Tragedy ✔️

Epilogue

𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. - 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗟'𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘

• • •

Epilogue: The Night I Gained Everything
Sophia Crawford

PROM NIGHT, A FEW DAYS LATER

They say that tragedy can ruin even the strongest of people.

Tragedy nearly cost both River and my life because the both of us chose to blame ourselves for something that was beyond our control-death. But in reality, it brought the two of us together. Our tragedies brought us together because it was something the two of us had in common: we lost someone we deeply cared for and loved and we blamed ourselves for their deaths, but when our souls collided, we realised that our past doesn't define who we are.

River and my life might have been built on tragedy but it didn't stop us from becoming the best of who we can be.

All the panic attacks, the anxiety attacks, the depression, the guilt, the pain and suffering from blaming ourselves for something we couldn't have controlled nearly took us down and I guess it would have if we didn't have each other to hold onto.

Yes, the guilt of losing our loved ones when we could've had a different outcome was still lingering in the air around us, but we just chose to ignore it.

River and I might have had different backstories, but we shared the same pain, but instead of that pain bringing us down, it brought us together. We fought the pain together. We fought through the guilt and all the suffering together.

River's father passed away early this morning. The cancer took over his entire body and it was just a matter of days since the last visit and River knew it, but he said what he needed to say and River didn't have any regrets since.

River was supposed to be grieving for another person he has lost in his life, but when he took my hand in his and led me further into the gym and through the dancing bodies so that he can dance with me, all I saw written across his face was happiness.

He was happy for the first time in a very long time and I granted him that. He didn't need any more reminders of his father, so I let him lead me through the dancing bodies and I threw my hands over his shoulders.

He looked utterly handsome in a navy-blue tuxedo that complimented his eyes. His blond hair was combed backward and styled to perfection.

There wasn't a single strand of hair out of place.

And what made him even more handsome was the fact that he was beaming. He didn't look like the old River anymore, the one who always came to school busted up and bloodied. He looked like a completely new person with his hair styled backwards and his smile so wide that it nearly reached his ears. There wasn't a single bruise anywhere on his knuckles or face. He didn't fight again.

There was only one single difference on River and that was the new tattoo he had on his collarbone, peeking out through the white buttoned up shirt he was wearing. The words read: there is light at the end of the darkest tunnel.

When I first met River, I thought he was going to add to the darkness in my life, but it was the complete opposite of that. River led me out of the darkness. I needed to see the light and he was the one who finally showed it to me again.

The tattoo meant everything to us because it was something we both needed to be reminded of: that there was always light at the end of every tunnel.

He leans in, his cologne and minty breath filling my nostrils when he speaks. "You look so beautiful, Sophia." He snakes his hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"You look handsome yourself, River." I smile, and for the first time in a very long time, it reached my eyes.

• • •

River Jenkins

She was the most beautiful girl in the entire world.

She had on a slitted navy-blue dress to match my tuxedo, her hair was straightened and not wavy like is usually was.

She had her make-up done. Only a swirl of eyeliner, lipstick and mascara. She wanted to keep her scar out in the open and I was proud of her for doing so. She had physical scars whereas I had mine was imprinted onto my heart, but that scar slowly started to heal the more time I spent with Sophia Crawford.

She smiles at me when I kissed her forehead.

"Our tragedies did bring us together after all." I tell her over the music. "And I couldn't be more grateful that it did. I don't regret meeting you, Sophia."

She nods. "It really did bring us together. And I don't regret meeting you either, River Jenkins."

Our love story was formed on a million tragedies, but our tragedies didn't break us, they led us to each other instead.

And sometimes you need to go through some sort of tragedy to get to the light.

Mine was Sophia.

She is my light.

She was the light at the end of the tunnel for me.

And I hope that you would find yours.

Don't let tragedy bring you down. Don't let the past define who you are.