Rule #1: No Rules
Who do you think we are?
- () -
Summer is just around the corner.
I taste it in the lazy sunshine and grilled meat. I hear it in the chatter of sprinklers and buzz of insects. I feel it in the soft breeze that brushes inside the open window. I want to step outside, soak in the new season, and forget about all my problems.
Instead, I twist my neck to peer inside the kennel. In the back, hidden entirely by the shadows, a black feline with yellow eyes blinks at me. By the irritated swish of her tail, I know she's upset.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to Lucky. "If it was up to me, you'd never be in this cage."
I poke one finger in through the bars. She sniffs it once, then retreats back in the corner. For a stray cat who just got captured by animal control a day ago, Lucky's staying remarkably calm.
I stand up with a sigh. "What's going to happen to her now?"
"Like I said earlier, we don't have enough space," Peter scratches his chin. He's been trying to grow a beard recently. "Most probably we'll be moving her to an out-of-state facility."
"Which one?"
"Whichever has room, unless..."
My head snaps up. "Unless?"
"Unless somebody adopts her, obviously," Peter watches me with an intense gaze. "But seeing as how we're keeping her for one week, I'm not sure that's a strong possibility."
I swallow thickly, refusing to look back at Lucky's kennel. I don't think I could bare it. Guilt and dread mix in my stomach, creating a sensation that makes me want to throw up into the nearest trash can.
"Well," I mutter. "Let's just hope we get lucky."
"I suppose that's the only choice I have," Peter checks his watch. "Almost closing time. You want to do overtime today?"
"No, maybe tomorrow. I have to meet Archer anyways. Thanks for letting me know about the situation, Peter."
"I'll see you tomorrow."
I hang up my name tag and step outside. Even the cheer of summer doesn't perk up my mood. If Lucky doesn't get adopted, who knows where she'll end up? With the way things are, she might end up at a high-kill facility -
no, stop.
I enter Archer's workplace, taking in the usual scent of ink and sweat. Spike works at the counter, nodding along to the rap music that blares from the speakers. He points to the back when I walk in. I mummer a quick thanks and head to the back room.
I catch Archer just as he's taking off his fake piercings. He glances up when I arrive. "Turn around. Let my check your tattoo."
I do as he says, pulling the sleeve of my shirt down.
His fingers brush against my skin. "Was it her?"
"Yeah," I shiver involuntarily. "It was Lucky."
"That's good, isn't it? That animal control dropped her off at your place."
"Yeah, it worked out pretty good for me," I stare at my shoes, at the torn apart edges. "But she's going to be moved to an out-of-state shelter in a week or so. I wish I could -"
Archer pulls my sleeve up. "You wish you could...?"
"Nothing," I swallow again. "Nothing. It's - just wishful thinking. I shouldn't have said anything in the first place. My first AP exam starts tomorrow - and so does yours. We should get home to do some last minute studying."
He doesn't say anything for a moment. "If that's what you want."
"It is."
- () -
Guilt steps behind, allowing fear to take a hold of me. I stay up during the nights, thinking of all the possibilities of where Lucky might end up. Of all the ways that things went wrong. Of all the things I could have done.
To keep those thoughts away, I study until I'm exhausted. I work overtime all the time. Each test flies by in a flash, leaving my head spinning. What am I supposed to do with the textbooks I bought? Or the notes I took? What am I supposed to do with my time now that there's nothing left to study for?
On the last day of exams, Archer and I chill out in his car, waiting for our sisters.
"You look even more tired than I am," He runs a finger over the curve below my eyes. "And that's saying something."
"I'll sleep after the party."
Archer's holding another party. He says it's for celebrating graduation, but I know he's trying to make me feel better since the day after graduation is the same day Lucky leaves. But then, he got carried away with inviting people. Mrs. Raine nearly ripped his head off when she found that out that over one hundred people agreed to come.
"Why did you sign up to plan my party anyways?" Archer asks, kissing my palm. It muffles his voice when he says, "I know you have more than enough on your plate already."
"I want to impress your mom."
He laughs, breath tickling my hand. "Really?"
"Yeah. I think I'm warming up to her. She perks up every time I say the words don't worry, I'll take care of it."
"So naturally, you've decided to take care of everything."
"Naturally," I close my eyes, remember something, and open them again. "Did you ever get news on the DJ?"
