g w e n:

The sun felt soothing against my skin and I couldn't help but to close my eyes, tilt my face towards the cascading rays and really feel the warmth kiss me delicately. While I was sweating beneath the crimson red robe that adorned my body, I had no reason not to smile. Section A, row 10, seat 7 and I was surrounded by a sea of deep red. If it weren't for large and obnoxiously yellow smiley face that decorated the top of my hat, my family wouldn't know where to look.

"Gwen, it's almost our turn," an elbow nudged me slightly.

I opened my eyes and switched my attention to the girl sitting next to me. Julie had elation manifesting all around her and she could barely contain it. I couldn't blame my over-ecstatic classmate however, because of all the days to be extremely excited, today was definitely the day.

"Get up, we're about to walk!" Julie held onto my arm as she tried the stifle the squealing that so badly wanted to escape her lips.

I followed the rest of my row as they stood up. The row in front of us were returning to their seats, completely intoxicated with joy. They grasped onto their diplomas, no longer keeping the frenzy within. Today we were graduating high school and for the 530 graduating seniors sitting in the middle of the football field, only thrill was present.

Coming home to San Diego after Australia wasn't the easiest. Trying to slip back into the timeline; trying to fall back into a routine of a normal high school senior was no longer elementary. My classmates and friends held their arms wide open, welcoming me back and trying to be as accommodating as possible. But even though Fiora was no longer in the picture, he played the leading role in all my nightmares.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," Julie squealed from behind me. "Oh, I'm just so excited to be out of high school and I can't wait for the next chapter of my life. College will be incredible and Gwen, we better keep in touch..."

Julie's voice soon faded into the breeze. It wasn't that I didn't want to listen to her perky babble, I just wasn't in the right mindset to give her my full attention. What I did manage to hear before canceling her our completely, was Julie's reference to the next chapter of her life.

What was the next chapter of my life?

High school was over and would soon be a distant memory but life after walking across the stage would be very different. I was not the same girl at the start of Senior year as I am now. That girl was long gone; she disappeared, met her expiration date, and perished into the damp, dark basement walls she knew so well. 

But the girl that stood stronger; the girl who was about to saunter across the stage and receive her diploma, the girl with the loving family sitting on the stands several yards away, the girl who survived, was about to embark on a new odyssey.

And that girl was me.

There were six people ahead of me as I stood before the stage steps. Two of my high school's most beloved teachers were reading names while our principal shook our hands. I took a step up, my feet clad in a pair of light brown wedge sandals that my mom surprised me with last night. They complimented my baby pink dress perfectly and it was simple things like dresses and shoes that made me miss home the most.

"It's almost our turn," it was my turn to look over my shoulder and shriek at Julie. I gave her a huge grin and a thumbs up as the two of us took the last couple of steps to the stage.

I felt Julie squeeze my shoulder in support just as I took a deep breath in and a huge exhale out. Mrs. Sealy looked at me, sent me a "you did it" wink before leaning into the microphone.

"Gweneth Mae Guzman,"

While the entire football stadium crowd erupted into boisterous cheers, I could still isolate the important ones in the stands. My dad was yelling at the top of his lungs, my mom was crying, my brother was using an air horn, and the rest of my very large wolf pack family all were chanting my name.

I walked, no not walked, I strutted down across the stage with confidence and joy. I had the biggest grin painted on my face and there was nothing that could make it bigger-- well, maybe one thing. But that thing, person, is half way across the world.

There wasn't a day that went by in which I didn't miss Calum. I thought about him almost everyday and it was hard not to. He was everywhere and I couldn't eschew him. Calum was more than 7000 miles away and yet anything I did, anything I saw, smelled, touch or tasted all belonged to the bad boy who still held my heart with a tight grip.

It was painful; extremely agonizing to say goodbye to him, but I had no choice but to turn my head in ache. My academic visa expired, it was time to go home, and my nightmares were getting worse. Australia gave me an eternity of heartache, yet an eternity of some of the best memories a girl could ever ask for, and those memories were because of Calum.

"Congratulations," Mr. Whitman, our principal, shook my hand with a firm grip and an even bigger smile.

"Thank you," I beamed, letting go of his hand and continuing my trek to Ms. Martinez behind him. The English teacher handed me my diploma, encased within a leather-bound holder.

