NOTE: Read author's note at the end of chapter, it is important! :)

Two weeks passed since Chelsea and I found Amelia at the cemetery, meaning it is now Wednesday again, and I still couldn't stop thinking about it.

Through my jobs at Giant and the animal shelter, playing with Cassie, going on dates with Chelsea- even when I was studying for senior exams- I thought about that night, everything still fresh in my mind.

Honestly, I didn't think Mason was right for Amelia. They were still together somehow, but it didn't seem healthy.

Sure, they might share a small smile and a hug, maybe a peck on the cheek if their lucky, but I rarely ever saw them together. After that night, everything changed.

Mason's true colors shined through, showing a huge splotchy mess of unicorn barf.

Amelia looked so lost and just...tired. Not surprised, more so expecting something like this from him.

That's what pissed me off the most. She expected this type of behavior from him and ultimately, accepted it.

She deserves way better, someone who can really show that they care for her, or at least tell her.

So in short, Mason is a serious grasshole.

Seriously. I had given him so many chances to fix himself, gave him a card to someone who could help him stop his drinking problem before he turned into a full-blown alcoholic, only punched him in the face once...

He should consider himself lucky!

The big problem with Mason is that he doesn't make Amelia feel beautiful. As a man, you are supposed to help women drop their insecurities and make them feel better about themselves.

Women have a million insecurities and although they may seem silly to us, it is a really big deal to a majority of them.

She hid under the covers, as if her not wearing makeup was some sort of crime, some sort of deformity.

It isn't. A woman without makeup is the most beautiful thing a man could ever see, because it is when they are most natural and their natural beauty shines.

I wasn't lying to her when I told her there was nothing wrong with her. It was completely true.

She just need someone to teach her that. Someone better than Mason...better than me.

That night I couldn't even sleep, just laid there, Amelia sprawled across my chest, thinking.

~~

Over these past two weeks, a lot was going on.

School for seniors was over the Friday of the week Chelsea and I found Amelia at her mother's gravesite, so I'd been sort of chilling.

Sort of.

Zori and I studied for senior exams during the week, randomly asking each other questions about different subjects at work.

Chelsea and I had been going on dates, once to the movies, Dave & Buster's, Six Flags, and multiple cafés, testing out foods.

Amelia and I finished our project the Thursday before last and we turned our project in Friday.

Our teacher was impressed with our work, giving us a ninety-six percent, or an A.

Not a perfect one, but an A nonetheless. Amelia and I had celebrated by going paintballing, each of us howling in pain every five seconds.

We now had matching paint splattered shirts. I smiled at the memory, Amelia's laughing face taking over my thoughts.

It was like we were ten all over again, being goofy and carefree. We were inseparable then, you wouldn't see one of us without the other.

Even our dentist appointments were at the same time. We'd make silly faces at each other from across the room, then burst into laughter when someone caught us.

Since then, she'd kept her promise and came over more, hanging with Cassie, Ms. Arnold, and I.

Her father would take her out on the weekends, to the movies or a museum, maybe even a restaurant. It was good to see Mr. Jackson trying as hard as he could to be her father.

He's always been a good man; he was just lost like the rest of us are. We're all basically winging it when we go through life, never knowing what could be thrown at us.

I should've been the best friend she deserved. I knew that she and her father stopped being close after their loss, that much was easy to see whenever I asked Amelia about him.

She'd just tell me he was fine. If I asked her to elaborate, she'd say there was nothing much to say since her was hardly ever home.

Wow, I am a hypocrite. How can I call Mason anything if I'm not much better myself?

I knew Amelia had liked me for years, yet I unintentionally played with her heartstrings.

But now it's too late. Mason and Lyla had already made a huge imprint on her life, stomping her down into the ground.

At least Lyla had stopped being on Amelia's case. She was probably too worried about prom for that.

Which brings me back to what I was doing right now.