"He says he can't make it on such short notice. That leaves us with your Plan B - setting Sebastian's playlist to shuffle. We'll use my old speakers. I think they'll still work without making that weird static noise."
"Okay, and what about the caterer?"
"She says yes to the mini burritos and no to the salsa."
I squint at him. "Why no salsa?"
"It's against her religion."
"What kind of religion - you know what, I don't even care. I'll take what I can get," I sigh, resting my head against the seat. "At this point, I just don't want any more bad news."
- () -
"Your grandmother's coming next week."
Melody and I groan in unison.
Mom scowls, even though she probably expected our reaction, and crosses her arms. "There's no need for such a crude reaction. She's your grandmother. She's your blood."
"The only blood between us is the blood you'll be mopping off the floor when Grandmother discovers I'm gay," Melody says, voice muted due to the fact that her face is currently planted on the kitchen table. "She's going to slaughter me. Slaughter me, I say."
"Grandmother is not going to discover your condition."
"But what if somebody accidentally lets it slip? What will Grandmother do to me?"
"I don't know, Melody."
"I'll tell you what. She's going to try to throw me out of the house, or send me to one of those awful gay conversion camps."
"No, she won't," But even mom doesn't sound convinced of her own words.
Melody whimpers. "What if she does? What then?"
"Well, then I'll...I'll..."
"Sit in the corner and pretend not to notice?" I say, pretending to examine my nails.
"Enough of that, Peyton," Mom snaps, even as her cheeks turn a rosy pink. "I want you on your best behavior when the others get here. Maybe not James, considering he's even more crazy than you, but when Bettie arrives -"
"No," I gasp, horrified. "Bettie's coming too?"
"Yes. You're still fighting with Bettie? I thought you two had made up."
"We did, but her face still gives me the chills," I sulk a little bit more, then perk up once I remember something. "Maybe I should ask Dr. Robinson for advice."
"Your therapy sessions have ended," Mom reminds me.
"Yeah, but I'm going to see her at the party. I invited her."
"You invited your therapist?"
"Yeah, but it's only fair because Archer invited Coach Watson. We're going to set them up."
My phone buzzes. I check it, half-afraid that it's one of those unknown numbers again, but it's just Archer. He says he's almost at the house and wants me to help him unload the decorations for the party.
Melody lifts her head, "I have an idea."
"No more ideas for at least two weeks," Mom says. "My heart can't take it."
"I'm going to make out with Raquel in the living room when everybody arrives. Maybe Grandmother will have a heart attack and we won't have to deal with her anymore."
"That's smart," I nod, checking the time out of the corner of my eye. "Aunt Sue will be so disgusted that she'll try to take Bettie away so she won't get corrupted with lesbian germs."
"Two birds with one stone."
"I need a drink," Mom sighs.
While mom searches the fridge for a bottle of wine, I leave the house to meet Archer outside.
He isn't here yet so I sit down on his back porch and wait.
Alone, my thoughts wander back to Lucky. Will she be alright in a cage? I never even figured out where she came from. Or if she had an owner. Maybe if I tried harder to find her a home...
Two headlights direct my attention back to the street. Archer's red Audi rolls up into his driveway. I hear the soft beep of the car as he unlocks the trunk. Sebastian comes into the backyard first, carrying two boxes. The two of us share a mutual glare before he moves on.
Archer follows him and smiles once he notices me. I stand up. He brushes his lips aganist my cheek as a greeting.
"What do you need me to do?"Â I ask.
"We're just setting up," Archer gently nudges me aside as his dad and sister walk out with a long buffet table. "Want to meet at the treehouse later?"
"Sure, why?"
"Just to chat."
"Alright, I'll see you in a bit."
Before I can turn around, Archer grabs the hem of my shirt and pulls me in for a kiss that makes my thoughts fizzle out. When he pulls back, grinning, I take a second to compose myself. "What was that for?"
"A celebratory kiss," He nuzzles my nose and releases me. "Since finals ended."
"Oh yeah, finals," I glance around to see if anybody saw us. "Yeah, that's definitely worth celebrating. I'm just going to - yeah, go -"
"It's cute that you still get flustered over public affection."
"I'll get used to it one day."
"I hope not."
I make a face and turn away, ignoring how his chuckle makes my heart flutter.
With a ladder and tape, I wrap the posts with string lights. When I'm finished with that, I put up stands of Archer's paintings. They showcase artworks of people in high school that Archer painted over the years. I feel my heart skip a beat as I spot a painting of me. It's a picture of me in the cafeteria, hiding a smile behind my hand.
