last summer - jack gilinsky

thirty eight

song of the chapter - out loud by gabbie hanna
(i definitely recommend you listen towards the middle! it'll make so much sense then 💗)

two weeks later

i helped as much as i could with moving the boxes out of my house.

i'd be staying with daniella and amie until the end of the semester, and then i'd be transferring schools. staying in alabama would be too much for me.

i decided on louisville. their dance team is even better than alabama, one of our rivals even. i wanted to wait to tell my coaches and team until i had everything at my apartment in louisville. i had been accepted by their coach already despite the pregnancy.

jack and my dad had packed my bed, dresser, and kitchen table so far into the uhaul. my dad decided to take a week off to drive from tuscaloosa to louisville before he had to be in milan. he wanted to see some of the american scenery before he went to italy.

"i'm proud of you for this rose. i know how much you liked it here." jack hugged me gently, knowing i was still recovering from the surgery. by the grace of god, my baby was okay. i knew carly's intent when she pointed that gun at me, and she did not win.

her funeral was today. i heard the only people that planned to show was her family. not even sammy's family went to her funeral, instead they spent time fighting court to receive full custody of baby sam.

"i am too." i laughed lightly, kissing jack's cheek.

as jack walked away, my phone rang. my heart stopped at the name.

marcella o'hare

skyler's mom.

hesitantly, i answered the call.

"rose, is it?"

i rolled my eyes. "yes."

"when did you plan to tell me you were having my son's baby?"

i swallowed hard. "after the baby shower."

"oh, sweet little rose. you must be forgetting who our family is." she laughed. no wonder her son believed it was okay to put his hands on women; he was raised by her.

"you must be forgetting who my family is." i retorted. she might be the money of new york, but my family has the money of los angeles. if she thinks she can intimidate me, she's wrong.

"your baby will come to live with scott and i. we will raise him well, like we raised skyler . until you had him ripped from us." marcella practically demanded.

"my child is going no where near you or your family." i informed her matter of factly. "did you know your son was abusive, mrs. desmarais?"

"my skyler would never."

"i know you saw how the apartment looked after i left him. i know the police report got back to you, and i know you paid off the officers so it didn't go public that he hurt me. he must've learned that behavior somewhere, right marcella? does scott hit you?"

i knew i was probably taking this too far, but if this woman has the nerve to ask me to hand over my son, i think she can handle some truth.

"i.. i.." she stammered. "scott loves me."

"my baby will never even know who the hell you are." i hung up the phone and breathed in deeply.

"dad ." i called out, walking to find my dad.

"what's wrong mija?"

"we're going to need a lawyer."

-

"can i touch your stomach, or is that weird?" daniella asked, sipping a glass of wine.

"it's okay." i laughed, letting her put a hand on my stomach. i felt him move and she moved her hand back in shock.

"oh my gosh!" she laughed. "you're having a baby!"

"ooh, okay, okay. let me try." amie said, putting her hand on next. once again, the baby moved. the reality hit me once again that in a few months, i'd be having a baby.

i would give him the best life, a life he couldn't receive and wouldn't have received if skyler was around. if i had been too scared to leave him. if scott and marcella got custody of him.

i hadn't asked jack to move to kentucky with me, and honestly i was scared to. i shouldn't expect him to move there just because we lived in alabama together. that was a different time, and we aren't the same anymore. we both hurt each other.

i went to sleep early, since daniella and amie were just drinking wine and watching the notebook.

sam walked up to me, putting his hand on my cheek.

"how are you here?" i asked, my voice barely above a whisper. i felt every emotion. confusion. scared. happy. sad.

"i'm always here rose." he smiled. my hand went up to his, the familiar warmth of his hand against mine soothing my nerves.

"i miss you. so much." i held him. i felt him. hearing his voice was so refreshing.

"i know rosie. i meant it when i said i will always love you." hearing him say these words to me again brought tears to my eyes.

"i love you too sammy."

"everything will be okay, alright? i promise you." he kissed my forehead and i shut my eyes tightly.

"don't go. please."

"i'll come back." he turned away and walked away.

i shot up in my bed and opened my eyes, tears flowing down my cheeks. my room was empty. it all felt so real, but it was a dream. a damn dream. i looked around frantically, hoping to see some sign that it wasn't a dream. all i saw was the time: 12:18 AM. the same time sam had last texted me.

i knew one thing after this: sam was my guardian angel.

AN:

so, i'm not honestly too deeply religious, but i thought the idea of sam looking over rose would be such a beautiful concept. he said he'd always love her and even after his death he is still there for her. 😭