*Tay*
This is it.
The official end of our school year.
Graduation.
We've all come so far.
I myself, have come so far.
I've had such bad habits and coping mechanisms when things would get too rough. When things got too much for me, I got weaker and weaker until I hit rock bottom. Whether it be a bad breakup, or the death of a loved one, I considered myself not strong enough to get past those situations. Until now.
Now I am so much stronger. Now, I believe that I am no longer weak, and that I can conquer anything that tries to destroy me.
I've made a few promises to myself.
I will never relapse again.
I will never give up on myself again.
I will never doubt myself, or others who care about me.
Others like, my boyfriend.
Like, all of my friends.
Like, the McDougalls.
Even Ms. Taverns.
I couldn't have possibly gotten through this year without all these people.
It makes me so emotional to think about it. It's just so strange to me, because for years, I was so certain that I wasn't going to make it this far. That I would end up getting too weak, and ending it early.
But I didn't.
And if that isn't something to be proud of, then what is?

Finals went pretty well, they weren't as bad as I thought they would be. But then again, maybe it was because I was studying so hard? Who knows. I'm just confident that I did well.
We all took our seats on the sides of the stage, proud to be the graduating class of 2014. We sat for a while, waiting for the welcome speeches and all of that other shit to end. I was shaking with nervousness and anticipation, to perform my tribute for Jenna. I definitely didn't want to mess up; her parents were sitting in the large crowd. The extremely large crowd.
At least I wouldn't be doing it alone, though. Alex decided that he would just play the guitar while I sang; which calms my nerves a little bit, knowing he'll be up there, performing with me.
I waited a few more minutes, frequently wiping my sweaty palms on my hot graduation gown.
The time eventually came, and the assistant principal called us up on center stage, to perform our song.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, before standing up and walking over the microphone; focusing on not looking wobbly in my heels.
Alex was busy putting on his guitar and tuning it, but then eventually walked over to me and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“You got this, okay?” He whispered down to me.
I just sighed, and nodded.
He kissed the top of my head, before going to sit onto the stool next to me.
I cleared my throat, and wrapped my hand around the microphone, before speaking into it.
“Um, hey. So..I'm Tay, and uh..I wrote this song, in memory of my best friend, Jenna. We were best friends since we were about ten years old, and I remember how we were so close, and could confide in each other all the time. We shared secrets, and many many laughs. And uh..I remember all the fun memories we've shared throughout our whole friendship. From the gift she gave me on my 11th birthday, to her surprise sweet 16 party we threw for her, last year. They're just great memories that won't ever be forgotten..”
I looked away from the crowd, and swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. I didn't want to get all choked up before I was about to sing!
I looked over to Alex, so see him looking over at me with sad, but admiring eyes.
He gave me a small smile and a nod, urging me to go on. I nodded as well, and turned back to the microphone.
“So anyway, I just wanted to express how much my friend will be missed, and never ever forgotten. I will never let her memory fade away. So here's a song that I call, Jenna.”
I took a deep breath and nodded to Alex; signaling that I was ready to start.
He began playing the chords, and I closed my eyes as I began to sing.

I think about you every single day.
And every time I see your face, I wake.
And it brings me to tears.
We were close when we were young and naive.
We grew up and we learned other things.
You'll always be sweet 16.
And you will always be perfect,
you'll always be beautiful.
Our hearts, will never forget you.
You didn't belong here,
and it's become so clear why heaven called your name.

My hands began to tremble around the microphone a little bit, and it began to become kind of hard to sing. I knew that it was just my nerves eating me up, but it hurt.
But, I was doing this for Jenna. I have to finish.

I miss you, and it still feels like I know you.
I've got pictures of us side by side to show you.
But it feels like I owe you so much more.
And you will always be perfect,
you'll always be beautiful.
Our hearts, will never forget you.
You didn't belong here,
and it's become so clear why heaven called you name.
And it just doesn't seem right, was it really your time?
Are we dreaming?
We'll never let go of you.
Wish you were here, but it's becoming clear,
that Earth's just not the place for an angel like you.
For an angel like you.

I couldn't hold back my tears at this point, and they soon began streaming down my face; but I couldn't stop. I was going to sing my heart out for my best friend, because she deserved it.

