knew it had to do with a lot of hard work. It had been hard to catch up on the few weeks of work I'd missed due to attending Kennedy High but I'd done it. Sure, it was hard to explain to my teacher's that I was 'miraculously cured' from my 'disease-like sickness' and I could return to school and catch up in my own time but luckily, I had friends like Debby and Kevin (mostly Debby) to tutor me in certain subjects.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, my mother was there to greet me, holding out her arms to give me a hug.

I smiled at her, accepting the hug. Her emerald green dress was shimmering in the sunlight, making her gleam even more.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered.

I could feel my stomach tighten slightly at her words but thanked her regardless. I couldn't think of a reason why she would be proud of me.

After she released me, I looked over to Michael standing next to her. Surprisingly, their relationship had been going strong and I had grown to like him a lot. He came around to our house for dinner frequently or would sometimes even take us out with him. At first, I was confused why he would invite me along but I realized he was truly making an effort to get to know me for the sake of my Mom, and for that I respected him. He wasn't that bad of a person as well.

"Congrats tiger," he grinned.

I laughed, "Thank you."

Tiger had been his nickname for me ever since the first night we met outside of the school when I had all those scratches on me. He'd said they looked like stripes but also said he called me tiger because I was fierce. The scratches on me from that night had disappeared completely with the only evidence from that night shown in the faint scars on my thighs from where I'd been stabbed.

"Are the two of you still coming around for dinner tonight?" my mother asked my friends.

Debby looked away from Kevin who she'd been joking around with the past minute. "Oh, yes. We look forward to it," she exclaimed as she evened out Kevin's gown.

"So do we," Michael put his arm around my Mom. "I was hoping to try out a new recipe tonight."

My Mom shrugged, "I'm fine with that. I'm just glad that I have someone else around to do the cooking."

I scoffed. "Mom, you barely did the cooking before anyway."

Michael laughed as my Mom opened her mouth to argue in her defense.

"Hey, I did my job. You're alive right now, aren't you? Regardless of whether I cooked or not, you still got fed! And here we are, at your graduation." She began to tear up again.

"Mom," I groaned.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Michael winked. "Come on honey lets go say hello to some of Becca's teachers," he suggested as he steered her off, leaving me thankful. I always got awkward when things got mushy and sad. I could hardly take it.

Her words kept ringing in my head. "I'm so proud of you." A part of my really did wonder what for. Graduating? I'd giving up gymnastics and I was leaving high school without even the slightest idea of what I was going to do afterward. I'd told her I would take the summer to work it out and enroll in classes somewhere but while it reassured her, I still couldn't help but feel like I had no clue what I was doing.

The chatter all around us continued and I found my head ringing as I tried to collect my thoughts. Kevin and Debby were laughing away as usual and I felt hesitant to interrupt their conversation so I began to walk away slowly, figuring out where I was going to go.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I heard Debby call out, noticing me leave.

"Just getting some air," I yelled back.

"But we're already outside!" Kevin pointed out.

I just smiled and shrugged at the two of them as I continued pushing my way through the crowds of people and their families, friends, and relatives. I had a firm grip around the scroll in my hand that I'd been holding ever since I'd first walked onto the stage. I hadn't even bothered to look at it yet.

I continued walking until the crowds of people started to become smaller and their voices faded out. I turned a corner near some bushes to find an open area of grass that was empty and had a bench placed in the middle.

In relief, I headed over to the seat. I decided to take off the black graduation gown wrapped around me as it felt like it was suffocating me. I pulled it above my head, feeling the silk fabric brush against my cheeks as I yanked it off, revealing me in the plain purple dress I'd put on underneath it. I'd decided to wear it that morning knowing that I would probably get home late due to all their celebrations and not have much time to change for dinner.

I finally sat down on the bench, letting my muscles relax. I closed my eyes as I let the silence fill me. It was peaceful to be away from all the noise that was still faintly ringing in my head from earlier. I opened my eyes and looked over at the diploma that sat on top of my neatly folded black robe.

My head filled with the same worrying thoughts again. It's crazy how you can have your entire future planned out one minute and then next, you have no idea what the hell you're doing. No freaking clue.

There was a part of me that just wanted to stay sitting on that bench forever. It felt like it was going to be the last moment in my life where I could be this person that at least looked like they knew what they were doing with their life.

There was something about the peace that distracted me from real life. I stared at the green grass that surrounded me and studied it intently.

Was my life ruined? Did I destroy my own future?

