Girl's Love | Editing |

Epilogue

Today was the day. I had everything planned. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, I dialed Amber's cell.

"You're going to be home soon, right?" I whined. "I can't wait this long..."

"My class just got out," replied Amber. "You know I have to walk to my car, right?"

"I know but... AAAAGH! Why do you have class on Friday?!"

"Reese, you get out the same time as I do. It's not like you can watch it any quicker."

I heaved a heavy sigh. It was October 5th, 2018. I was now a senior in high school, and Amber was a sophomore at TCNJ. We'd likely get home at the same time, but I still couldn't wait.

Bloom into You had been turned into an anime. And it was available today on an anime streaming service called Hi-Dive. Since I worked, I decided to buy a year's subscription to watch it. Gary was fully on-board to watch the show with me. So were most of our friends.

I met Gary in the parking lot. He was standing next to his car. Smiling when I came into view, he started walking towards me. I placed a peck on his lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and I draped mine over his shoulders.

Amanda, Peter, and Maddy approached behind us.

"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed. "Think we have some competition, Mads."

He was holding hands with Maddy. He pulled her in for a quick kiss. She grinned and kissed him back.

"It's not a competition," I replied, playfully sticking my tongue out.

"Get a room, all of you," Amanda muttered.

I laughed and patted her shoulder. "Sorry. You guys ready to go?"

Everyone affirmed, and we piled into Gary's car. The drive was quick, but it felt like it was an hour. The wait was torturous. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I launched myself out and ran to the door.

Neal insisted on taking the bus, so we had time before he and Paige showed up. Uncle Erik still enforced his "No dating until high school policy." So basically, the moment he set foot in his new school, my brother asked Paige to be his girlfriend. She said yes.

I guess he got his game from his sister. Well, sisters.

Amber and Lily were still going strong. Lily followed her girlfriend to TCNJ; she was currently a freshman. Her parents were much more accepting of their daughter and Amber than they were a year and a half ago. Neal, Uncle Erik, and I were even friendly with them.

I immediately jumped on the couch and reached for the remote. We downloaded the app on our TV in order to watch the show. Now all I had to do was open it, select the show, and wait for everyone to arrive. As I logged in to the app, the door creaked open.

Amber and Lily entered the house. I grinned. "Hey! I'm just setting up!"

"Hey Reese!" Lily greeted. She patted my back. "So... this is the manga you and Amber read together, right?"

"Yep."

Amber took the seat next to me. I smiled as she pulled me into a hug.

"You ready for this?" she asked.

I grinned. "I was born ready!"

I turned back to the TV. I found the show and clicked on it. My heart pounded in my chest. Now that Amber was here, I couldn't wait any longer. Unfortunately, I had to. Mark was picking up pizza, and Neal and Paige weren't here yet.

I wished Sarah could be here, but her schedule didn't allow it. She had met her special someone while studying biology at Rutgers. I would have loved to meet her. So would Amber and everyone else. Sarah eventually came out as a lesbian to her friends, and ever since, they've been begging to meet any potential girlfriends.

Neal and Paige arrived, greeting everyone and sitting on the floor. Mark was the last to arrive. The boxes he brought smelled amazing, indicating that there were circles of cheesy tomato goodness waiting for us.

Now everyone was here. They were grabbing paper plates and taking their pizza. They found a place on the couch, spare seats, or the floor.

"Everyone ready?" I asked. Responses ranged from a "hell yeah!" to nods of the head. I laughed and pressed play.

Immediately, I noticed how vibrant and smooth the animation was. Yuu's voice sounded just like how I heard her in my head, blending perfectly with the piano track. I looked to Amber next to me as the title card presented itself. She looked back at me, smiling.

"Why does it have to have subtitles?" Neal asked. "Doesn't it have a dub?"

"It literally just came out in Japan," I said. "They need to time to cast people, record, the whole thing."

"They don't come out until at least a year later," added Lily.

Neal crossed his arms. "Well, I guess that makes sense," he muttered.

Paige leaned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Can we try to save for the talking for later?" she asked. "I can't listen and read at the same time."

A smile immediately lit up my brother's face. He placed a quick kiss on her head. "Sorry," he said, turning back to the screen.

Yuu had been convinced to observe a student council meeting. Then the moment came where she saw Touko for the first time. I smiled, the nostalgia and butterflies hitting all at once. The music, the way Touko's image appeared in Yuu's eyes, their voices... it gave the manga pages so much more life than I could have imagined.

The girls walked to the student council. Then a wind blew leaves across the screen as Touko introduced herself. Yuu's eyes were wide with wonder, and perhaps, love.

"Ha! GAAAY!" Peter shouted.

I exchanged looks with Amber. Both of us burst into laughter.

"Yeah... I think that's the point," retorted Mark.

"Listen, I'm not going to miss an opportunity to quote Community."

The rest of the episode unfolded similarly to the manga. Touko held Yuu's hand as she rejected the boy who confessed to her in middle school. When the call ended, the two were still holding hands.

"Oh shit, it's happening," Gary said under his breath. He stood behind the couch, draping his arms over me. Now, he tightened his hold and leaned his head against my shoulder.

"Alright everybody, stay calm," Peter said, now quoting The Office. "Stay calm. Stay fucking calm!!"

"Bruh..." Neal sighed, face-palming.

"I think I'm falling in love you."

"I don't... I don't understand at all."

Everyone clapped and cheered as an emotional ballad played over the credits.

"Wait," Amanda eventually said. "If Marvel has taught us anything, it's that we need to check for after-credits."

"Good point," I replied. Sure enough, there was a post-credits scene in which Touko asked Yuu to be her campaign manager.

Yep, this is where it all started. The series that I would come to share with Amber, and now Neal and our friends. Our family. After everything we went through a year and a half ago, we all had something that bound us together.

And that was pretty cool.