A/N: Can I just say how much I absolutely love you all?!! XD So this is the last chapter before the epilogue! :'( But, please begin thinking to yourself what you'd like the bonus chapters to be about, because I will ask you to comment about it on the epilogue! Oh, and I have entered the wattys 2016!!! I probably won't win anything, but since it never hurts to try, please remember to vote, comment, and share as those increase my chances of winning! ;) Thank you for your never ending support throughout this book, because I never would have gotten it done without you all. You're the best readers/fans in the world! :-*

Stephanie's POV

"Smile everyone!"

Our graduating class huddles together and smiles brightly for the enthusiastic cameraman as he takes the last pictures of the day. The bright afternoon sun glints in our eyes and leaves us drunk with happiness, and high with the endless possibilities that come with graduating and making our mark on the world.

It's been about two weeks since the masquerade ball, and life has never been better. Everyone seems so much happier and lighter; especially Collin who always finds a reason to burst into a song at any given moment. Now, school has ended and we've just finished our graduation ceremony. A professional photographer takes our picture as the class of 2016, and we're all putting on out best smiles, which isn't that hard considering we're all so excited. After all, it's finally our time. Our time to spread our wings in the big, wide globe and find out where our perfect niche is. But, for now, we're all simply focused on the blinding flash of the camera and the anxious faces of the hundreds of family members gathered behind it.

When the pictures are over, I look for dad in the sea of family members here to support all of us and spot his golden hair easily as it's about a foot above everyone else and walking toward me with long strides. He reaches me in a few short seconds and lets go of Carrie's hand to take me into a big bear hug. I wrap my own arms around his neck and let myself sink into the comfort of his hug.

(Trevor Donovan as Daniel Coleman)

"I am so proud of you, red." He says, cupping my face in his hands and giving me a teary smile. "And I know your mother would be as well."

"Thanks daddy," I whisper, grateful beyond words to have him in my life. I look over at Carrie who looks absolutely beautiful in a much more natural way than before, and she holds her arms out for a hug.

(Kate Winslet as Carrie Coleman)

"Congrats honey!"

"Thank you Carrie. I'm so glad you could make it; I was worried you would have a doctor's appointment today." She laughs.

"No dear, I'm perfectly healthy and the doctor said I could skip my appointment as long as I promised to get myself checked out tomorrow and make sure everything's going fine."

Confused? Well, a few days after the masquerade ball my dad brought Carrie to the doctor because she was throwing up quite a bit and he thought she'd gotten food poisoning. As it turns out, she was actually just experiencing morning sickness. Yep, Carrie is about five weeks pregnant now, and while it seems to be going perfectly since she's still pretty young and very healthy, we're all still on pins and needles and being a bit too overprotective of her.

"So, you excited about going to UCLA?" Dad asks, coming over to hug Carrie gently to his side.

"Yeah, I am. I feel slightly anxious about it, but I'm ready to for the next part of my life." Dad smiles warmly.

"That's great, red. And while I know you didn't choose it for me, I'm just so happy you'll be close to home. I'm not quite ready to fully let go of my baby girl when I just got her back." Dad says. Carrie laughs.

"Daniel, she's hardly a baby anymore. At her age, I already had Stacy for goodness sake." Dad pales.

"Honey, let's wait a few years until you make me a grandfather, ok? I don't want to have to kill your boyfriend."

"Ooh, you're planning to kill Collin? I want in!" Noah tells us jovially, inserting himself into the conversation with an arm around Amy. Collin comes over as well, and he glares at Noah.

"Don't give Mr. Coleman any ideas, please." He says. Noah smiles evilly.

"Why not? I know all the different ways to kill you or embarrass you without getting caught." Collin smirks.

"Well, if you do that, I'll just walk over to Amy's brothers over there and give them ammunition against you."

"Fine!" Noah concedes, pouting. "I won't say anything. You suck the fun out of everything."

"Who does?"

This is asked by James who comes over holding the hand of a happy but slightly gloomy Stacy. There's an air of defeat around her, and that scares me because she was just fine earlier this week. Glimpses of her white, strapless dress show under the fluttering lapels of her navy blue graduation gown, and she looks like the perfect blonde counterpart to James' tall, dark, and handsome looks.

(Brittany Snow as Stacy Coleman)

(Jesse Metcalfe as James Bradley)

"Uh, Collin does, obviously. We all know he's the buzz kill of the group." Noah responds emphatically.