Every decision I'd made seemed to have been wrong. While I regretted leaving gymnastics for the sake of my future, I still didn't miss it. So while a part of me wanted to blame the RUA for practically making me quit, another part wanted to thank them.

I always thought about that mission. The last I'd heard of it, Tasha and Violet had been sent to some kind of Juvenile hall since they were still under 18. I always wondered how they were going. While they'd done horrible things or at least planned to, I still wanted to see them get better. I didn't want them to ruin their own lives.

In a way, it made me feel more grateful. At least I could still go to college or get a job even if I wasn't sure what it would be, they didn't have that option.

The sound of birds chirping broke me from my thoughts about the RUA. Which I was thankful for, otherwise I could wonder about it for ages. After the mission and investigation had ended, I'd been dismissed and able to go back to school just as planned and while it was good to receive some normality back in my life, I still felt an emptiness there that I couldn't understand.

I looked out at the view of green hills in the distance, admiring how they looked against the blue sky with barely a single cloud. The school grounds had never looked more beautiful. I didn't know whether it was just because of today, or maybe it was because I was looking at things differently for the first time.

In a sort of way that I'd learned the night I thought I was going to die. In this sort of appreciation for all things and people since I'd never know what the future held. I had to enjoy what I had. My Mom had been more loving towards me than mad like I'd expected over the past few months. I thought she was going to yell at me, ground me for life and forbid me from leaving the house ever again. But while she was mad at me for going behind her back, she said she was just relieved that I was okay. She said she couldn't bare the thought of losing me. And at one point even mentioned that maybe she wasn't too upset about me doing that undercover mission. She said I'd saved lives or at the least prevented a heap of drug addictions from taking place. It reminded me of why I'd taken the case in the first place, in order to help people. I was lucky that I had a Mom who could understand that, not support or disagree, but at least understand where I was coming from.

"Couldn't handle the attention huh?"

I whipped my head around, surprised from the voice behind me but my heart stopped the second I saw who it was.

My mouth was open in shock and wouldn't close. "Eric?"

He stood a few meters behind me, wearing the same black clothing he always did, making me assume he'd just been on a mission or doing something important. I couldn't believe he was standing there. I couldn't believe he was here.

"What are you doing here?" I breathed out, my heart beating fast in the same familiar way I'd forgotten it did in the presence of him.

"I came to see you," he answered simply. "Congratulations on graduating."

I let out a small laugh and eye roll drifting my eyes back to the diploma next to me. "You know, you do twelve years of schooling just to receive a piece of paper? And that still doesn't qualify you to do anything?"

He pursed his lips, a small smile escaping. "I'm well aware."

I shook my head. "It's just so stupid."

A moment of silence fell over us, I looked over at Eric, wondering what he was thinking. I couldn't take my eyes off him. It was surreal to have him standing in front of me again. It had been months since I'd seen him yet I felt myself acting the same way I always had around him. Why was he even here?

"So have you been well since we last met?" he asked.

I thought back to the night of the Kennedy High formal. I'd barely had the chance to talk to him and after that, I'd never seen him at any of the interviews I'd had. Those last few days I'd spent at the RUA had been on constant alert, looking up every time I heard a noise, hoping it was him.

"Fine," I gave him a nod. "Just confused, I guess."

He raised his eyebrows, "Confused?"

I bit my bottom lip, sighing. "I have no idea what to do now," I answered honestly. I felt a relief of pressure in my stomach by releasing that. It was the truth and I'd never said it out loud. I had no idea what I was going to do now.

"Gymnastics didn't work out?" he asked, seeming intrigued.

I smiled, "I don't think it ever was." I drifted my eyes up to meet his for a moment, before looking away shyly. "What about you, though? How have things been going at the RUA?"

He took a deep breath, "Normal. Just working on a whole range of missions."

I tried to picture all the kinds of dangerous work he would've had to do. I would be lying if I said that I didn't think about that and worry about him sometimes. "And that's been good?" I asked.

"It has," he nodded. "But we're in the middle of a recruitment process to, for new agents. The work is getting harder and we're giving new missions frequently.

"Evil never sleeps," I joked, grinning at him. And as tacky as it sounded, as long as there were bad people in the world, there had to be people willing to stop them.

"Exactly," he agreed. "But that's kind of why I'm here." he began.

I looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing after everything. But I also wanted to ask you something..."

I continued staring at him. A thought crossed my mind. He couldn't be about to ask me what I think he is.