I run my finger over Archer's signature, then move on.
As night falls, Archer drops off Sebastian at his house. Meanwhile, I grab a battery-powered lamp and climb into the treehouse to wait for Archer.
The first stars twinkle in the sky by the time Archer comes up. I put the lamp between us to share the light. It gives off a circle of white light
"Put the lamp away," Archer tells me, crawling inside. "I want to cuddle with you."
"You said you wanted to talk."
"We can do both at the same time," He begins to move towards me, but I nudge him back with my foot.
"Talk first. Cuddle later," To make sure he doesn't get any ideas, I take the lamp and set on my lamp. Archer looks soft in the dim glow, extremely cuddly, but I brush those thoughts aside. "What's this about?"
"Lucky."
My heart skips a beat. "What about her?"
"I want to talk about your plans with her."
"There aren't any plans."
"See that's the problem. In the tattoo parlor from the other day, you were talking about adopting Lucky, weren't you?"
"I was," I hesitate. "I still want to, but I can't."
"What's stopping you?"
"Well, number one is the money. Considering all the rules I broke this year, mom's probably not going to pay my tuition so I have to save up for college myself. Two, I don't know if Lucky will adjust to living inside a home environment, since she's used to having her own freedom. Three, my mom hates any animal bigger than a rabbit -"
"Stop."
"- four, there's all the appointments and -" I swallow as Archer, with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, crawls towards me. He takes my lamp and sets it to the right so that the left half of his face is hidden in shadow. "Hey! Stay on your side of the treehouse. What are you doing?"
"Stopping you from overthinking."
"I'm not overthinking," I bring my knees up defensively.
"You always do this," Despite his cool tone, his eyes remain warm and steady. "Always make up these imaginary reasons of why you can't do it. How many times have you stopped yourself from getting what you want?"
"The rules I make keep me from doing something stupid."
"Or doing something you love."
"That's not true."
"When have your lists, your plans, your rules worked?' Archer puts his hands on my knees and pushes my legs so that he can put his face directly in front of mine. "Think about it, cub. The only things they've done is stop you from getting what you really want."
"I got you."
"Not at first," He reminds me. "Not until you decided that your rules weren't worth it."
"Archer..."
"And now Lucky's life is on the line, and you're doing the same thing."
"Let me think," I whisper. "Let me think."
Archer falls silent.
My rules? I think of them and how well I used to follow them, until recently. When had I stopped wearing so much black? Or locking myself in my room? When had I started smiling more? Laughing more? I broke my own rules without realizing them.
Still, with Lucky, I don't have the money, or the support - guilt and fear swarms in my chest - but does that matter? Lucky's my friend, the first friend I had when I came to Florida. I can't just leave her behind in an animal shelter.
Who cares about the rules?
"You're right," I finally sigh and feel the lump of fear dissolve in my throat. "You're right. I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't adopt Lucky. But how am I going to handle -"
"You mean we."
"Huh?"
"See, that's another problem you have, thinking that you have to handle everything all by yourself. Lucky's my friend too," Archer rests his head on the crook of my neck. He seems oddly relieved. "It feels wrong to let you pay for her alone."
"But paying for a cat isn't a small issue. There's the shots, the vet appointment, the..." I trail off at the exasperated look on his face. "Okay, you know what? Okay. We'll co-adopt her together."
"Good."
He traces an imaginary drawing on the base of my neck, just where it meets my chest, and sends a warm pleasure down my spine. I stroke his hair and can't stop the laugh that bubbles up my throat.
Archer raises an eyebrow up at me.
Overwhelmed, I kiss his lips and sigh, "A celebratory kiss."
He flashes me a grin, wicked and sweet at the same time, and reaches back with one arm. He doesn't even look at the lamp when he turns it off, casting us both into the muted light of the stars.
I catch only his shadow as it moves. His weight presses down on me, forcing me to lie down. The wood presses against my back, cool and sturdy. I close my eyes just in time for Archer to kiss me.
"We've got a lot to celebrate tonight," He mummers against my lips, reaching for the hem of my shirt. "I don't think one kiss is going to be enough."
- () -
"It's going to eat the fish."
I roll my eyes for what seems to be the tenth time today.
Mom paces back and forth in our living room, wringing her hands. Once in a while, she pauses and gives Lucky - who's currently lounging on our sofa like she owns it - a nasty look.