We all laugh and joke around for a bit, until Mrs. Stanton comes by and asks Amy, Noah, Collin and I for a moment. She leads us away from the group toward a big willow tree, then turns and looks at us.

"I was wondering if you all might do me a slight favor. You see, I just got word from the band that will serve as the entertainment for the graduation party, and they said that traffic will slow them down for about an hour. Would you all mind singing and dancing for at least half of that time to give everyone something to enjoy besides regular CD music while we wait?"

We all look at each other to see approval in each other's eyes, then we turn to Mrs. Stanton at the same time and nod. She sighs in relief and thanks us, then walks away swiftly to talk to our principal.

We walk back to our group of friends, and I'm once again worried to see Stacy's eyes clouded with what looks like guilt.

"Stace, can I talk to you privately for a second?" I ask. She whips her head up, surprised, then agrees and walks with me to the tree I was at before. I look at her with concern.

"What's going on?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips. She picks at imaginary lint on her dress.

"I don't know what you're talking about. "

"I think you do. Stacy, seriously, did something happen between you and James?" She sighs and finally looks me in the eye.

"I got a letter in the mail from this internship I applied to last year. It's basically a way for me to study fashion while getting hands on experience and getting paid, all at the same time. It's really hard to get accepted, because they're really picky about who they choose, but I did it. I was chosen along with five other girls in the country out of thousands of applications."

I gasp and hug her tightly.

"Stacy, that's amazing! Congratulations! But, why does that make you sad." She shudders in and breath.

"Because if I accept the position it means I'll be staying in Paris for four years, Steph." Realization dawns on me like a bunch of bricks.

"And I'm guessing you haven't told James." She shakes her head miserably.

"No. I was going to tell him when I got the letter a week ago, but he came into the house excitedly and told me he'd been accepted in his dream school, the University of Houston. It's this huge honor for him because just about all the men on his dad's side of the family went there, and he loves everything about the city and the university. God, Steph, how am I supposed to tell the first boy I've ever loved that I won't even be in the same continent as him for four years?"

I stare at her in despair. I know nothing I say to her will really do any good. What she needs is to choose whatever her heart truly wants.

"Look Stacy, I know this is a hard decision and that you want to stay with James, but look at it this way. If you decline the position to stay with James, you'll just end up resenting him in the future. You have to do what your heart is begging you to do. Don't make your life revolve around your man. Because if he truly loves you, he'll be willing to wait for you to go and explore this dream position and then come back and make a life with him."

She listens to me attentively, and by the end of my speech she looks much more calm and quite a bit thoughtful. She agrees to give this some deep thought, then follows me back to the group where everyone is getting ready to go the graduation party.

Once everyone has decided who's going in which car, we say our goodbyes to our parents and walk toward our respective rides. Just as Collin an I are about to get into my car, we hear his name called. We turn to find Olivia, Caleb, and Eva with Reece in a little stroller. They smile and wave as they come over, and Collin stares at them in at state of shock and giddiness.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought there was a meeting in Berlin that you couldn't get out of?" He asks. Caleb grins and gives him a tight bear hug.

"I was able to finally convince them to change the date for it to next week, and as soon as I did we all got on the next plane down here. We're really sorry we couldn't make it to the ceremony, though. I tried my best to get a good flight, but this was early as we could make it." Caleb responds with a bittersweet smile.

"Are you kidding? I love that you made it at all! Thank you so much!" Collin tells him with tears of joys in his eyes. He hugs each of them tightly and then gives the directions for the graduation party.

The party is a tradition at our school, and it always has faculty members as well as graduating students and their families joining together with live music and and lots of refreshments to kick off the beginning of summer. It's always been one of the best events our school makes, and I can't wait to dance with Collin and enjoy the rest of today.

***

When we get to the park that hosts the graduation party, we're immediately engulfed by the exuberant chatter of everyone around us and the pop music reverberating throughout the space and feeding into everyone's excitement.

The outside of the park isn't much to look at, but once you get deeper in, it's a whole other story. The afternoon light is a perfect counterbalance to the twinkling lights hung above us all, and it accentuates perfectly the small glow in the dark elements on every table. A grand stage toward the front of the room is equipped with both huge speakers and a bunch of instruments as well as a karaoke machine so that we're prepared for whatever we wanted to do tonight.

