We're Not Strangers Anymore

Epilogue

Two years and several months had now passed by calmly since that harrowing day on March the 30th, 1985. At the end of that bitter day, Martin Manley was taken to the local police station and immediately charged with multiple counts of murder; he had pleaded not guilty for the duration of the case and police investigation but had received a life sentence anyway, with the eligible option of parole in twenty-five years time. To cut to present day, it was the highly anticipated Belgrave Academy O-level results day, and Emily Webb was waiting patiently with her nervous boyfriend, dressed head-to-toe in black.
'Come on, where is he? He said he'd be ten minutes at that bloody chip shop, so far he's taken about twenty!'
'Hey,' Charlie Broomer said calmly, placing both hands on his girlfriend's tense shoulders. 'Relax, he'll be here in a minute.'
Emily Webb waited a solid thirty seconds before blurting out: 'Right, he's clearly not coming. Let's just open our envelopes now.'
Suddenly, a gravelly voice called out from behind them. 'Alright, campers?'
Charlie Broomer laughed, extending his free arm for a handshake. 'Where have you been?'
'Wanted to grab a few chips first, didn't I?' Jamie said, taking his friend's hand and shaking it firmly. 'Can't expect a man to go hungry,' he mumbled with a mouth full of chips.
'Yeah, you'll waste away,' Charlie quipped, moving his eyes and repositioning them onto Jamie's chubby stomach. 'Looking forward to opening these results then, mate?'
'Definitely,' Jamie said, his voice full of confidence. 'Just a tad worried that I'll be too overqualified for that vacancy in Sally's Café, that's all.'
Emily rolled her eyes, patted him on the back sarcastically, and said, 'I don't think you need to be too worried about that, Jamie.'
The three of them were standing together, and both Emily and Jamie's eyebrows gestured towards Charlie's envelope. 'You first, Broomer,' Jamie said.
'Yeah,' Emily agreed, 'you first, Broomy.'
'Here goes nothing,' Charlie whispered to himself, both anxious and apprehensive.
At first he began to read his grades mentally, and then he smiled and read them aloud. 'Three A's and a B.'
'Oh my god!' Emily shouted, alarming passing students, 'come here and give me a hug! That's excellent. I'm really proud of you.' She placed her hands on his cheek and began to rub them in a circular motion. After wrapping her arms her around his broad shoulders, she mimed the words I love you.
Charlie smiled back at her and turned to Jamie. 'Come on then doctor Manley, let's see if you've got what it takes to join Belgrave's leading Café.'
Jamie shook his head. 'Here goes nothing. And before I open these, I just want to say a little something—'
'Here we go,' Emily muttered behind her hand to Charlie. Jamie saw this, and she said, 'I'm only joking, Jamie. You know I love you really, and I'm sure you've done great. Stop worrying about it.'
He nodded. 'I just want to say that... well, I know I'm not exactly the coldest can in the fridge at times, and I never have been, but I just want to thank you both for helping me get my head down. You know, revising and stuff. I really appreciate it.'
Charlie jokingly patted his friend's head. 'You're welcome, you big softie. Now open that bloody envelope before the suspense physically kills us.'
Jamie Manley grinned at Emily, then back at Charlie. 'Alright then, here we go.'
He pulled at the flap until it became unattached from the rest of the envelope. Smiling nervously, he pulled out the slip of paper.
'Well, what did you get?' asked Emily.
Jamie looked confused. 'I... I got four A's.'
'You what?' Charlie said, taking the piece of paper from his friend's hand. 'Oh my good lord, he did as well!'
Emily was speechless. 'You can come and give me a hug and all,' she said, 'because that is amazing! You've done so well!'
Jamie looked down at the ground, a tear floating in his eye. 'My Mum is gonna be well proud. I did it...'
'No,' said Charlie, who was now hanging his arm around Jamie's shoulder. 'We did it.'
Emily put her spare arm around Jamie too, opting to open her envelope with her teeth. She pulled out the letter and read it aloud.
'Two down, one to go,' Charlie added amusedly.
She looked down at the paper, glanced at a group of passing students, and then looked back at the boys. 'I got four A stars,' she said through teary eyes.
Charlie and Jamie took it in turns to hug her. When Charlie hugged her, he leaned in and whispered, 'you've done amazingly. I'm proud of you.'
The two shared a kiss, and Jamie looked out into the distant sunset.
'What is it, mate?' Charlie asked, staring at his seemingly vacant friend.
Jamie turned to face the couple, who were still half-embraced in a tight hug.
'Nothing,' Jamie said. 'I'm just wondering which pub we're going to, y'know, to celebrate.'
Emily erupted into a fit of laughter. Charlie shook his head, stifling a forthcoming laugh.
'Jamie!' Emily said, shaking her hand, 'we both thought you were about to say something meaningful, something important!'
Jamie frowned, and said, 'My dead sister-in-law, I think you'll find that there's nothing quite as important than a hard-worker choosing a place to celebrate in, especially with his two best friends in the whole, wide world.'
Charlie looked into Emily's eyes and smiled. 'Right then,' Charlie said, beginning to stretch his arms and straighten his back. 'Let's go and celebrate.'
And so the three walked down the long and winding path, smiling, laughing and joking, pleasantly curious and unaware of what their next big adventure would entail.