I leap into Graysons arms, wearing his jersey and sticking my tongue out to all the other football players' girlfriends because my boyfriend had gotten the final points. Grayson holds me on the top and spins me around as I bask in his glory. They had won the football championship. They had worked hard all year to stand before me with a giant trophy that had a football on top.

From up here, I can see the girls from the beginning of the year. Monica and Jessica run down to meet their new football player boyfriends in the field while Mark is alone, glaring at them. I was happy to see, they had finally learned they could do better than a cheater. I stifle my laugh as I look at Alex who is talking very enthusiastically with the recruiter and they shake hands. He spots me and gives me a thumbs up before running to tell Matt the good news. I see Abacus who is with his mom and dad, all of them laughing and congratulating him.

Although Grayson never got to be the football captain or the quarterback, he was finally content playing the game he loved. He puts me down and looks up to the sky, raising the trophy. "I did it dad," he yells. I can see him wipe away the tears and go to hold him in my arms.

I then grab his hand and says, "let's go visit them, huh?"

It wasn't my first time coming to the grave, but I knew it had been a while for Grayson. As soon as we reach his dad's grave. Grayson gets on his knees and breaks down. I stand besides him, rubbing his back while the rest of our friends give us distance. I try to back away a bit, but Grayson keeps me there as he starts talking. "I'm sorry I failed you dad. I didn't get the position you pushed me for but those were your dreams and not mine. I never wanted to steal the spotlight from Abacus. He was a friend and you guys turned us into enemies." He wipes away his tears, "I'm not mad anymore, dad. I'm actually in a better place than wanting your approval." He sniffles, "I am sorry that I wasn't there for you or mom. I didn't know, but my uncle has been sentenced to jail. The media was all over that, the story painted me as a fallen angel avenging his fathers death." He squeezes my hand, "when we all know I'm no angel."

When Grayson is done, I guide him to my dad's grave where I introduce everyone. "Dad, I haven't come in a while but I finally brought everyone to meet you. I especially wanted to introduce you to my football player boyfriend," I say and bring Grayson forward.

"You're only dating me because of the title aren't you?" he jokes.

I look at him and joke back, "which one? The bad boy title?" He laughs at me and I can't help but smile. I turn back to the grave, "but he's also rich."

"Strawberry," Grayson says in a warning yet embarrassed tone.

"He also has a weird fascination with Strawberries," I say. I get down and in a serious tone say, "I think you would have liked him, dad. He's had some problems but he's a good guy. I just know you would have loved to meet him." The tears start rolling down faster than I can wipe them away. Grayson lifts me up and I lean into him. "We'll be back, I promise," I whisper into the dead silence as we walk back to the car. During the car ride, Link puts on "The Scientist" by Coldplay as I watch the dark clouds form in the night sky. It looked like it would rain soon. I hum along to the song as the tears keep trickling.

"Nobody said it was easy

It's such a shame for us to part

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh, take me back to the start"

"Why would you put a sad song on," Gina reprimands.

"So she can cry it out," Link defends.

"Guys," Grayson warns.

"Sorry," they say and stop arguing. I can't help but smile. It was the first time they both had listened to someone else and didn't object.

That night, Grayson stayed with me and hugged me until I felt all the tears run dry. I could hear his own tears and rubbed his back, trying my best to comfort him as well. We both missed our dads and wished they could have met.

When prom rolled around, we all drove in a stretch limo. They all met at my house to take photos. I could see both Siennas' and Abacus' parents unimpressed by the setup, but I didn't let them bother me. Sienna wore a purple gown and Link was her date. Gina wore a pink gown because it just worked with her skin and Abacus was her date. Gina and Link didn't want any misunderstandings so Sienna and Abacus agreed to go with the other. There was Alex and Matt who wore matching tuxes and a white rose in their pockets. Then there was me who wore the golden dress Grayson's mom had given me. We all stood together for photos as our parents all gathered around like paparazzi and took multiple copies. My mom sat in the corner crying and mumbling how all grown up I looked while my dad comforted her, but I could see his misty eyes as well.

"Amelia, darling, you look as beautiful as a delicate rose," she tells me. Her compliments always made my cheeks warm up.

"Thank you," I told her and for some reason curtsy, which only made her laugh.

"Grayson is finally 18 and legally owns the company, but he has asked me to run the business as he prepares at Columbia with his girlfriend. Congrats on your acceptance."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Grayson says and slings an arm over my shoulder. His mom quickly swats it away.

"Tonight you need to act properly and reach the demands of the dress and the girl wearing it. Elevate yourself, son," she tells him sternly.

Grayson pouts like a child who just got yelled at, which he did in a sense, then he whines, "Mom."

"Now, I came all this way for pictures so let's get them," she says and holds up a camera as I stand in front of Grayson. We are in the classic position of his arms around my waist as mine cover his. We smiled brightly at the camera, but being Grayson, he had something to say. "That dress looks beautiful on you, but it would look even better on the floor next to my bed."

I stand up straighter as I mumble back, "It sure would. Especially because then you could see my new pajama set of the galaxy."

His mouth widens, "you got a pajama set of the galaxy? That's awesome, Strawberry."

"When will you stop calling her Strawberry?" Aurora reprimands her son.

Grayson looks up and then says, "Never. She's my Strawberry." And that was true. I was his Strawberry and he was my asshole.