We walk over to one of the bigger tables to be able to fit both my family and Collin's. Dad, Carrie, Stacy, and James sit to my right, and Olivia, Caleb, and Eva sit to my left with little Reece in a high chair. Just as we sit down, Mrs. Stanton comes over.

"Hello graduates! Please note that the food will be in the buffet table in the corner to my right, and that once you eat I need you to come and tell the man by the computer to my left what song you'd like him to play on the Karaoke machine, alright?"

We nod in agreement, and once she's done the opening speech to welcome everyone to the party, we rush over to the buffet table to gorge ourselves on the food catered by Golden Corral. Just as we begin to sit back and enjoy our traditional American cuisine, Liz appears next to our table with a playful frown and Dom's hand swallowing her own.

"Collin! What are you doin' to that fried chicken? Have I taught you nothin'? What kind of southern taught boy eats his fried chicken like that?"

Collin immediately drops his fried chicken wing and stands up to hug Liz while Caleb brings two chairs over for Liz and Dom to sit. When they're situated, Liz rummages around her bag and takes out folded pages of paper, then drops them on Collin's lap.

"Here you go, sweet pea. Now, I'm goin' to go get me some of that chicken pot pie before it's all gone."

She leaves with Dom to go get food, and I look at Collin's excited face curiously.

"What are those?" I ask him, cutting in to my piece of roasted chicken.

"It's the sheet music for that duet we wrote a week after the gala. I asked Nana to bring it for me." He responds enthusiastically. "I'm thinking we can both sing two songs, have Amy and Noah perform, then sing the duet. It'd be the perfect way to end before the band comes." I smile.

"Yeah, it would. That song is probably the best we've done yet. It's so incredibly profound, and we don't need anything but the piano to do it." I tell him.

"Exactly. So you know what you're going to sing?"

"Yep, I'm going to go tell computer dude right now. You coming?"

Collin agrees, and we both go over to tell computer dude, who introduces himself as Ross, our sets and the order we want them in. He gives us a thumbs up, and we go and tell Mrs. Stanton that we're ready whenever she is. She brings us, along with Amy and Noah, over to a building near the place we rented out for today's party, and she walks over to a rack of clothing items.

"I borrowed these from the drama department for Noah and Amy. I figured they'd need clothes that were easier to move in to dance. Collin and Stephanie, you are welcome to these clothes as well if you wish. As long as you're careful with them, I don't care what you use. Please do hurry, though, so we can get started on the entertainment as soon as possible."

With that, she bids us goodbye, and we dive into searching for the right outfits. Amy and Noah immediately find the clothes they need and run to the bathroom to get changed. Collin decides he's fine in his dress shirt and slacks, and after giving me a kiss on the forehead, he leaves me there to look for something else to wear. I flip through the garments slowly, not wanting to miss anything, when I suddenly find exactly what I want.

It's a beautiful red lace mini dress with cap sleeves and a flirty skirt that sways whenever you move it. I fall in love instantly, and I know that I absolutely have to wear this dress on stage. Then, as I'm looking through the shoes in a bin at the bottom of the rack, I find the most gorgeous pair of silver bedazzled high heels. I walk over to the restroom quickly, passing Amy and Noah on the way, and change into the beautiful garments before walking back outside.

When I get back to the main party area, I find Collin setting up the mic on the stage and smiling at the crowd.

"Hey guys! I'm so honored to be able to sing to you all today, because I really have bonded with you guys this year. You helped me feel like a regular teenager again and you all brought back my true love for performing. I will always be forever grateful to you for that. So, today I'd like to start off with an old classic by a legend down south of the US. It's also my nana's favorite song, and I wanted to do something special for her. This is Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley!"

A light smattering of applause follows his announcement, with Liz clapping the loudest, and then the music begins.

Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand,
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand,
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you

Everyone claps enthusiastically when he's done, and he rewards them with his million dollar smile.

"Thank you, thank you! This next on is an old single of mine that I'm sure most of you remember. This is: Not a Bad Thing."