"You did it Gwen," Ms. Martinez expressed with pride, showcasing her delight in a pat against my back.

"I did it," I spoke. To myself at first, glancing down at the white certificate book in my hands, but when I looked up and saw all my classmates before me, I realized how proud I was of all of them. So I raised my arms in the air with excitement and with jubilance I screamed, "We did it!"

My peers who did hear me became riled up at my comment, cheering along with me as I made my way down the steps of the stage. I followed my other row mates back to my seat where the rest of my class congratulated me. As I sat down I felt a buzz from the inside of my robe. I unzipped the top part, sticking my fingers into the side of my bra where I conveniently kept my phone.

Pockets are a must for my future college graduation.

I looked down at the screen where an unread text message glowed. I grinned down at it, swiping my finger to reveal the rest of the message. From an old friend, and coming in at the right time, I internally was thankful for the string of words sitting at the palm of my hand.

From: Michael Clifford - 10:38AM
Congrats little missy. See you later.

Michael had become my only connection to Australia when I moved back home. He and his mother made a permanent living situation not too far from my family and I. I was confused at first, how he was able to live in America without the proper paperwork. But I guessed working for an ex-international drug cartel had its perks-- and that was all he would explain to me. Though it didn't matter, I was happy to have Michael in my life.

From: Michael Clifford - 10:39AM
P.S. You did him well :)

Him.

Luke Hemmings. I wanted to graduate with flying colors because of him. I wanted to work hard for me, but I wanted to work hard for Luke because I knew he couldn't. I wanted a high GPA, I wanted to go to college, and I wanted to continue living with a smile because Luke no longer could. I was living for myself, but at the same time I was living for my best friend.

The rest of commencement went by quickly. The rest of the names were announced and my principal had a few final words. All at once and in unison, we moved our white tassels from the right to the left side to solidify ourselves as graduates. Our principal shouted into the mic, his arms raised, and with honor all 530 of us threw our caps into the air.

"We did it!" Julie screamed, giggling as she caught her cap in her hands.

"We did it!" I yelped, catching my cap too. I grabbed onto Julie's arms and the two of us jumped around, basking in the bliss we both deserved.

The graduated seniors were filed off of the field and onto the track where we could meet our family. It didn't take long for my large one to find me. My dad picked me up, and with the help of one of my cousins, the two of them sat me on their shoulders. Several photos were taken in addition to all the hugs my family could ever supply. My mom wouldn't stop crying and after my family had a piece of me, Michael came in for the encore.

"I am extremely proud of you munchkin," Michael threw an arm around my shoulder as we followed my family out of the stadium.

"Why thank you," I grinned at him. "I'm proud of you too, ya know."

"Are you?" Michael raised his pierced brow, "for what?"

"For one, getting that job at the record store downtown, and for two, enrolling into community college," I told him proudly.

"Eh, it was nothing," Michael tried to roll off his accomplishments like they weren't important, but I knew that it was one of the best things he could do for himself.

"It's not nothing," I declared, entering the school parking lot.

Michael was looking ahead before he looked back down at me with a smile, "I guess not. At least Ashton wouldn't think so either."

The two of us separated from our friendly embrace. Before I slid into my dad's car, and Michael into his, we both held out an enclosed fist-- a new tradition we started when things started to become normal.

"For Ashton,"

"For Luke," and when our fists collided, it was like making a pact with our best friends up in Heaven.

It was an eight car caravan to Mission Bay Park where I held my graduation party. The rest of my relatives were already waiting for me at the corner section of the grassy stretch of land that overlooked the blue waters. My family worked hard to decorate the area, erecting tents and setting up tables and chairs to accommodate all our guests.

There was a table of gifts, and next to that was a circular table filled with games. A big, blue bucket filled with water balloons and water guns sat beneath the table-- I assumed this was for all my younger cousins to play with to help ease the heat that was soon arriving for the day.

Food was one of the main center pieces of this party and I was more than thrilled with the amount of the delectable dishes displayed on the tables. I knew Michael was excited about it too, and I looked over to muse the idea. But when I turned my head, my Australian friend was no where to be found.

"Michael?" I breathed, narrowing in my eyebrows with confusion. I assumed he high-tailed it to the restroom to either empty his bladder or take a swig out of his flask, but whatever it was didn't stop me from grabbing one of the cupcakes that was calling my name.

