28 Epilogue

Months later, the soft evening sky above their neighborhood was splattered with the random colors of fireworks set off too soon. Children screamed with delight as they chased each other with long fourth of July sparklers in the high school parking lot. Parked off to the side, Naya, Dante, and Freddie watched the spectacle from atop Dante's rattled old pickup truck that had adopted a new family of scratches and dents over the course of the year. The group had almost disappeared in the crowded lot as fathers carried hotdogs dressed in their made to order condiments while chasing after their rowdy children who were too stocked with excited energy to listen to a word their parents said, and mothers sat on their lawn chairs, wiping the summer sweat off their newly threaded eyebrows.

Somehow, within the bustling crowd of families ready to celebrate another year of American freedom and red slurpees, Alex had managed to find his little ragtag group of friends who had grown to call each other family.

"Guess who I found!" Alex exclaimed in a baby voice Gloria was not too thrilled about. Alex gripped her arms tightly as a now very pregnant Gloria waddled toward the pickup truck and slowly plopped into a red lawn chair Naya had set up for her earlier.

"Yeah yeah, I'm here," she grumbled, "but I'm not gonna stay long. I have to get back home and study some more before the baby comes," Gloria lowered her head and raised her voice at her enlarged stomach, "WHICH SHOULD BE ANY DAY NOW!"

Gloria flopped back on the lawn chair with exasperation, "Sorry guys, but having an overdue baby is not fun."

Naya eyed Gloria's messy bun and swollen ankles with alarm, "I can imagine. But how are classes going?"

"They're going fine. Actually more than fine. The more I'm in my nursing classes, the more convinced I want to do this. I could never thank you enough for letting me borrow the money Naya."

"I already told you Gloria, it's an investment. I know you're going to pay me back in full as soon as you can. Plus, I would do anything for my little nephew in there!" Naya said as she lightly poked at Gloria's stomach. "Plus, I think Alex is doing more for you than I am."

Gloria took Alex's hand in her own and squeezed it three times, a signal to each other that had come to mean "I know you're there, and I love you". Alex blushed sheepishly behind his dark sunglasses and baseball cap. He kissed her lightly on her cheek, provoking a large spew of awws from the people in the truck and a group of twelve year old girls who watched as onlookers, having no context to their love story, or struggles they'd had to face together to make it as far as they had.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all of you. I wouldn't be… happy."

It was Alex's turn to squeeze her hand three times, but Gloria kept her eyes locked with Naya. Of the group, those two would frequently converse over the matter of where they both would be if Naya had never met Dante. No potential outcome they could think of ended up with them being as content as they were now, having found their family in each other. It was a frightening rabbit hole to go down, but a necessary one. The simple reflection of the past brought on a vow to never let things get that bad, a vow that both girls held each other to.

Dante, having regained his cheery disposition, asked Alex, "So how's your mom doing with her new boyfriend?"

Alex groaned, "Dude, it's super weird that she's dating Mr. Finch from our senior history class, but I'm still happy for her. But like, c'mon, Mr. Finch?"

"Dude she's moving on, and that's what matters. Just be glad she burned that wedding dress for the right reasons," Freddie said, raising his beer to Alex's mom.

"Damn, everyone's hitching up with everyone else. When are we gonna get you a girl?" Dante joked with Freddie.

Freddie took a swig from the bottle, "Funny, I'm gay."

Dante choked on his beer.

"You're what?" Alex asked for him.

"Gay- what you guys, really didn't know?" Freddie asked, realizing he may have forgotten to come out to his friends.

Naya raised her arms halfway, "I knew."

"You did?" Dante questioned, wiping away the beer that spurted out of his nose.

"I mean, yeah. Isn't it kind of obvious? That's why I was so close to him when we first met, I knew nothing would happen with that," Naya said.

Freddie shrugged, "I thought it was obvious too. Apparently not. So yeah, I'm gay."

"Hey Freddie, my hairdresser's gay and super cute, and I'm totally giving you his number later, but right now I have to pee," Gloria said as she pushed against the arms of the chair in an attempt to get up.

