Epilogue: Life After You

Two Years Later

No one’s P.O.V.

“Try me. I wish you would,” Ace stepped up to Gabriella.

“You asked for it. Drop the beat!”  She called out. The two had a dance battle and afterwards they looked at the people in the studio. “Who did better?” Gabriella raised a brow.

“I did right?” Ace spoke up. They heard a mix between the two and that was usual. “It’s a tie yet again. Good job though.” Ace dapped her up.

Ace

Ace stayed in New York and opened up her own studio with Gabriella. They met through mutual friends and quickly bonded with their love of dance.

~~~

“How does it feel to be home?” CeeJay’s Mom asked her.

“It feels great.  Thank you for everything Mom. I was a mess and if you didn’t force me to get help, I don’t know where I would be.” She hugged her.

“Anything for my baby girl.”

Cenedra

CeeJay got addicted to drugs again and when her mom found her laying in a hospital bed fighting for her life, she knew that she would do anything to keep her daughter alive. CeeJay went through rehab again and Nae flew down to Hawaii and was there for CeeJay every step of the way. She’s proud to say that she’s been clean for two full years. She also reached out to Cassie and apologized. Cassie accepted the apology but it was forgiven, not forgotten.

~~~

                “Hell no.” James shook his head at Nyra.

“It’s not even that girly,” she tried to convince him but he shook his head.

“You got a mom for that.”

“Please.” She used her big eyes against him.

“Fine put the movie in,” he nodded. She squealed before putting in The Cheetah Girls. “Don’t tell nobody that I watched this aight?”

James

James has been by Nyra’s side since he found out about her. He’s put his focus into being an amazing father for Nyra and she couldn’t be happier. As for Kolbie, that’s a whole different story.

~~~

            “That sounds great Jhene,” Chaz told her. She nodded and walked out of the recording booth. “If you keep this up, your album will be out by the end of next month,” he smiled.

            “That’s what I like to hear.” She returned the smile.

Jhene

Jhene stayed in Atlanta and focused entirely on her music career. She goes to New York and Canada to visit her brothers when she has time off. She’s been on her grind and it’s paying off.

~~~

            “Kolbie.” She turned and saw James standing in her bedroom.

            “Is she asleep?” She asked.

“Yeah after watching all three of the Cheetah Girls movies,” he huffed while Kolbie laughed.

“Good job Daddy,” she smirked.

“Now you calling me Daddy?” He walked up to her and kissed her.

“Shut up,” she giggled.

“I love you.”

“I love you too James.”

Kolbie

After Kolbie moved to Ohio, James followed her. He did everything he could to show Kolbie that he changed and she finally gave him another chance. Now they’re married with another kid on the way.

~~~

“They are so nasty,” Nyra complained to Mylan over the phone.

“I had to get used to it when my parents got back together,” she chuckled.

“When can I visit you?”

“Well I have to go up to Canada next week and then Florida the week after. I could have my dad fly you out to Florida and we can hit the beaches,” she suggested.

“Anything to get me out of here,” she agreed.

Nyra

Don’t get Nyra wrong, she loves her parents together. She just hates the things that come with it. For example, them having sex. She has been scarred for life and now she goes to her neighbor’s house when they get started. Luckily she was best friends with the girl so she could do that often.

~~~

“Looks like I win again.” Alexis pulled the candy towards her.

“You’re cheating!” Brayden accused her.

“Nope, I’m just that good.” Alexis flipped her hair.

“She got that from me,” Shad chuckled from beside her.

“It’s Go Fish Shad.” Cassie gave him a look.

“It still counts,” he shrugged.

Alexis

Alexis is still as sassy as she’s always been. She might have gotten a bit worse but she loves it. Mylan kept her promise and visits Alexis at least twice a month with cookies. She was scared that she would forget about her but Mylan told her that it was impossible.

~~~

“Are you comfortable?” Antonio asked her. She nodded as she laid back on her bed. She just got back from going through chemo. She was exhausted but it was nice to have help.

“Thank you for all of your help over the last two years,” she thanked him. Between him and Nessa, she didn’t have to lift a finger.

“It’s fine and you know that I want to help you. Mere would want me to,” he reminded her.

“I wish I was a better mother to my daughter,” she sighed.

“Mere never resented you. She loved you with all of her heart,” he told her.

“My daughter and that heart of gold,” she smiled proudly.

Antonio

Every now and then Antonio goes to visit Mere’s Mother just to make sure she doesn’t feel alone. She's fighting cancer and everyone is thankful that she stayed alive this long. He’ll always love Mere even when she broke off the engagement he still loved her. He just wanted her happy. He’ll occasionally talk to Nessa or Nae but they are it.

