<Final 'real' chapter y'all. The next one will be an epilogue but damn>

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Jaemin sits excitedly in his seat, his leg bouncing up and down in anticipation. Today was the day that his class graduated. The class of 2020 had finally completed their 4 years of torturous high school. It was filled with ups and (a lot of) downs, but Jaemin wouldn't change it for the world. Well...Ok, he would change a couple things but we're trying to be sentimental here so let him live.

His grade was a good sized senior class, with 69 students. And Jaemin knew a good few of them.

There was YangYang, the student body president. He had a kind soul and a strong determination. He was passionate about his role for the students and many were sad to see him go. There were the transfer students, Xiaojun, and Hendery. They had quickly become attached to YangYang and the three were impossible to separate. There was probably the most handsome boy Jaemin had ever met (after Jeno of course), Hwang Hyunjin. He was a sweet boy, but got loud very easily.

And of course, Jaemin had his group of friends. Renjun, someone he had only gotten to know this year but was hands down one of his best friends. Jaemin trusted the boy with his life. There was Mark, who –after warming up to him– Jaemin grew quite fond of. He liked teasing the older and could always count on him for help and advice...and baby pictures of Jeno. There was Donghyuk, Jaemin's bestest friend. They were, as Donghyuk put it, platonic soulmates. They were each other's brother in arms. Donghyuk was someone that Jaemin knew would always be there for him. He was so amazingly important in Jaemin's life, and the younger probably wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for Donghyuk. The tanned male, although braty, was one of the kindest and selfless people that Jaemin had ever met and he knew that he would love the older for the rest of his life (platonically of course).

And last but definitely not least, there was Lee Jeno. Probably the last person Jaemin expected to get close with this year, yet here he was, ready to spend the rest of his life with the boy he loved. Jaemin could now say for sure, that there was no better feeling than the one you get when you're around your soulmate. Your perfect other half. The aspect of there being someone in the world that was made just for you is amazing. The thought that, in a sea of 8 billion+ people, there was your perfect someone. That one person who could make you feel something that no one else could.
Jaemin never thought that Lee Jeno would be his perfect someone, but life is always full of surprises. He had always told himself that there was no one he would hate more than Lee Jeno. His bully, his enemy, his worst nightmare...Had now turned into his boyfriend, his lover, his best dream. Jaemin now knew that there was no one he would love more than his Jeno. His baby. His one true love.

Looking out to the crowd of parents and family that seated in the plastic, foldable chairs, Jaemin could feel himself smiling. His eyes landed on Chenle and Jisung, who were trying to hide their tears. He could see Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Taeil sitting proudly all together. He saw Donghyuk's parents, who were so kind to him and treated Jaemin like their own son. He saw Ten and Johnny, the shorter male bawling his eyes out while the American was quietly apologizing to those around them. He laughed at the sight. His eyes widened when he saw Kun and Doyoung sitting together, trying their best not to be obvious.

Jaemin turns back to the stage when he feels someone nudge his arm. Renjun points softly to the podium, where their principle stood.

"And now, the student speech. Lee Jeno."

Renjun gasps. "He didn't tell us he was doing the speech!"

Jaemin narrows his eyes at their friend. "Top ten anime betrayals." He mutters and shakes his head.

"I would like to say something before the real speech starts." Jeno coughs into his fist. "I'm a teenager, so please expect some cursing." A laugh ripples through the crowd, making the boy relax. "Alright, so...Graduation. That...I don't like that. I mean, somehow we made it. I don't really believe that." Jeno shakes his head and puts his hands on either side of the podium, squinching his face.

"You know, to be honest, half of me is prepared to wake up from this dream and I'll still be a freshman with emo bangs." He laughs. "And yet, the other half knows that this is real. I am actually standing here, in the very heavy robe. I mean goodlord, I am sweating. But we did it. We really did. Every single one of us deserves to sit in these chairs today. The past 4 years were pretty damn hard, I'll say that. We lost many good soldiers to the Dean's office." He puts his fist up. "Rest In Peace Hansol." He pauses and gives a bewildered look to his left when he hears someone shout. "O...kay....Moving on." He waves his hand dismissivey.

"High school is that part in life where you have no fucking idea what is happening. Your hormones are out of whack, your body is having horrible growing pains, and you don't even know what sleep is. And as much as I'd liked to say that I don't remember anything my teachers taught me, that would be a lie. I learned a lot. Sure, I still don't understand how square roots work or the timeline of World War One, but I do remember the lessons that weren't meant to be taught. Thanks to my english teacher, I now know how important family is." He pauses to take out a flasks. "It has water, don't worry. It's just that all my water bottles were dirty so I had to use a random flask I found in the house..." He takes a sip. "Anyways, back to the speech." He looks down at the paper.

