PLEASE READ! This will be the last chapter of Just a Girl at Heart. Don't be sad, though! I've already written the first chapter for an untitled sequel in which Jade babysits Tori. It sounds similar, which it is, but it will be very different, I promise. I've also had another plot bunny bouncing around in my head for a long time. I've been thinking of writing a story where Tori is deaf, but I don't have many details planned out for it. If that's something you guys would be interested in reading, please let me know.

Thank you all for following this story. All of your reviews and story/author favorites have made me feel so good and meant so much to me. Thanks again and enjoy the final chapter!

After I helped Tori brush her teeth and change into her pajamas, I tucked her into bed and sat with her for fifteen minutes before she fell asleep. Once I was sure she wasn't going to wake up again, I went down to the living room and flicked through the channels aimlessly for an hour before Trina came stumbling through the front door.

"Hey, Aaaandré," she said, dragging out my name.

"Uh, hello," I said as I turned off the television. "How was your night?"

"Oh, it was the bestest," she slurred. Trina fell onto the couch next to me. I could smell the alcohol on her breath. I stood up and let her have the entire couch.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Oh, you know. Just hung out with some friends," she said vaguely.

"Friends, huh? Anyone I know?"

"Do you drink?"

"No."

"Then I doubt it."

"I see," I muttered. "Well, things went well here, in case you were wondering."

"Oh, yeah. How'd that babysitting thing go? Was she terrible?"

"No, actually. Tori's a great girl," I said.

"Huh. After an evening with her, I would have thought you'd think what everybody else thinks about her," Trina said.

"And what does everybody else think about her?"

"Everybody else in the world hates her," Trina said. "Everyone hates her. I hate her, our parents hate her. If she had friends, they would hate her. Everyone hates her."

"I highly doubt that's true," I said.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, why don't you get outta here?" Trina said.

"I don't think I'll be leaving just yet," I told her. "You're wasted. I'm not leaving you alone with Tori when you're drunk."

"Oh, please," Trina said with a laugh. "I babysit her while I'm drunk all the time. Tori doesn't know the difference."

"Really?" I said, trying to contain my rage. "Ever give Tori alcohol?"

"Only when she's crying. It's the only way to shut her up."

I couldn't believe it. Beck was right. Not only did Trina drink around Tori, she dosed her, too. I don't think I had ever been as furious as I was then.

"You can't do that, Trina. It's terrible for her and it's terrible for you. Not only is it terrible, it's also illegal," I reminded her as calmly as I could.

"Yeah, well, it's illegal to rob banks, but people do it," Trina said. "Anyway, I guess I should thank you for babysitting her, huh?"

"You don't have to thank me. I enjoyed it," I told her.

Trina scoffed. "And you seem so normal. Why would you enjoy it?"

I shrugged. "Why wouldn't I? Tori's great."

"She's not great," Trina said. "She's got an IQ of, like, seven!"

"She's really smart. She learns really fast," I said, thinking about our mini piano lesson.

"Bullshit! It's been sixteen goddamn years, and she still hasn't learned to bathe herself or button her shirt or use a microwave or anything!" Trina yelled.

"Shh! Tori's sleeping!" I scolded Trina, but since she was drunk, I knew it wouldn't matter. "And she would have been able to learn to do all that."

"Yeah, if she wasn't retarded," Trina said.

That was the final straw. I felt my face grow hot. "What did you just call her?"

Trina looked right at me. "Retarded. I called her retarded. Know why? 'Cause that's exactly what she is! She's a fucking retard!"

At that moment, I slapped Trina's face as hard as I possibly could. I never thought I was capable of physically harming another human. But that was before I met Tori. That was before I met this poor, defenseless girl who just needed a little help to function in life. But she was surrounded by people who didn't give a crap about her. It was absolutely heartbreaking.

"Tori is not retarded!" I yelled. "She's a million times smarter than you, you stupid, ignorant bitch!"

"You just met her today! Why are you so protective of her?" Trina asked.

"Because no one else is!" I shouted.

"André?" I heard a small voice say from the staircase. I turned and saw Tori standing on the landing, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"I'm sorry, Tori," I said. "I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to your room. I'll be there in a minute."

"Tina!" Tori said cheerfully, leaving the R out of her sister's name. She ran down the second half of the stairs and tried to hug her. Trina pushed Tori as hard as she could; she fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Get the hell away from me," Trina said before she went upstairs. I helped Tori stand up. She had tears in her eyes.

"Tina hurt me," Tori whimpered.

"I know she did," I said quietly as I wrapped my arms around the skinny girl. "I'm sorry, Tori. I'm sure she didn't mean it. Come on, sweet girl. Let's go upstairs." I led Tori back to her room and put her back in bed. I sat on the floor next to her for a few minutes, never letting go of her hand.

"André?" she said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Like you more than Tina," Tori told me. "Nicer to me."

"Well, I'm glad you like me," I said.

"Come back soon?" Tori asked.

I nodded. "Count on it, baby." A minute later, her eyes fluttered closed and she fell asleep. I squeezed her hand and sighed.

Babysitting Tori had been one of the most stressful evenings of my life. But it was also very eye opening. I had never met anyone with autism before, and seeing how much it affected Tori made me realize just how lucky I was to be normal.

It broke my heart that Tori was and probably always would be defined by a label. Autistic. To most people, I knew that was all she would ever be. But to me, she was so much more. She was sweet. She was funny. She was playful. She was caring. She was quirky and a little weird in the best sense of the word. And yes, she was autistic. But that wasn't all she was.

She was just a girl at heart.