~~~

“I give up.” Brayden placed his cards down. Alexis laughed as she pushed the candy towards him.

“You can have it. I just want the cookies,” she smiled.

“Thanks Alexis!” He smiled.

Brayden

            Brayden has been enjoying having his father around 24/7. Shad started to teach him how to play basketball and now when they visit Drake, he and Levi play against their fathers.

~~~

“How are you feeling old man?” Ciara walked up to her father.

“I ain’t that old yet.” He waved her off.

“Paris is coming over soon,” she informed him.

“I wonder what big surprise she has this time,” he said.

“Who knows when it comes to Paris.”

Ciara

Ciara still lives in New Orleans and she recently bought an apartment that she shares with her siblings, Colton and Carly. She goes out to Cali when she wants to hang with Blake and get away for a while.

~~~

“That’s all you got?” Daven teased the little boy.

“I got it.” He backed up and threw the football at Daven.

“Nice one.” He caught it.

“Thanks Daddy.” He hugged him.

“No problem buddy.” He rubbed his head.

“You want some lemonade?” Jaymie leaned against the door.

“Yes!” The little boy rushed inside.

Daven

Daven and Jaymie have been strong for the last two years. Daven stayed a devoted father to his son and a devoted boyfriend to Jaymie. This has been the happiest he’s been in years. He and Nicki thought that it would be best to cut off all connection with each other but they wished the other the best.

~~~

“Stop corrupting our son. My dad wants him into hockey and you want him into football,” Jaymie chuckled.

“You should tell your dad that Carson is American. He has a right to like football,” Daven said proudly.

“You’re so silly,” Jaymie laughed.

“I’m gonna knock you up again one day.” Daven grabbed Jaymie by her hips.

“And ruin this perfect body? I think not. It took me long enough to get it back after having.” She shook her head.

“Don’t you wanna have more of my babies?”

“There isn’t anything else I want more but you’ll have to get me a trainer afterwards,” she grinned.

“I know something that could give you a work out,” he smirked.

“You are so nasty.” She pushed him away with a smile.

Jaymie

Although she’ll never tell Daven this, it was hard for her to stay just friends with him but she wanted to start over. She wanted to make sure they had a foundation of friendship before proceeding to a relationship. It looked like it worked because they’ve stayed together and she’s never been happier. Daven stayed true to his word and didn’t stop until he put a ring on her finger. They’re getting married in May.

~~~

“How are you feeling?” Troy asked Jessi as he massaged her feet.

“I’m feeling amazing because my wonderful husband is giving me a foot massage. As for the baby, I’m fine,” she smiled.

“I can’t believe that I’m gonna be a father.” He rubbed her belly.

“Well believe it baby,” she smirked before kissing him.

Jessica

Jessi stayed in Atlanta but went to visit all the girls occasionally. She didn’t mind traveling all around to see them all but Troy told her she’ll have to stop once she gets too big. They got married and Jessi’s expecting a little girl in four months. Her biggest struggle is trying to pick a godmother.

~~~

“She wanted me.” Levi popped his collar.

“Boy if you don’t stop.” Nicki shook her head at him.

“I’m fresh Mommy,” he said.

“Just like his daddy.” Drake ruffled his hair before going over to kiss Nicki.

“This is your fault,” Nicki laughed.

Levi

Levi has become quite the ladies man over the last two years. Nicki was worried because if he’s like this now, she can only imagine how he’ll be when he’s older. Levi still thinks about Mere and he never takes his locket off. She told him that she had to go away since he was older. She told him that he didn’t need her to protect him from the monsters and she was right. Levi stopped being afraid and he stopped having nightmares. He placed the picture of them on his night table and he’ll tell his family random facts about her; some Drake didn’t even remember. Levi remembered everything about her but he knows she’s in a better place. It’s hard sometimes but Drake told him to make her proud and he’s been doing exactly that.

~~~

“Are you truly happy?” Paris’ Dad asked her.

“I’m happy Dad, I’m really happy,” she smiled.

“Then I guess you can get married.” He eyed Steven.

“Thank you Mr. Avila,” he smiled.

“Can I be a bridesmaid!?” Ciara exclaimed.

“I wanna be one!” Carly pleaded.

“You both can be bridesmaids but you know who my maid of honor will be,” Paris smirked at them.

“Blakelynn,” they huffed. She would never pick anyone over her twin.

