I can't say I regret what I did that day.

As I look back on it now, I wonder where my courage came from. I want to say that it was buried in the depths of my own doubtful mind, but then I'd be lying to you. I can say that I regret not getting out sooner. I never realized how much my mother held me back until I was free from her claws, out of her spotlight, knowing that I didn't have to strain to impress her anymore.

My life has changed so dramatically since that day. . . right as I received my diploma, I knew that things were never going to be the same. I looked for her, expecting to see her sitting in crowd of people gathered at the stadium, but she wasn't there. I shook it off, knowing that I didn't need her anymore. My mother didn't come to see me graduate that day, and I haven't seen her since. She called me on that Christmas Eve, wondering how Kent and I were getting along with our baby, expecting me to come crawling back.

Things were wonderful. She couldn't even being to imagine how perfect the pieces were falling.

I've kept in touch with Xavier, even after two years. He's still the same, living under his father's will, but he's enjoying himself. He and Hillary are no more, but now Xavier has a new love in his life. We talk every Sunday without fail, every time he has a new story to tell me and every time I listen so intently. Sure, the bills are always hell for us, but every second is worth it. Moving away from him made me realize how much he had impacted my life. In more ways than one, Xavier made me the person I am today, a person I'm finally proud of.

Hillary returned to Sweden the weekend after our graduation. I guess she missed her "home country" a little more than she expected, but I didn't blame her. Some people enjoy being home. I thought I did, but I realized that I needed a different home, a better place to deserve the name. I never expected to be shut off completely by my mother, but I guess she was embarrassed of me, ashamed of me for what I had done to disgrace her. I wasn't ashamed of it - how could I be? Sure, my life was growing routine, most of my time being spent at home, but I loved every minute of it. I loved waking up in the middle of the night, every night, I loved getting only three hours of sleep, I loved going to school the next day, barely passing exams. In the end, it was all worth it. I would come home, Kent would come home, we were a family.

I had my baby December 5, at 1:42 a.m. It was a lot more than I had expected, not really aware of all the dangers involved and so not ready for the pain involved. Of course, I had Kent at my side, and once it was all over, all of that pain seemed irrelevant, diminishing within seconds. It didn't matter anymore. They put my baby boy in my arms right after and something seemed to click. This was just meant to be. I knew that this was the reason I was still here, that little, wrinkled, red, crying thing squirming in my arms. That feeling, that bubbly, schoolgirl, sparkling kind of tingle was just sent through my body - it was amazing. I knew that I was happy. I knew that my mother could finally be put behind me. I knew that Lee could be put behind me. I could pack away all those painful memories in a little cardboard box and shove it to the back of my closet. I would never have to open that damnable box ever again because now I had my own family. As sad as it is, it was like they were replaced, but I knew that I would be happy with the replacement.

It's almost disturbing to think that the people I had grown up with were being replaced after one night. I thought that things had changed, that I would be able to relate to my mother, be able to talk to her, tell her all my problems without worry, but I couldn't. I couldn't even talk to her long on the phone that Christmas Eve. The sound of her voice sent chills down my spine, reminding me of her voice when she yelled at me.

"A baby will ruin your life!"

She had no idea how wonderful my baby made my life. I didn't expect everything to end like they do in fairy tales, but it had. I had defied the enemy and was living happily ever after. Sure I didn't have some castle, but I didn't need a castle. Sure I didn't have riches, but I had money for what I needed, never less and rarely more. It's not like we just sneaked by, we could afford what we needed and only got what we "needed". I had finally gotten my Prince Charming, and he had finally gotten his princess, uniting in all the wrong places.

I'm attending a community college about 15 minutes from where we lived. It's not exactly the college of choice, but I go regardless, for about three hours every day. I hate leaving my baby off at day care, but Kent told me it was only for three hours, believe me though, it took some convincing. I don't know if anyone can imagine how happy I am.

I've made a few good friends that also attend my college. They're great people, just adding another score to the reasons I'm happy. They're the people I turn to; they're the girls I can talk to when I need to. I was glad I found them, or rather, glad they found me. It's amazing what kind of people you find in a small town. I think that's where the best people all. They're so unique, original, carefree: themselves. They don't have these great pressures to be beautiful and productive and rich - they're just them. Personally, I didn't know such people even existed, but now I have proof that they do.

I suppose, I did a turn-around in the past two years. Some things have changed, and others haven't. I still smile inside when I wake up next to Kent, I still kiss him every chance I get, still touch him every chance I get. I've kind of grown into your typical housewife, cooking and cleaning, raising the child, and going to school, but believe me, it won't last. I hope to get a job, in what field I really don't know, but I'll figure that out when the time comes. Right now, I'm taking things one step at a time, tackling every day as it comes. It seems like a good formula; it's worked for me so far.

Kent and I are going to be married this coming spring. It's kind of weird that we've been living together for two years, have a child together and aren't married, but to be honest, we weren't planning on it at all. We knew that things would be expensive, even though I just wanted a little wedding, so we just said, you know, why get married? After a while, I knew that I wanted to finally settle the deal, smooth out all the wrinkles and marry the guy - I knew I wouldn't find anyone better. He didn't propose to me, it was kind of decided mutually. I mean, I didn't want him to - there was no need for him to ask me a question he already knew the answer to. I didn't want him to be romantic about it; he makes up for that in other ways. I'm very excited, still awaiting that day, but I still think of it as a dream. A wonderful, heart-felt dream, but this time, I know I will never be awakened.

A/N: It's short, I know, but there it is! Please give me feedback, I need to know if the epilogue was good enough. I know it's short, but that's okay, there really wasn't much to say. I hope it all goes well. Finally, I'm done.