"Ah fuck I lost my place. Oh, wait! Here we are." The crowd laughs and Jaemin can see Donghyuk groaning. "Thanks to my physics teacher, I know how far a dream can get you. Thanks to my friends, I learned how important it is to talk. To not bottle things up." He glances at Jaemin and smiles. "There are always people in life who will leave you. Who will stray from the path that you are on. And at times, you will remember them and you will hurt. You will cry. You will be angry. You can feel lost, as if you have no one anymore. And it can take a lot for that feeling to go away. But, one day, those people could come back. Your paths could cross once more and this time you won't let them go. You'll journey with them." He smiles softly. "You'll be there for each other. And your roads could be countries apart, but if you truly love that person, then you'll wait for them. You'll wait for that chance when your paths cross once more."

"High school is like a roller coaster, and I know that's a very clichè thing to say, but it's true. On a roller coaster, you don't always know what's up and what's down. There are twists and turns and you can get lost. You could enter a tunnel and be in the dark for who knows how long. And I think high school is very much like that. You don't always know when something good has happened or when something bad has happened. You can lose your way, get confused and irritated. You can be left in the dark, forgotten. I know someone, and I won't name names, but at one point, he was alone. He was left for dead. No one cared what happened to him and no one tried to care for him. Everyone always saw the bruises and scars that classmates gave to him, but no one could even try to imagine the pain his brain was going through." Jaemin's breath hitches when he realizes what Jeno was saying.

"No one saw how bad he felt. How his eyes had no more light, had no more hope. He was forgotten. Just another face in this sea of a school. Another outsider. No one reached out to help him. And I will take the hate I receive for saying I used to hurt him."

"For fucks sake Jeno, do not start this now." Renjun whispers to himself. Jaemin stares wide-eyed at his boyfriend. 

"I used to be his worst nightmare. I would scare him and I would belittle him." The eerie silence began to eat away at Jaemin but he stayed still. "I was honestly a monster to him. But one day, it hit me. You know, no matter what happened to that boy, he never fought back. He never got angry, he just took what the world gave to him. He didn't understand why he was chosen out of millions to endure the pain, but he didn't fight back. He would stay silent. He wouldn't cry out or report us. And it made me realize something..." He takes a moment.

"Before I continue I would like to say that me and him are on good terms now. And I know I can count on him with my life. But one day, I took him aside, and I apologized. I didn't ask to be forgiven, heck I offered to let him hit me. But instead he hugged me and said it was ok. He told me that I was forgiven, that it was all in the past. And I had never felt like that before. I had no idea how much of an angel he was. And now I realize that high school is scary. It's an unknown world that you can easily get lost in. You can make your wildest dreams come true or you can hide behind your nightmares. But there is always that one person. That one light in the dark. That one friend who will always care for you. Him and I are close now and I highly recommend that you find someone like him."

"I think in life, everyone deserves a light. Whether it be a friend, or a pet. A lover or a job. Everyone needs that thing that makes them happy. And I'm happy to say that I found my soulmate." He smiles cheekily. "Turns out, that boy was my soulmate. The boy that I hated more than anything in the world is now my boyfriend. And I'm proud to say that I love him."

"So, all in all, high school is a place where you try to find yourself. And it might not happen, but if you have the chance to find your other half. To find that person who will stick with you...then don't let them slip away. Don't do what I did, instead hold onto them. And for fucks sake..Don't ever let go. It can be a friend, a family member, a soulmate etc. If it's someone special to you then don't let them go. Do you hear me? Once you find that person, then keep them close and trust that they won't leave you."

Jeno stands up straight. "And also, never party on a Monday night. It's so not worth it, I mean jesus Christ I almost failed my exams last month because of this party at Jackson Wang's house-" he laughs. "Right well, I need to wrap things up. Just, to my underclassmen...Remember to trust your gut. Other's opinions can blind you, but if you trust your instincts then you can't go wrong. That's all I have to say. Thank you..." Jeno steps down from the podium and goes back to his seat, slumping in his chair as the crowd applauds his speech.

Mr. Jung smiles. "Now, onto the fun part."

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"Lee Jeno! Don't you ever do that again!" Jaemin gently smacks his boyfriend's arm, making him laugh. "You had me scared shitless."

"Ok ow! I'm sorry. Ow! Angel, stop hitting me." Jeno covers his arms, still laughing loudly. Jaemin shakes his head and brings his boyfriend into a hug. He puts his head against Jeno's chest, hearing the steady heartbeat of the boy holding him.

Smiling, Jeno whispers out gently: "We graduated baby, you and me. We made it."

Jaemin looks up at the boy and nods. "We did. Together."

"I love you, my angel."

"I love you too baby."

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<Y'all...We really made it...45+ chapters later and we made it. I can't fricken believe that this book got such reviews. Now, I'll save the sappy stuff for the final authors note so dw bout that. All we have left is the epilogue and the story is over. GOD DAMN that's crazy :( I love you all so much. I'll see you soon my Lovelies>