Winking at a group of girls watching me as I got out of my car, I sauntered up the steps of the children's hospital Chelsea worked part time at on Wednesday's and Thursday's.

Opening the hospital's doors, I was greeted by multiple smiling faces, nurses and children alike.

I cleared my throat and said, "Okay guys, is everything set up? I just came from getting the teddy bear so all I need to know is where to put it."

Everything had to be perfect. Chelsea wasn't like other girls, so my idea was made especially for her and nobody else.

A chorus of yesses reached my ears, causing me to smile.

"Alright, go get into your positions. She should be getting off of her shift in a minute so we need to get going right now."

The children nodded and stalked off to their positions, grabbing their cards and homemade snacks on their way out. The nurses shot me one last smile, taking the bear with them, walking off to help the children.

Seconds later, a surprised voice chirped, "Hunter? What are you doing here?"

Turning around slowly, I was met with Chelsea's smiling face, her eyebrows quirked in amusement.

Clearing my throat I said, "I just wanted to surprise you. Surprise!"

She rolled her eyes.

"You are such a goofball."

I grinned cheekily.

"But I am your goofball."

Closing the distance between us in two strides, she wrapped her arms around my torso and placed her cheek against my chest.

"Yeah, you are my goofball."

Kissing the top of her head, I pulled away and swiftly turned her around so that her back was pressed to my chest.

"Hunter what-"

She stopped midsentence when my hand came up and covered her eyes. Pushing her forward slightly, I started walking over to the hospital's cafeteria.

"Where are we going? Hunter what is going on? Is this a prank? I swear if Romeo or Odyssey are waiting somewhere to dump some unknown substance on me, I will kill you!"

Chuckling, I leaned down to her ear and muttered, "Oh come on Chels! It was payback for you putting honey and flour in my hair."

"For the last time Hunter, it was an accident! I had to climb up onto the counter get the items out of the cupboard and the flour had already been opened and came tumbling down on you. I swear the honey part was magic! "

Rolling my eyes, I murmured, "Of course it was. We're here."

Pulling my hand away from her eyes, I let go of her completely.

Her eyes slowly blinked open, her mouth forming an O shape.

All of the children, wheel chairs and all, were sitting at the cafeteria tables, holding up a long banner that said, "Chelsea, go to prom with me?" on it, with hundreds of handprints on it.

Opening my mouth, I cleared my throat and said, "I know it's kind of late, seeing as prom is next week, but... Chelsea Myah Washington, will you go to prom with me?"

At the exact same time, someone pressed the teddy bear's paw, Chelsea's favorite song at the moment, Cold Water by Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ played, amplified through the room.

Spinning on her heels, Chelsea pointed an accusing finger at me, shouting, "You!"

My eyes widened in surprise.

What? Did I do something wrong? Why hadn't she answered? Is this a rejection?

Her lips quirked up into a smile as she embraced me, hugging me tightly as if I would blow away and disappear.

She pulled away, looking up at me.

"Of course I'll go with you!"

I grinned, my smile stretching from ear to ear.

A chorus of "she said yes!" surrounded the room and joyous laughter erupted from Chelsea, her eyes sparkling.

It took us all afternoon to complete all of this yesterday, but it was worth it.

Not only did Chelsea get a creative promposal, the kids got to have a fun day of finger painting, brightening their day, even if only for an afternoon.

Grabbing Chelsea's hand, I gently tugged her over to the tables the children were sitting at, allowing them to give her their handmade cards.

They knew she'd be leaving for college after the school year ended in a couple of weeks and had requested to make her farewell cards.

Even the other nurses and a couple of doctors had joined in and created a huge farewell card, pictures of Amelia and her fellow coworkers taped onto it with little notes from them underneath.

Tears flowed down her face as she read card after card, hugging each child tightly before promising to visit.

After the card bearing was over, we all sat at the tables, our laughter echoing through the halls as we munched on homemade cookies and treats.

**

This past week there was no school since the last day for seniors was May 13th.