(Not a bad thing by Justin Timberlake)

[Verse 1:]
Said all I want from you is to see you tomorrow
And every tomorrow, maybe you'll let me borrow your heart
And is it too much to ask for every Sunday
And while we're at it, throw in every other day to start

[Pre-Chorus:]
I know people make promises all the time
Then they turn right around and break them
When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, now you're bleeding
But I could be that guy to heal it over time
And I won't stop until you believe it
'Cause baby you're worth it

[Chorus:]
So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me

'Cause you might look around to find your dreams come true, with me

Spent all your time and your money just to find out that my love was free
So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me, me
It's not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me

[Verse 2:]
Now how about I'd be the last voice you hear tonight?
And every other night for the rest of the nights that there are
Every morning I just wanna see you staring back at me
'Cause I know that's a good place to start

[Pre-Chorus:]
I know people make promises all the time
Then they turn right around and break them
When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, now you're bleeding
Don't you know that I could be that guy to heal it over time
And I won't stop until you believe it
'Cause baby you're worth it

[Chorus:]
So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me

'Cause you might look around to find your dreams come true, with me
Spent all your time and your money just to find out that my love was free
So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me, me
It's not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me
Not such a bad thing to fall in love with me
(Not such a bad thing to fall in love with me)

[Bridge:]
No I won't fill your mind
With broken promises and wasted time
And if you fall, you'll always land right in these arms
These arms of mine

[Chorus:]
Don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me

'Cause you might look around to find your dreams come true, with me
Spent all your time and your money just to find out that my love was free
So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me, me
It's not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me
Not such a bad thing to fall in love with me

He finishes his last note, and everyone gets up to give him a standing ovation (with Caleb and Olivia yelling the loudest, of course). Collin waves once more, then he exits the stage so I can perform. I gather my graduation robe tightly around me with one of my sashes as I walk up, wanting to wait to reveal the dress for the second song. I get up on stage and take a deep breath, before giving everyone my best smile.

"Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying yourself so far, because I will be keeping it going with this next song by Clean Bandit, Rather Be."

Ross plays the song, and I begin to let myself go, note by note.

Oh, Woah, Ooh, ooh

[Verse 1:]
We're a thousand miles from comfort, we have traveled land and sea
But as long as you are with me, there's no place I'd rather be
I would wait forever, exalted in the scene
As long as I am with you, my heart continues to beat

[Pre-Chorus:]
With every step we take, Kyoto to The Bay
Strolling so casually
We're different and the same, get you another name
Switch up the batteries

[Chorus:]
If you gave me a chance I would take it
It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it
Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me
When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be
N-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be [x3]

[Verse 2:]
We staked out on a mission to find our inner peace
Make it everlasting so nothing's incomplete
It's easy being with you, sacred simplicity
As long as we're together, there's no place I'd rather be

When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be, yeah

[Bridge:]
Beeeeeeeeee, hooooooo oh
Be [x9]
Yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah, yeah, yeah

[Chorus]

When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be

Cheers and loud whistles follow the ending of the sing, snapping me out of the dreamy haze it left me in. I smile excitedly and grip the mic tighter as I address the audience more.

"Alright, so now I'm going to sing a song that came to me after a while of contemplation. Really what brought me to it was remembering my boyfriend's beloved red Maserati. Can you guys guess what it is yet? Well, in case you didn't, it's Red by Taylor Swift!"

I untie my sash and put my robe on a hook in the corner, just as the sweet, melodious introduction fills the air. All the girls begin to sway to the tune of the music as I sing.

[Verse 1:]
Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street
Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly
Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall
Like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all

[Chorus:]
Losing him was blue like I'd never known
Missing him was dark grey all alone
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met
But loving him was red
Loving him was red

[Verse 2:]
Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you
Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song
Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer
Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong

[Chorus:]
Losing him was blue like I'd never known
Missing him was dark grey all alone
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met
But loving him was red
Oh, red
Burning red

[Bridge:]
Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes
Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go
But moving on from him is impossible
When I still see it all in my head
In burning red
Burning, it was red

[Chorus:]
Oh, losing him was blue like I'd never known
Missing him was dark grey all alone
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met
'Cause loving him was red
Yeah, yeah, red
We're burning red

[Post-Chorus:]
And that's why he's spinnin' 'round in my head
Comes back to me, burning red
Yeah, yeah

His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street

The music finally fades out, and once again everyone stands up to give me a standing ovation. I thank them all for their time and introduce Amy and Noah before walking back to my table. I sit and hold Collin's hand as Amy begins to speak.

"Hello again everyone! Noah and I created this little number as a fun way to pass the time, and we're really excited to let you guys see it. It is pretty short, but it's packed pretty intensely in its time frame. It'll be to the tune of a shortened version of Gravity by Sara Bareilles. Enjoy!"

(SYTYC- season 5 Gravity, Kayla and Kupono)

We all stand up to cheer them as they give bow after bow for their exquisite performance. It was a lovely rendition of what it means to have an addiction, and you could really see what each one felt throughout it. Amy is no doubt headed to be as famous as Noah in a very near future.

