90s Love

Chapter 50

1996

The news about Nico spread like wildfire. And as much as that worried me, no one started pointing fingers our way. Even with the police involvement, it looked like they weren't that interested in searching for a wanted felon's killer. Nico had been up to no good ever since he was released, and if the law wasn't gonna catch up to him, the streets were. And that was beyond their control.

And with the streets without their leader, it, of course, got a little wild for a minute. Guys wanted to step up and claim the now empty spot, doing whatever they could to grab it. It led to some violence and altercations, but it all calmed down around March.

It was a new normal. It wasn't until after Nico was gone, I realized how much his presence affected the community. There were a lot more friendly smiles and community gatherings, a lot more times where people felt at peace rather than tense and worried about what was going on the next block over.

Things were getting better, improving day by day, and as weird as it was to see, it was refreshing.

The girls and I managed to get through our senior year without another problem or hitch. Of course, Lorenzo tried to make his way back around Kaylen, but she wasted no time to shut that down, seeing that she learned her lesson loud and clear. She ended up going to prom with our Student Body Vice President, Bobby Nixon, who was cute enough to ask her with a rose. And with the way he got down on the dance floor, she had no complaints.

Rocky managed to get Tahj's attention and affection. The two of them went to prom together, my heart literally melting with happiness as I watched the two of them slow dance and smile at each other like they were the only two in the room.

Will and Leon, the most shocking couple of my high school existence, still managed to go strong. Will most definitely stole the show once she walked through those doors with Leon, looking like nothing less than a Queen in her dress, showing all of the curves I knew she had.

Nicki managed to keep her no boys rule throughout the whole year. She focused on herself and had fun doing what she wanted to. And that might have just been the reason why she ended up stealing Bianca's date from her on the dance floor. The look on Bianca's face watching the two sent me laughing to the point I was practically in tears.

Quincy and Bianca had one last final conversation, that I was present for, in which he confronted her about her behavior, telling her she was in the wrong for saying what she said, the way that she said it. He ended the whole thing off by telling her, and I quote, to go "kick rocks" before grabbing my hand and walking off.

All of those moments led up to the moment we'd all been waiting for.

Graduation.

The smile on my face was unerasable as I watched my best friend Ms. Student Body President and Valedictorian make the best speech I'd ever heard in my life.

"We've been through a lot. Inside this school building and out. And I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to go through it with. Sure, we all didn't live the best lives and had our own personal struggles, but we managed to get here, to our graduation day, where we're being recognized for the hard work we've put in throughout the years. It wasn't easy, it wasn't always fun, but we did it. And I just hope that as we all go our separate ways, we don't forget about this, we don't forget about where we came from. 'Cause if we could make it through these circumstances, there's no obstacle too hard, too long, or too high for us to reach and surpass."

"Whoo!" A voice screamed, making all of us start to clap.

"We were meant to succeed." Rocky just looked up from her speech page, scanning through the crowd as she spoke. "And that's one thing I truly believe in."