You meant so much to so many.
I'm not quite sure how to do justice to you
if they're ready to say goodbye.
I know I'm not.
You made the news and the paper for days and days,
but it hardly seems fair.
The whole world should know your name.
I want them to know your name!
And you will always be perfect,
you'll always be beautiful.
Our hearts, will never forget you.
You didn't belong here,
and it's become so clear why heaven called your name.
And it just doesn't seem right, was it really your time?
Are we dreaming?
We'll never let go of you.
Wish you were here, but it's becoming clear,
that Earth's just not the place for an angel like you.
And now we, must let you move forward.
Our love lies with you.
Our souls fly with you…
Jenna.

I finished, and immediately looked down at my feet; as the remarkable silence around me consumed me.
I soon heard sniffles coming from behind me.
I turned around, and saw that a bunch of my peers were wiping stray tears from their eyes. I turned back around, and saw that the rest of the crowd was, too.
Soon after, though, a ripple of applause began, and soon erupted across the entire room.
I looked closer in the crowd, and noticed the McDougalls, giving us a standing ovation.
That's where I lost it, and broke out into sobs. And right on time, Alex was at my side, pulling me into a tight hug.
“You did it, baby. Everyone is so proud of you for being so strong right now.” He smiled down at me, and kissed my head.
I just hope she enjoyed it..wherever she is.