"You ready to go back up, bambi?" Collin asks me as Amy and Noah leave the stage.

I nod, and together we make our way back to the stage with Collin heading straight to the piano with the sheet music, and me moving both mics toward the piano. Then, I look back at the curious audience and smile as I sit on the piano's bench next to Collin.

"Hello again! This time, Collin and I would like to share an original song with you all. It's a very romantic and passionate duet, and it's probably my new favorite song. We named it: Over and Over Again."

(Over and Over Again by Nathan Sykes ft. Ariana Grande; I highly suggest you listen to this!!)

From the way you smile
To the way you look
You capture me
Unlike no other

From the first hello
Yeah, that's all it took
And suddenly
We had each other

And I won't leave you
Always be true
One plus one, two for life
Over and over again

So don't ever think I need more
I've got the one to live for
No one else will do
And I'm telling you
Just put your heart in my hands

I promise it won't get broken
We'll never forget this moment
It will stay brand new
'Cause I'll love you
Over and over again

Over and over again

From the heat of night
To the break of day
I'll keep you safe
And hold you forever

And the sparks will fly
They will never fade
'Cause every day gets better and better

And I won't leave you
Always be true
One plus one, two for life
Over and over again

So don't ever think I need more
I've got the one to live for
No one else will do
Yeah, I'm telling you
Just put your heart in my hands

I promise it won't get broken
We'll never forget this moment
It will stay brand new
'Cause I'll love you
Over and over again

Over and over again

Girl when I'm with you
I lose track of time
When I'm without you
You're stuck on my mind

Be all you need
'Til the day that I die
I'll love you
Over and over again

So don't ever think I need more
I've got the one to live for
No one else will do
Yeah, I'm telling you
Just put your heart in my hands

Promise it won't get broken
We'll never forget this moment
It will stay brand new
'Cause I'll love you
Over and over again

Over and over again

Over and over again

Everyone stands up and applauds louder than they have all evening, and we thank them profusely before passing the mic to Mrs. Stanton and walking down the stage steps. As I walk behind Collin, my heel snags on something and trips me, but Colin manages to catch me from falling, and he carries me back to the table in his arms with the excuse that he didn't trust me not to fall again on the "death traps".

It's not until we've reached our seats again that I realize the shoe that made me tripped is still on the stage step.

"Collin, will you get the shoe back for me? I have to keep it in good condition."

He nods and goes to get it, and then brings it over to me with mischievous smile that makes me narrow my eyes with suspicion as to what he's planning. He kneels in front of me and takes my shoeless foot in his hand.

"Dear Cinderella, I have found your missing glass slipper. Please sit as I return it to your foot."

I watch, bemused, as he slips the high heel back on and then sits in his chair with a small smirk my way. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"So, if I'm Cinderella, what are you?" He grins.

"Prince Charming, obviously. I mean have you seen this face? It was born to be a prince's face. And don't even get me started on the washboard abs." I roll my eyes.

"Really? I was thinking of you more as one of the mice that turns into a horse." I tell him with a haughty smile. He gasps dramatically.

"Stephanie Coleman, you wound me! How could you destroy the perfect fairy tale like that? In the end, I have to be the lonely prince because you are the beautiful princess who steals my heart. You even have the stepfamily and glass slippers to prove it."

"I am kind of like Cinderella, aren't I?" I say to him as I give it deeper contemplation. "Except of course for the fact that Cinderella had too perfect an ending. Mine is better, because even though it's not Hollywood material, it's mine. It's real and tangible, and perfect for me. Which means I get to do this as well."

I lean over to kiss him softly, just as the recently arrived band starts playing a soft rendition of "It's a Wonderful World". It seems like the perfect soundtrack for the night, and I find myself getting up with Collin to dance together under the bright and twinkling lights with other couples surrounding us.

We dance until the song is completely finished and then walk back to our table as the band settles into much livelier music. Collin and I settle into our seats once again, only to find that two people had joined the table in our absence.

Stan sits next to Caleb and sends a warm smile in our direction when we sit down. Agent Humphrey sits next to Olivia with an arm casually slung across the back of her chair. Collin decides to deal with Agent Humphrey, or rather Jason, first.

"Jason, what are you doing here? I thought Caleb's case was closed." He asks. Jason smiles indulgently.

