OH MY GOSH GUYS!!
We're here! It's the final chapter of Finding Everett! I'm super excited to share this final chapter with you guys and there'll be more notes at the end of the chapter but here we go!
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The North home became a flurry of movement and preparations over the next week. Jesse's room soon lacked most of the small things he'd collected since he was small, the things that made his room his.
With the remaining time before his departure, Jesse bought several maps of the USA, guidebooks and spent hours doing online research. As a result, a basic itinerary developed, giving him a bit of satisfaction about his choice. Jesse knew how he wanted to proceed with this adventure. His maps were marked up, miles were calculated and he figured if he needed money, he could put down temporary roots in some spots and make some cash before moving on.
Odds job existed if you looked for them and Jesse knew just how to do it.
The plan Jesse imagined for his future seemed to be coming together quite nicely. Except for one thing: he still felt as though his parents were tip toeing around him. Jesse liked to think he knew his parents fairly well, having grown up with them and all, so he could recognize the signs of them being off and weird.
They were definitely being off and definitely being weird. Whenever Jesse would make his way into a room, they would stop their conversations and attempt to look at him casually. They failed every time. His parents had something up their sleeve.
"I just don't know what," Jesse wondered, kicking a rock from his path. Lizzie walked next to him, only half listening. He'd said these same words several times over the past couple of days and he didn't seem any closer to an answer.
At the moment, Lizzie and Jesse wandered around the neighborhood, getting a bit of fresh air as they spoke. Jesse's nerves were beginning to get the better of him and he found the more he walked, the more he could keep it under control.
"Well, gee, have you tried, oh I don't know - asking them what's up? Maybe if you opened conversation you could actually get an answer?" she pointed out, raising her eyebrows at him.
Jesse just shrugged, hands hanging limply at his sides. The weather no longer called for jackets and putting his hands in the pockets of his pants felt awkward. So he figured they could just swing back and forth as he walked.
"Just leave it alone, I think," Lizzie advised, nudging him with her shoulder. "Whatever it is, they obviously want to surprise you. Just wait it out."
Jesse grumbled a bit, but took the advice to heart. The two parted ways as they reached the North home once again. Lizzie hopped in her car, stating it was lasagna night which she refused to miss, and headed off with a wave.
Turning to his home, Jesse stood and stared for a few moments, drinking in every detail and committing the structure to memory.
All his firsts were in this house. And in a few days, he would be leaving it all behind. Some part of Jesse refused to acknowledge those things; refused to truly acknowledge how big of a deal it was.
But his heart knew. And it grew heavier with each passing day, filled to the brim with nostalgia and love and memories.
It hurt, but what a good kind of pain it was.
************
Denise fixed Jesse's favorite on his last night at home. The table held an assortment of Mexican dishes, from tacos to enchiladas.
Everett certainly didn't mind it, as he loves a good taco just as much as the next guy. But he found it a little hard to eat.
The entire house felt it; Jesse's last night. Everett tried to imagine life without Jesse's voice as a constant. For so long, Jesse kept him on his routine, maybe without either of them even knowing.
While he definitely held better perspective on the world and on himself, Everett still would miss the larger than life personality of his younger brother.
Though, he supposed he would have needed to get used to it anyway. Everett would be leaving for college himself once the semester rolled over. The idea of coming in at all late frustrated him and aside from that, he didn't have his all the supplies he needed.
So he knew this would all be hitting him soon enough. It just took him by surprise of how soon.
"So, what's the first place on your list that you want to visit?" Denise asked as they sat around the table.
It clearly took Jesse by surprise as he seemed to fumble for words. "Oh. Oh, I, uh - I sort of want to head down and walk around the Smithsonian for starters," he said quietly, suddenly feeling silly. "I thought I could walk through and it would give me inspiration for future stops."
"That sounds like a fine idea."
Everett didn't smile, but it made him content to hear the input of their father. Peter seemed to be the least on board with the impromptu detour Jesse decided to take, but now it looked like he warmed up to it.
Everett knew Jesse needed all the support he could get on this adventure.
As the family continued to eat and chat, Everett realized this would be the last time in a long time they would be together.
But, surprisingly, it didn't feel as painful as he thought it would. Jesse needed this. His little brother needed to see the world, needed freedom.
Jesse was vibrant all over again and he was excited.
Yeah, Everett thought with a smile. I think everything will be just fine.
************
Jesse threw one more bag into the back of his car, the last of them. He inhaled deeply as the trunk slammed shut, trying to remember every detail, right down to the smell.
Slowly, he pivoted to his home, where his parents and siblings were waiting to see him off and say goodbye.
