Okay, this was supposed to already be written, but then I got tired and started spelling things wrong… and then school came into the picture… I realize that I haven't put many author's notes for this story, but I really do appreciate the reviews and all, and I'd love constructive criticism or if someone were to point out my mistakes. (There may be more and more, as I don't usually write until I'm really tired…)

Also, I don't know Gregor's last name and I don't know his dad's name either, so I'm trying to find a way around using them, sorry if it all sounds kinda awkward…

Anyway, here's the last chapter to this story. (I think.) I guess this could also tie to my other story, Moving On, which is like an older version of Gregor with pretty much the same problems. I just word it differently to make it seem unique. ;)

Ch. 3

Gregor's parents sat stiffly in front of the teacher's desk, on the right. Gregor himself sat on the left. Ms. Chua sat behind the desk, where she could see all three of them. Lizzie and Boots/Margret sat at student's desks, boots playing a game and Lizzie doing a puzzle.

Ms. Chua had merely handed Gregor's parents the essay, asking them to read it. Currently, his father was looking sympathetically at Gregor, and his mom was frowning, reading and rereading certain parts. Ms. Chua cleared her throat, and she finally looked up.

"As you can see," Ms. Chua started, addressing the parents, "I am a bit worried about Gregor's emotional attachment to this imaginary creature."

"How do you know it's imaginary?" Gregor's dad asked, grinning at Gregor, winking at him.

"He asked me if he could write about an imaginary creature."

"Ah." Gregor's dad nodded, but Ms. Chua didn't really think he got it all. "Well Gregor, were you very emotionally attached to this 'imaginary friend?'" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? He saved my life countless times, died saving people who didn't even care about him." Gregor spoke as if the friend were real, as if he did save people who didn't even care about him.

"Yes, but I'm fearing how this emotional attachment might affect Gregor's ability to make friends and such." Ms. Chua interjected.

"I make friends fine." Gregor defended.

"Gregor, how many friends do you have?" His mom spoke for the first time since reading his essay. "Real, alive friends here, in Virginia."

"Three!" Gregor said without hesitation.

"Who?" His mom asked sternly.

"Uh… Travis and Conner, twins, and a girl named Lucy?" Gregor lied, asking instead of stating.

"Gregor, tell the truth."

"Lizzie, Boots, Dad." Gregor said sadly, looking down.

"Gregor, I want you to try and make friends." Gregor's mom leaned forward and took his hand. "Gregor, I want you to have fun here."

Clearly, this was a big problem in their family. Ms. Chua was suddenly scared she had poked at a touchy subject, a bomb that had just been sped up because of her. And now, she was going to be there when it exploded. She wracked her brain for a way to end this before something really bad happened. Like Gregor going postal.

"Mom, how can you expect me to make friends?" Gregor pulled his hand away from his mom. "I have friends, but you made me leave them all! If it were my choice, I'd never have left! If it were my choice, if Grandma wasn't ill and you weren't adamant about leaving, we would all still be there! We would live there and be happy!"

"Gregor, that place was not a place of happiness!"

"It was a place of happiness and beauty, hidden in darkness and bloodshed. But it was a wonderful place, mom. You just need to get used to it."

"Gregor, we will not have this talk right now."

"We'll never have this talk, mom! Because you try to avoid it all you can! But you can't deny the fact that no matter how hard you try, it will still be a part of our lives, still be remembered. Mom, Boots still remembers how to talk in crawler. Lizzie remembers every trick they tried when trying to break the Code of Claw. Dad's still weak. And I'm still haunted by the deaths. There will be no 'moving on,' no forgetting for us. So stop trying to erase it from our minds, because it won't work. Forbidding it won't mean it'll suddenly never have happened. Not talking about it doesn't mean we don't remember it.

"I don't have friends because I can't hold anyone else in my heart. Because I can't handle loving someone and having him or her taken away from me again. Because I've had enough of that to last me a lifetime."

"Gregor…" Both their eyes were misty. "I'm just trying to keep this family together." Grace whispered.

"And I'm telling you that it's not working." He whispered back. There was a moment of silence. Ms. Chua was afraid to talk.

Gregor's dad stood up.

"Well, I think it's time we get going." He announced. "Thank you for calling us here, Ms. Chua, and thank you for letting us see the essay. Gregor, for what it's worth, that was a well-written essay. But stick to science, will you?" He winked. "Girls, it's time to go!" He told Lizzie and Boots. They gathered their stuff, and with final goodbyes and thank-yous, were out the door.

Before it swung shut, Ms. Chua heard Lizzie tell Gregor, "I think what you did was good. She needed to hear that, no matter how hurtful it is."

The door swung shut, and Ms. Chua couldn't hear Gregor's response.