The next week, the week of the 16th of May, we had senior exams Monday-Thursday in the morning, so not much happened.

The following week we had graduation practice Monday-Wednesday mornings.

Thursday was spent with me sleeping literally all day. Seriously. All that studying and anxiety for waiting for my college acceptance letter from

Today is Friday, May 27th, the day of prom.

Chelsea and I decided to come to my school's prom instead of hers, and I was to pick her up at seven because prom started at eight.

We wanted to hang out before going, so we were going to take pictures at my house, then leave and go to the park to watch the stars.

It was currently six thirty, so I fixed my bowtie and walked out of my bathroom, heading down the steps.

As soon as my foot connected with the last step, Cassie looked up from her seat on the couch, wolf whistled and said, "Wowza!"

Chuckling, I walked up to her and ruffled her hair.

Ms. Arnold, who was sitting on the other side of her, sent me a bright smile.

"You look very handsome Hunter. Chelsea will be pleased."

"Thank you Ms. Arnold. I'm on my way to go get her now. See you guys in a bit."

Walking off I heard a faint, "See ya Hunter!" as I opened the front door, getting into my car.

**

Fifteen minutes later, I was at Chelsea's. Stepping out of my car, I walked up to her house and knocked on her front door.

Seconds later, the door opened, revealing a man with graying hair, shocking green eyes, and laugh lines adorning his cheeks.

This must be Chelsea's dad, I thought.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I was beat to it.

"Ah. A real man knocks on the door, not using the doorbell. I like that. You must be Hunter. Come on in. Chelsea should be just about ready."

With that, the man stepped back to allow me entry into his house. Sidestepping him, I headed inside.

Once inside, I was seated onto a couch in what I presumed was the living room.

"So, Hunter. Here are the rules. Have my daughter back by two. Any later, I will kill you. I am sure you two will have fun and my little buttercup talks about you all the time. You seem like a fine young man, so I am putting my trust in you to care for my daughter. She's the only one I've got. That being said keep, it PG-13, or die. Make sure nobody spikes her drink, and don't grope her like a crazed animal. Prom is a really funny night and I am sure it'll be just perfect between you two. I can already tell that you are deeply infatuated with her."

My eyes were wide, my mind still processing what he said.

How could he just say he'd kill me, then proceed like he'd never said it?!

I didn't have time to respond because right at that moment, Chelsea walked down the steps.

She looked beautiful, her pink dress flowing behind her, the light catching the sparkles of the tiara resting on the top of her head, her hair curled as it bounced on her shoulders.

Glancing down at her shoes, I smiled.

She was wearing silver wedged sneakers that had wings on them.

Walking up to her, I placed her corsage on her wrist and whispered, "You look ravishing."

She smiled as she pinned my corsage on my suit's jacket, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Hmm...you look all right, I guess. You could use some-"

I cut her off with my laugh, lightly kissing her forehead.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You are the better looking one, are you happy?"

She giggled. "Yeah, I am, but not from that. I'm happy because you asked me to join you tonight. You look striking. The suit fits you well."

Flicking her nose softly, I took a step back and whispered, "Your mom looks like she is about to fan girl."

She scoffed.

"Ugh, let's get these pictures over with. If we don't do it soon, mom will never let us leave!"

**

After taking about fifty billion pictures, we left and headed over to my house, where Cassie squealed and took about fifty billion more pictures.

Somehow, we managed to get out of there alive and headed to the park to star gaze.

We sat in silence, just staring up at the stars in thought. The silence was comfortable. Words weren't needed to occupy the moment. Us being in each other's presence was enough.

Wow. Senior year. School's over, we're going off to college...

It's still a lot to take in.

All the teachers I was friends with, the experiences I've had, all that's happened with Amelia...

I can honestly say senior year was the longest year of my life, experience wise. A lot happened this year, some things good, some bad, but I still had a lot to learn, a lot more to experience.