"Would you ever consider being apart of the team again?" he asked, his eyes fixed on mine.

I stopped frozen for a moment, trying to process my thoughts. "You- you want me to join the RUA again?"

"Full time. As a job. Your case with us had been volunteer work but this time, it could be a career." he explained.

I continued looking at him in disbelief. "Why? Why would you want me back? Didn't I completely eff up the last mission?"

He let out a chuckle. "No, you didn't Becca. On the contrary, you did solve it."

"Yeah, but in the most horrible, clumsy way ever. Plus, it's not like I did the whole thing by myself. I was pretty reliant on everyone else. I probably would have died in that classroom if you guys didn't show up in time." I argued. I couldn't understand why the RUA would have any interest at all in hiring me again. And as a permanent member of their team.

Eric took a few steps towards me, now with a serious look on his face. Being so close to him reminded me of the night we kissed. The heat of his skin, his wonderful scent and the feeling of his hair in between my fingers. I tried to shake the thoughts out of my head.

"None of that is true Becca. You were amazing. By the time we walked into that room, you had both those girls held at gunpoint. You managed to win a fight that was two against one. And aside from that, you were a huge asset to our team. You came up with some great ideas and you have all the necessary skills." I looked up at him, trying to believe what he was saying. I really wanted to believe his words.

"And so, you just want me to work there now? And do missions and stuff?" I moved a piece of my wavy hair away from my face as a cool breeze blew past and I began regretting taking off the gown.

"You can start in a week. We can train for the whole Summer to prepare you. Since your now eighteen, you can legally take part in all of our missions. I'm just asking you to consider it. If you don't have any plans for what to do after graduation. We want you with us. We believe in you. Captain believes in you," his voice grew softer, "I believe in you."

I could see the honesty in his eyes and almost hear a sort of vulnerability in his voice. Like he really wanted me back on the team.

"Cassie misses you," he added with a hint of a smile. "And Turner."

I smiled remembering how much I missed them as well. "And they want me back too?"

"Of course they do Becca. Everyone does."

I raised an eyebrow at the memory of the agents from the meeting that all looked at me like I was an idiot. "Everyone? Even the people who were against me joining the team in the first place?"

"Becca even I was against you joining the team in the first place, but now, of course not. You are held in high admiration at headquarters. Everyone cannot believe how young you were and yet you solved that mission." he assured me, in an attempt to convince me.

"You were the same age when you started out, weren't you?" I remembered.

He nodded, looking as if he was remembering when he started out. "And now I'm the head agent."

I thought back to those past weeks I'd spent undercover. The mission itself had been something I'd focused on a lot. I'd worried about the people at Kennedy High, along with finding the drug and dealers. The mission had been hard, but what had gotten me through was spending all that time with the other RUA agents and learning new skills. It had opened up a whole other world for me. And I did miss it. I missed joking with Cassie, talking with Turner and spending any moment I could with Eric, admiring his knowledge.

Just being near him again brought back all the memories. I'd focused on a lot of bad things during my time there but didn't even realize the good outweighed it.

My Mom was going to kill me for this.

"Yes."

There was a pause.

Eric looked at me, seeming slightly confused. "Yes... as in yes I'll join?"

"Yes," I smiled. I felt like I'd been ignited by a flame of excitement and a mixture of worry.

Eric's face lifted into a playful smile. "Welcome to the team, again." he held out his hand.

I grabbed it shaking it, and laughing softly.

I tried to picture me solving other missions. Going undercover yet again under another identity.

Amanda Ryan was a person of my past and a lot of new identities had the chance to possibly follow but I knew this:

I am Rebecca Winters. The former gymnast and awkward teenager who somehow managed to take down two drug dealers in combat. The girl who was underestimated but proved people wrong. The girl who still was unsure of her future but slowly working it out.

I didn't know how future missions would go and if I would even last that long on the team. I didn't know how dangerous they were going to be and what kind of injuries I would end up with in the future. I didn't know what the future would bring for me or how I would solve the cases at all. But I knew I missed being on the team and working to try and make the world a better place didn't seem like such a bad idea and with Eric by my side...

Well, that would be an added bonus, wouldn't it?

--------

I'm stating this right here in case you guys decide to skip out on the last chapter. THIS BOOK DOES HAVE A SEQUEL. It's called 'Til Death Do Us Part' and it's available on my Wattpad profile right now. I hope you'll read it. 

(Inline comment here if you're planning to) :)