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5 YEARS LATER...

"Elena Wilson!" The emcee called.

She nervously walked up the stage to receive her degree as her mother and sister cheered in the crowd of proud families and friends. Elena was filled with a joy and gratitude as she shook the university's president's hand and sat in her cohort of students who happily congratulated her. Elena felt so ecstatic. She smiled at Stella and her mom in the middle of the crowd who were still cheering for her. Her mom was crying tears of joy.

Suddenly, Elena looked at the audience and saw a profile view of a man with green eyes and dark, curly hair. Her heart skipped a beat thinking it was Andreas, but when the man turned forward, Elena realized it wasn't him. When the ceremony was over, Elena awkwardly stepped off the stage with her high heels and made her way to her family.

"Your father would be so proud of you!" Elena's mom said, hugging her tight, tears still in her eyes.

"You look beautiful," Stella beamed at Elena through her rosy cheeks.

"You're more beautiful," Elena said, grinning at her little sister and giving her a side hug.

Stella was now the same height as Elena and had grown to be a beautiful, young woman with dark, straight hair and ocean blue eyes. She was graceful and always held a smile that was juxtaposed with rosy cheeks on each side. She had now started going to the same university Elena graduated from.

Elena's friends ran up to her and hugged her tight, screaming in joy. Since her classes had been so small, she practically knew everyone who graduated. It was nice knowing the entire class.

Suddenly, Elena heard her name being called in a very familiar voice. Her face lit up when she saw it was Tarence.

He nervously smiled as he walked up to her in business casual attire. Elena had never seen him in a dress shirt.

Over the last couple of years, Tarence had worked on himself to become a better person. He escaped the life of a drug dealer and left Lucio. And then, he met a wonderful woman named Georgia and they got married. He opened up a small restaurant with his wife and Elena had never seen him so happy. His dreams were finally coming true.

"Congratulations, kiddo," He smiled like a proud father, handing her a card and a graduation present.

"There was no need for this, Tarence!" Elena exclaimed, hugging him. "Thank you!"

"No, thank you," Tarence said sincerely.

"I'm proud of you," Elena smiled at him.

"It's all thanks to you. You never gave up on me."

Elena could see tears in his eyes.

She smiled up at him. "Don't cry on me, now!"

They both let out a warm laugh.

He smiled and wiped the tear from his cheek. "Were you always this wise?"

"I guess time teaches us all how to live."

Elena remembered the letter that Andreas gave her.

"You're a mountain, Tarence. You can conquer anything."

She carried that letter with her wherever she went. She also carried around the geode as she always remembered the way it glinted in the sunlight as Andreas smiled at her shyly on the island six years ago.

It had been six years. It was hard to believe. Every day, that moment felt more and more like a dream, but she was glad for the picture, letter, and geode because it reminded her that Andreas really was real and not just a figment from her imagination.

"We're having dinner at Tarence's Diner today," Elena said, grinning.

"Can't wait to see you," He smiled. "Georgia says to convey her congratulations to you too. She wanted to come personally, but she's busy at the restaurant. You'll see her tonight."

"You bet," Elena said to him, watching him wave and go back to the parking lot.

"Elena," He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You're gonna do some amazing things, kiddo. I'm rooting for you."

Elena thanked him as he ran off to his car. She couldn't contain her happiness for Tarence.

After visiting their father and Melissa at the grave, Elena and her family made their way to the restaurant. Georgia, Tarence's wife, was a lovely, down-to-earth woman who had a passion for helping people. She and Tarence immediately clicked. Georgia was a huge reason Tarence gave up drugs. He got in trouble with the police and had to pay a large fine and was sentenced to two years jail time. Tarence had seen it coming from him. That's when he realized how much his life and Georgia meant to him, and he decided on a better future. He had been through hell.

It was hard for him to get a restaurant started up. But he didn't give up. He was broke. No one would hire him due to his criminal record. So, he started selling goods in a food truck at various events. And then, he made enough money. People found his food to be irresistible and were naturally inclined to visit his diner.

As Elena and her family were getting out of the car to enter Tarence's diner, she saw a figure of a woman standing on a hill beside the parking lot directly looking at her. Elena frowned at first wondering who was staring and why. Then, as the figure approached her, she couldn't believe it. She held her breath as a mixture of emotions overwhelmed her.

It was Kennedy.

****
She wore a cardigan and jeans and her dirty blonde hair had been cut short up to her shoulders. She held a small, almost ashamed smile and timidly waved at her.

Elena hadn't seen Kennedy for four years.

She didn't know how she felt as she approached her friend. Should she be mad, neutral, or just relieved she was still alive?

She had missed Kennedy. She had been to rehab twice already and though it seemed she was getting better, she relapsed again whenever she came back.

She went to a different rehabilitation center and her mother bought a home in the countryside. Soon, her family moved out of the city to the rural area. Kennedy never said goodbye. The only way Elena knew she left was because of Joel telling her. Elena was heartbroken. Why didn't Kennedy say anything? Elena called her but her mother told her she didn't want to talk to anyone.

And when Elena visited her, she didn't come to say hi. Her mom told her Kennedy was very disturbed and needed time alone. Sometimes, it was like their entire friendship was a sham. She was just glad Kennedy was okay and where she was going was to be therapeutic for her. She had so easily slipped away from her life though.