Looking down at my watch, I turned to Chelsea, who was lying beside me on the roof of my truck, and said, "It's time to go."

We slid down, hopped into the car, and headed off to prom.

**

Handing the bouncer our prom tickets, we strutted over to where Romeo, Odyssey, and their dates were sitting, pretending like we were Victoria Secret models.

When we were halfway there, Chelsea tripped, causing me to stumble. I caught her and held her hand, spinning her so it looked like it was planned.

By the time we actually made it to the table, we were all doubling over with laughter.

"What was that?" Romeo sputtered in between spurts of laughter.

"Us failing at life." Chelsea answered, wiping away a tear.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I totally saved that! That was you failing at life, not me." I said, emphasizing the word you.

Chelsea playfully glared at me and swatted my chest, causing me to grin and flick her forehead.

'Game on.' She mouthed, tickling my sides.

I don't know if you all knew this or not, but I am extremely ticklish. That's how Amelia would win at games. Originally, she'd be losing, then she'd just tickle me until I said she won.

Nothing was any different now. Pushing Chelsea's hands away, I picked up a few flower petals from the table and threw it at her, then turned the tables so that it was me tickling her.

"Stop, the cuteness is unbearable!" Odyssey cried, holding a hand over his forehead dramatically.

I rolled my eyes and locked eyes with Chelsea, who smiled evilly and nodded.

Turning to Odyssey, we picked up flower petals and chucked them at him, then began chucking them at everyone else seated around the table. Soon, we were in a flower petal fight.

What? You can't take the immaturity away no matter how old we get.

~~

A few minutes later we were eating, chatting and laughing as we reminisced the memories of the past year, when Mason and Amelia came up to our table.

We stood as Amelia shot us all a small wave; Mason a short smile.

Amelia looked gorgeous, her light blue dress covering her legs, her toes picking out in white heels. Her hair was how it usually is, wavy and full of volume.

Glancing over at Mason, I gave him a small nod greeting, to which he responded with a hostile look, but nonetheless gave me a small nod back.

Well then.

Sitting back down, we scooted over, making more room for the couple. While the others continued their conversations, Chelsea and I made faces and smiled over our glasses of punch.

At the last one I bust out laughing, catching the attention of the others.

"What are you on?" someone asked.

"Life." I answered truthfully.

"I'm high on life."

~~

The rest of the night was spent with me dancing with Chelsea, once dancing with Zori, who had been asked to the dance by a guy, named Tony.

At some point, we separated and I ended up acting like a goof with Romeo and Odyssey, leading a crazy conga line.

Somehow I ended up in front of Amelia.

Casting her a sly smile I said, "You look beautiful." She blushed.

Holding my hand out to her, I asked, "May I have this dance?"

With a nod, she took my hand. I led her to the dance floor and we ended up dancing together for four songs, laughing about old memories.

After the fourth song, Mason came and separated us, dragging her away.

I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.

Chelsea came up to me and we danced the rest of the night away, enjoying our last night as seniors.

I caught Romeo's eye and he winked, causing me to laugh.

It felt good to laugh. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders.

At some point I caught Odyssey's eye, and we both made weird faces at each other, our tongues sticking out.

At midnight, prom ended and we all headed over to Romeo's to watch The Conjuring 2.

Lying on his floor, we all watched the movie, each of us laughing whenever one of us got scared.

Looking around, I felt a wave of sorrow hit me.

Starting tomorrow, we are soon to be freshmen of college.

This coming August, we'd all be leaving, going off to different colleges to pursue our dreams.

What a thing to think about, am I right?

A/N

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Now for some news: HNSBBH only has three chapters left, but..... 

THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL!! We, WritingMelody and I, haven't thought of the name yet but it will (hopefully) be started within a week of this book finishing. 

Song of chapter: PILLOWTALK Megamix | ft. ZAYN, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, One Direction, Troye Sivian, and more! by SuperScreamRock 2