Epilogue

Epilogue.

"Did you pack the family photo?" My mother asks me as I shove a notebook into the last cardboard box.

"Yes, Mother." I say, rolling my eyes at her.

Today is the day I've been dreading.

I'm currently packing up for college. I leave in an hour. My car's already in Chicago, it got there two days ago. There's a moving van outside that's gonna take my belongings to Chicago.

"Is that the last one?" My mother asks me, referring to the box in my hands.

"Yeah." I tell her.

"Valarie, we need to go. Your flight leaves in forty-five." My father yells from downstairs.

I stare at my room, taking in everything. From the way my bed is positioned, to the way my curtains sway from the cool breeze. I stare at my window and I instantly remember how I'd come in and find Zachary on my bed. I laugh at the thought. I walk towards my window and I finally close it for the first time in a long time.

This room holds a lot of memories.

"Let's go, Valarie." My mother says holding the door open for me.

I spot the ring Zachary gave me on the dresser and I put it on. It's really stuck with me this past week.

I take one last glance at my room before I walk out the door. I walk down the stairs and I see my father at the bottom, waiting for me.

"Hey, kiddo." He says, smiling at me.

"Hey, Dad." I say, smiling back at him.

"We gotta get going. Oh, and your friends are outside." He informs me.

No way.

Hannah and Adam have been so busy this week and they both told me that they wouldn't be able to see me when I leave.

"That can't be." I tell him as I walk towards him.

"See for yourself." He says, gesturing towards the door.

I balance the box on my left hand and I open the door with my right. I stare at my driveway and they're there, holding up a sign that says "Give 'em hell, Vee."

"Oh My God." I scream as I drop the box on the porch steps and rush towards them.

"You guys came." I squeal as I hug them.

"Yeah, and we want to leave here alive so if you don't mind." Adam says, pulling away.

"Oh sorry." I say, chuckling.

"I thought you guys were busy?" I ask them.

"We were but we dropped everything, for you." Hannah tells me.

"Aww, you guys." I say, about to cry.

I don't know why I'm so emotional today.

"I guess this is it." I say, putting my fingers in the back pocket of my jeans.

'I guess so." Hannah says and I stare at the infinity tattoo on my forearm.

"To infinity and beyond." He tells me and I smile. "Hands in." He adds and we put our hands on top of each other.

"On three, we scream fuck this devil town." Adam tells us and we nod.

"One." I say.

"Two." Hannah adds.

"Three." Adam finishes.

"Fuck this devil town." We scream at the top of our lungs and my parents just stare at us like we have three heads.

"I'm gonna miss you guys." I say with tears in my eyes.

"Someone's staring at you." Adam says pointing at Zachary who is leaning on his black Chevrolet, that's parked across the street. He is dressed in a black leather jacket and black jeans. His black hair dances with the wind as he lights a cigarette.

I walk over to him and he stands upright, flicking the cigarette to the side.

"Hey." I say, staring at him.

"You look great." He says, flashing me a smile with his pearly whites.

"Thanks. When are you going up?" I ask him.

"That's why I came." He says, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not going, Vee." He tells me and it feels like time stops.

"W-what?" I ask him.

He can't be serious.

This can't be happening.

"I got drafted by the New York Jets. I leave tomorrow." He tells me.

"What are you saying?" I ask him, hoping that he'll tell me what I want to hear.

"I'm not going to Bradford, Vee. I'm turning pro." He tells me and I just stare at him in shock.

"You can't be serious right now." I tell him.

"I am. I'm gonna miss you, Vee." He says, cupping my cheeks in his hand.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I say, looking at him with sad eyes.

I know I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I really wanted Zachary at Bradford with me. Even if I completely hate his guts, at least he was still going to be a familiar face there. Now, that plan is completely down the drain.

"I didn't know what to say and I thought you wanted nothing to do with me." He says, shrugging.

"I still don't want anything to do with you, but you're still important to me." I tell him.

He grabs my face in his hands and presses his lips on mine. I kiss him back and he tightens his grip on my waist.

"Any day now. Your flight leaves in forty-five minutes, Val." My dad yells from across the street.

I pull away from Zachary and I blush as he stares at me.

"Guess I'll see you around." He says as he licks his bottom lip, giving me an intense stare.

"I'll keep in touch." I joke and he laughs.

God, he's so beautiful.

He pulls me into a bear hug and I yell at him to put me down as he lifts my feet off the ground. He puts me down and kisses my forehead before he lets go.

I wave him goodbye and I head towards my driveway.

"FaceTime me every day." Adam demands and I nod at him.

"You better send me daily snaps." Hannah orders and I give her a salute.

"Yes ma'am." I say, laughing.

I hug the two of them before I enter the car with my parents. I wave at Adam and Hannah as the car pulls away from the driveway.

"You're going to do great things, Valarie." My mother tells me as she puts her hand on top of mine.

"I know, Mum." I tell her looking her in the eyes as I hold her hand.

***

"And call us every day." My mother says, fixing my hair as I stand at the departure gate of the airport.

"I will, Mother." I say, rolling my eyes at her.

"I'll miss you guys." I tell my parents as I hug them.

"Me too, kiddo." My father says, patting my back.

"Now go, your flight leaves in fifteen minutes." My mother says, literally shoving me towards the gate.

I wave them goodbye as I enter the airport. I race towards the check-in area and within minutes I am seated beside this old man in the waiting area.

"3:15 to Chicago, boarding now." The woman in the airport speakers says.

That's me.

