Mila never got to make her Valedictorian speech, although I’m sure it would’ve been about self-importance and getting back at your enemies no matter what the cost—because that’s the real lesson I’d learned. She was the prom queen of nothing, and I at least had Kaleb and his tight grip on my hand.
“Your aunt wanted to give congratulations on graduating,” my dad said, hugging me as we moved to leave. “She’s jealous she couldn’t be here to watch a live birth.”
“You should’ve told her it’s like watching a cow give birth to a calf, but with more wailing,” I said.
They laughed before my mom hushed. “Don’t be mean, child birth is beautiful.”
“In private,” I said. “I think someone live streamed.”
“Sorry?” my mom asked.
“When they upload and film at the same time,” my dad explained. “Anyway, celebratory dinner, where are we going?”
Before we could go anywhere, we had to head back home to drop off the cap and gowns and mock diplomas. On the floor, walking into the house there was a letter with the UCLA stamp on the front for Kaleb, there was another stamp marking the letter urgent.
Without a second look, he tore it open and handed it to my mom.
“Dear Mr. Kaleb Delgado,” she said. She mumbled a couple words, going through the rest of the letter. “After reviewing your application, we have granted permission with exceptional circumstance and condition. We would like to welcome you to the University of California, Los Angeles for the fall semester.”
“I got in?” he asked. “I got in!”
I grabbed him and hugged him, keeping him in my arm. “I knew you could,” I said, tears in my eyes. I pulled away to see we shared the same teary-eyed look.
“You can never get rid of me now,” he said.
My mom sobbed from behind. “We’ll leave you two,” she said.
They waited in the car as we stayed inside. It was refreshing. He held the letter in his hand and read it aloud to me in full, taking deep breaths and pausing in places.
“Better late than never,” I said. “But I knew it would come.”
He wiped the tears, glancing at me like he didn’t think I noticed. “I never thought—I—I just,” he snorted. “You believed in me.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to thank you, Zo.”
“Being here is thanks enough,” I said.
“You saw how I was.”
I pecked him on his cheek. “I bet my make-up has all run,” I said, wiping at my eyes. “Now you have to stay with me,” I said. Mainly because I wasn’t too sure how to function on my own. I’d never really been on myself before.
“I plan on it,” he said.
It was perfect. We’d soon be heading off to the same college. We knew more about each other than anyone else. It was a feeling inside, the same feeling that had once broken my heart. It was love, unconditionally and forever, the superglue to mend each other.
THE END
Epilogue
The summer before college was unforgettable. My parents had paid for a European trip for Kaleb and I. We were given a camera and a scrapbook and told to go make memories. We traveled through Spain, France, and Italy.
We ate good food and met great people. No two days were ever the same; it was perfection. Several times throughout in different countries, I knew Kaleb was doing something, he was collecting.
“Zoey,” he said, as I sipped coffee out on the balcony of our hotel room.
I looked up from my journal. “You okay?”
“When we get back, I don’t want anything to change,” he said.
“What about good change?”
He chuckled and inhaled a deep breath. “That’s just it.”
“You’re acting weird,” I said, glancing back at what I’d written in my journal.
“I love you.”
I smiled. “I love you too.”
The balcony of our hotel overlooked Rome. He pointed outside. “Isn’t it perfect.”
“I don’t want to leave.”
“Zo,” he said.
I turned. He was on one knee with his hands behind his back. I threw my hand to my mouth and tried to stand on my wobbly legs. “Kaleb?”
“Zoey Jensen.”
“Yes?”
“You saved me,” he said. “You gave me a reason to fight. You helped me, and I don’t know where I would be without you.”
A strange heat washed over my face. I sat back down. “I’m—I’m—”
“Zoey,” he said. “Will you marry me?” He presented an open ring box.
I was silent. The worst time possible to be silent. I couldn’t speak. My tongue became numb up in my mouth.
“Yes,” I said softly. “Yes. I’ll marry you!”
“Yes?” His eyes flooded with tears.
I nodded.
He reached out and pulled me in his arms, lifting me. We kissed.
An inaudible sound came from a phone on the bed. Kaleb grabbed it and pressed it to his ear. “She said yes,” he said.
“Who’s that?”
“Your parents,” he said, handing me the phone.
“Mom, dad?”
“Oh sweetie! I’m crying. I’m so happy for you,” my mom said.
“He’s a good kid,” my dad said, chuckling. “Hope you’re having fun.”
He’d asked my parents for permission to marry me, just how he’d asked them to take me to prom. While we were by no means perfect, we’d found each other and fought through hate to fall in love. It was unbreakable.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I must thank Tonya Polk. Thank you for being there when the ideas came and telling me to suck it up. I needed that more than you’ll know.
Thank you for everyone who believed in me. If you’ve been following, you’ll see that I’ve gone through an identity crisis of sorts. You’ll have seen the good, the bad, and the plain ol’ crazy. I can’t say I’ve always been 100 per cent certain about myself, but im pretty damn sure I’m close.
Coffee and regular scheduled TV breaks are also part of the reason I got this book done, and in a timely manner no less. Coffee is the real MVP of the publishing industry.
About the Author
JOSEPH JAMES HUNT
Born in Lancaster, England during the summer of 1993.
A writer from a young age, stories have always played a huge part in HUNTs life.
Forever reading and writing, telling stories aloud.
Be ready to fall in love, find new fears, and exist in dreams.
www.ItsJoeHunt.com
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