Epilogue

3 years later…

Wes

Did you miss me?

Of course you did.

We all knew who the fan favourite was, so it came as no surprise to learn my POV was nominated for the series finale. Nico was pissed, but he should have known the Troy Bolton of Taber University was going to outvote him.

Shit. I should have picked 14 as my varsity number.

"Wesley! Stop moving. You're ruining the shot." Lacey purses her lips at me, staring me down the way only a sibling can.

We're in the middle of taking grad photos and somehow my girlfriend ended up atop her roommate's shoulders. I offered to save Stella's spine and lift Trip into place, but the tiny O'Brien saw my chivalrous offer as a competition .

So now I have a 180-pound Latino balancing on my shoulders.

"Dude. You need to lay off the pizza." I groan, shifting under Nico's weight, "You're fucking heavy."

"Maurice never has a problem lifting me."

Mo smirks, "Different builds, Montez."

If I didn't have a man crush on the guy, I might find that comment insulting.

Lacey snaps her fingers, recapturing our attention, "Say cheese!"

The four graduates echo back the response, our cheesy ass smiles and matching regalia looking like the perfect end credit scene.

Trip, Stella, Nico, and me. All graduated and unleashed into the adult world.

God help us all.

Cody and Mo are chatting off to the side while Lacey continues to harass us with photo opportunities. Her boyfriend Skylar is nearby, watching the scene from a careful distance.

Despite the fact he doesn't laugh at my jokes, I'm actually quite fond of the guy. He creeps me out sometimes with the lack of expression, but I've seen the way he takes care of my little sister and it's pretty fucking cute.

Stella carefully kneels to the ground and Trip slides off her back without a hint of elegance or grace. Her dress slips up her thighs and I grin, catching sight of the panties I bought her last week .

Best purchase ever.

"How's Nico getting down?" Lacey asks the question with genuine fear in her eyes. Considering how much I struggled to get him up here in the first place, the fear is not misplaced.

"He's going to jump." Interjecting confidence into my voice, I tilt my head to look at him, "It's all about the dismount, man. Don't let me down."

He stares back at me in horror, "Fuck that. I'm not about to break my neck for you."

I put my hands together in prayer, "It's okay if you don't believe in yourself because I believe in you."

"That's not helpful."

"Sure, it is. I just re-established your confidence."

Nico groans, "You're useless. Maurice, could you give me a hand?"

Pausing his conversation with Cody, Mo looks over with a smirk.

"I enjoyed watching Wes' knees buckle the first time."

For the record, my knees did not buckle. They may have been quaking at one point but they did not buckle.

"Dude. You gotta jump."

"No way. I didn't go through two years of braces just to knock all my teeth out now." Nico looks back at his partner, "Babe, I'm too young to wear dentures."

Mo rolls his eyes before walking over and lifting him from my shoulders, "If you didn't do stupid shit, this wouldn't happen so often."

"Where's the fun in that?"

I laugh, looking over to where Trip is talking to her friends from class. She's completely distracted so I quickly slap my best friend on the shoulder.

"Pass it over."

Nico smirks, "Imagine if I had jumped and this had fallen out."

" I told you so is not a good look on you."

"It's a better look than a wannabe alpha."

Let me take a quick second to clear something up.

I, Wesley Williams, am not a cinnamon roll. A man is allowed to be sweet and thoughtful and an alpha all at the same time. Anyone who says otherwise clearly hasn't met me because I am living proof that swoon-worthy boyfriends are just as masculine as grumpy assistant coaches.

Mo might be your stereotypical alpha, but I'm your adorable alpha.

Giving Nico the full force of my alpha glare, I sniff indignantly, "We agreed to never speak of that conversation again."

He grins, passing over the package I had given him the night before, "I agreed to no such thing. Ten bucks says you're going to cry."

"Please. I'm not going to cry."

"I'm upping the bet to twenty. Good luck, Alpha."

Flipping him off, I quickly walk over and grab Trip's hand. Stealing her from her friends, I bid them all promises of her safe return before tugging her towards the cobblestone path that leads us away from the hustle and bustle of convocation.

"Wes, we can't fool around right now." She glances over her shoulder, "We're definitely going to get caught this time."

I grin, hearing the excitement in her voice, "If you want me to bend you over outside the science building again, all you have to do is ask."

To all those students who use the winter gardens for actual studying, I am so sorry. Those benches have been contaminated on many occasions.

But hey, at least we're making the most of our school facilities.

Trip blushes, "Maybe on the way back."

My girlfriend is an equally dedicated citizen.

The university's manicured lawns gradually turn into rows of trees and flowers as we enter the courtyard. It's the one place we always seem to come back to, the one location on campus that never grows tired of our antics.

