BAM!

You thought I was gone, didn't ya? Well, I'm not going anywhere just yet. This is just my way of saying thank you to all of the amazing support on this story and on my other ones. You are all fabulous :)

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One year later

This was it.

I looked at myself in the mirror, but not just at what I physically saw.

I felt that if someone looked into my eyes, they wouldn't see the reckless girl from a year ago. I felt wiser and more in tune to my surroundings because of everything that had happened to me.

I'd truly learned to live every precious moment to the fullest, because you never knew when life was going to slip from your fingers.

I adjusted my cap and smooth down my gown in a nervous fit, taking several deep breaths but only concluding that it would end in dizziness rather than calm.

"Zaph," Joney's muffled voice sounded from outside of the room. "Everyone's lining up. Let's go!"

Before I could respond, I heard her retreating footsteps down the hallway, the echoes of my classmates voices making it all the way back to me.

I sighed and glanced at myself one more time with a smile. "Who'd of thought you'd make it this far Zaph Phelo," I quietly contemplated.

With one last awkward cheer up dance in the empty bathroom, and exited and made my way to my spot in line.

I caught Jacen's eye and immediately, his bored expression morphed into one of contentment, although he tried to cover it up.

I smiled an ear to ear grin, just as the graduation music started to play. I was dragged back into my spot, and slowly walking closer towards the end of my time here.

I glanced at the letters above the auditorium, and my eyes misted over.

As much as I hated this school sometimes, it was home, to an extent. I couldn't imagine disliking any other people like I did the ones here, and for some reason that made it special.

Not to mention all of the amazing memories I'd made here.

When my heel touched the maroon carpet, it hit me that this was the final time I would walk into this auditorium as a student.

In about an hour or two, I would be an alum.

I wasn't sure if I could handle moving on so soon. It seemed like life was passing by so slowly during the school years and all of the exams manage to extract all of my remaining life force, yet here I was.

Here we were.

My seat was closer to the back near the parents, since my last name was towards the end of the alphabet. Miraculously enough, I'd managed to locate Finn through the never ending sea of deep red as my eyes carelessly scanned the room. I laughed silently when, even from this distance, I was able to see his head.

The back of it, which was mostly covered by the cap, had an unfortunate run in with Joney's dreams, which constantly tell her that she is meant to be a hair stylist.

She will never be a hair stylist.

I shook my head and scolded myself for not focusing on the program. We had a speaker, who actually turned out to be pretty funny. At least, as funny as one of those speakers is capable of being.

Of course, the kids next to me were the type to cry through the whole damn thing, and I couldn't catch every word, but I got the gist of it.

Soon, it was time to line up row by row to accept our diplomas. I could've sworn there was still stuff to do before this part but apparently not. I bit my lip in nervousness because I wasn't really sure I wanted one.

I mean, of course I wanted one, but did I really want one?

My heart was thundering in my chest as they called the girl right before me. And then, it was my turn.

"Zaph Phelo."

I took hesitant steps forward on the wooden stairs. Then, I found myself on the stage, standing in front of hundreds of eyes. My mind was telling me during my entire walk up was 'don't fall don't fall don't fall'.

I met the smile of my principle, which helped to calm my nerves a little bit.

"Congratulations, Ms. Phelo," he said kindly, shaking one hand and handing me my diploma in the other. Luckily, through the whole thing, I managed to remain on two feet.

Just as I was about to walk off the stage, I turned around and fist pumped twice to the crowd. Cheering erupted from the previously silent crowd.

I'd made it.

Ba-bam.

I took my seat once again, and watched as all of the remaining names were called. Then, after what seemed like forever, the principal came to the end of his speech and cleared his throat.

"I present to you, the Class of 2015."

A volcano had nothing on us, as the auditorium erupting into defending screams and yells. As tradition calls, all of the now graduates, me included, started low in our seats, stomping on the ground in sweet chaos.

We got higher and higher, until we all broke out into laughs, tears, and hoarse yells and ran out of the auditorium. We probably looked like giant wave taking over everything within the vicinity.

The immediate light stunned all of us and our eyes burned for a moment, but we didn't care. We were officially graduates.

Our parents soon flooded out after us, and there were too many emotions to handle all at once. In the search for my mom, there were so many parents smiling, and so many crying. However, the most were doing both.

When I finally located my mom and siblings in the crowd, I ran to them and engulfed them into the giant sea of my gown.

My mom started laughing and pulled out her camera, snapping some solo shots of me for my modeling portfolio, of course.

"Congratulations honey," she said, sniffling a little. "I'm so proud of you." She was sorting through her purse for some tissues but couldn't seem to find any.

She proceeded to turn her back to me and "discreetly" wipe away her tears as if we hadn't seen them already.