Eventually, the graduation ceremony was (finally) coming to an end. We had all been called up to accept our diplomas. We noticed Janet was snapping a bunch of pictures of us from the crowd. We also noticed another familiar person sitting next to her..Alex’s dad. I'm sure that with being so obsessed with “success,” he'd obviously be here to see his son graduate.
Our (now former) principal announced us all as a whole, signaling that we've officially graduated. Wow.
We tossed our caps in the air, and everyone stood up and began hugging and crying.
I made my way through the crowd of emotional people, and found Alex, who was already laughing with the guys, along with Hayley, Cassadee, and Avril.
I immediately ran into his arms, causing him to stumble back a few steps.
He chuckled, then picked me up and spun me around in circles.
“We did it, baby. We did it!” He cheered, placing me back down on my feet, but still tightly hugging my waist.
“Yeah, we did!” I grinned, with tears of joy streaming down my face.
He pulled back, and wiped the tears from my reddened cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. We were both grinning goofily at each other; happy knowing that we got through all of this, together.
“I love you SO much!” He exclaimed, tucking one of my curls behind my ear.
“I love you too, Alex! Oh my God, I fucking love you!!” I grabbed his face, and pulled him down to catch my lips with his.
Our lips moved against one another, causing everything and everyone around us to disappear. The kiss was so full of passion, love, and happiness. I was to always remember this moment, forever and ever.
We heard giggling, following a camera noise. We pulled apart, to see Hayley, snapping a burst of pictures of us with her iPhone.
Alex just rolled his eyes, and pulled me back in for another kiss, while holding up his middle finger to the camera.
I giggled into the kiss, and he smiled as well, as we broke apart.
“Come on, guys! Let's take some pictures!” Jack suggested, excitedly.
“Oh, I could help you guys out with that!” We turned around to see Janet, smiling sweetly at us, with tears in her eyes.
“Tay, that was a very sweet performance you did up there, and I thought it was wonderful.” She said, giving me a comforting hug.
“Thank you.” I smiled at her genuinely, before making way for Alex.
“Jane!!” Alex ran into her arms, and gave her a bone crushing hug, that caused her to laugh.
“Oh, Lex! I am so so proud of you!! You do not even know how proud I am! You're not even just like a son to me, Lex. Heck, you are my son! I love you like you're really my own, and I thank God everyday for you! I love you so much!!” She smiled widely at him, and started wiping the tears from her eyes.
“I love you too, Jane! Heck, I might as well start calling you Mom, because you've always been like a mother to me. And you've been the best damn mother ever, and I couldn't have done all this without you, so thank you!” He pulled her in for another hug, with tears of his own, filling up in his eyes.
Aside from Barbara, (who obviously wasn't here, and whom I was never planning on speaking to ever again), I've never had a mother figure in my life. But I was really glad that Alex did.
I was too busy admiring the two, to notice the older man standing next to me. He cleared his throat, catching the attention of all three of us.
Alex's dad was standing there, with a shameful look on his face.
“Um..Tay..is it?” He asked cautiously, to me.
I nodded, in shock that he even remembered my name.
“Well hello, Tay. I believe we got off on the wrong foot. You can call me, Peter. It's very nice to meet you, and I'm sorry for the way that I acted the first time I met my son’s obvious soulmate. It was completely unacceptable, and it will not happen again, I can promise you that.” He gave me a small apologetic smile, which resembled Alex’s, a lot.
I also gave him a small smile in return, and shook his hand.
“You seem like a really nice girl, who encourages Alex to work hard and do his best. I think you two look quite well with each other. I was just so upset about his academics that day, that I didn't care what came out of my mouth. But now I see that I had nothing to worry about in the first place. I suspect that you've decided on a prestigious college?” He turned to ask Alex, who now has an uneasy look on his face.
“Uh..actually Dad..no. I'm not.” He said slowly, while scratching the back of his neck out of nervousness.
“Pardon?” His Dad gave him a look of disbelief.
“Yeah, Mr. G. We're taking our musical careers into full swing. Our band is gonna be a huge success. We're gonna make it big.” Jack grinned, throwing an arm around Alex’s shoulders.
“Um. Alexander, you do know how hard it is to get into the musical industry, don't you? I don't want you wasting your life and education on-“
“He knows, Peter. And trust me, with talent like these boys have, I doubt that getting famous will be a problem. As long as they have all of the support they need.” Jane cut him off, and glared at him.
“Oh, alright. I'm still not sure about the whole thing, but…I believe in you, Son.” His Dad gave in, and kind of awkwardly pulled Alex into a hug, that left him in shock.
I could tell that Alex hasn't hugged his dad in a really long time. His father was finally starting to bond with him and understand him, and it was a beautiful sight to see.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, and tore my eyes away from them, to see the McDougalls, smiling at me with tears in their eyes.
I hugged them both at once, and felt my tears starting to come back. It was a really emotional time, for everyone, at the moment.
“Thank you so much, dear. That was absolutely beautiful. We loved it, and we know that Jenna would have, too.” Her mom thanked me, and sniffled.
“I just wanted to do something in her honor, and for you guys. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it.” I smiled up at them, wiping a tear from my face.
“Thank you so much. And congratulations on graduating, it's good to know that our kid made it!” Mr. McDougall chuckled.
I grinned, and continued talking to them for a moment, before hugging them goodbye and returning to my friends; who were getting in a pose for a picture.
“Ooh! Tay, come on!” Hayley rushed me over, to stand between her and Alex.
Alex wrapped his arm around my waist, and we all posed and smiled for the camera that Janet was holding. We took a few more pictures, before Alex took my hand, and told me he wanted to go somewhere.
I walked with him, outside and to his car. He opened the passenger seat door for me, and I got in. He closed the door behind me, but then went around to fish something out of the trunk.
I was really confused as to what he was getting, until he got into the car, and handed me a bouquet of flowers.
I gasped, and took them from his hands, and held them up to my nose. I've always loved that smell.
“Alex!! You got me flowers?” I grinned at him.
“Yeah, you graduated. Congratulations!” He chuckled.
“Uh, you graduated, too! You also deserve flowers!” I joked.
“No thanks, I'm too manly for flowers.” He joked, as well.
“Too manly? You aren't too manly, you're just a douche! Flower hater!”
“Okay, yeah..but I'm your douche.” He smirked, leaning in to nuzzle his face into my shoulder.
“Right you are.” I giggled, pressing my lips to his cheek, and causing him to blush.
“Alright well, this douche is taking you somewhere, right now.” He grinned, starting the car up.
“Where to, Captain Douche?” I smirked.
“You'll see.”

