𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃

꧁EPILOGUE꧂

The day that every high school student looks forward to has finally arrived; Graduation day. Emotions are high as everyone gets ready to say goodbye to the place where they just spent the past four years of their lives and their friends whom they met along the way and for some, friends they've known since kindergarten. For Josh, it's bittersweet. He's saying goodbye to more than just his past but to a place that gave him the opportunities he has now. A place that helped him grow as a person and a student. The place where he made so many happy memories with his friends and with his girlfriend. Today is bittersweet.

  Standing in front of the mirror, Josh wraps his blue cape around himself, tying the strings together at the neck loosely. He takes deep breaths- attempting to calm his already increasing nerves and it actually works....for a minute or two. Soft sniffles filter through the bedroom and his head turns towards the bassinet which is placed at the end of the king sized bed. Josh immediately abandons his current task of getting ready in order to attend to the stirring baby inside. Abigails eyes are open wide as she locks her gaze onto her towering father. She continues to coo and make the cutest sounds Josh has ever heard.

"Hello sleepy". Josh reaches inside and places his hands on either side of her tiny body. He lifts her out of the bassinet gently, his palm covering the back of her head for support. He tucks her safely into his arm, her little smile melting his heart. These are the moments he looks forward to most every single day. The moments where he gets to spend time with his little girl and be present. Ever since she was born, Abigail has had him wrapped around her teeny tiny pinky but he already knew that was going to happen since the first moment he laid eyes on her.

"Josh we really should be going, the ceremony starts in an hour and we still need to give the baby to your parents" Nessa reminds him as she walks into their bedroom, struggling to put in her new pair of earrings. She glances over at the doting dad who hasn't really took any notice of her at all. Nessa's stomach churns when she notices the packed suitcase that she hid under the bed last night while Josh was visiting his friend with Abigail.

It wasn't an easy decision to make but she's decided to leave with her parents after all. Being a mother just isn't what she's cut out for right now and although it's killing her to leave- she genuinely believes in her heart that it's the right thing to do.

"Moms going to meet us in the parking lot and then after graduation she wants to take us out for dinner". This piece of information takes Ness a little by surprise. She was hoping to leave tonight while Abigail is sleeping over at Josh's parents and he's at Bryce's after party. It's a curveball for sure but she still has time to make up an excuse to not attend.

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Principal Decker calls out each of the graduating classmates one by one and they join him on stage, waving to their parents, friends, and teachers. The whole ceremony was emotional for everyone to say the least but it was also a memorable day that they'll all remember for the rest of their lives. Mads was selected this year as Valedictorian which was a little difficult for Nessa to process but she still congratulated her best friend nonetheless. These things happen. She was proud of Mads, really.

After all the students had received their diplomas, they all stood together for the final time before shifting their tassels and being announced as official high school graduates. The sea of blue students threw their hats into the air in the sort of cliche way you'd see in the movies. People hugged their friends, wishing them the best and promising to keep in touch.

Mads and Nessa shared a hug that Nessa made sure was long and special. She didn't know when the next time she'd be able to do so would be so she made the most it. Bryce had gathered all of his brothers into a huddle, yelling about how this wasn't the end, ensuring them that they weren't getting rid of him this easy. Josh and Jaden broke apart from the huddle first, sharing their own embrace and a few exchanged words of encouragement about the future. The parents all joined the students, some of them crying with tears of joy. Patty and Chris located their son quickly along with a very awake and hyper Abigail who was trying her best to lift her head- curiosity getting the best of her.