It was strange knowing someone for so long, and all of a sudden, they were gone. Her father was gone, Andreas was gone, Melissa was gone, and Kennedy was gone.

Elena had realized this is just how life works. People come and go.

But here Kennedy was, standing in front of Elena, her fingers intertwined in front of herself and nervously shifting in her converse shoes.

"Hey," Kennedy nervously said, avoiding eye contact.

She looked better. The colour in her skin was back to a normal, unfaded shade and Selena couldn't see the hollows of her cheeks anymore. Elena didn't say anything.

"Uh...Congrats," Kennedy said handing her a card.

Elena still didn't say anything and slowly grabbed it from her hands.

An awkward silence filled the air between them.

"I'm...I'm sorry," Kennedy shamefully said. "That I...Disappeared for so long."

She took a deep breath and was ready for Elena to explode in anger.

"So, you're alive," Elena crossed her arms and glared at her.

Kennedy pursed her lips and looked down again. Elena felt anger and betrayal surge through her body.

"I'm sorry," Kennedy repeated. "I've dealt with a lot of shit."

"So have I," Elena clenched her teeth and kept her arms crossed.

"I didn't mean...I'm sorry," Kennedy defeatedly said, nervously wrapping her hand around the opposite arm.

"Why are you here?" Elena asked sharply.

"To congratulate you. And to apologize for not believing in you. I...I truly am sorry."

Kennedy felt stupid for repeatedly apologizing.

"Took you four years to muster up the courage to talk to me?"

"I know...I just...I just didn't even think you would want to talk to me."

"Why?"

"Because...Because you told me I resembled everything that you wanted to forget."

Elena sighed. "Are you kidding me? I thought you were dead."

"I really lost myself, El. I-"

"Don't call me El," Elena sharply said.

Kennedy winced but continued. "I isolated myself from everyone. I went to rehab three times. It was such a disaster. I fell into a severe depression."

"So, you want pity," Elena turned to leave.

Kennedy grabbed onto her shoulder and Elena jerked back.

"I don't see how that's an excuse for not replying to me," Elena sighed and felt like someone had slapped her across the face. "I'm glad you're doing well, but I have to go now."

"How can I make it up to you?" Kennedy quickly asked.

Elena shrugged, annoyed.

Kennedy slowly nodded. "I...What can I do?"

Elena looked at Kennedy's defeated, pleading face and saw how desperate she was to make amends.

"I'm leaving in two days."

"Where?"

"I'm teaching abroad."

"Oh."

Kennedy rubbed her right arm nervously. "I don't want you to leave hating me. There's so much more I have to tell you. I can't tell you how sorry I am. Really. Please give me another chance."

Elena stared at her, wondering how sincere her apology was.

"Can we meet tomorrow? Please? I won't take much of your time. Just let me explain."

"Out of all the days in a year, you choose my graduation day to tell me how sorry you are?"

Kennedy pursed her lips. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to ruin your day."

Elena sighed and raised her eyebrows, an indication of frustration towards her friend.

Kennedy winced but nodded, knowing how stupid of a mistake this was. "I don't know what else to do. And you're leaving so soon. Please give me a chance. I want to make things better."

Elena stared at her desperation but, at the same time, had no interest in talking to her further.

She cut the conversation off quickly. "Fine. Tomorrow at the bridge. 11:00."

She walked away before Kennedy could say anything else. Kennedy smiled to herself as her friend walked away, feeling proud of whom Elena had become. She didn't realize how much of a true friend she was. Even after all the hell Kennedy had put her through,  she was still giving her a chance. She took Elena for granted, but she was determined to fix things up with her.

At the diner, Elena tried to forget about Kennedy and put her mixed emotions aside. She watched the way Tarence and Georgia would exchange loving glances as they served customers.

Tarence had been through a lot most of his life and now his dream had come true. And hers too. She couldn't believe she had graduated.

She watched her sister and mom laugh and share warm smiles. It had been years since Elena saw her mother laugh wholeheartedly and her face light up like it used to.

Everything was in slow motion again. Elena wanted this moment to last forever. She felt ultimate bliss; a real euphoria that didn't come with any baggage.

She was glad she had Dr. Jennette, Tarence, Georgia, her mother, and her sister by her side. And even if some of the people were gone from her life, their memories lived on and filled her heart with bittersweet warmth.

Especially for Andreas though, Elena always imagined herself on the ferry running down to the beach and falling into his arms for one last long hug. She regretted not doing that. He was a wonderful person and she wondered what he'd be doing. Was he still a tour guide? Was he even in Cartagena anymore?

Elena lay in her bed that night, smiling from all the events of the day. She opened The Alchemist and took out the picture of Andreas an her. How young and naive she was at that time. How broken she was and how badly she was hurting. Six years ago, she was just a child who had experiences terrible things. Six years later, she felt like a completely different person who finally understood the way things worked. Now that Elena was older, she noticed more details in the photo: the dullness in her hazel eyes, the hues of the sky peeking through the green canopy, and the sincerity in Andreas's smile.

It had been so long since they had met and she saw him in the faces of everyday strangers even now, but it was never him. She wished he would appear out of nowhere and charmingly smile at her with his adorable dimples and forest green eyes. She hoped he would be proud to see how capable she had become.