Heart heavy in his chest, Jesse walked back over to them. First, he hugged Everett tightly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jesse thought this might be the hardest part. For so long, a huge divide existed between the two brothers. He just got his brother back and now, Jesse felt as though he would be losing him all over again.
"Promise you'll keep in touch," Everett mumbled, giving one extra squeeze before letting go. "I expect some form of contact every day." He extended his arm to ruffle his brothers hair, as older brothers sometimes do, but instead . . .
"You do realize you just poked my eye, right?" Jesse dead panned, shoving his hand away with a smile.
Everett shrugged, grinning. "Hair ruffle, eye poke, same difference." His expression sobered. "Take care, okay, Jesse?"
Jesse swallowed around the small lump forming in his throat. "I promise. And you, too. Curtis is still a long ways away. Knock them dead, okay?"
Smiling wide, Everett nodded, moving aside a little bit so Jesse had free reign to hug the parents. Their father stepped forward, grabbing his son and hugging the life out of him.
"You kids grew up way too fast," he mused, shaking his head. He patted Jesse on the back. "Be careful, okay? Remember to check your oil, don't run out of gas, and I stashed a couple extra maps in the glove box just in case you need them."
And with that, Peter stepped back, keeping his emotions in check though Jesse could see this was difficult. Then, he moved to the hardest one of all. Hugging Cole and tickling him a bit before handing him off to Peter, Jesse looked at his mother and felt the lump in his throat grow.
Her eyes were wet, but her lips were smiling. Jesse could tell Denise was sad, but her positive front made it all better. He smiled weakly and pulled her in for the tightest hug he could muster.
"Goodness," Denise started, hugging her son as tight as she could. "Five minutes ago, you were just a baby and now, you're heading out on your own. I'm terrified and proud all at the same time." She pulled back and looked Jesse in the eyes, cupping his face in her hands. "You be careful, young man. I want phone calls and text and posts on the Facesnap or whatever it's called. Please be careful."
Jesse gave a watery smile and nodded. "I promise," he vowed, making eye contact with both of his parents.
Denise and Peter shared a look before he began digging into his pocket. Denise turned and shot Jesse a look.
"Traveling takes a lot of money, Jesse," Peter began, both hands in the front pockets of his pants. "And that's one of the things we worried about the most. So," he blew out a breath of air, doing it in such a way that Jesse wondered if it was toxic to his father.
With a slight smile and shake of his head, Peter pulled one hand out of his pocket, along with a small envelope, and handed it to Jesse. With no explanation, he motioned for Jesse to open it.
With extreme curiosity, Jesse broke the seal on the envelope and opened it. His brow furrowed, fingers pulling out a rectangle piece of plastic.
"A debit card?" He asked, looking between his parents for an answer. Peter clearly deferred to Denise, who seemed more than happy to explain.
"We didn't want you to run out of money halfway through your trip or find yourself in a bad spot. So this is what we had saved back for your college fund."
Jesse's eyes grew larger with each word and by the end, he had no words. "I...what?"
Looking down at the gift in his hand with newfound reference, Jesse felt his eyes water all over again.
This meant more to him than words could express. Not just the fact he had more than enough money to get him through his travels. But this money, this college fund ... this meant his parents truly supported him.
No more disappointed looks. No more wondering if his parents spoke about his awful decision behind his back.
They were giving him the full chance to live his dream.
Without words, Jesse threw both arms around his parents and hugged them close. "Thank you so much."
Pulling away, Jesse gave them all one more smile before Denise said, "You should probably get going. I know you have a lot of things to see. And I expect all sorts of pictures and postcards."
"Don't forget to stop by Lizzie's," Everett reminded him, a slight warning in his voice. "She'll track you down and beat you up if you don't."
Jesse laughed, replying, "I don't doubt it. No worries, I'll head over there."
Everett nodded, then shook his head. "I'm really going to miss you, Jess."
Wishing that his brother could see the smile on his face, Jesse replied, "I'm really going to miss you, too."
With that, Jesse rounded his car and hopped into the drivers seat. Starting the engine, he chanced one more look out the passenger window.
His mom and dad stood side by side, Peter's arm around Denise. Everett stood with Cole in his arms, settled on one hip and a smile on his face.
Even though it was hard to put the car in gear and push down on the gas pedal, Jesse didn't feel guilt; something he would have felt had he left earlier. His family was whole again.
His parents were content, Everett found himself again, and Cole would never have to worry about having an older brother who didn't love him to pieces.
Yeah, he thought. Everything is going to be okay.
**********
"So today is the day, huh?"
