the secret » david dobrik au

F I F T Y - F O U R

"Do not move. Let me take a picture of that for my lock screen," I instructed David. Most of us were in the hospital room with Alyssa now. After they made sure everything was good and both mom & baby were healthy, we were all allowed back in. It was pretty late in the afternoon, so all of the grandparents had left. It was much more peaceful and less crowded.

David was holding Colette Grace Harrison (yes, the baby was taking Alyssa's last name, which I thought was smart). When I told Alyssa my middle name was also Grace, she frowned and asked her mom if it was too late to change it. Nicolette rolled her eyes and said yes.

"Smile!" I said, and David grinned at the camera while I snapped a picture of him and the sleeping baby. "Okay, now do one looking at her. Oh my gosh, this is just adorable. This is the best day of my life."

"I feel like a model."

"You don't look like one," Alyssa commented from the bed, where she was slurping down a milkshake like there was no tomorrow. David gave her a look, but she just cheekily smiled at him. "Can I have my baby back?"

"She's sleeping," Gabriel told her. "Wait until she wakes up."

"Come sit with me, Evangeline," Alyssa patted the empty spot on her bed. "If he gets my baby, it's only fair that I get his."

Her wording grossed me out, but I didn't know how to tell her no, especially since she just birthed a literal baby a few hours ago. I climbed in the bed with her and she tossed the blanket over my legs. She said, "You know, I think I like you."

"You do?" I raised my eyebrows in shock.

"Yeah. It's more fun when people don't take my shit."

"I get that," I nodded. "Maybe if you didn't give out so much shit, more people wouldn't take it. You know, if you do it every once in a while and surprise then, they probably wouldn't accept it."

She gave me a thoughtful look, and then shrugged. She said, "Maybe you're right. I have to be an adult now anyways, since I'm a mom."

"You'll be a good one," I told her, though I wasn't exactly sure that was the case. Even if she was a shitty mom, I knew the baby would end up normal with Nicolette and Gabriel around. "You should probably rest while Colette is sleeping. It's been a long day. I'm tired and all I did was sit around."

"You would be tired," she just couldn't help her snarky comment, but she also probably had stitches holding her vagina together, so I let it slide. "Wake me up when she wakes up."

"You'll probably hear her."

David and I had to leave by the time it got dark so we could get home to rest before our tests the next day.

"You looked cute holding the baby," he said when we finally got into pajamas and got in bed.

"Don't get any ideas," I laughed, patting his arm where it was tightly wrapped around my waist. "I have, like, a hundred babies already. I don't need anyone else to take care of."

"And you do it so well," he kissed my neck. "We appreciate you. I seriously don't think the boys would've survived without you. Usually our sweethearts don't do anything."

"Really? I don't even know what they are," I turned over to face him.

"We usually do some kind of dumb competition where you, like, fold clothes and shit. I don't know. I never liked it. We'd still have dinners, but it was catered or Maggie would help us cook," Maggie was the house mom. I had met her a few times in passing, but she was never super nice to me like she was to the boys. David told me she was intimidated by me, which always made me laugh. "They'd bring cookies and shit sometimes. Usually, we'd just pick the girl we liked the most, not who won the competition. It's always been one of the bros. Kelsey was last year's sweetheart. You know her."

"Countertop girl," I nodded. She danced on countertops a lot at parties, which is how she got her nickname. Technically, my roommates and I were the only ones that used the nickname, but it still counted. "She's always nice to me."

"Yeah, she's chill. It helps if you don't hook up with all the boys. The sweetheart is supposed to be like a sister."

"Well, shit," I jokingly slid a few inches away from him. "They're going to revoke my membership."

"You've made it until finals week. I think that means you're safe," he grabbed me and pulled me right back into him. "Whoever they pick next year is going to fucking hate you."

"Why would you say that?" I frowned. "I'm likeable."

"You are. They're just going to have a lot to live up to," he smiled. "I won't even be living here, so you won't have a reason to be here besides parties. They're going to be so sad without your cooking."

"I will obviously still cook for them if they want me to."

"You never know, you could be our first sweetheart with two terms. To be honest, you might have a spot here all four years."

"I'd do it if the new boys are nice. By the time I'm a senior, it'll basically be a whole new roster. Who would I even sit with at our dinners?" I was already freaking out, and it wasn't even happening.

"Let's not stress yet," he lightly patted my cheek. "Go to sleep. We've been up for too long."

"Okay. Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too, Ev."

Freshman year went by in a flash. I was done with my finals quickly, and packing up my entire room to move back home for the summer. It was bittersweet. I never thought I'd even make it to college, much less thrive there, but this past year had been the best of my life.

Taking chances and doing things I never thought I'd do made me a different person. Looking back, the Evan before coming to college was shy and nervous and always looking over her shoulder, wondering what shitty thing was coming to fuck her life up next. I was a new woman. I talked to people openly and laughed and partied and smiled until my face physically hurt. The old me was miserable and felt so alone, but the new me knew I would always have people who loved me as long as I stayed true to myself.

I owed most of that to David. I thought previously that our day at the amusement park, the day after he found me and promised to keep my secret, was the best day of my life, but I was wrong.

With him, every day was the best day of my life. Every day felt new and excited and hopeful. Every day was magic, pure magic. He made it so easy. He was the kind of boy that you'd see in a movie when you were in middle school and wonder when yours would come to save you.

Luckily, mine came at just the right time.

Please do not panic people i am writing an epilogue because i refuse to have a 54 chapter book but yeah...... i think thats the end. It just sits right with me and hopefully it will with you guys too :)))) have a good night everyone

xoxoxo abby