Epilog
"Is it okay to say that I can't believe it?"
Maddox patted him on the back on his way to pack the last few things. "Yep, Rusty, it's totally fine. You're going to get hitched to a swell guy."
"Not that part, that I can believe," Rusty replied and waved impatiently. "I mean this. College is over. We're grownups or something."
"Or something," Maddox agreed as he used duct tape to secure one last cardboard box in place. It was full of books, and it had to weigh at least a ton.
Rusty offered to pitch in and grabbed the box from one side. "It's like we've lived an entire life during these four years."
"Yeah, I think it does feel like that. We went in as boys and came out as men," Maddox said with a grin and a wink.
"Let's not go overboard," Rusty scolded his bestie. "It's not like we've been to war."
"I guess, for our generation, it does count as that. Plus, there was that thing with Connor. That was almost a full-fledged war. Talk about abdicating in disgrace."
"Well, I guess that Xpress really did do a number on that guy," Rusty admitted. "After that exposé, not even his staunchest supporters wanted anything to do with him."
"That's true," Maddox said. "Although, I can't help but wonder. How did Xpress get their hands on all those photos? Some were quite closeup shots. Connor must have never noticed, but it seems pretty weird."
"There's always the possibility that the photos were doctored, just as Connor screamed from the top of his lungs. I mean, if that's the truth, I no longer feel all that good about winning."
Maddox grunted as they moved the box down the stairs to take it to the car. "I'm actually glad someone pulled the rug out from under that douchebag. And looking back, I think it did him good, too."
"Yeah, he's a lot more humble now. No more Mr. Leader, it seems. Although you can tell he's suffering that he no longer has cohorts praising his name."
"Just for the record, Rusty, there's no point in pitying the guy. He got what was coming to him. And whether the pictures were fakes or not, it looks like he was really an asshole two-timer. The girl in those pics threw a real fit, since she somehow heard about it. The guy seemed more laidback about the whole thing. He was never that crazy about Connor in the first place."
Rusty narrowed his eyes. "Did you read all this in Xpress? 'Cause that's not exactly a reliable source of information."
"No, that's what I heard by listening to the latest gossip on campus. It looks like you haven't paid attention lately."
"Well, I've been busy," Rusty said, and that was the whole truth. Between spending most of his time in Matty's room, going to classes, and taking singing lessons, he'd had very little time to pay attention to such small details.
"And too happy to care about Connor's whereabouts," Maddox added for good measure. "So," he said as he closed the trunk with a satisfied look on his face. "We're really going to do this, right?"
"Of course," Rusty said and could tell that the smile on his face was pulling at his muscles until it strained them. "It's going to be weddings at the castle. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Rusty, it's going to be your wedding, too. I hope you're not going to get cold feet and then miss it."
Rusty didn't have time to reply because Matty rammed into him from behind, quickly wrapping his arms around him.
"He has his ball and chain, Maddox, don't worry," Matty said cheerfully. "After everything he's put me through, I'm going to drag him to the altar… is there going to be an altar? Not exactly, since it's not a church where we're getting married."
"I could ask Francine to have one built, especially for us," Rusty said promptly.
"Don't you dare," Jonathan warned him, coming out of the house, as well. "You're lucky I don't get jealous, because it definitely feels like my mother has a favorite child and it's not me."
"Don't get jealous, Johnny boy, just be unreasonable and spoiled like me. That will work wonders, for sure. Or consider me your evil twin."
"Evil?" Jonathan asked.
"Twin?" Maddox asked at the same time as his fiancé, soon-to-be husband. "You look nothing like Jonathan, Rusty."
"That's because we're not identical twins," Rusty replied promptly. "Also, be thankful for that. You're in no danger of wandering into the wrong room and getting the wrong spouse pregnant."
Maddox rolled his eyes. "You wish you'd had that kind of pull. Matty, make sure our resident kinkster doesn't wander off."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Matty said. "This one's mine."
Rusty leaned back into Matty's embrace. "And we're going to make it official."
