Logan's POV

Three weeks later...

"Are you ready?" My uncle asked me as we pulled to the curb of Gateview Cemetery. "We can put this off until another day, you know."

I nodded, clutching the bouquet of flowers. "I need to do this, Uncle Lucas, for his sake and mine," I replied, unbuckling my seatbelt as we stepped out of the car and made our way to the path, and walked through the headstones until we had found the one we were looking for. So much had happened since that fateful night. And as I heard the gunshots, I knew that either Braeden or Wendell survived. It was a lot of time trying to get everything back to normal, especially since Cartier Valley Academy nearly became a parking lot thanks to a land mine of grenades that were hidden in the school.

We finally found the headstone that we were looking for. "Hey, it's me," I said. "I came here to finally find some solace after what had happened. I was so scared of coming over here that I contemplated skipping today in favor of attending my graduation from Cartier Valley. But I knew that I couldn't. I needed to be a real man and say goodbye."

I felt the strong hand of my uncle's gripping my shoulder as a show of support. "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you- thank you for making it perfectly clear that you were destined for your fate. The moment I heard the gunshots was when you decided to cut all your losses. I'm sorry that you're gone, but I'm not sorry for finally seeing that you and I would never have made it together," I went on. "And with that said, I leave you this bouquet of daffodils- your favorite- and I face a new chapter of my life."

I set the flowers onto the slab of marble. "Thanks for everything," I muttered. "I hope that you're happy with everything. And now, if you can excuse me, I have a date to attend to. See you in the afterlife."

I turned away from the gravestone, motioning for my uncle to follow me back to the car. "Nice parting words," he commented as we stepped back into the vehicle and he gunned the engine.

"I meant every word," I told him. "He made his decision. I can only wish him the best in the afterlife. But we really need to hurry back to Cartier Valley. If I'm even a second late, he's going to kill me."

He didn't have to tell me twice. We pulled away from the cemetery, not looking back or thinking about the headstone of the boy who needed closure.

Braeden Satillo

1999-2017

Son. Friend. Student.

"Non, je ne regrette rien." -Edith Piaf.

*****************

Wendell's POV

"Where is he?" I asked, fiddling with the hem of my graduation robe and fussing over the tassel. "He said that he needed only a few minutes to say farewell to Braeden and then come right back."

"Easy, amigo," Victor reminded me as his brother handed me a cup of herbal tea. "The past few weeks were a bit rough for all of us, Logan especially when he almost lost you."

"Don't remind me," I groaned. "I'm actually surprised that it was Corey who gunned down that brat after he learned the truth. I still don't regret reading him for filth, though. Braeden, of course. I wasn't going to let him end my life."

"True," Pablo agreed. "Anyway, you're excited about our graduation?"

"It's the one thing that's separating me from Cookman-Lanier High," I commented, pausing to sip on the tea. "And I'm even more surprised that all of us got in- even Logan."

The door swung open to find Logan coming inside with his uncle following him. "Am I late?" he breathed. "Please say that I'm not going to be-"

"At ease, valedictorian," I said, cutting him off with a peck on the lips. "You're still on time for the line-up. Everything go okay with your final farewells?"

"As better as I could imagine," he replied, grabbing his robe and cap before putting them on. "You look dapper yourself, salutatorian. I'm glad to see you thrive."

"Me too," I concurred. "All I want right now is to attend our graduation and be ready to attend Cookman-Lanier this fall."

As you can tell, readers, I had survived the night at my old home and Braeden was the one to be gunned down by Corey (shocker!) before the latter was arrested for multiple charges. And he didn't hesitate to plead guilty to all charges and accept his life imprisonment without parole. My concert, of course, had to be canceled and moved to graduation day. And while I was upset to not put on a great show, I knew that all of Cartier Valley needed to regroup and talk things out. It was even more so for Logan and me since we had nightmares of either one or both of us dying. It took a while, but we came back on top and gave everyone something to hope for.

And now, it was time to turn in our student uniforms and say farewell to the school of second chances.

"All right, all right," I said, breaking from Logan's embrace. "The line-up is in a few minutes and we need to head to the great hall and meet everyone else. Time to get this show on the road!"