"Yes, it is. I'm here on an unofficial capacity today. It's just a casual outing between Olivia and I."

Liz raises her eyebrow.

"No need to be so fancy, honey. You can just say you have the hots for her so you asked her out."

Olivia blushes bright red, and even Jason seems to get a little red on the tips of his ears as he scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Ah, yes, I suppose. Although, we've already gone on two dates before. This is just an in between thing to see each other before I have to leave for a case in Wisconsin." Jason responds. Olivia smiles softly and pats his hand, making him look down and give her a warm look in return while interlocking their fingers.

Caleb and Collin zoom in on their hands, and immediately decide to start grilling Jason on his intentions while Liz chuckles in the background saying "Olivia is finally goin' to get herself a man!"

Stan takes this opportunity to ask me to dance with him, and I readily agree to escape the growing tension in the table where my dad and Carrie look like deer caught in headlights. We sway to the medium tempo song, and Stan looks down at me excitedly.

"Steph, I have an amazing offer for you. Now I know that you've been reluctant to try and sing for a living, but this could really work to your advantage! Every music executive at the masquerade gala couldn't shut up about your performance. You have a gift, and I think that Royal Studios could help you harness it to its fullest potential. Plus, you'd get Caleb as your boss, and you know he'd never force you to do anything you didn't feel comfortable doing. So, what do you say?"

I give his offer a lot of thought, because it's not such a black and white issue anymore. Now, I have the courage to branch out and try to be famous through music. But the problem is that I don't want to just dive into that life. I want to get to experience college life as a normal person, and get to spend more time with my newly reacquainted family. This way, I also have a degree to fall back on if I don't make it, or if make it but then lose popularity quickly.

So, I look at Stan apologetically and say, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested right now. There's more I want to explore before I go down that road."

He smiles sadly but adheres to my decision, and we go back to the table where the grilling has ended and in its place is lively conversation with Liz and Dom at the helm. When Collin sees me coming, he shoots up from his seat and takes me back to the dance floor.

"I'm guessing by Stan's sad face that you said no to the offer." He says matter-of-factly as we sway back and forth. I sigh; of course he already knew.

"Yeah, I did. I'm just not ready for that type of commitment. " he stares into my deeply as if searching for hidden answers.

"I can accept that, but are you okay with committing to this relationship whole-heartedly? Because it'll be tougher than ever to maintain it now that you're going to be in college and I'm not. And let's just be very clear, I fully intend on not sharing you with anyone."

"Don't worry, Stud muffin. We'll get through it. It's just four years of balancing our relationship with other stuff. Then, I'll try out the music career and see if it's for me. You're stuck with me for as long as we can stand each other."

He smiles and dips me in the middle of the dance floor as the soft and melodious the band was playing comes to an end, and then pulls me back up.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, bambi." He says gently. Then, out of nowhere, he laughs. "Can you remember all of the things that got us here? You getting a bump on your head on my first day, Amy's anger towards Noah, the friendship that evolved into romance. All of it led me here to you. And it all started with finding out that you were the secret singer that would ultimately hold my heart."

I smile with absolute happiness and kiss him with what feels like rays of sunshine busting through my heart.

"Yeah, it all led here. To the perfect moment with my own real life prince." I tell him.

As we danced the night absolute way with friends and family who came to join us on the dance floor, I realized that it's true. Collin Jacobs is my real life prince.

And while this may not be a fairytale worthy of a Hollywood production, it's perfect for me because of its imperfections. A screenwriter didn't get to make this have the absolute perfect ending, but that's only because it's my life. And the fact is, it hasn't ended yet.

I still have a lot to live for, and as long as I get to keep my prince by my side, it'll be perfect for me.

~~~

THE (IMPERFECT YET PERFECT) END

****

A/N: And that's a wrap! This is, as you all know, the last chapter of The Secret Singer! I can't really believe that it's done. I'll definitely miss this storyline! All that's left is the epilogue and a few bonus chapters.

Now, what I'd like to ask is for what y'all would like bonus chapters about. I already know I'll be writing one of them about how they met in Collin's POV, and another in Steph's POV for what happens when she and Amy go to Amy's house for spring break during college. You can ask for other characters' POVs, you can ask for a POV view of someone else during a scene already in the book, etc. Really anything is open. Just comment right here!

I look forward to your input! And thank you all so much for your continued support throughout this book. I never would have finished without y'all!

Da bo chi! (Informal goodbye in Welsh)