CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
❝ happily ever after ❞

     AS HAYDEN MARRIS steps into Forks High School, she realizes that something is different about the weather— perhaps it was the fact that it wasn't raining, or that she was only in a good mood. Or maybe it was because the sun was shining brightly, and the air was warm; something that rarely happened in the autumn days. She had dressed in her favorite pencil skirt today, along with a long-sleeve pink top. The girl was determined to start this week with one last thing to focus on; talking to Jessica.

It was the last thing on her list to complete before she could be happy with no false pretenses. And as long as Jessica Stanley hated her, Hayden Marris wouldn't be able to claim her happily ever after— at least without knowing why the girl thought of her that way. On her way to find that very girl, the brunette bumps into Bella in the hallway.

"I'm sorry— oh, hey Hayden," Bella chuckles, adjusting her backpack strap on her shoulder.

"Good morning," the girl greets them, a vibrant smile on her face.

"I heard you managed to get Paul and Emmett in the same building together," Edward says, a grin tugging at his lips. "And not to mention Mike Newton. How'd you do it?"

"I asked nicely," she chimes with a wink. "I hope you don't mind that I stole Emmett for the night. He's already in the chemistry room if you want to go see him."

"Well, I heard that you know about everything," Bella speaks up. "Paul told you, didn't he?"

"I'm assuming you heard that from Jacob," Hayden nods. "And yes, I did. It still hasn't completely sunk in, and I expect more information soon, but for now I have some other problems to take care of. You haven't seen Jess, have you?"

"She's at her locker," Edward stares at the wall behind Hayden, his eyes in a distant place. "And her thoughts are pretty clear . . . she's expecting you."

"What are you, some sort of mind reader?" Hayden snorts, before gasping. "Oh my gosh, are you?"

"Go find her," Edward waves the girl off. "Emmett can tell you everything some other time. You have business to take care of right now."

And she did. Hayden makes her way down the hallway, clasping her hands together and chewing on the inside of her cheek. So Jessica has been expecting her? The girl knew it couldn't mean anything good, especially from what Jessica had said to her in the cafeteria only days ago. Surely her mind couldn't have changed that much since then.

As if Jessica could sense Hayden's presence from down the hall, her eyes snapped in the girl's direction. Hayden falters in her spot, before continuing her walk forward. And when she was finally in front of Jessica, she was unsure of who should speak first. But despite that, Hayden began to talk.

"I know that you hate me, Jess— or at least dislike me . . . it's more than obvious from the things you said the other day. But I just want to know what I ever did to deserve the way you look at me," she pauses, looking over Jessica's sullen expression. "I'm sorry if I've ever done anything to hurt you, or to upset you, but that was never my intention in the first—"

"You didn't." Jessica cuts Hayden off, glancing to the floor before meeting her eyes once again. "And I think it's time that I admit that to myself, as well as you. You don't deserve the things I say to you, or the glares I used to give you in the hallway— but I did it anyway because ever since you moved here, I've wanted everything that you have."

To say that Hayden was dumbfounded would be an understatement. She was shocked beyond belief, her lips parted as she stares at the brown-haired girl in front of her.

"Yeah, I know," Jessica closes her locker and laughs; but Hayden notices that it holds no sense of humor. "Jessica Stanley, jealous of Hayden Marris, who could've guessed it? But from the start, you had more than I could want— undivided attention from Mike, and approval from all of my friends. Not to mention that you got Emmett Cullen to notice you."

"But that doesn't make me any better off than you, Jess," Hayden shakes her head, still in a daze.

"All I've ever wanted was Mike," Jessica frowns. "And when he saw you . . . it was Bella all over again. I thought he was head over heels, and I lost it; it was stupid, I know, but for one second I thought that if everyone was against you, maybe I'd get the spotlight back."

"I guess I made it easy for you to hate me," Hayden murmurs. "Mike likes you, Jess. Not me, or Bella— you. And if he doesn't see how undeniably amazing you are, even though you have your rocky times, then who cares? There are plenty of other guys out there that you could easily win over.