"See?" Matty looked over Rusty's shoulder at Maddox. "He's totally taken. But seriously, Jonathan, thank you so much for what your family is doing for us. My mom is over the moon already."
"Yeah, and it's crazy to have so many weddings taking place at the same time. Hopefully, no one gets left out," Rusty said.
Francine had been thrilled to be in charge of organizing all their scheduled weddings at the same time at their estate. Besides Maddox and Jonathan, and Rusty and Matty, she had insisted that 'all the children' needed to celebrate all in one place at one time, provided that they didn't have other plans. Therefore, Ray and Hanna, Kane and Louise, and not so surprisingly, Dex and Zoey, were all included.
"Hey," he realized only that moment, "we're like five weddings and no funeral."
All of the available pairs of eyes turned to look at him, blinking and not understanding. He waved quickly.
"It's an old movie, but it doesn't matter. We have the lucky number with us."
They no longer paid him any mind as they hurried to take their places inside the car. Maddox was driving, and Jonathan was riding with him in front. That left the backseat for Matty and him, which meant that he felt compelled to make at least a few jokes about it.
"Do you really care about the upholstery inside your vehicle, Maddie?" Rusty asked as he caressed the leather seat.
"Do you plan on doing something nasty?" the driver asked while kicking the engine into gear.
"You put me back here with Matty. You know I'm not the kind to keep my hands to myself."
"Matty, make sure Rusty behaves," Maddox called out to the voice of reason in their relationship.
"Will do," Matty said brightly. "He'll be an exemplary passenger, I promise."
"We're all counting on you."
Rusty looked out the window on his side as they started rolling. To think that he was leaving this campus behind after having it for so long as the only place he had called home in his mind without telling everyone.
Matty squeezed his hand to get his attention. "Is everything fine?"
"Yeah," Rusty said in a quiet voice. "Just a tad melancholic, which you know is not exactly my jam."
If Maddox and Jonathan were listening in, they didn't show it, caught up in a conversation of their own.
"We have the rest of our lives in front of us," Matty said.
Rusty moved his eyes away from the window and back to his better half. "And I'm excited for it," he admitted. "Because it's going to be one life I'll spend with you."
Matty smiled happily and cuddled against his side, as Rusty took him by the shoulders. "Don't worry. We'll come back from time to time if only to remind people that Sunny Hill was once a kingdom."
Rusty laughed. "There will be other kings, I guess."
"Hmm, I'm sure that if we read Xpress, we'll be up to date with the next coronation. Unless," Matty said and frowned a smidge in thought. "Unless Xpress just graduated, as we did. What do you think?"
"That's one possibility. I guess we'll know if the thing gets discontinued, now that our generation is free to go out in the world and make a name for ourselves."
"That might not be enough. There could be copycats," Matty suggested.
"Yeah, that's true. Well, I guess we'll never know for sure, right?"
***
So, dear guys and gals, every love story must end with the famous words 'and they lived happily ever after'… And then you know that all is right in the world. This story is no exception to the famous rule of romance, and yet.
You're probably still wondering who I am. Am I an insider or an outsider? A professor with too much time on his or her hands, bored and bent on throwing a spanner in the works just for the fun of teaching young people that life's not always fair? Or am I a student here at Sunny Hill, fascinated by living vicariously through other people's ups and downs? Am I lurking in the shadows, or am I walking out in the open, with everyone else?
My work is a labor of love, I promise, regardless of what you might think of me. So, at times, I have been silly, I have been mean, I have been witty, I have even been surprising.
As far as famous last words go, I have a confession to make. In my doings, I have been driven in equal parts by my own selfish motives, as well as a desire to do good. I am well aware that you might feel pretty cross with me for uttering such an audacity. But it takes a nudge from the wrong direction sometimes, and even a bit of negativity to get the right thing done.
So long, I fare thee well, and maybe, who knows? We'll meet again 😊
Yours truly,
Sunny Hill Xpress.
P.S. Did I forget something? Oh, yes.
And they lived happily ever after.
THE END