The others didn't have to be told twice. We all made sure that we were dressed with Logan and I clearing up the remnants of the trash before heading out. I took one last look at my dorm room and smiled, knowing that when one chapter was coming to an end, another one was set to begin."

*****************

The graduation ceremony... kicked ass.

The speeches that Logan and I gave, the dean's exhortation speech, and everyone cheering each other on as we all collected our diplomas. And soon, it was time to turn the tassels (with the other kids who needed to stay behind for another year watching with envy and hope in their eyes) as I took the stage and headed to the piano. And this time, I was feeling nothing but confidence as I finally learned how to be real, be alive, and be authentic with myself and others. And this song that I wanted to play at the ball was going to be the anthem for myself, my boyfriend, and all the other boys.

I took a moment to blow bubbles in my mind before raising my fingers over the keys and began to sing.

I'll smile, I know what it takes to fool this town

I'll do it 'til the sun goes down

And all through the night time, oh yeah,

Oh, yeah, I'll tell you what you want to hear

Keep my sunglasses on while I shed a tear

It's never the right time, yeah, yeah

Everyone began to clap along to the beat of the song as I reached the bridge.

I'll put my armor on,

Show you how strong I am

I'll put my armor on,

I'll show you that I am

And then comes the chorus, the showstopper that was my favorite part.

I'm unstoppable

I'm a Porsche with no brakes

I'm invincible

Yeah, I win every single game

I'm so powerful

I don't need batteries to play

I'm so confident

I'm unstoppable today

Unstoppable today [3x]

I'm unstoppable today

I break down, only alone I will cry out loud

You'll never see what's hiding out

Hiding out deep down, yeah, yeah

I know I've heard that to let your feelings show

Is the only way to make friendships grow

But I'm too afraid now, yeah, yeah

I wasn't afraid anymore, not even after today.

I'll put my armor on,

Show you how strong I am

I'll put my armor on,

I'll show you that I am

I'm smiling as I reach the chorus again, looking into the eyes of Logan who's mouthing the lyrics as he dances.

I'm unstoppable

I'm a Porsche with no brakes

I'm invincible

Yeah, I win every single game

I'm so powerful

I don't need batteries to play

I'm so confident

I'm unstoppable today

I saw Whitfield and Talbott dance along to the beat of the drummers, the latter letting her black hair dance in the summer wind.

Unstoppable today [3x]

I'm unstoppable today

Unstoppable today [3x]

I'm unstoppable today

I'll put my armor on,

Show you how strong I am

I'll put my armor on,

I'll show you that I am

"Everyone, join in!" I hollered, motioning the crowd of guests to sing along to the chorus

I'm unstoppable

I'm a Porsche with no brakes

I'm invincible

Yeah, I win every single game

I'm so powerful

I don't need batteries to play

I'm so confident

I'm unstoppable today

Unstoppable today [3x]

I'm unstoppable today

Unstoppable today [3x]

I'm unstoppable today

With a jazzy flourish, I stood up from the bench and looked at the dean! "Thank you, everybody!" I cheered as I tossed my cap in the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the summer class of 2017!" Dr. St. Pierre boomed as everyone cheered and the others tossed their caps in the air.

I took in the smiles of my classmates, the therapists, teachers, and my newfound circle of friends. This is what it felt like... to be real, alive, and authentic. And I have no regrets.

THE END!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen...THAT'S A WRAP!

And with that said, thank you so very much for bearing with me and reading this story. It's been a wild ride with dealing with a lot in my life while getting this story updated. It wasn't easy juggling this project with others, but it's now over and I have no regrets!

Sadly, this story won't be entered for the Watty Awards since I also posted the chapters on my Patreon page (link in my profile page), but I have no regrets with republishing this story that was written back in 2021! I had a ball with this story! Anyway, I plan to check for any errors before I publish this on Inkitt and maybe Tapas, so make sure to follow me on social media so you won't miss a thing!

With that said, I am out of here! This story is finished! Nothing left to say but thanks. So, thanks! It's been a wild ride and I hope you'll stick around for what's coming up and fresh from the House of Evers! Until the next story, be sure to show this writer some love and remember to...

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