Paris

Paris swore that she would never settle down but then she met Steven. He’s been nothing but good to her and he already had Blake threaten him if he ever hurt her. Let’s just say Blake can be very intimidating when she wants to be. Nicki always teases her about the whole settling down thing but she’s happy for her. She still visits Jessi and they always start shit when they’re together. Great minds think alike right?

~~~

“I told you to stop doing that. People are gonna start thinking you’re my gay best friend,” Mylan hissed.

“I just think you’ll look good in this,” he smirked as she blushed.

“Celibate remember?” She gave him a knowing look.

“That’s cool; we all know imma put a ring on your finger.” He pulled her close.

Ryan

Ryan has been at NYU while Mylan was at Juilliard. They were exactly eighteen minutes away from each other and Ryan always visits her. He’s in love with her and Nessa was shocked by how much he has changed. He hopes that Mere’s looking down on him with a smile on her face because he’s exactly what she always wanted him to be. He grew into a man and he’s making her proud.

                                                                           ~~~       

“When is Ryan gonna visit!?” Nadia asked her mother.

“He’ll be out here by next week,” she promised her.

“Oh god.” Nae walked by and shook her head with a smile.

“Nadia and Blake will keep him entertained,” Nessa laughed.

“I mean, I’m his bestie after all,” Blake joked and they all laughed.

Vanessa

            Vanessa has been enjoying California with Nae, Blake, and Nadia. Those two have honestly become family to her by now. She misses her sister like crazy and sometimes she could feel like she’s near somehow. She knew that she was watching over her and she was proud. Nae told her that she could see a lot of Mere in Nessa and that made her happy. Her sister was an angel and she would love to have some of her qualities.

~~~

“Come here.” Nae motioned to the porch. They walked out and Nae had something in her hands.

“What’s that?” Blake asked.

“I found this and I think you should have it.” She handed Blake a book. She opened it and instantly recognized Mere’s handwriting.

“Is this like her diary or something?” She questioned.

“Nah she didn’t keep a diary. That’s just her talking about you. I told her years ago to write when she needed to get her feelings out. You can call it a diary if you want but every page is about you Blake. You frustrated her but she clearly loved you,” she smiled small. Blake chuckled only imagining how much Mere wrote about her being complicated and confusing.

“Thank you.” Blake pulled her into a hug.

Blakelynn

Blake still models but she works over at their California location. She still gets flashbacks of Mere that makes her hurt sometimes but she’s dealing with it slowly. She knows that she is in a better place but that doesn’t take the pain away. She knows that Mere is looking down on her and just wants her to be happy so that’s been her main priority in life. That’s the last thing that Mere wanted and she would be sure to give that to her.

~~~

“So you’ll be down her in two weeks right?” Cassie asked Nicki over the phone.

“Yep and Mylan promised that she would have cookies for Alexis,” she laughed.

“Alright, talk to you later Nic,” she said before they hung up.

“The kids are finally asleep.” Shad wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m still sore from last night.” She tried to get out of his hold but he just pulled her closer.

“I thought you could handle it?” He teased.

“Oh shut up,” she chuckled.

Casandra

Cassie has been enjoying spending time with her family. She was happy that she could give her kids a complete family. As for Kyle, she heard that he moved to Baltimore. She didn’t care where he went as long as he stayed far away from her. She’s a happily married woman now.

~~~

“Moving back to Cali was the smartest idea I’ve ever had,” Nae said as she sat on her porch with Blake.

“I know right, why did I ever leave?” She sighed.

“You didn’t have a choice remember?”

“I know but it’s just so peaceful here,” she shrugged.

“Yeah and so many memories,” Nae nodded.

“Thanks for talking to me that day when we were younger. I literally had no friends before you came,” Blake thanked her.

“Don’t thank me. I was just a new kid who didn’t wanna be with the in crowd. You seemed nice so I talked to you. All those other kids picked on you because you skipped a grade but they should have gotten to know you. They really missed out,” she smiled.

Jaznae

Nae still gets flashbacks of Mere but she knew that she was in a better place. She always admired how brave Mere was and it seemed like she was fearless. She hopes that she could be like that one day. Mere was an amazing person and it sucks that they hadn’t been friends sooner but she was still grateful for the times she spent with her. She still keeps in contact with all of the girls and they visit every once in a while. Mylan comes out to Cali a lot just to spend time with her and Nae didn’t mind at all. She and Blake are just friends. They helped each other through Mere’s death and became close friends again.

~~~

“You’re an amazing father Shad. I’m sorry I didn’t give you the chance earlier in Alexis’ life,” Cassie apologized.

“That’s in the past and look where we are now. I love you and I love our children.” He pecked her lips.

“I love you too.”

Shad

Shad has spent all of his time with his children and his wife. He told himself years ago that he would put a ring on her finger and he finally did. He used to be scared to have children and be tied down but now he couldn’t have imagined his life any other way.