"You're so beautiful," I sighed, staring at the sweet confection in my hand. Just as I was about to take a big bite, I was interrupted.

"Baby dumpling,"

I dropped the cupcake, feeling chills run up an down my spine. My eyes grew wide as that familiar voice rang in my ears. My mind spun out of control, my emotions were spastic. There was no way... I held my breath, slowly turning around. I screwed my eyes shut, afraid of what I was going to see-- what I won't see. I bit my bottom lip to ease the nerves and before I could open my eyes to reveal whatever was in front of me, a pair of warm hands that felt like home, gently cupped my face.

"Calum?" I breathed.

"Open your eyes," the familiar voice whispered, and with no hesitation I followed its orders.

My breathing halted, my heart poured fiercely against my chest and a rush of happiness surged through my entire body. I wasted no time in screaming and jumping into the arms of my bad boy. I secured my legs around his waist, holding onto him with a strong grip. Burying my face into the crook of his neck, I let out the tears I had been holding in since we last said goodbye.

"Is this really you? Is this really you?" I kept asking, repeating my words in hope that this wasn't a dream. Calum felt so real in this moment that only devastation would sting my soul if I really were not holding onto him.

"It's me baby, it's me. I'm here," Calum assured, his words soothing my heart and mending me all over again.

"I love you," I leaned back, looking into Calum's dark eyes with my teary ones. "I missed you, so much."

"I missed you too, princess," Calum chuckled, his laughter filling up me up with so much joy. He leaned in to give me a kiss on the lips, something I had been craving for months. I returned it with a smile, unwrapping my legs and dropping myself back onto the ground.

"What are you doing here in California?" I asked him, leaving my arms encircled around his neck.

"Well besides seeing my graduate," Calum gave me another kiss, "I am here with a working visa."

"What?" I cocked my head to the side, puzzlement dripping from my face. "What do you mean?"

"I'll be here for the next six months working, and hopefully after that I can figure out a way to permanently live here," Calum explained with a smile.

He lit up as each word fell from his lips, and I could tell he was excited for his new adventure. I was at an awe of how much he's changed in the last several months. He wasn't the same Calum I left back in Australia, I could tell. But this change, this alteration wasn't terrible. I could tell that my bad boy was morphing into a good boy, but I could also tell that there was a flask of alcohol inside his jean jacket pocket.

I was excited for Calum's new chapter, just as much as I was excited for my own. But what I was more anxious to see, was how much crossover our books would have. Because while the future is unclear, I knew that I had Calum for the next six months, and I wanted to make the best of it.

Just as I was about to lean in for another kiss, I felt a jet of cold water hit my neck. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped open. I quickly separated from Calum and looked to see who the culprit was. Michael stood about a couple of yards away from us holding a water gun. He shot us a smirk as he wiggled his eyebrow, mischief brewing within him.

"Michael!" I yelled, rubbing the area where the water hit my neck.

"That was perfect," Calum laughed hard, holding onto his stomach as he jogged over to high-five his best friend.

I furrowed my brows and pouted, turning around to the big, blue bucket of water toys. I grabbed one of the larger water guns and turned back around to face the devious duo. I pumped the toy, feeling the liquid slosh around inside. I smiled at both boys, a ray of revenge twinkling in my eyes.

"Oh hell no, Gwen," Michael held both his hands up in defense.

"Princess, you wouldn't," Calum ceased his laughter, as his eyes darted from the water gun in my hand to my mischievous smirk. I aimed the water gun right for them, launched forward, and as I pulled the trigger I yelled,

"Run baby, run!"

//

And that is a wrap! RUN BABY RUN is officially completed! What a ride this has been, and I am so happy that this ride was with some of the most awesome, most loyal readers ever!! THANK YOU from every piece of me, for reading my book. For voting, for commenting, and for sharing. I'm so mind blown that my little idea turned into a story worth reading. Thousands of views, and I'm so blessed to have them. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I really hoped this story was worth every bit of your time, and I hope it kept you on edge. I hope you laughed, you cried, you got mad, and you felt all the feels. Thanks for sharing my story with your friends, and I hope you continue to recommend RUN BABY RUN in the future. I love you all so much. You're seriously the best readers an author could ever ask for!

xoxo, Audrey