*Alex*
I had been driving to our destination for over 30 minutes; we were both just sharing laughs and singing along to the different CDs she kept putting into the radio.
I guess she knew better than to ask me where I was taking her, now. She knows that no matter how many times she asks me, I never spill the beans.
We just enjoyed our both literal, and metaphorical journey away from our past, and into a new beginning.
We were both singing along to a song called Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades, when I soon pulled into our destination.
She stopped singing and gasped, before quickly shuffling out of the car.
I had brought us to the lake, where I had taken her on our first official date as a couple. It was a really peaceful and reflective place for me, so I couldn't think of a better place to go; instead of going to some cliché dinner party or something, like everyone else.
She threw off her graduation gown, and threw it in the backseat; I got out of he car and did the same.
We circled around to the front of the car, and linked our hands together.
I smiled at her, and couldn't help but flirtatiously bite my lip when admiring her in that pretty white dress.
One day, she'll be wearing a long, white gown, and she'll be smiling at me with tears in her eyes as we say our “I do”s.
I was most definitely planning on marrying this girl someday, because I know that she's the one for me.
I've always known. Before I met her, I was just “dating” anyone I could, just for the hell of it. I wanted to see if any of them could give me that spark. But with Tay..there's no questioning that whenever she even walks into a fucking room, it's like a dozen fireworks go off in my brain, and I get that weird fuzzy feeling in my gut that I got when I first saw her.
The fact that I can kiss her, and hold her in my arms and call her mine, just makes me ecstatic. It gives me the most happiest and most satisfying feeling, that I am officially the most luckiest guy in the world, and I would never ever trade this feeling for anything. This special feeling that I get, only when I'm with her. I love her. Heck, I love her more than I love myself. I just..love her.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about?”
I snapped out of my daze, at the sound of her voice.
We sat on the ground, in front of the lake, where she was absentmindedly dipping her fingers into the water.
“I was thinking about you.” I smiled at her.
She kept her eyes glued on the water, but smirked.
“How adorable of you.”
I chuckled, and just sat and watched her, as she stared out into the water. It was so scenic, and she looked so perfect and photogenic, that I couldn't help but pull out my phone and snap a picture. I then tucked it back into my pocket, deciding that I would post it later.
We had been sitting in a peaceful and comfortable silence for a few minutes, when a cool gust of wind passed by, causing Tay to shiver a little.
“Oh here..it's gotten a little chilly.” I took off my coat, and wrapped it around her arms.
“Um..what is up with this long trench coat? I look like a detective!” She laughed, while pulling it tighter around her.
I chuckled, and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her into me.
“Say, detective..can I ask you something?” I started, getting lost in thought once again.
“Hm?” She hummed in response.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?”
She pulled back a bit, to give me a puzzled look.
“Well, um…I-I don't know. You can't exactly..fall in love with a stranger, just by looking at them.” She made a fair point.
“Well, couldn't you just look at someone and tell that one day, you were definitely going to fall in love with them? That that person was perfect for you, and you just automatically knew that you were going to hit it off, and maybe even spend the rest of your lives together?” I rambled on, confusing her even more.
“Uh..well, I don't think it really works that way..”
“But it did for me.”
She looked up at me, with an unreadable expression. Her eyes urged me to elaborate, so I did.
“Tay..I remember when I first saw you…you were that beautiful new girl who just walked into my math class, leaving me speechless. When you looked up and our eyes connected, I automatically got this..this feeling in my gut. Somehow, I just knew that you would be special to me. I just..the more time I spent with you, the more I realized that I liked you, and even began to fall in love with you! I fell in love with the thought of you, I fell in love with your cute little laugh, and your cheeky smile, and how strong you truly are. I believe that you're one of the strongest people I know.” I moved one of her curls out of her face, and smiled down at her teary-eyed face.
“And you know…my gut feeling that day was right. You did become special to me. You've changed my life for the better..and I love you. There is nothing that I do not love about you. Nothing. You think that whenever you do something wrong, that it's your fault and you're going to lose me for it, but it's not. You could never lose me baby, never. I love you too much!” I chuckled, holding her face in my hands and wiping away her tears.
“I just want you to know, that this year has the been the best year of my life, because I met you. And I know that there will be many years to come. You'll go on tour with me, and I'll write you a million different songs about how great you are, and maybe even the future we'll get married and move into a castle and adopt two dogs, and have as many children as you want; hell, I don't know!” I chuckled, causing her to laugh as well.
That reminded me of something.
“Speaking of songs..hold on a sec.” I kissed her cheek, before getting up to go to the car. I got my guitar out of the backseat, and walked back over to where she was sitting.
I remembered a song that I had started writing on long time ago, back when we had first started dating. I remember I had gotten the idea when watching Peter Pan with her, that day. I decided to save the song, just for the occasion.
She watched me intently, as I began strumming my guitar.

Say goodbye to the halls and the classes
Say hello to a job and the taxes
The weekends with old friends spilling into 9 to 5 routine
Tell me how you feel over and done with
Like your life is a map with no compass to guide,
At the bar drinkin’ way too much
We sing along to "Forever Young".
So here we go again
Wishin’ we could start again
Wendy run away with me
I know I sound crazy
Don’t you see what you do to me?
I wanna be your lost boy
Your last chance, a better reality, yeah.