"She's not going to eat the fish," I tell mom. "I told you. I've been feeding her cat food for the last couple of months. She might capture a rat here and there, but besides that, she's completely docile."
It's been only two hours since Archer and I adopted Lucky, but she seems to be adjusting to the home life better than I thought. Maybe it's because Melody won't stop coddling her. She offers a cat treating, cooing sweet words. In response, Lucky closes her eyes and pretends not to notice my sibling.
"What are we going to do when the relatives arrive?" Mom asks, resuming her pace.
"Nothing. Because Lucky isn't violent."
"She attacked Derek."
"Because she thought she was protecting me," At mom's apprehensive expression, I roll my eyes. "If she gives any sort of clue that she might turn violent, I'll lock her up in my room. Promise."
"She smells."
"We all do, mom."
Mom opens her mouth, prepared to slice another argument at me, but gets interrupted by the door behind us.
"HONEY, I'M HO - ouch, dad!"
"I've had a headache all day. You're not going to make it worse with your loud mouth."
Dad and James enter the house, carrying two heavy suitcases. James swivels towards me, probably intending to crush me on another one of his hugs but just then, Lucky hisses, standing up on all four legs. James pauses.
"James," Melody scolds. "You're scaring Lucky."
"Who the hell is - " He spots her. "Oh."
"Archer and I adopted a cat," I say, ignoring mom's whimper. "Her name is Lucky."
"The two of you adopted a cat?"
"Yes."
"Together?" His grin spreads on his face. "But that must mean that the two of you are a -"
"Couple," I raise my chin. "That's right. Got anything to say about that?"
"Of course. I need to give Archer the big brother talk," James says, eyes twinkling with maniacal joy. "I've always wanted to threaten to sell somebody's corpse on eBay if they broke my sister's heart. Xavier was too weak for me, but Archer's tough enough to take it. Where is he?"
"In the backyard, entertaining guests. And don't you dare."
"Big brother talk?" Dad says. "Hang on, I don't think I've ever given Archer the big dad talk."
"There will be no talks of any kind."
Just then, James spots Raquel on the couch. "Was this chick always here?"
"Yes," Melody says, and her back goes up defensively. "She's, uh, my girlfriend."
"Huh, a lot can happen when you're away at college," James muses. "I come back and suddenly everybody's in a relationship. Melody, give me some cat treats. I'm going to feed Lucky. Maybe I can make a documentary..."
Clearly relieved, Melody hands him the box of cat treats.
- () -
"Two more hours until Doomsday."
"Will you stop referring to Grandmother's arrival as doomsday?" I hiss, switching the bowl of carrots with the bowl of Cheetos. "Mom's going to hear you and snap. She's come very closing to snapping today."
"Mom's not going to snap right now. The guest are arriving."
"Now?" I look up. Sure enough, the first group of people enter the backyard. "Damn it. Where's Lucky? I have to make sure she doesn't get scared."
"Last I saw, she was with Kya and Sebastian."
I wipe my hands on my dress, examining the buffet table for the last time. I arranged everything in the style of a rainbow, with reds in the innermost circle and indigo on the outermost. I wish I had a more time to edit it, but I don't. I start to leave, then pause and turn around.
"Melody, don't eat anything until all the guests arrive."
Her cheeks are full of gummy bears. "Huh?"
"Nevermind," What does Raquel see in her? "Make sure that nobody messes up the color order."
"Kay."
The weather suits the party perfectly, with a bunch of puffy white clouds dotting the clear blue sky. A warm breeze ruffles my skirt. Archer found a glittery purple dress in the back of my closet and loved it so much that I had no choice but to wear it. With that and my pink hair, I look just like a Disney princess. And to my surprise, I don't even mind.
Just when I step on to the porch, Archer's friends from the swim team arrive. Because I'm the host today, I stop and chat with them. As expected, the conversation changes to the incident of rubber animals from the other day. I shake my head at their laughter and walk into the house.
I find Lucky in the place I least expect her. She's in Sebastian's lap, purring as he scratches the spot behind her ears. I haven't seen her look that content in anybody's arms beside mine or Archer's.
"It's because you're all dark and broody," Kya pouts in her red and white sundress, her twin ponytails wilting. "That's why she prefers you instead of me."
Sebastian gives a subtle roll of his eyes. "Or maybe it's because you're a loudmouth."
"A loudmouth. Me?"