~~~

“Stop!” Levi laughed and pushed his dad away from him.

“Come here buddy you started it.” He wrapped an arm around him and wiped some cake batter on his face before letting him go.

“Yummy.” He wiped some from his face and licked it. Drake picked him up and sat him on the counter before wiping his face.

“My kitchen better be clean.” Nicki said as she held their two year old daughter in her arms.

“It is Mommy!” Levi assured her. She eyed them but said nothing. Drake walked over and took Angel out of her arms.

“Hi Angel.” He kissed her before kissing Nicki.

“Hi Daddy,” she mumbled and laid her head against his chest.

“She’s exhausted,” Nicki spoke up.

“My poor princess.” Drake went with the name that Levi said but added a twist. He named their daughter Angel Chimere Graham. He thought that it was only right because Mere was a fallen angel in his eyes and Nicki couldn’t have agreed more.

Drake

Drake has been devoted for being a father to his children over the last couple of years. He spends as much time as he can with them and he spends the rest of his time being a devoted husband to his wife. He still hurts from Mere’s death and sometimes he can’t believe that she’s really dead but she is. It hit him hard and he had a hard time accepting the fact that she’s happy up in heaven. He just did everything Chimere had told him to do over the years. He just wants to make her and his mom proud. He and Nicki renewed their vows a couple of months ago and are happier than ever. He couldn’t believe that this all started with him agreeing to coach the dance team. If he could go back in time and do everything over again, he would because he loved where he was now.

~~~

“Hurry up Mylan,” Ryan called out from the living room in her dorm.

“Give me a minute,” she said. He walked into her bathroom and wrapped his arms around her.

“I never understood why you wore makeup. You’re beautiful without it,” he assured her.

“Thanks but sometimes I just like dressing up,” she shrugged.

“Whatever makes you happy. I love you.” He kissed her cheek.

“I love you too baby.”

Mylan

Mylan has spent the last two years living out her dreams at Juilliard. She loves music and being able to do that every day is amazing to her. She has been glued to Ryan since they’ve been in college and vice versa. She’s in love and Drake finally welcomed Ryan into the family once he saw how he treated Mylan. She thinks he just did that because he found out Mylan was celibate. She had a long talk with her mom about it and she thought it would be best to wait to have sex until marriage. Ryan swears he’s gonna marry her when they get older and she’ll hold him to that. She helped Ryan move on from Mere’s death even though she was heartbroken too. They helped each other and that’s when Ryan knew that he was never gonna let Mylan go because she was everything that he ever wanted and needed.

~~~

“Baby come here.” Nicki grabbed Drake’s hand and sat him on the bed before straddling him. “I have a surprise for you,” she smirked.

“What is it?” He raised an eyebrow because Nicki didn’t give him many surprises. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. It took Drake a minute before his eyes lit up. “You’re pregnant!?” He perked up.

“Yes.” She nodded and he picked her up and spun her around. “I love you so much.” She grabbed his face and kissed him.

“I love you too.” He kissed her back.

“You know I’m done pushing out your big headed children right?” She eyed him.

“You know you love having my babies.” He planted kisses all over her face.

“I’m serious Aubrey.” She fought against him.

“You say that every time.” He pushed her back on the bed before climbing on top of her. “You love it,” he smirked.

“I do.” She caved in as he kissed her.

Onika

Nicki had to learn how to move on from Mere’s death. She had to stay strong to allow Drake to break when he needed to. She visits the girls all the time and enjoys the time she spends with Mylan when she comes up to Canada. She can’t believe how far she and Aubrey came and she’s ready to welcome their fourth child into this world. She never thought that this would’ve been her life but she’s thankful for this and nothing could be more perfect. She wished the clock would’ve sped up and given her the happy ending she always wanted but she realized that it was worth the wait.

Thank you for all of the support this past year. Writing this story had its ups and downs but I’m finally done. I never thought that I would’ve written 100 chapters but I’m glad that I did. This story will always be close to my heart because it’s the first one that I finished and didn’t rush. I took my time so it would be a better story. I’ve grown so much as a writer this past year and I’ve learned so much more. I’ll miss this story but it’s finally done. It took me a year to finish this story but it was worth the wait. See what I did there? I’m so corny but thank y’all. I'm not gonna stop writing but I'm not gonna be writing fan fiction. I just did that in my spare time but I'm entering my senior year and I don't have time anymore. I might write a story or two on my other blog but this story is done. Once again, thank y'all.