"Now, I stand before you as the class valedictorian and see as our class president seethes with rage," I say with a wide smile, looking into the crowd where Abacus waves me off.

"Only because now I owe Gina a new motorcycle," he says and I can hear Gina yell from the crowd.

"Thanks for making me win Miss valedictorian." I smile at her and address my peers.

"It has been a wild year for me and many of you. We all have problems we deal with and it helps to have people there for you, but even if you don't or feel like you don't. Remember that it will be okay and all you have to do is take it one day at a time. I hope we all find the strength within us to carry on everyday, because I'll be rooting for you all." I start walking away but then remember something else. I run back and say, "I heard a quote that I hope helps when you are having a tough time. 'You don't have to see the full staircase as long as you see the first step.'" With that I walk down and join my classmates. We move our tassels and throw the graduation cap in the air.

The graduation party was hosted by Grayson as he had converted his living room into a dark area with neon lights all around us. I look at him and throw the neon paint over him before he grabs me and places some all over my face. Gina and abacus walk in, hand in hand before she grabs the tube from my hand and spray it on his all white shirt. "Whops, guess I've been a bad girl," she says and scrunches up her nose to him. I knew she was mocking me and buried my head in Graysons chest before pushing her slightly into Abacus.

"That's not fair," I tell her.

"What's not fair is that I wasn't there to watch how you said it."

"She looked hot," Grayson tells them as he pulls me closer. "It took everything to keep my hands off of her."

I turn around with his body still pressed against my back side as his hands roam my body. "So, what's going on with you two?" I ask Gina as they dance.

"We're just having fun," she responds.

"That's all we can do. I'm getting married in a few years, remember," Abacus says a bit distraught.

"I'll find a way to get us out of it," Sienna says as she joins us.

"If you need any help, we're here," I told her.

"Yup," Link says as he begins to throw paint wildly at everyone.

"Chill," Matt says before dumping a bucket on Link. We all stare at him with wide mouths and tight lips, wondering if Link was okay. "You okay, Link?" Matt asks, clearly feeling guilty because Link has been staring vacantly somewhere else. "Hello?" Matt waves a hand over his face.

Link finally turns to us, "did you guys see the most beautiful girl here. I need to talk to her."

Gina rolls her eyes, "Link, stop falling in love so easily."

He pouts at her, "I love, love, what can I say."

"He loves something and it isn't love," Gina says.

"I heard that."

"Good."

"I'm leaving but only after I do this," he says and grabs Matt into a hug which makes Matt cringe.

"Hands off my boyfriend would be appreciated," Alex says.

"Come into the hug too, Alex," Link says and presses Alex against them.

"Are you having a good time, Strawberry?" Grayson says. I lean against him and look at my group of friends. We all didn't end up where we wanted to, but we all still had each other, so we were just fine.

Lynett and Jace after a couple of years in jail and a lot of therapy, ended up becoming lawyers. They often went up against each other as Lynett became a prosecutor while Jace was more of a defendant in their cases. Gina ended up being a successful director but stopped making films because her relationship with Abacus got more serious. The only downside was she had turned to drinking a bit more since they had to keep it a secret. She would often call me and we would spend the night talking and figuring things out. I knew she would eventually move on or get together with him, but I was there when she thought she wouldn't. Abacus got married to Sienna and both had their good days but they didn't love each other. Sienna got her business when she agreed to marry him, but still kept trying to figure out how to end it for both of them to be happy. Matt and Alex got married and adopted 3 children as Matt settled down to be a school teacher and Alex went on to join Abacus' team in football. Abacus won countless championships which we often went to and cheered him on. Link and I ended up working in the same hospital. He became a pediatric surgeon while I was a general doctor. Then there was Grayson who wanted to have more time with our twin daughters and son, so he left his mom in charge a lot, but she didn't mind. She found she loved the business and it was a way for her to be closer to Armenio and her son. They talked on the phone every night now, whether for business or for him to show her more pictures of our kids.

Grayson drops a glob of paint on me and raises an eyebrow. "I asked you a question," he tells me with a smirk. "Daydreaming about what we should do later tonight?"

"That seems like something you would daydream about."

He lifts his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, "oh. I do."

I lean up and kiss him again before mouthing out, "I am." I then move away to look at him and thinking back to everything I tell him, "I love you, asshole."

His smile reaches his eyes as he responds, "I love you, Strawberry." 

>>>>>

The END

Well y'all, that's the story. 

I really hope you guys enjoyed it and bro, why am I crying? I really am so thankful if you stumbled into this story and decided to stay. They both had a lot of drama and I'm happy to have finally given them a proper ending. They will always live in my heart and I hope one day I can make it even better. So, if you have time and want to let me know your thoughts, please go ahead. I'm listening. 

I also wanted to add some bonus chapters and something hat didn't make it into the story, because trust me, the ideas were going everywhere but sometimes they weren't fully long to make into chpaters and be added. Maybe I'll improve and be able to add more scenes but for now, they will be bonus if y'all want them of course. 

Also, I have another story idea I'm excited about but I can only warn that it is not soft or sweet. I think it will cross boundaries so be weary if you give it a try. It's more drama filled, but if you like Pretty Little Liars than you might be into it. Stay tuned. 

For now, please go give my reading list a looksy and see if someone else's story captures your attention because all of them are truly amazing and I'm sure they would love to see you guys there. 

Thank you again and I really do love y'all. :) 

This has been Phoenix. 

*Blow kisses*