"Hey guys," I approach them cautiously. "What's going on?"
"Your cat's racist," Kya complains. "She only likes black people."
"She likes me."
"You wear black all the time."
"She likes Archer."
"Everybody likes Archer."
"Okay, fine, that's true," I admit and my lips curve up on their own. "But she'll warm up to you, just ask Melody or James. She used to hate them, but now they're practically best friends."
"Maybe. What's her name?"
"Lucky."
"Aren't black cats supposed to be unlucky?"
"Yeah, she breaks a lot of stereotypes."
"Like you?" This comment doesn't come from Kya, but Sebastian.
I blink in surprise. "Yeah, I guess."
"Then you chose a fitting name," Sebastian begins to stand up, causing Lucky to finally open her eyes. She darts from his lap, jumps off the sofa, and wraps herself around my feet as her way of saying hello.
"Thanks," I bend down to pat her head. "She seems to like you. You can come visit her any time."
"Only when you're not there."
Just like that, our ten-second truce is broken. I open my mouth, then close it again. He offers me one last smirk before following Kya into the backyard.
"What a jerk," I tell Lucky, who's currently sniffing my heels. "I can't believe you sat on his lap."
Lucky bites my pinky toe.
"Ouch! Silly cat," I pick her up, ignoring her attempts to wiggle out of my arms. "Didn't James and Melody give you enough treats? Why are you trying to eat my feet?"
More people arrive then, so our conversation cuts short.
For the next hour or so, Lucky and I patrol the party. I make small-talk, then offer people a chance to pet my cat. Soon, people flock to me of their own will, just for a chance to meet Lucky and Lucky behaves because she likes being the center of attention. It's a good deal. Even Mrs. Raine gives me an approving nod from her side of the party.
Soon, the sun dips below the horizon and I turn on the string lights. They twinkle in the expanding darkness, giving off pulses of golds and blues. In the white sand and black waves, with Sebastian's jazz songs echoing in the background, the whole scene seems pretty magical.
I just I had a more chance to talk to Archer. He's just as, if not more, busy than I am.
Finally, I go out on the sidelines of the party, giving myself a break from socializing. When I'm all by myself, I give Lucky a stern look at me. "You want to get on your own feet now?"
She nuzzles into me and says nothing.
"Silly cat."
Across the party, I spot Archer. He's by his paintings, talking about the significance of each one to a group of people from school. He catches my eye and waves. Since my arms are filled with a lazy cat, I smile back.
Then, Archer's expression darkens. He nods to a spot over my shoulder. I turn around and my heart sinks.
There, coming out of my back porch, are my relatives: Grandmother, Aunt Sue and Cousin Bettie, all with varying expressions of distaste on their faces. I look down at Lucky, wondering if I can hide her in a nearby bush. Then, Grandmother spots me and it's too late.
She, with Aunt Sue and Bettie following, saunters down the porch steps, grunting when she reaches the sand.
I decide it's time for me to say something. "Hi Grandmother."
"Don't think I don't hear that sass in your tone," She snaps. "What kind of rowdy event is going on back here?"
"It's a party. For the end of finals."
"Some party," She scoffs, scanning the crowded backyard. In the noise and music, nobody notices us, which is a small miracle in my opinion. "Teenagers these days have no class. They think a party is just making out to trashy music. What kind of imbecile put this together?"
"I did, actually," I say, even though I suspect she already knew that.
"So you gathered all this," Her thin, maroon-painted, lips curve in a sneer. "Hmph. Well, I see your taste hasn't improved in the last few months."
"How much did those lights cost? Nothing too expensive, I suppose," Aunt Sue adds, her eyes glittering. She plays with her pearl necklace. "They look a little bit dim to me."
"Look at that amount of junk food at that table over there," Grandmother continues. "Has nobody in your generation heard of calories? It's a miracle that nobody has gotten diabetes from tonight alone."
I do my best not to let their insults get to me, but they do.
In the last few years, I've resigned myself to the fact that Grandmother will dislike anything I do, no matter what it is. But I've spent days, even weeks, preparing for this party. And now she's picking apart every single detail.
What would Dr. Robinson want me to do?
Giving into your anger is only going to hurt yourself. Focus on the things around you.
I focus my attention on anything besides Grandmother. Besides Aunt Sue, Bettie stands with her arms crossed. She's dressed in a black dress and heavy eyeliner. She looks just about as miserable as I feel. Maybe she's sick of Grandmother too?
