I stood outside of our highschool with a smile plastered on my face as I watched family and friends hug each other. I held my diploma in my hands and everything felt so surreal. Just a few months ago I thought that I would never see this day, but fast forward to now and I'm here. We're here.

"There you are." I looked away from the families and to my friends who had successfully found me. It was right after graduation and we were all feeling sentimental. Cheryl gave an amazing and beautiful speech, but she said she had more to say for us.

"Shall we do this here?" I asked her as I removed my cap and fixed my hair. This cap is messing up my hair. Cheryl started to smile as she looked at each of us. "Meet me at mine in an hour, and don't be late." Wait, why aren't we just doing it here? It'll be easier.

Before anyone could say anything to her and she walked away to go greet her family. I guess we're going Cheryl's house later. I chuckled and stopped when I saw my Mom and Dad standing a good 10 feet in front of me. I gave my friends a quick goodbye and I walked over to them.

"We're so proud of you!" My Mom said as she hugged me. I laughed as I hugged her back. She pulled away and smiled at me and then my Dad came in to hug me. I love my Parents to the moon and back. They're super supportive and understanding. I couldn't ask for a better set of parents.

"So what are your plans for tonight? Going to any Graduation raves?" My Dad jokingly asked as we all walked to my Parents car. You see what I mean? I laughed and shook my head no. Parties aren't really my thing anymore. They were fun while they lasted.

"We're just going to Cheryl's to hear the rest of her speech she wrote for us." I said to them once we were all inside of the car. I sat my Diploma down beside me and buckled up as my Parents began to talk about something. I wasn't listening though. I had a few things on my mind, and it was nostalgia. A beautiful but painful thing.

-

"Welcome, please come in." Cheryl said to Ingrid and I as she held the door open for us with a creepy smile on her face. I exchanged looks with my girlfriend before we both walked in to Cheryl's home. Cheryl has such a nice house. I was always so jealous of it.

"Everyone's waiting in the living room." We followed Cheryl there, and like she said everyone was waiting on us including the people that were locked in the library with us. Why were they here?

I gave everyone a quick smile before Ingrid and I sat down on the couch and everyone broke into mutual conversations. When Cheryl said to come over I thought she meant just us, our group. But nevertheless it's always good to see everyone. Ingrid wrapped her arm around my shoulder and I relaxed a lot.

"So I summoned you all here tonight because I have something for you all." Cheryl said as she stood in the center of the living room. Everyone stopped talking, and paid attention to her. She has that effect on people. That's why she was always such a great cheerleader. She just demanded attention and she loved it.

"Is it money?" One of the twins asked and I playfully rolled my eyes at him. Leave it to the Freshmen to never be serious about anything. Cheryl gave him a death glare and he instantly stopped joking and got serious.

"I wasn't able to say what I wanted about you guys in my speech at graduation because they thought that it wasn't appropriate. So tonight in my humble home I'll be sharing the rest of my speech with you all."

I knew what she was going to talk about. She was going to talk about the killings, her dead boyfriend, and Erica. No one ever talks about her because what she did was really wrong, but we all still shared some intimate moments with that girl that we just can't erase. I tried really hard to, but they still live in my head.

After several moments of silence Cheryl began the rest of her speech.

"There are a few people who couldn't be here with us today and I would like to say a quick thank you to them. Thank you to my friend Derrianna who I fought with and hated, but would give anything to see her again. She deserved to be here with us today. I remember I had her in one of my classes and I saw her actually doing her assignments. I laughed and jokingly said to her, 'I didn't know you cared about your grades.' And she just smiled at me and said, 'There's so much you don't know about me,' And boy was she right."

I felt the tears start to come and I knew by the end of this I was going to be crying. I know that me and Derrianna weren't the best of friends, but when someone is in your life and suddenly they're just gone the next day it does something to you. I quickly wiped my tears as Cheryl went on.

"Thank you to Officer Willian who literally died saving me and my friends," Everyone knew that he was a touchy topic for me to handle because once his name left Cheryl's mouth Noah gave me a quick pat on my knee for support.

"If I could go back in time I would have jumped in front of that bullet if it meant that I could be with-" Cheryl stopped and let out a deep breath. She was trying to stop herself from crying, but she shouldn't because at this point we're all crying now.

She bit her lip as she stared at the floor thinking. After a few seconds she went on with her speech. "Next I would like to thank Colin and Erica," I closed my eyes as every moment I shared with them played in my head.

"Colin and I shared laughs. I welcomed him into my house, into my life, and into the madness that is me. He helped me with problems that I had. He made me smile and laugh. He was a friend with a very dark secret. I don't forgive him for what he did and why he did it, but I am willing to move on."

I actually liked Colin. I had a crush on him when I first met him, but then I met Willian and I was too scared to tell him that I liked a cop more than him. I still liked being his friend, and being around him.

"And the same goes to Erica. That girl was like an angel dropped down from God himself. She always stood up for us. She was so supportive and everything that a friend should be. So when she came clean about everything my heart shattered. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and wished she never did any of this."

At this point I was crying in my girlfriend's arms as Cheryl kept her composure. It was so hard to keep this all need. I was feeling the same thing as Cheryl. I wanted to and needed to be pissed at Colin and Erica for what they did, but deep down I can't.

It's hard to wish harm upon someone you would do anything for. I wouldn't have done anything for them. I would have talked to Erica about the whole deal with her Dad if she let me. I would have yelled at me Dad for it. I would have done anything just to redo that whole situation.

"And lastly I just wanted to thank the love of my life." I wiped my tears and paid close attention to what Cheryl was saying. "He taught me so much in such a short span of time. I woke up everyday more and more in love with him. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him."

Her voice became rocky as she pushed through and continued to talk. "His mistakes made me love him even more because he made a lot of them, and he was far from perfect. He's the one I want to be with. If I could do it all over again I would, just so I could see him one last time."

Cheryl began to cry and without any hesitation Noah and I both got up and wrapped our arms around her as she just cried. We all need to let it out sometimes. It's more than okay to cry. You're going through some shit and it's okay.

She cleared her throat and we both released her and she smiled at us. She was going to continue. Noah grabbed my hand as we both walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Each and everyone of us experience something so raw as we stayed in that library. We shared stories, words, jokes, and sometimes insults to Reem because she wasn't being very helpful." We all laughed as Reem playfully rolled her eyes at us.

Once we settled down Cheryl looked at each of us with a smile on her tear stained face. Even with mascara running down her face she was still beautiful. "You guys are amazing. I'm glad to be here with you all. I want to thank you all for just existing. I hope that we can all see each other again soon. And I hope that nothing but good things happen to you all, because you all deserve it."

"To us," Jalen called out and we all looked at him. "The library group." I don't think I like that name. "Only if you pick a different name." Max called out from next to him and I laughed. Jalen looked deep in thought, and didn't say anything for awhile. It can't be that hard to come up with a name for us.

"To us crybabies." I gasped and laughed as everyone else protested at the name. Jalen was right though. We were crybabies because over the course of all of us being friends we've cried so much as a group.

"To us," I said as I stood up smiling at everyone. Cheryl thought about it and then stood up and joined me. Moments later everyone was standing and cheering with me. Until we meet again, guys.