Trip squeezes my hand, "You didn't make meatless tacos again, did you?"

I laugh, leading her over to where that unfortunate dinner date happened, "Not this time. I do have something planned for dinner though."

"I'll start mentally preparing now." She looks around the empty courtyard, the memories of our freshman year reflecting in those gorgeous grey eyes, "I'm going to miss this place."

"Me too. "

Clearing my throat, I do my best to ignore the swarm of butterflies attacking my stomach lining, "So, we've been dating for four years now."

"I didn't realize you could count so high."

God. I love it when she's mean to me.

"Four years ago, you decided to become the worst pack mule this school has ever seen and I got to experience first-hand just how much you packed in those boxes. Somehow, we ended up in the same psych class and I managed to find a way past that adorable scowl of yours."

Trip laughs, "Your dimples did most of the work."

She's not wrong.

Pulling the small velvet box out of my pocket, I get down on one knee.

"Miss One Trip, otherwise known as Lou Mackenzie," Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tell myself not to cry, "Crashing into you that first day was the best thing that ever happened to me. You've taught me so much and I want you to teach me so much more. You are the rom to my com and I am hopelessly in love with you."

Fuck. I owe Nico twenty bucks.

Blinking through the tears in my eyes, I give her a dimpled grin, "Marry me, Trip, because I don't want to spend a single day without you."

"Oh my God." She's covering her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes, "Did you seriously call me the rom to your com? "

"I considered the Gabriella to my Troy, but that felt a little too on the nose."

She laughs, those tears spilling over, "Of course I'll marry you, Wes. There is no one else I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

Beaming like a ray of sunshine, I carefully slide the ring onto her finger. The modest diamond shines back at me, the chain of daisies running along the band making Trip gasp in delight.

"It's so perfect!"

"Lacey helped me pick it out." Taking her hand, I sweep into a bow, "May I escort you back to the convocation, milady?"

She curtsies on cue, our routine well established by now, "That would be most gracious, kind sir."

Together, we walk back to where our friends and family are waiting with expectant smiles. Trip raises her left hand and cheers break out.

Looking around the sea of familiar faces, I can't help but think about the last four years. The laughs and tears we've shared, the lacrosse tournaments we've won and lost, the friendships and relationships we've formed. We all started freshmen year as young adults trying to find our place in the world, and now we're slightly older adults still trying to find our place in the world.

My eye catches on Lacey and Skylar, smiling at each other behind the crowd of people. My sister's midnight locks bring out the pale colour of Skylar's hair, the same way her presence seems to brighten his own.

Rumour has it that Skylar's brother was facing five years of jail time until someone swept in and bailed him out. Nobody knows who the person was, just that they were looking to employ the infamous Silverwood bully. Some people think it's a cult while others think it's an undercover military op for delinquent adults.

Personally, I think Vector is a guy who's been stuck with a bad reputation for too long.

"Expressionless Wonder! I heard you started working in a tattoo parlour." Nico grins, jerking his thumb towards me, "Maybe you could draw something up for the new groom."

"Absolutely not."

Skylar glances at me, "Afraid of needles?"

I puff out my chest like a proud peacock, "No. I get my flu shot every year."

Lacey laughs, "You totally are. Trip always has to go with you."

"Don't expose me like that, Garden Girl."

Skylar stares at me, unblinking, without a trace of a smile. I stare back, trying not to shrivel under his mismatched gaze.

Could you imagine getting stabbed by this guy in the name of art?

No, thank you.

Nico sniffs, pulling Lacey into a hug, "I'm going to miss you next year, mi amor."

"I'll miss you too, Nico. Make sure you come visit us. "

That twenty bucks threatens to make a reappearance as I look at my baby sister whose all grown up. She's already made the decision to stay and start a life with Skylar in Silverwood after graduation. I always knew my sister was resilient, but seeing her bloom these last few years has truly been something special.

It's strange to think we are all going our separate ways now. Nico and Mo are heading to Vancouver while Cody and Stella are going to Lethbridge. Trip and I are currently undecided, so I guess that will be the first decision we make as fiancés.

Holy shit. I have a fiancé.

Grinning like a fool, I lean down to whisper in my bride-to-be's ear, "We still have an hour before the after party begins. Thoughts on making one last trip to the science building?"

She grins back, "I thought you would never ask."

Doing my best to look nonchalant, I cough up an excuse to use the bathroom and go walking for the closest exit. Trip shows two minutes later and I scoop her up, running and laughing all the way to our favourite hookup spot.

I could go into the dirty details of what happens next, but I think I'll just leave it at our happy ending.

Pun intended.