Jesse grinned lazily at Lizzie, nodding. "Yep. I'm really excited. Kind of scared, but mostly stoked."
Lightly punching him in the shoulder, Lizzie gave him a huge hug. "You are going to have such an amazing adventure. I'm so excited for you."
"Thanks, Lizzie."
The two sat in the quiet on her front porch for a minute, letting the moment settle between them.
It would be a long time before they saw each other again. Their lives, momentarily entwined, were being separated once more. For both of them, the feeling was a touch hard to swallow.
They were losing their best friend. Maybe not completely; they could still talk over text and skype and Jesse would send her pictures.
It just wouldn't be the same.
Lizzie sighed and hopped up. "Give me one more lift?"
Jesse grinned and shook his head, standing as well. "You have your own car - you remember that, right?"
She shrugged. "Yeah. But it's the last time for a while."
Find smile on his face, Jesse followed Lizzie off the porch and to his car.
"Where to?" He wondered, throwing on his seatbelt and starting the car. He backed out of Lizzie's driveway and started down the street.
"There's a community yard sale going on and I wanted to check it out," she replies with a grin of her own. "Last time there was some reason neat stuff; I'm hoping the same is true this time as well."
It only took a few minutes to get to the yard sale and Jesse could honestly say he was happy he came down with Lizzie. People had tables set up everywhere, all sorts of displays with jewelry and other various items set up.
He and Lizzie took their time, walking through the items, inspecting anything that remotely looked interesting.
Jesse and Lizzie split up, taking two different tables in opposite directions. Jesse picked through the random stuff, looking for a good find when he spotted it.
Beneath a old bonnet style hat, sat a vintage camera. Flicking aside the hat, Jesse picked up the device, wiping a bit of the grime off.
He looked through the lens, despite knowing very little about photography. The world he could see through that small opening made his heart swell. Swiveling around with the camera up to his eye, Jesse looked for Lizzie. He spotted her two tables away looking at a pair of vintage style sunglasses.
On impulse, he tapped the shutter button and nearly dropped the camera in surprise when it made a noise and seconds later, a small square Polaroid slipped out.
Gently taking the picture between his fingers, Jesse tugged the photo loose and took a peek at it.
He grinned and looked down to the table. A bag sat near where he found the camera and he opened it. Once he saw it's contents, Jesse knew exactly what he had to do.
*******
"Find anything good?"
Jesse found Lizzie fifteen minutes later with a bag, a pair of sunglasses and a book in hand, looking thoroughly pleased.
"I found some really good stuff," she replied with a smile. Looking around, she sighed. "I think I'm going to pop over to grab a bite to eat then head home. You wanna come?"
It was tempting, but the general feeling of Jesse's mind pushed him the direction of his car. So he shook his head.
"I should really get going," he told her quietly, giving her a smile.
Lizzie nodded, a sad smile crossing her face. "I figured," came the weak reply. "I know you gotta get going. I'm just gonna miss you. That's all."
With a similar and knowing smile, Jesse pulled her in for a tight hug. "I'm really going to miss you. You have a ride home, right?" Lizzie quickly confirmed that she did.
Promise me something?" He added, pulling away to look her in the eye. After she nodded, he continued, "Just keep an eye on Everett, okay?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes and wrapped him. "Well, duh. He's my boyfriend. I'm always going to look out for him," she told him, voice going soft towards the end.
And of course he knew those things. But to hear Lizzie say it out loud, just one more time, put his mind at ease.
Without further ado, not wanting to stretch it out, Jesse bid Lizzie goodbye with one more hug before rushing to his car.
He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, a brown haired girl watching him go in the rear view mirror.
Jesse merged to the highway, inhaling deep. One hand stretched out to the passengers seat, tracing the camera sitting there.
Everything is going to be just fine.
And with the smiles of his family facing him and a picture of his best friend on the dashboard, Jesse knew that it would be.
So guys, there it is. The last chapter - this ending is so, so different from the first draft and even what I was going to do three weeks ago. I'm actually really happy with how it ended. But fear not! Everett still gets one more chapter! An epilogue will be posted soon!
After the epilogue, I'm going to do a question and answer thing if you're interested! Leave any questions below - I would love to have a big Q&A with you guys! I'll also give you a few secrets about Finding Everett: The Early Stages. Just fun stuff like that!
Anyways, if you haven't already, make sure to add my new story When It All Falls Apart to your library and vote on the prologue if you're interested in it! I'll upload the first chapter when the prologue hits 30 votes!
Thanks so much for all the support you have given this story - it's kind of my baby and for it to get such a positive response makes me so, so happy!