So, in the spirit of cooperation and self-being, I do something I never thought I'd do. I offer Bettie a polite smile.
It doesn't go well.
She scowls at me, "What's that thing you're holding?"
"Huh? Lucky?"
Grandmother cuts off in her rampage about the weird smells and turns her beady eyes to the feline in my arms. "Is that cat I see? Wherever did you manage to find such a mangy-looking creature? She probably has fleas."
Lucky opens her eyes.
I take a few steps back, for their safety and hers. "She's already been vetted for flees. I adopted her two days ago."
"Isn't that the cat that attacked Derek?" Bettie demands.
"You brought such a dangerous creature in the house?" Grandmother cries. "And my daughter allowed it?"
"She's not dangerous."
"If she attacked a boy -"
"That boy deserved everything he got," Archer's voice comes from behind me and it takes all I have not to drop to the ground in relief. "Hello Peyton's family, it's nice to meet you again."
"Archer!" Aunt Sue trills. "You're looking more handsome since the last time I saw you."
I roll my eyes.
"Thanks Sue, you're not looking too bad yourself."
"Sue?" I whisper. His grin just gets wider.
"Anyways, I'll just take this dangerous creature into the house to relax in my room. I think we have some leftover pasta in the fridge if you ladies want a healthy dinner," Archer says, making Lucky purr as he strokes her chin. Once again, I think of the knight in silver amour. "Peyton, do you need anything before I go?"
I look at him for a second, considering my options.
A List of Things that Peyton can Answer:
1) Kiss him.
2) Refuse.
3) Thank him politely -
"Peyton?"
Screw it. I'll just kiss him.
Before I lose the nerve, I throw my arms around Archer's neck and raise myself on my toes. Then, I press my mouth on his. I breathe in the scent of his cologne, feel his hair brush across my forehead, taste the sugar on his lips, and exhale. With my heart beating unsteadily, I fall back on my heels.
"Just that," I breathe. "That's all I needed."
"Glad I could help," Archer's grin shines so bright that it almost makes me squint. "Ladies, if you follow me, I'll take you back into my house..."
Shell-shocked, Grandmother and Aunt Sue head indoors without saying another word. Bettie blinks at me, then scoffs and shakes her head. She says something along the lines of "don't know why I'm surprised" and follows the others inside.
A couple of wolf-whistles come from behind me - it's Archer's swim team. I'm too busy grinning to get annoyed. Instead, I just wave a hand and walk into the comforting shadows of my own backyard.
I think I've had enough for one night.
Thoughts on getting into bed and texting Archer goodnight, I step onto our backyard porch. To my surprise, mom sits on the steps, a cup of wine in her hand. Despite the lines of fatigue on her face, she looks young and youthful.
"That was pretty sweet," She sighs, voice light and soft. "What you did back there. Sue's dumbstruck face - ah, I'll be picturing that in my sleep for the next two years."
I let out a breathy laugh and sit down next to her. "There'll be hell to pay tomorrow."
"Perhaps," Mom crosses her legs. "I hate to admit this, but your cat is growing me. In some ways, she has better table manners than you."
"...thanks?"
She hums in response, taking another sip of wine. I lean back on the stairs, take off my heels and let my legs flex out. The sand feels soft and cool on my feet. I glance at my mom, bite my lip and say, "It was a hard decision to make, especially since I took out of my college funds."
"College funds?"
"Yeah, I -"
"Why would you need to pay for college?"
"I thought - since I broke the deal -"
"Oh that," She tips the glass, swallows all the wine. "I had forgotten all about that, to be honest, and it doesn't matter. Sometimes deals aren't as important. You made something out of yourself, right?"
"Right."
"Yes. And for me, that's more important than any rule we created."
- () -
And... scene!
First, I'd like to apologize for the late update. I procrastinated writing this chapter because I didn't want RoaR to end. Nonetheless, here's a giant, lengthy chapter filled with your favorite (and least favorite) characters. I wrapped everything as best as I could and left some things up to your imagination!
Also, if you'd like to read more of my writing, I have more books on my profile. Check them out if you have the time:
"..."
(0,0)Â Â - thanks!
/)....)
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This chapter's dedications goes to all of you who joined Crackers and I. Thanks for keeping him alive. You've made writing Rules of a Rebel an incredible experience.
Thanks for reading!
QotC: What do you want see in the epilogue? (no children because Peyton hates them lol)