Dedication to every single one of you, who's ever read, commented or voted on any of the chapters. Whether you loved it or you just read it to procrastinate school (I totally understand that.) I love you!

 ~ This is the last official chapter for Take Me As I Am. BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END. SERIOUSLY. I NEED YOU TO READ IT IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS TO AL. I swear, if you ask me 'but wait who does she end up with' after this chapter, I will be frustrated. You need to read the author's note. One of my major pet peeves is having to repeat myself over and over again to different people. So yeah. AUTHORS NOTE. REALLY IMPORTANT. READ IT. ~

Chapter Forty-Six:

My talk with Niall had me thinking - not just about change but about how everything seemed to be 'defined'. The word girly described someone who enjoyed makeup, hair, fangirling, the color pink and gossiped about boys. The word tomboy automatically brought to mind a girl who played video games, didn't wear dresses, liked hanging out with guys, liked sports. Why?

Why couldn't a girl feel comfortable being who she was without a label getting stamped to her forehead? 

I still didn't like dresses, I still loved beating everyone in NBA2k13, I loved kicking and hitting things with sticks... Yet somehow, during this show, I had lost my label of 'tomboy' to a few of my friends. Why was that? Simply because I had learned to be more trusting and let a few of my walls down? 

I didn't even know why I felt so upset with being told I was changing. Maybe it was because I had known one certain thing for most of my life, that when it started to change, I wanted to deny it and say I was exactly the same. But then I would be lying.

"There you are! I've looked everywhere and I couldn't find you," Nick proclaimed when he saw me the Tuesday after I had gotten back from Florida. A bead of sweat was glistening on his forehead, so I knew his words were true.

"Why? I thought I was becoming too girly for you?" I snapped out, not wanting anything to do with him. I had forgiven Caleb and Devin, but Nick had taken it too far.

"Listen-"

"I'm not listening to your bullcrap, Nick. You're turning into an older version of Elijah." It might have been harsh, but the silence had been killing me the past week. The blank stares, the obvious discomfort, how he wouldn't own up to his mistake. I had waited for an apology, or an explanation. But now it was too late. He had waited a week and after everything I had learned about myself, I knew I didn't need this. I didn't need something else in my life to make me lose my trust in everyone again.

"I'm never going to be an Elijah!" Nick's facial expression took on one of pure surprise and hurt. "Al. Give me a minute to explain everything."

"Why should I? You turned on me the second I started to learn more about myself. That's not what best friends do." I crossed my arms and stared off towards the school building. It seemed so normal with the teenagers wandering in and out of the building, all completely clueless as to the struggles in my life - as I was clueless to the struggles in theirs. 

"I wasn't turning on you. You have to understand that. I needed time to think. You know how hard it was for you to be mine and then have you go off and have a ton of people start to love you?" He asked, almost as if he was pleading me to understand.

"Yours?" I questioned, confused about his choice of words.

"You really are a clueless person, Al." Nick chuckled. "You really don't see?"

"See what?" I said in bewilderment. He made it sound as if there was a giant dog in front of me and I wasn't seeing it. I wasn't that oblivious. 

"You really haven't noticed all these years? All this time?" Nick's tone of voice took on one of complete and utter amazement. I shook my head, still clueless as to what he was saying. "You're the only one who knows everything about me. I trust you with my life and I've never told all my secrets to anyone but you. All those girls? They've been passing attractions and yet I always seemed to come straight back to you."

No freaking way this was happening.

"I had the biggest schoolboy crush on you, yet I knew it was hopeless. I still know it's hopeless. You've never given me a second look, Al. I know that. That's what been bugging me about this whole poppy boyband thing. You seem to actually like them and you're trusting them. That's why I got so frustrated with you, you didn't seem to realize that you started to put me on the back burner."

"Nick-" I started to speak before he held up a hand.

"I know. You don't like me like that. And I can say with complete certainty that you don't feel 'like that' about anyone right now. I just didn't want to lose you as a friend." He finished, a breath of air escaping his lips as he waited for my response. 

"You'll never lose me as a friend, you dumbbutt." I smiled a bit, my head spinning with all this new found information. I hugged Nick - not a fist bump or anything like that, a real hug. Because he was my best friend. And no matter what crazy thing happened, I knew that he would always be my best friend.

~

Labels are an interesting thing. One Direction are labeled as 'celebrities.' People treat them differently just because they do what they love and it's something that they get noticed for. I'm labeled as a 'tomboy'. Just because of the activities I enjoy and the clothes I like to wear. 

My life got turned upside down when I was entered into that silly game show. And the weirdest thing happened… People liked me because I didn't put on an act. I didn't change who I was just to please everyone else. Maybe, yeah, it'd have been easier to have altered my personality to fit everyone else's… But then I wouldn't have been myself.

I'll probably never be one of those girls who enjoys makeup and dresses, but there was nothing wrong with girls who enjoyed that kind of stuff. (Except maybe Simone because she's annoying and no one likes her.) That's something I learned from the show. 

And change isn't necessarily a bad thing. I didn't changed everything about myself over night, but gradually I learned that having walls up all the time is quite tiring. And if someone can't take me as I am, then that's their problem, not mine.

Life is such a strange thing and oh, how I wish I could understand it.

But the one thing I will remember for the rest of my life? Marie's cooking is the best. 

~~~~~READREADREADREADREADREAD~~~~~

Something I realized about halfway through posting this story…. There was no way for me to end this story while making everyone happy. Some said they preferred Al to stay single and never end up with someone, while some wanted Nick, most wanted Niall/Liam/Harry, few wanted Louis or Cole (Sorry, neither of those will be happening…. Use your imagination!) And I didn't want to disappoint any of you.

Because of that reason, there will be four alternate endings, if you will. One will be Niall, one will be Liam, one will be Harry and one will be Nick. This way you can be happy while imagining how the story goes with that particular boy.  

I know some of you were extremely wary of this possiblity, but if I hadn't been reading your comments, or if I didn't care about how you felt on this story... This is where I would end it. There would be no Al ending up with a boy because that's how I wanted to end it. Which is why this is the last official chapter. I'm doing this for you guys!

They will be posted within the next few weeks, so keep an eye out! Even if you don't like a certain ship, you should read it ;) Haha

Also, I regret to inform that there will not be a sequel. I'm never good with sequels and I know that it wouldn't be as good as this. Al's life after this is totally up to your imagination.

 Once this story is completely completed (that's fun to say aloud) I will be going back and editing it. Like majorly. There are so many plotholes/typos/etc that I want to make sure it's the best it can be. So yeah. That's fun! If you ever choose to reread it in the future, you might notice significant differences! Haha.

Anyways, I will be posting the first alternate ending in two days! See you then :)

Thank you for EVERYTHING! 

Much much much love!

-Katie