"Thanks mom," I said quietly, watching her with an awed smile. Tears began to fill my eyes at the emotional scene before me.

I had nothing to be afraid of. As long as I strived everyday to be more like her, there was no way I could be anything other than successful.

I took a few sweet pictures with my siblings, and we had other parents take pictures of my mom and I, before I was suddenly swept off my feet.

A startled laugh bubbled up from my throat as my eyes connected with Jacen's brown orbs. His smile could light a dark room, and I gave him a quick peck before he set me down.

My brother and sister watched us with uncontainable curiosity and I couldn't help but laugh at their expressions.

Jacen kneeled down and began to talk to them, which was the cutest thing I have ever seen. The twins loved him, and acted like he was a superstar, so any moment that he spent talking to them, it was practically a one way street since they were too busy staring at him to ever respond.

I caught my mom's eye and pointed at the scene, telling her to snap a picture before if was too late.

I was distracted from the sight when I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Axle smiling down at me.

"Hey," he started. I beamed up at him.

"Hey."

After first semester of junior year, I hadn't seen much of Axle. I was almost certain that he had returned back to the city he had previously come from. However, first day senior year, he was back and ready to go.

Our relationship was very rocky at first and it was difficult to get close to him again. Even though we were better now, I felt that there was always going to be that rift between us.

Even so, we continued to build our friendship again, and although it's not where it was, if we can even call what he had back then a friendship, we were slowly getting there.

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Congrats on graduating," he said after a moment.

"Thanks," I said, stretching out the word as I moved around to find his eyes. He finally looked at me again.

"Congrats to you too," I told him. "Never would've thought we'd make it this far." I let out a little chuckle at the idea.

He nodded with a small smile. "When do you leave for NYU?" I mentally backtracked in my mind, flipping through the calendar.

"Around August seventh, I think," I told him after pondering. "You?"

"I'm actually not sure, but it's sometime in July," he replied, moving from side to side. Jacen chose this moment to walk up.

"Hey man," he said to Axle. Axle in return extended his hand and the two did one of those bro handshake things.

"When do you leave for West Point?" Axle asked.

"First week of July."

Jacen was accepted to go to one of the most prestigious military colleges in the nation. And Jacen, being Jacen, made it seem like it was as easy as being accepted to an online college.

He was going to leave earlier than me which meant that we only had June left to hang out before we went our separate ways.

The thought of separating from Jacen was something that I hadn't really thought much about, because it was never exactly something I wanted to think about.

Of course I wasn't dependent on him, but I would miss him a lot.

"Speaking of Westpoint," Finn said, walking up with Joney connected to his side. "Isn't that place also known for hosting marriage proposals?" He dodged an incoming blow to the head from Jacen.

What?

My eyes became glued to Jacen's body as he proceeded to chase Finn around the field. Luke made his way to us and shook Axle's hand before sighing. "What did my idiot brother do this time?"

Joney shrugged as she latched onto my arm. "He was being himself." I tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a squeak.

Marriage?

Joney caught my expression and yanked on my arm to grab my attention. "He's not going to propose to anyone at West Point you dummy. Unless you have a long lost twin who loves the military, I think your good," she patted my shoulder before letting to go give my mom a hug.

"Get together!" My mom screamed, bursting Lola's eardrums. Lola must've come up to speak to my mom while we were talking.

They had become pretty close since the situation from a year ago.

I smiled at her before looking at the camera with a grin. All of us got together, and Finn and Jacen found their way back, making amends when they saw a photo being taken.

"Cheese!" We all said with ear to ear grins on our faces.

After the picture was taken we all continued to talk, making jokes and laughing at and with each other until it was time to go home.

I was shocked to find a vase full of beautiful array of flowers waiting on the doorstep with a small note attached.

So proud of everything you've become.

Love, Dad

I don't think there was ever a time I had cried harder than that. There was hardly a day that went by where I didn't think about my dad and all that he had to sacrifice due to some early decisions.

To think that he would remember this important day meant the world to me, and any grudge that I still held from a year ago dispersed. It was obvious to anyone that he was trying, and that was all I could ask for.

As I was flipping through my pictures from today and saw the elated expressions on all of the faces, I wondered if my dad even had any friends. He must be lonely.

And even if I hated someone more than life itself, I would never wish them to be lonely.

I mentally reminded myself to get that picture printed so that each of us could have one to keep forever.

Even though we were all going our separate ways and The Four were no longer going to be as close as before, we were all still a family.

Now we were just one a little further apart.

But I once heard this quote that rings true for me and probably for my friends as we all begin to travel down our different paths.

Love has no distance, it hath no continent; its eyes are for the stars.

And as long as we are looking up at the same stars, I think we'll be okay.
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