A Rose by Any Other Name

Chapter 41: Final Chapter

Writer's Note-

Christina Grimmie did not deserve to die as young as she did or as tragically and she had an amazing voice. There are so many covers of this song but this version always makes me really feel it. This is the only song I could think of to end the story on.

Hey guys. So this is the last chapter. Here's a 10k reads demographic update. As of January 12th we have 10.8k+ reads I never thought we'd get here! I'll be posting my final writer's Note in another chapter so I'll leave what I have to say there.

Age:
13-18 (27%)
18-25 (28%)
25-35 (9%)
35-45 (1%)
Over 45 (1%)
Private (35%)

Gender:
Female (55%)
Male (12%)
Private (33%)

United States: 44.796%
Vietnam: 8.145%
Australia, Canada: 4.525%
UK: 4.977%
India: 3.62%
South Africa: 3.167%
Germany, The Philippines 2.715%
New Zealand, Ireland: 1.357%
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Ghana, Malaysia, Nigeria, Netherlands: 0.905%

Albania, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Italy, Jamaica, Lithuania, Myanmar, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago: each 0.452%

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Four months later.

Life goes on and eventually I guess I have to, too. Or, at least that's what Ky tells me.

"Sol, you're deliberately disobeying me. How many times do I have to tell you that your bed is in the living room? The sink is not your bed."

Sol raised her eyes sleepily and then sulked out of the sink to her bed on the floor, making offended noises all the while.

"Don't give me backtalk. If you just listened to me the first time I said things we wouldn't have this problem."

I moved a paper towel through the sink until it gleamed once again. Ever since I'd moved, Sol had become territorial over the strangest places. First had been a moving box and she had mewled while I collapsed the box and threw it out, and then the space behind my door, so that every time I tried to go into my bedroom I had to announce myself and hope she would move out of the way and now it was the sink.

I was a whirlwind of movement as I tried to clean my already spotless kitchen, tried to sweep my already sparkling floors. I didn't want him to get here and have things be less than spick and span.

My new place still didn't have a lot of pictures. Well no, that was a lie. My tv stand had a few pictures now; me and the tattoo crew, a picture of me, Darren, Tommy and Roe at a Spongebob musical, another picture of me and Roe, pictures of me graduating highschool and university. And then hidden in a corner a few of me and Mike over the years. Sure, I didn't really have any blood family, but I was finding my own way and building connections.

I heard soft rapping coming from the door and I ignored Sol as she gave me a judgmental look before following me to the door. She didn't like most guests but she always had that sense of initial curiosity.

I walked over quickly to the door, fixing my hair, and evening out my shirt before opening the door. I didn't even have to look the peephole, I knew.

Mike looked the way he always did, in short, perfect. He had grown out his hair, wavy dark blond strands covering his ears. The rim of his dark baseball cup, shadowed his face slightly. The corner's of Mike's grey eyes rinkled when he gave me a shy smile. The burgundy t-shirt he wore along with the dark jeans were casual but looked like Fashion Nova on him. He was carrying a medium sized cardboard box reminding me that this wasn't a social visit.