Types of tears (COMPLETED)

chapter 42

I hear the bell ring and everyone walks out, some passing me and saying they'll see me tomorrow and I smile, and say bye to all of them, and remember them about the homework they have.

Then I get all the things on my desk and look up to my teaching degree on the wall and smile. Then I walk right out and close my classroom.

It's been 15 years since I was in school, 15 years since I graduated.

As I walk down the hall everyone says hi to me, I think I turned into the Mr Steve in my school. I walk to my car and get in, and drive home.

I sink into the sit as I drive down the freeway, the school was 30 minutes away, but I didn't mind.

I look at my dangling keychain, hanging from my front mirror. It was the smiley face from the small book mark. And I smile to it remembering her.

Royal.

I still wonder how my life would have been if she was still her. What I would've done, and who would've become.

The pain didn't fade away, I don't think it ever will, but I can control it now.

When I finish high school I took 2 years off and worked all I could. And saved enough money to go to college. It was a big decision for me, and even though I don't really think you need college to have a successful life. I needed it go get where I wanted to be. A teacher.

Something in me change a few weeks before graduating. I won the writing contest  in my school, but lost with the other school districts, and that's fine. But Mr Steve was the one who did this project, he was the one who opened my path to Royal, without him, I would've been dead by now. And I wanted to do that for someone else. And it helped that I already loved to read, so I became an English teacher, and I love my students.

Peyton helped me a lot, he rented an apartment close to my college, and we stayed there until I graduated, even a couple years after. He got a really good job in an animal clinic about 10 minutes away from the apartment. Ethan went to the same college as me, so he moved in with us and helped us the rent.

I graduated after 4 years and Ethan graduated after 8 years in total. He's a doctor now, he followed his dream, and works in the hospital Royal was in. With his boss Thomas. He got a higher position right away because he went to a better college, but there both happy.

Sometimes I go visit them, sometimes I just stand in front of room 072 and remember everything I thought, felt or did when I walked in.

Beatrice is still there, she has one more year until she retires, and Kang moved to another hospital almost the same time I graduated. Anna is good, she stared a cancer patient class, and used Royals experience to help other parents like her. That lost their daughters or sons, or parents. It's all pain, and she helps them control it.

Amanda and Jake stayed in the same place, I talk to them sometimes. Jake got married right after high school, and adopted a baby girl because his wife couldn't have children. Amanda is inside a relationship outside of marriage, she says she doesn't believe in it, and I respect that, she decided to not have a family, but got 3 husky. Lewis married too, but got divorced about 5 years ago, and lives an alone with his 2 daughters. I haven't heard much about him, because he moved to Washington for a work deal, but every time I see him, he looks really happy. His girls are his life. Thomas got divorced too, but he remarried after a year, and had 2 boys with his new wife. Ethan married his girlfriend after he graduated college, they tried to have a baby, but they miscarriage 4 times, they almost gave up until 6 years later. They have a girl, her name is Susan.

I get to the driveway of my house, I bout it 7 years ago, and I love every corner of it. It's a soft green color, with a wide front and back yard, in a nice neighborhood. I put the key inside and open the door and hear footsteps run to me.