"This is high school. And although most of the teenagers here take things way too seriously, you shouldn't. This is a time to have fun and be stupid, because soon enough we'll be adults with families and jobs. One guy liking someone else might seem like the end of the world now, but in ten years it won't matter. You'll look back and remember all of the good times because things go by so quickly."

Jessica nods gently at her words, before running a hand through her chocolate locks. "I'm so sorry, Hayden. I didn't mean to start anything with you, much less make you think that I hate you."

"It's okay," the brunette places a hand on Jessica's shoulder, giving her an assuring smile. "I understand, all is forgiven. Now, I think it's time that you go and find Mike. I called him this morning, and he told me he has something to ask you."

Yes— Mike had finally gotten around to asking Jessica to prom. It had taken him a while, along with a lot of searching on Pinterest, to find a good idea that he knew Jessica would love.

"Okay, I'll see you later," Jessica chuckles, waving as she walks away from Hayden.

Hayden watches as she disappears down the hallway, smiling to herself in accomplishment.

---

"So what exactly is a blood-singer?" Hayden asks, staring at the boy across from her. "I heard it's a soulmate, but what if I'm not sure what a soulmate is?"

The girl traces the smooth lines on his hands, unaware that each time she did so, a shock wave would shoot up Emmett's veins. It was refreshing and relaxing, and he found himself smiling. Emmett stares into her honey-colored eyes, getting lost in them for a short second before he finally replies.

"It means that you and I were made for each other," he says softly. "You're the only thing that keeps me grounded and whole; without you, I'm not myself. I don't know how I lived before you moved here, or how I even coped. Everything is so different now."

"I like the way I feel when I'm around you," Hayden says, grinning as she stares at his palm. "Even though you're cold, I feel warm. I feel like I'm home, and you're everything good in the world. And every second I'm away from you . . . it almost hurts."

"You deserve so much more than a monster, Hayden," Emmett sighs to himself. "You deserve a life so much better than the one you have now—"

"But I don't want a different life," she shakes her head, placing her hand in his, "I want this— I want to feel like this every day. I want you every day. I want to know what it feels like to live my life, knowing that I have someone as amazing as you to love me. I want to wake up every morning to see your smile; I see so much more than a vampire when I look at you. I see the boy that makes me feel things I've never felt before.

"I want to live my life with you, and love you until I take my last breath on this earth— and every day after that. I love you, Emmett Cullen. And nothing could ever change that."

Deep inside his perfectly restored bones, beneath his rib cage, Emmett could have sworn that his heart began to beat again— just once.

The girl in front of him was so breathtaking; she was perfect in every single way, no matter what anyone else believed. There was an angel staring into his eyes— one that God had gifted to him. What had he done in his lifetime to deserve someone so gentle and kind? Hayden Marris was everything he ever wanted and now here she was, as his.

"When I was dying," he pauses, placing his hand on her cheek, "all I could think about was all the things I'd never get to do. I wouldn't see my parents again, my friends . . . I thought I'd never find the love of my life. And when I was changed, I thought that no one could love someone like me. How did I get so blessed to have you?"

His voice was wavering now as he leans forward to place his forehead against hers. "You're so beautiful, Hayden. Inside and out, and I love you with all of my unbeating heart."

"I love you so much more," she shakes her head slightly, tears falling from her eyes.

He wipes away her tears with his thumb, aching at the thought of her crying. "It's perfect times like this when I wish I was human."

"I wouldn't want you any other way, Emmett."

And then he kissed her.

Downstairs, Alice smiles to herself, leaning into the couch. Jasper raises an eyebrow at her, "what are you smiling about?"

"This was my vision," she replies smoothly. "It came true."

"The one you had before Hayden moved to Forks?" He asks.

"Yes."

"But what about the one you had the other day?" Bella pipes up from the corner, her hand intertwined with Edward's. "What did you see?"

"Let's just say that Hayden Marris will live a long and happy life."

THE END.

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❝ i'm sobbing y'all omg ❞