Alex rushed to her side to help, only to be swatted away by the irritated pregnant woman. "I can pick myself up," Gloria said, trying to keep the little dignity she had left. She tried to get up from the sunken lawn chair with no avail until she finally grumbled, "Fine, help me up."

Alex put on a smug smile as he helped his heavy love out of the chair. Before he left, Alex shot Freddie one last wink and said, "Any guys at work try to pull something on you, just lemme know."

Freddie tipped his beer at Alex, "Thanks, but I can handle myself."

Alex shot him a thumbs up before helping Gloria walk, or rather waddle, back to his house.

Freddie's phone pinged soon after, and his mouth widened into a cheshire smile.

"I gotta dip. This cute guy I met at a bar wants to meet up for drinks."

Freddie hopped over the railing of the bed of Dante's pickup truck to his mother's car, with Dante and Naya whooping behind him like middle schoolers embarrassing their friends as they asked out their first crush.

And then there were two.

Dante and Naya lied back on the bed of the pickup truck, watching fireworks go off above them.

"So… you wanna go over the plan again?" Naya asked, trying to contain the butterflies in her stomach.

Dante grinned, "Yup."

"Mmk. So first…" Naya started.

"First you go to college, and come visit us, me, every weekend until you graduate, no excuses. Don't care if your head's in a book the whole time, I just need to see you every week."

"I don't know if I can make it a week without seeing you, so of course I'm coming back every week."

"And then when you come back from college, you'll…"

"Be a business consultant so I can get a job helping out the businesses around here. And if we make it through those four years…" Naya pressed.

This was uncharted territory. This was what could be, if they made it.

"Obviously, we'll move into Mrs. Gomez's house once she conks out and get the house super cheap," Dante joked.

Naya giggled and hit Dante's arm lightly, "No! But yeah, we'll move into a house around here and see everyone everyday."

"And then-" Dante continued on into his fantasy.

Naya stopped him, "No, I don't want to think about the future. I already know if it's with you, it's going to be amazing, but I want to be surprised."

"Really? Because I;m seeing a nasty custody battle over our two dogs."

"Very funny, but- wait, did you say two dogs?" Naya asked.

"Yeah, you don't see us with pets?"

"Yeah, I do, but I always thought we'd get a dog and a cat who hate each other," Naya said.

"Huh, that actually does make more sense for us. Wow, look at you, Miss Let's Let the Future Surprise Us."

Naya laughed and snuggled up against Dante. Dante looked down at Naya's wavy hair scattered against his chest and felt her small breaths on his skin, realizing how lucky he was, and how if he'd lost her… he wouldn't know what to do.

"Naya, I need to talk to you about something really important."

Naya looked up, her eyebrows creased with concern.

"Now, I'm no expert, but I think you need to see a therapist. I've been doing some research on it, and I honestly think you need to talk to someone who knows what they're doing."

"Dante, where is this coming from?" Naya asked.

"It's been on my mind for a while. Like, I'm afraid to go home after I drop you off, because I'm scared you won't be there in the morning. I know you said that last time was because you were trying to stop people from getting hurt, but now that I know you better , I can't help feeling like that was just an excuse. Again, I'm not a professional, but it would just make me feel a hell of a lot better."

Naya sighed, "Yeah, I think you're right. I'm in a much better place now, but I still have my moments, where jumping over the bridge just makes complete sense. So, yeah, I'll find a therapist when I get to campus. Because I want to be here for you, and more importantly, me."

"Thank you," Dante said, and planted a soft kiss on Naya's forehead.

"We're going to make it, right?"

"Almost certainly."

Lying there with Naya in his arms, everything made sense to Dante. He wasn't bothered by problems at work, or Manny rarely coming out of his room, or any other issues he had, as long as he knew Naya would be by his side, and him at hers.

Together, they watched the last of the fireworks go off in the distance, putting an end to a beautiful night, but not the possibilities of all that could be for Dante and Naya's love story.