***AUTHORESS NOTES***

Wow!

I was just reading the freebie chapter in Nightfall (part 3) and there
was a preview for my old story "So This is The End" and I loved it and
I'm going to do something like it, instead of the funny chapter I had
planned.

Enjoy, and please review me!!

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Chapter 18: Welcome to My Life


     I couldn't talk to anybody for the rest of the night, especially
not Nathan. I was so guilty, and even though I shouldn't feel this way
because it's not like Nathan cares about me anyways, I still cared about
him and I wanted to keep our friendship going.

     We arrived in Vendanturf at about noon the next day and I
immediately loved it. There were flowers everywhere and everything was
in bloom. It was breathtaking.

     My first sight of the city that wasn't the flowers repulsed me. It
was a certain little green-haired freak that I had met in Petalburg,
chatting with Taylor.

     "Hey, it's Jenifer!" Wally cried happily. Taylor looked like he was
about to spit something up. "I've been waiting for you," he said in a
lower voice, but that didn't help, because my friends could all hear.
That sent them into a bout of hysterical laughter. Even Nathan was
laughing and I was so happy to see him smile that I almost cried.

     "Hey, Wally has Hoenn pride!" I giggled.

     "Jenny, that's Team Magma's uniform!" said Nathan with a grin and
it felt like the old days. I gave him a smile back.

     "It has to be Hoenn pride, unless it's Halloween!"

     "No, I'm part of Team Magma now! This is my partner, Taylor!" Wally
said proudly. Wally and Taylor... Partners in Team Magma? Match made in
heaven.

     "I know who he is! He's my abusive ex-boyfriend!" I cried.

     "I was not abusive!" Taylor shot back and I laughed at that. "I was
protective!"

     "Quit lying to yourself! You hit me on a regular basis! That's
extreme abusive behavior. Protective? Of what? I would've never cheated
on you, Taylor. You should've known me well enough to know that. And
it's also not my fault that my parents moved me from Johto. My brother
made me tell him the truth and he freaked and told my parents and they
moved us to Hoenn so that I could never see you again! And then you
became a Team Magma member and followed me here! You know what? Adam was
right. I certainly did get around, even if he was basically calling me a
whore. I should've never said yes to you when you asked me out. Because
if I had made plans with Alexis or Sierra or somebody, I wouldn't be
standing here in a field of flowers with a bee on my head!"

     Taylor was nearly speechless for the first time in his life. "Well,
maybe if you weren't such a wimp..."

     "A wimp, Taylor? Is that what you call me? A wimp? You beat me
senseless! I had a right to be scared! I couldn't eat for three days
after you bruised my stomach by kicking me! And, oh yeah, do you
remember when I had an asthma attack and I had to go to the hospital
because you purposely stepped on my inhaler?"

     "I didn't know it would get so out of hand! And look at you! Do you
remember how many boyfriends you had back there? I was afraid you were
going to leave me for someone better looking!"

     I got quiet then, and I knew they were all anticipating what I was
going to say next. "I was in love with you, Taylor. Do you think I
wanted to leave? No, I didn't and even after you would bruise me and
make me bleed, that didn't change until I got here in Hoenn and I
realized that what you did was wrong!"

     Taylor really was speechless now, but I couldn't stop. I had to
keep the peace with myself and I had to say what I needed to.

     "You said for me to think of how I was in Johto. Well, don't you
remember how I was at the beginning of the year? I was outgoing, I was
the loudest girl in class, I was talkative. I changed after I started
going out with you and you starting hitting me. I stopped talking, I
stopped calling my friends. I was afraid they would find out and find
some way to blame me! And I didn't want them to hate you... I was scared
senseless and my brother found out by a fluke. But when I moved here, I
changed again and I began turning back into my old self. I started
making jokes. And I have friends again, and a best friend." I shot an
appreciative glance at Nathan and he smiled at me. He was turning back
into his old self too. 

      I paused and looked at the Magma member. "Holy crap, Taylor. Are
you crying?" 
 
     "I didn't mean to hurt you that bad, Jenny, I swear," he said with
tears rolling down his cheeks. His defense was let down and I was
getting the apology that I had thought would only exist in my daydreams.
"I'm so sorry for everything I did. I just cared so much and I thought
I'd be forgotten when the next guy came along." Just like Nathan felt, I
thought, and I felt overwhelmingly sad. "Will you ever be able to
forgive me?"

      "Maybe, someday I might," I said nonchalantly. I was weary and I
didn't want to let my guard down and trust him again.

     "You bitch!" he spat, looking at me with sudden rage. "I apologize
to you and you act like it's no fucking deal? Forget this." And he
stomped away through the Rustboro tunnel.

     I turned back to my friends, but they were socializing among
themselves now. Well, everybody except Nathan. I ran to him and put his
arms around me for the first time in a long time. "I'm so proud of you,"
he whispered. I hope he didn't mind that I was crying on his shirt. 

      "Thank you. And I'm sorry." I didn't have to say what for. He
knew. And I was finally forgiven by him.