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I look up at the sky to get a handle on my emotions.
“There was a point in my life when you were my favorite person, and I’m not sure you ever knew that. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much when you turned against me. A small part of me tried to justify it. To tell myself that you were sick. That it wasn’t you. But I know now that it was. You put yourself first in every aspect of your life, and when push came to shove, you were even willing to sacrifice your nieces to get what you wanted.
“You were my uncle, and I loved you. It took three counselors and hours of therapy for me to admit that. Over that time, I learned a few things. First, that it’s okay to feel pain as long as you don’t let it define you. Second, that you are bigger than the things that happen to you. And third, that you can overcome anything as long as you push through.
“I used to think that I wasn’t allowed to acknowledge the heartache. That it would make me weak. That it would make it so you win—but it doesn’t. Admitting that what you did caused damage doesn’t make me weak. It makes me strong. Stronger than your men that rot in prison. Stronger than the memories that have haunted me at night. And a hell of a lot stronger than you.
“So, you don’t get to break me, because I refuse to give you that power anymore. I’m taking it back, and I’m going to destroy you with it in the best way I know how—by forgetting you and living the best life you failed to steal from me.”
A satisfied and liberated feeling rushes over me, and I get up from my place on the ground. I’ve said all I needed to say, and I’ll leave here and never come back again. As I turn around to go back to the car, the corners of my mouth raise. Because standing there waiting isn’t just Delaney, but Asher and Lennon, too.
I walk over to them and hug my sister. Asher drapes his arm over my shoulders and kisses my forehead while Lennon grabs my hand. The four of us walk away with smiles on our faces, knowing everything really is going to be okay. I may have fallen down, but I got back up again, and that’s all that matters.
Always remember you’re stronger than your demons.
Epilogue
TESSA
10 Months Later
Typing the assignment into my computer, I make sure I have everything before I pack up my things. It’s nice to finally be in college, especially being as I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a thing for me. Until the end of last year, I never really knew what I wanted to do. Now, it’s crystal clear.
Since I missed a month of school, I ended up needing to repeat all of my senior year instead of just half. I was a little annoyed by it, but I didn’t mind it too much. I was able to graduate in June with Lennon and the rest of our friends, with Delaney, Asher, Colby, and even my parents cheering me on from the audience.
“Tessa?” The professor calls my name as I’m passing her desk. “Do you have a second?”
I nod and stop at her desk. “Is everything okay?”
“More than okay. I just wanted to tell you what a great job you did on your paper.” She pulls out the assignment from last week. “Reading about your struggles and how you overcame them, I was so moved. Great job.”
As she hands it back to me, I notice she graded it with an A+.
“Thank you so much.”
She smiles. “No need to thank me. You are a pleasure to have in class, and you’re going to make a remarkable psychologist one day. We need people like you.”
A warm feeling spreads through me as I make my way out of the classroom and to my car. Not wanting to leave Asher, I’m taking classes at NHU. My goal is to become a psychologist and specialize in PTSD. I want to help others never reach the point I was at, because they may not be as lucky as me to make it through it.
After a lot of consideration and talking it over with Asher, I ended up using my entire trust fund to open Safe and Sound—an outpatient facility where people can go for someone to talk to or just a place to breathe. Patients of all ages and social classes can come and choose to talk to someone, sit in on group sessions, or even just use some of the amazing resources it has to find the help they need. Danielle played a key part, staffing it with the best people she knows and running it for me. Eventually, when I’m done with my degree, the goal is for me to take over. It’s something I take great pride in.
I GET OUT OF my car as soon as I see Lennon getting off the private plane. She takes her time, and I groan as I check my watch.
“Come on, come on. We’re going to be late.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t rush me. I just had a long flight.”
I chuckle. “Oh, yes. Flying in a private jet is such a tough life. You poor thing.”
Climbing in and putting her seatbelt on, she smirks. “Perks of being best friends with Colby Hendrix.”
Last summer, Lennon went through a lot and really managed to grow as a person. She was forced to make some pretty hard choices, and Colby was one of the people she had to lean on. For a while, Asher and I thought they would end up getting together, but instead, they became really close friends. We all are.
PARKING IN THE VIP section at Levi’s Stadium is one of those things that will never get old. Lennon and I show the security guard our passes, even though he already knows who I am. After I came here to talk to Asher’s coach, he ended up getting in touch a week later. They offered him an assistant coaching position with the stipulation that he continues to try to fix his shoulder.
Asher took the job and actually did really well with it. The guys responded to him and were glad to have him back—especially Colby, who looked like he was on cloud nine with his best friend by his side again. Meanwhile, we got in touch with the best doctors in the country, someone who specializes in nerve damage.
It was a few months later when I held Asher’s hand and walked him down the hospital hallway as he went into surgery. I kissed him goodbye and spent the next five hours pacing. When he came out, they said everything went perfectly but only time would tell.