She soon remembered the tune that I was singing, and her face lit up with a smile.

Wendy we can get away
I promise if you’re with me, say the word and we’ll find a way
I can be your lost boy, your last chance
Your "everything better" plan
Oh, somewhere in Neverland.
We’ll start a life of the plain and the simple
Of great times with far better people
And weekends with our friends
Laughing about the wine that stains their teeth
We’ll talk about how your parents separated and
How you don’t wanna make the same mistakes as them
I’ll say it’s all about stickin’ it out
And trying to feel forever young
So here we go again
Wishin’ we could start again
Wendy run away with me
I know I sound crazy
Don’t you see what you do to me?
I want to be your lost boy
Your last chance, a better reality, yeah.
Wendy we can get away
I promise if you’re with me, say the word and we’ll find a way
I can be your lost boy, your last chance
Your "everything better" plan
Oh, somewhere in Neverland
So here we go again
Wishin’ we could start again
Wendy run away with me
I know I sound crazy
Don’t you see what you do to me?
I want to be your lost boy
Your last chance, a better reality, yeah.
Wendy we can get away
I promise if you’re with me, say the word and we’ll find a way
I can be your lost boy, your last chance
Your "everything better" plan
Oh, somewhere in Neverland
Oh, somewhere in Neverland
Somewhere in Neverland…

When I finished, she still looked speechless. I moved my guitar to the side, and smirked at her.
“Babe? You in there? Did you like it?” I asked, feeling a bit worried that maybe she didn't.
She just blinked a few times, before finally starting to speak.
“Wow, Alex…just..wow. That was beautiful, and your speech was beautiful and..I don't know what to say. I'm lost for words!” She responded, with shock still evident on her face.
I reached my arm over and laced our fingers together. Then, she looked at me, and began to speak again.
“Alex, I love you so so so much, more than words can express. Just…thank you so much for being there for me, and for being a part of my life, because without you, I wouldn't even be living! If there's one thing I live for, it's you, Alex. And perfect moments like these.” She smiled, and leaned her head on my shoulder.
I felt my cheeks heating up a bit at that, and I turned my head to kiss her on the temple.
“Hmm..you know what?” I smirked.
“What?”
“I wonder how our wedding vows will go.”
“Whoa! Who says we're ever getting married?” She joked, crossing her arms.
I raised my eyebrows at her, before pulling her in for a kiss.
Our lips collided, automatically releasing a rush of endorphins into my body, and making me feel like I could be up in outer space, just soaring through the Galaxy with the love of my life.
I soon pulled away, though, to give her a smirk.
“Your lips say that we will.”
“Oh, shut up!” She giggled, pushing us backwards on the ground so that she was lying on top of me.
She reconnected our lips, and they moved in sync together, giving me that familiar special feeling inside.
Kissing her was one of the most magical things I've ever experienced, and I would never want to share this moment with anyone else but her. My beautiful girlfriend.
The kiss was innocent, but full of beautiful, fiery passion. Of the very few things that were truly perfect in the world, Tay’s kisses were definitely one of them.
Eventually, she broke off the kiss, and rested her chin on my chest.
“Well, we've graduated. So, where do we go from here?” She asked, smiling at me.
I took a moment to admire her and her features. Her beautiful brown eyes, her cute button nose, and her amazing smile that I could never ever get tired of looking at.
I stroked her cheek with my thumb, and grinned before answering,
“Anywhere.”

Notes

This is what they're wearing, btw :3
I'm eating pie lol. Hope everyone had a cool thanksgiving :)
I hope this chapter was cute enough to satisfy your cuteness needs xP
It was a bitch to edit omg.

Anyways, thank you guys for sticking with me for this long, it really means to world to me and ILYSM. I promise you I will write you the best damn epilogue ever. You deserve it. Really. Before I started writing this fic, I was having so many second thoughts about doing it, bc I thought it would be completely terrible and no one would like it. But I'm glad I did, bc I met all you people, and I consider you all my friends and you've helped me a lot just by being here reading, so thank you so much. <3
Promise me you'll come read my next fic? Bc I'll miss you guys when this one is over :(
I think I might post the first chapter tomorrow, I don't know. It's another Alex/OC, so just look out for it.

I'm kind of proud of this chapter, but I don't really know if I actually should be or not, so please comment your opinions (:

*Me when you don't comment*
xD

Thanks! :)

Title cred: Priceless- Mayday Parade