Summary: Now into his college career, Timmy takes a moment to reflect on the past and the fates of the women he has crossed paths with. The song for this final chapter is "I Will Not Bow" by Breaking Benjamin.
Disclaimer: see chapter #1
There's something about a rainy night, just sitting there with no music, no homework, no nothing to weigh my mind down that's just…comforting. I don't know if it's the soft pitter-patter of the rain on the roof and window sill, or the fact that some cultures think rain is a symbol for purification that settles my mind after a hard day of classes and practice.
This is one of the times that I'm thankful that my parents don't pay much attention to me. I conned them into paying rent and utilities on a pricey apartment close to campus…friggin' morons. How I survived their stupidity and neglect and to even be in a good college is a mystery even AJ can't solve (and trust me, he's tried.).
It's also at these moments that I like to look back on how I got here. I had to struggle and fight through a ton of bullshit back in Dimmsdale to make my escape, but I did it, hallelujah. I swear, another year in that hell hole and I would've been trapped forever, a fate worse than death in my book.
Now the dark begins to rise
Save your breath it's far from over
Leave the lost and dead behind
Now's your chance to run for cover
I don't want to change the world
I just want to leave it colder
Light the fuse and burn it up
Take the path that leads to nowhere
All is lost again, but I'm not giving in
Ah the memories come back on nights like this. Unlike my pseudo-angst riddled self back in high school, I've come to terms with the hand life has dealt me. I rarely hear anything noteworthy coming from my friends back in Cali, but when the news does trickle back to me…I always without fail have to chuckle and count my blessings that I no longer have to deal with that crap on a daily basis. Hell, I barely have to when I do go see my parents at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Oh where to begin? Trixie's father went completely nuclear when he found out she had gotten pregnant. However he did something even I didn't expect: he stood by his daughter…I guess because she's his only kid (poor bastard), and this was his first grandchild. A couple of days after graduation, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy: Tristan Timothy Tang…hmm, sound like Tang has some unresolved emotions by giving the kid that middle name.
That's the last I heard, because her dad sent her off to God knows where in the Caribbean until the shit-storm passed. Who knows and who cares what has happened to her since then, her reputation is forever tarnished…poor baby, can't handle the stares and whispers behind her back.
I will not bow, I will not break Fall!
I will shut the world away
I will not fall, I will not fade
I will take your breath away
Then there's Vicky. Last I had heard from the D.A. in Dimmsdale was that she had exhausted all of her appeals and was now stuck in prison to rot, the bulk of the money she saved up from 'babysitting' going to myself and the brave few who came forward after the trial for the civil lawsuit I filed when I turned 18. Hey, we all deserved a little something for our pain, no matter what a certain member of her family says.
What we didn't take, her parents gladly did. They actually come and see me every now and then when they're back in the States. For the most part they split time between Miami and London. I love them to death, even if they gave birth to two bratty, evil, hateful little bitches.
Watch the end through dying eyes
Now the dark is taking over
Show me where forever dies
Take the fall and run to heaven
All is lost again, but I'm not giving in
Speaking of hateful bitches: Cindy hasn't been heard from since she found out ole' Neutron's been banging that cute little Quinlan chick. Gotta say I didn't see that one coming…I thought Jimmy would've fallen into the trap of dating the girl everyone expects you to go with. I had to make a personal trip to Retroville to personally congratulate him on kicking that damn blonde bimbo out on her ass. I haven't spoken to him in a while, on account of him taking a long and much overdue vacation with his new girl.
Carl and Sheen as still as crazy as ever, though both Elkie and Libby have tamed them to a certain extent. I always had a feeling about Sheen and Libby, but didn't want to intrude, especially with my own love life in shambles most of the time. Carl and Elkie are now the proud owners of Retroville's largest Llama farm (go figure right?), while Libby is the 'Crown Princess of Funk' and Sheen is her manager.
She wasn't too happy about the arraignment at first, but Sheen surprisingly has great business sense, and a huge bank account, thanks to selling some of the more rare Ultralord items in his collection.
I will not bow, I will not break And I'll survive, paranoid
I will shut the world away
I will not fall, I will not fade
I will take your breath away
I have lost the will to change
And I am not proud, cold blooded, fake
I will shut the world away
Last I heard, Tootie had slunk off to L.A. to lick her wounds after I humiliated her by dating Veronica and becoming very close with her parents. She had tried to argue that I didn't deserve a dime for my pain and suffering…but it fell on deaf ears. I know she was looking to cash in for herself, and was pissed when I got the larger portion of Vicky's assets.
Maybe I had a hand in turning her into the bitter, cold, callous person she is today, but we were kids for the love of all that's holy. I tried to make amends, but she proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she's Vicky's sister. I no longer carry the burning hatred I once had for her, now all I feel is pity because she's heading down the same road her sister was on.
I will not! I will not bow, I will not break
I will shut the world away
I will not fall, I will not fade
I will take your breath away
Sadly, Veronica and I broke up not longer after graduation. On the bright side of it is that we have become really good friends, often talking every day or every other day. We realized that our lives were on different paths, and that it was best to 'downgrade' as she put it. She's the first girl I've broken up with amicably, and I'm happy for her no matter what.
Her parents were actually sad to see us break up, since I was the first guy she had dated that wasn't both vapid and stuck up or looking to use her for her money. Just like with Tootie's parents, I stay in touch with them, though I know they secretly wish Ronnie and I had stayed together.
As the rain continues to fall, I can't help but smile. I've finally found peace mentally and emotionally, and I'm at a good place in my life. School is going very well, as is my basketball career. I want to stay in school and get my degree first before even thinking about going pro. I'll need something to fall back on just in case.
Hmm, I wonder whatever happened to that hot goth chick Molly… Fall!
And I'll survive, paranoid
I have lost the will to change
And I am not proud, cold blooded, fake
I will shut the world away
The (real) End.
A/N: Read and review. So I finally got around to doing the epilogue to this story. Took me well over two years, but I finally found the right song and setting for this. A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and especially to my two partners in crime…y'all know who you are.