I beg of you--please do not hate me for how short this final chapter is. I had to write it really quickly for my class, but I think it still works with the story. But also keep in mind that this IS NOT THE END OF DARCY'S STORY. I'm planning on writing a sequel to Fix You as I mentioned in the previous chapter.

Darcy felt the bus come to a stop. She could still feel Johnny’s hand on hers, and figured it was just leftover from her dream, but then she realized that she was completely awake.

She kept her eyes closed and tried to make sense of what was going on around her: her hands were overlapped on her stomach, with Johnny’s palm covering the top one. Her head was resting on his shoulder, her left side pressed against his right.

Her immediate instinct was to pull away, to remove her hand from his, but she found herself resisting the urge. He was just so warm…and for some reason that she couldn’t put her finger on, she felt safe.

She stayed like that for a while, pretending to sleep, even though she could hear movement around her—they had probably arrived at Degrassi.

Then the warmth covering her hands was gone. Her eyes were almost open when she remembered that she was supposed to be asleep.

“Darcy.”

She slowly opened her eyes, making sure to stretch a little. Johnny was looking at her.

“We’re back. It’s time to go.”

She sat up and looked around. Everyone else was already off the bus. An impossible thought entered her mind: Did he wait until the last second to wake me up?

She shook her head a bit to get rid of the last of her sleepiness. “Oh…right.” She rose from the seat, walked down aisle, and descended the stairs. She could see her parents, standing across the parking lot next to their minivan.

She glanced at Johnny, who was standing right behind her. They looked at each other for what felt like the longest time—but then again, it could’ve just as easily been only a few seconds.

She had no idea what to say to him, or if she even should say anything, so she stood rooted to the pavement.

Her heart skipped a beat when the smallest version of his smirk formed on his face.

“See you at school.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

“See you at school,” she replied quietly, though she knew he couldn’t hear her. Then she recalled the presence of her parents.

She began walking toward them, immediately noticing their cautious expressions. She could tell they weren’t sure what to say, what to do, if Spirit Bear had “fixed” her.

She came to a stop a few feet away from them. She looked at her mother, then at her father. And then, abruptly, she closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him. She could feel his surprise, but breathed a sigh of relief when he returned the embrace. She couldn’t stifle the smile that came when she felt her mother join them. She closed her eyes, and after what felt like an eternity, finally pulled away.

She looked her mother square in the eyes.

She took a deep breath.

This was not going to be easy.

CLIFFHANGER!

What do we think, guys? Likes, dislikes, general opinions about these last couple chapters or of the story as a whole...you know what to do. The more reviews I get, the faster I write the sequel.

PEACE.

-KelseyO