by Mia Castile
“I told Mr. Franklin that I was sick. Mrs. McCurdy seems to think I’m sick enough to go home.” She winked at me, keeping her voice solemn.
“Wel , you haven’t been feeling very wel these past few days.” I put my arm around her shoulders. We walked out of the school together. In the bright sun of the most beautiful day I’d ever known was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. And she was mine.
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Epilogue
What Doesn’t Kill Us Only Makes Us Stronger
Travis
Jil ian was prosecuted as an adult. Because it was her first offense, she didn’t have to go to jail; she did have five years of probation and had to register as a sex offender for the next twenty years. I thought it was a little harsh, but the judge said he wanted to send a message to teenagers who sent naked pictures of under-aged children over the web. She was expel ed from school and had to attend the alternative school. What surprised me was the complete turnaround it made in her. She is spending her spring break at UC-Berkley speaking about bul ying and the effects it has on young people. She has actual y spoken across the country and had to do a public service announcement that aired in our state.
I got six months of community service for my obstruction of justice, but it wouldn’t show up on my permanent record because I was a minor. I volunteered at a local shelter for women and children from abusive homes. Gianna volunteered, too, and though my sentenced ended last Saturday, we plan to return to our weekend volunteering after spring break.
Today we are on our way to spend spring break with my father. I’m actual y flying hundreds miles to visit him for the first time in eight years. Hailey sits by the window staring out at the blue sky. Gianna sits between us with me in the aisle seat. My father’s tumor is in remission. He has a new take on life and wants to start over, beginning with us. I only agreed to come if he paid for Gianna to come. He agreed, overjoyed that I would even consider it. I know we have a long way to go, but if he is serious about making an effort, so am I. Gia squeezes my hand as I soften my hard stare at the seat in front of me, contemplating the immediate future.
My strength comes from her. She is also a new creature. Since she had her breakdown and final y cried, she was able real y to mourn her mother.
She truly is beginning to put her life back together. Oliver has taken to fatherhood wel this time around. The three of them are becoming very close.
She’s my rock, and I have a feeling that I am hers, too. I’ve never loved her more than I do now. It seems that I can’t love her more, and the next day I do. She has revived something in me that I never knew I’d lost. We stil spend evenings in her once safe haven that is now our spot. And on those days that we watch the sun set and the tide rol in, I am grateful that she moved back, and that she gave me not one but two extra chances. No matter what happens, as long as we love each other, we wil make it over any obstacle.
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