Serenity Falls

Chapter 59

Sorry this is a short chapter! It's only this one and an epilogue left :( Hope you enjoy!

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The dance was coming to a close about two hours later, and gradually the crowd of students in the gymnasium began to disperse as they all made their way outside: posing for last minute photos with their friends, kissing whoever they happened to get lucky with, congratulating Kayla on her new victory.

"Thanks!" she told probably the hundredth person to come up to her that night, as she made her way out of the gym with Alyssa and Courtney. Despite the number of times she had heard the same phrase that night, her enthusiasm had not faded, and she still thanked the person with as much cheerfulness as if they were the first.

"You want a ride home?" Alyssa asked Courtney, as the three of them headed out of the door, jangling her car keys in her hand. She had driven her and Kayla herself, but her ‘date’ who she had arrived with had disappeared off somewhere and she hadn’t seen him for the whole duration of the dance. Still, she wasn’t bothered about that... he had only been some random guy off the football team, who would look good on her arm. His current whereabouts was not her concern.

"Thanks," Courtney murmured, averting her eyes downward. "I doubt Carter will be taking me home now..."

"Forget about that ass," Alyssa commanded, smiling brightly at Courtney. "We’ll find you someone way better than him. Although it’ll have to be quick... since I’m leaving next week." Her face fell and she sighed deeply, as the three of them set off down the path in the direction of the school parking lot.

"Serenity Falls won’t be the same without you..." Courtney said, with a small sigh.

"Well, Kayla’s going to have to a pretty good job taking over from me," Alyssa said, turning to her blonde friend with a smile. "There’s a lot of pressure on you, you know."

Kayla looked solemn for a moment, thinking about something. "What do I actually have to do as president?" she asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

Alyssa hesitated for a moment. "Stand there and look pretty."

"I can manage that." Kayla nodded enthusiastically, a grin spreading across her face.

As the main path disappeared from beneath their feet, they found themselves standing at the edge of the parking lot. It was busy, and no matter where they stood, they always seemed to be under the harsh glare of somebody’s headlights.

"Where are you parked?" Courtney asked, lifting up her hand to shield her eyes.

"Uh..." Alyssa’s coral blue eyes scanned the parking lot, in search of her familiar black Jaguar. When they finally found it, she was slightly surprised to see a figure standing directly next to it.

"Who’s that?" Kayla asked, voicing Alyssa’s thoughts.

As they approached, the identity of the mystery figure became clear, although Alyssa could not say that it was someone she was pleased to see. Her eyes narrowed as their gazes met. "What are you doing here? I’m quite capable of driving myself home."

Mr Taylor inhaled sharply, running a hand through his soft blonde hair. "Alyssa... I came to apologise."

"Wait, what?" Alyssa could barely believe the words that were coming from her father’s mouth. He, Richard Taylor, was actually apologising? That was completely out of character – he was never usually one to swallow his pride; he would always go out of his way to make sure that the other party felt that they were the guilty ones, even if in reality, they weren’t.

"Tiffani admitted everything about the baby... I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, Alyssa."

"She admitted?"

"Yes. I found some texts on her phone..." Mr Taylor shook his head vigorously as his words trailed off. "Never mind. The thing is, I found out the truth. She tried to deny it at first, but in the end she saw sense and owned up. Now I know that you were telling the truth, and I really am sorry for not trusting you."

Alyssa stood there, completely shocked. In fact, she was so shocked she could not force coherent words out of her mouth. All she was able to do was stand there, her mouth open slightly as she tried to take in what was happening.

"And Tiffani...?"

"She’s gone." Mr Taylor’s words were sharp, cutting through the air like a knife. "I gave her until tonight to pack her things and leave... and she did."

Alyssa couldn’t help but feel a tiny slither of sympathy for her father when she saw the saddened glaze of his blue eyes – the exact same shade of her own. Even though the prospect of never having to see Tiffani again in her life made her want to jump for joy, she still felt bad for her father, who had probably thought that Tiffani was a genuine person. Still, it was better that he knew the truth, and their family would be better off without her.

Mr Taylor looked at her intently. "And also... I’ve changed my mind about the boarding school."

Despite the feeling of ecstasy that her father’s words gave her, Alyssa still found herself frozen to the spot with shock, unsure of how to react. Thankfully, the two girls by her sides did it for her, letting out an excited squeal as they simultaneously gripped onto her arms.

"Oh my God!"

"You’re staying!"

Mr Taylor smiled. "Seems like your friends are happy about it."

"We are!" Courtney screeched, grinning at Alyssa’s father. "Thank you so much, Mr Taylor! Serenity Falls wouldn’t be the same without her."

He nodded duly at her, with a small smile, before turning his attention back to his daughter, who still hadn’t managed to form a sentence. "I’ll leave you to make your own way home, then. I expect there’ll be some after party that you want to go to, anyway."

Alyssa suddenly snapped back to reality, shaking her head vigorously to clear her mind. She paused. "Uh, no, actually. There’s not. I think we’ll just head back home. Is it okay if these two stay over?"

She couldn’t be completely sure, but she could’ve sworn that she saw her father’s eyes light up slightly at her answer. "No, no... that’s fine." He smiled warmly at her.

"I’ll see you back at the house, Dad."

"Yes. Goodbye," he told her, with a small wave as he turned and started in the direction of where his car was parked.

"Hop in, bitches," Alyssa grinned at her friends, as she unlocked the car doors and slid effortlessly into the drivers’ seat, sliding her key into the ignition with one slick movement of her hand. "Looks like I’m staying here for good now."

Courtney grinned back at her, as she hopped into the back seat alongside Kayla. "Thank God. Honestly, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. Me and the whole of Serenity Falls, that is."

"Well, fear no more," Alyssa responded, pounding her foot down on the accelerator and causing the car to move easily out of its parking space. "Because Alyssa Taylor ain’t going anywhere."

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Ahhh, so Alyssa's staying! I just couldn't end it with her leaving. Serenity Falls just wouldn't be the same without Alyssa :P

THERE IS ONLY THE EPILOGUE LEFT. I can't believe this story is ending! I've been uploading this since July, so it's like... whoa, lol. I remember telling my mum that 250 people had read my story and now it's gone up to like 140,000. Thank you so so much!

If you're looking for something else to read, don't forget that I've got another story! It's called "Musically Gifted? Well, I Used to Play the Recorder..." and it's a funny one :) If you're looking for a laugh, you should check it out :D If you're on a mobile, its mobile code is 2610259.

^ Whoa, long author's note. Anyway, until next time where I will be leaving my last author's note :'(