Pretty Girls

EPILOGUE

DECEMBER 31st
NEW YEAR'S EVE

THE MOON LOOKED as though nothing had shone brighter as it hung in the dark night sky. I shoved my way to the front, ignoring the crowd of tourists and locals alike, in an attempt to get a better view of the shining castle and to find my friends. The music buzzed ridiculously loud, pure magic in the air as families, couples, friends, and lonely souls all stared up at the gleaming architecture.

Now that I had celebrated New Year's Eve in the Big Apple, it was time to visit another hotspot that I had always wanted to go. It was somewhere much more magical, deemed as the happiest place on Earth. Right now, surrounded by all the jovial laughter and delighted anticipation, I agreed that there was no place else that was as beautiful as Disneyland on the last night of the year.

Classic theme songs from iconic films started to fill the air as the noises and chattering settled into a low buzz. The glimmering light on the enormous castle dimmed down to nothing but shimmering lights that formed a number. The emcee on stage, along with everyone else in the theme park, all yelled out the number, beginning the countdown.

"10!"

Everyone echoed in unison, words louder than ever as blood rushed through my veins. It had been a while since I last saw Apollo at the airport. And although the gaping hole in my heart had never filled itself back up, I managed to trudge through life with as much radiance as I could.

This time, I managed it without him by my side.

"9!"

Jacob and I had remained friends even after seeing the letter I had left him. In the letter, I had ended everything between us, explaining what I felt in the simplest form. Ironically, Victoria soon became my best friend as she was the one that was constantly comforting me. Granted, it was in the oddest ways like randomly paintball fighting me in school or dumping a bucketful of glitter on my head when she thought I looked particularly down after Apollo left.

The 'it' couple got back together, reuniting as Crescent Grove's power couple once more with significantly lesser narcissism and much more sass to how they handled things. They got rid of their minions, keeping only people whom they thought were trustworthy. In other words, only Lana and Lance made the cut and the five of us remained as friends, forming our own unique friendship group. As much as I adored being a part of the pretty girls of Crescent Grove in whatever little time I had with them, being pretty didn't make me feel beautiful on the inside.

Not when it blinded me to neglect the feelings of the one person I cared about at that time.

"8!"

Weirdly enough, my grades, although suffering a blow during the first few weeks Apollo had left for home, got pulled back up. It was all accomplished with the help of Victoria who was amazing in mathematics and sciences. She was a good tutor and within that short amount of time between classes and examinations, she managed to help me pull my hellfire of a grade in mathematics to a B+.

"7!"

Obviously, Jacob avoided me as much as he could after the first week of receiving the letter. I had broken up with him via a small note and it was understandable for him to take offense in that. I hadn't been sincere with him in the first place but as soon as we bounced back to being friends, I convinced him to talk it out with Victoria. He apologized first, what for I don't know, but Victoria was quick to forgive him after throwing in her own apology. Now, they stood just a few feet away from me.

They came along with me to Disneyland and spent the entire day with me third-wheeling their date. Yet, maybe it was for their own selfish reason of wanting to be together alone at this hour, or maybe it was because they knew I did not want to be with anyone else for the countdown, they left me alone for the rest of the night.