I roll my suitcase towards the boarding gate. I show the airport official my passport and flight ticket and he lets me through. I walk towards the airplane with a huge grin on my face.

On to bigger and better things.

I finally made it out of this devil town, but why does my heart hurt?

Why do I feel this emptiness inside, like I'm not supposed to be here or something?

I shake the feeling off as I enter the airplane. I find my seat in economy and I put my suitcase in the overhead compartment.

My father wanted me to fly first class but I refused. We're all still on the same plane and we'll get there at the same time, so why bother?

"It's for the experience, Vee." My subconscious tells me.

I fly first class all the time, I just want to feel normal for once.

I get comfortable in my seat as I buckle myself in. The pilot announces that we'll be taking off soon and I take a deep breath.

This is it.

***

Bradford is beautiful. The huge building in the middle of the campus leaves me totally stunned. It has to be at least thirty feet tall. It's a really huge building. I got a map when I entered the school gate, so I'm currently searching for the resident assistance building. I see that it is west of where I'm standing, so I take a left turn and I keep walking until I see a building called "Residence Assistance." I walk into the building and I am greeted by a blonde girl who is at the front desk.

"Hello, I'm Bethany. How may I be of service to you?" She asks me.

"I'm here to find out which dorm I'll be staying at." I tell her.

"What's your name, please?" She asks me.

"Valarie Stone." I tell her.

She types something on her computer before she hands me a key.

"Hamilton Hall, room G34." She says with a smile on her face.

"Thank you." I say as I roll my suitcase out of the building with me.

I try to unfold the map to check which way Hamilton Hall is, then this wind out of nowhere blows it away.

"Why me?" I say in frustration.

I just keep walking until I see a huge building with Hamilton Hall written on it. I enter and I am speechless when I see the biggest chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

It has golden birds on it.

GOLDEN BIRDS!!!

It looks like something out of heaven.

Okay, that's a stretch.

"I've never seen someone this fascinated over a chandelier before." A voice says behind me and I shriek.

"Oh My God. I didn't mean to scare you." A boy with brown hair tells me.

"It's fine." I say, placing a hand on my chest.

"I'm Nolan." He says, introducing himself.

"Valarie." I tell him.

"Nice to meet you." He says, flashing me a smile. I blush at how perfect his dentition is. His tall and lanky frame makes him look like a model.

He could be one.

"Do you happen to know where room G34 is?" I ask him and he nods.

"That's my girlfriend's room. Come on, I'll walk you there." He offers.

Of course, he's taken.

"Thank you." I say and he starts walking towards the staircase.

"What's she like?" I ask him, referring to his girlfriend.

"Who?" He asks as we climb up the stairs. He helps me carry my suitcase.

"Your girlfriend." I clarify.

"She's great. Her name's Riley." He tells me with a smile on his face. He must really love her because his face instantly lit up as he started talking about her.

We walk for a little while because there are like a hundred rooms in this dorm. We finally arrive at G34 which is at the far end of the hallway we're in.

Nolan knocks on the door and I am shocked as I stare at the person who opened the door.

"Riley?" I say, trying to figure out if my eyes are working correctly or if I'm imagining Riley Stewart in front of me.

If you don't know who Riley Stewart is, she's the girl Alicia and I were friends with. When I left Ravenswood, I lost all contact with her and now she's going to be my roommate.

Life is funny.

"Valarie, Oh my goodness." She says as she pulls me into a hug, my arms staying at my sides.

I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome, I haven't talked to her in a year or so.

"You two know each other?" Nolan asks with a confused expression on his face.

"Yeah, we used to be best friends." I tell him.

"Used to? Girl, we still are." She tells me as she pulls me inside the room.

"Alicia told me you were going to Howard University." I tell her.

"I deferred Howard. My heart is here." She says, staring at Nolan.

I instantly start missing Zachary. It just feels weird not having him here.

"Well, now you're roommates, so you have enough time to rekindle your old relationship. As for me, I have to head to a shoot." Nolan says as he places my suitcase beside the bed.

"See you later, baby." Riley says as she kisses him.

I look away, taking in the appearance of the room. Not too shabby for the fourteen thousand dollars I had to pay for accommodation and housing fees.

"We have so much to talk about." Riley says with a huge smile on her face. Her Korean descent and wonderful genes take credit for how beautiful she looks. Her porcelain skin looks so soft and supple. Her doe eyes and plump pink lips would bring any man to his knees. She really is a sight to behold.

"Someone's eager." I tell her, chuckling.

"I've missed you, Val. How long has it been a year, two years?" She asks me.

"It's been a while." I say as I sit on the bed with plastic wrap around it. I'm guessing this is my bed since it has no sheets.

"Well, this is my side of the room." She says, pointing at the side of the room with posters on the wall and the made bed.

"And that's yours." She says, gesturing to where I'm sitting.

"When did you get here?" I ask her.

"Two days ago." She tells me. "Is that all your stuff?" She asks me, pointing at my tiny suitcase.

"Oh God, no." I say, laughing. "My stuff gets here tomorrow." I tell her and she laughs with me.

"Thought so." She says, smiling at me. "What major are you?" She asks me.

"Journalism." I tell her and she smiles at me.

"We have the same major." She informs me.

"No way." I say in disbelief.

"Yup." She says nodding her head.

"What are the odds?" I say, standing up and looking out the huge window in the room. The sun has started to set and the sky is a pinkish-blue color and I marvel at the sight.

"It's beautiful." Riley says, standing beside me as we both stare out the window.

"Freshman Year, please be good to us." I say and Riley laughs beside me.