Thunder

* 5 MONTHS LATER *

This was it. The group of friend's final goodbyes to Dulaney High School. In the passing six months, so many things had came and went and changed for the three teenagers.

All Time Low had gotten signed to a company that helped lesser known bands get big - Hopeless Records. They had gotten signed on February 14, 2006 and were set to head out on a tour right after graduation. In fact, they had a show the following day after the ceremony.

None of the three friends had read the letters that Abigail left addressed to them. They had found the letters shortly after her death when they had gone to her house, with no intentional motives at the beginning. When they had found the letters written in her loopy cursive, none of them had the guts to read them.

Rian had found a girlfriend for himself, Kara. They had been dating for three and a half months by the time graduation rolled around. Rian told Kara everything, from what he wanted to be when he grew up as a kid to everything about what he wanted to accomplish in the band. To say he was happy was a huge understatement. He hadn't been this happy in quite some time.

Jack did his best to go back to his normally peppy self and with some time, he had begun to be the person he used to be. The blonde streak in his hair was redone, making it even more blonder, along with adding more streaks. Jack was happy, to say the least. He was back to how he used to be for the most part and enjoying life again.

Alex, on the other hand, was still struggling. For the first two months after the loss of his girlfriend, he had skipped out on band practices, making it nearly impossible for the band to practice at all. When they did have gigs, Alex would perform two songs and then have panic attacks; sometimes passing out right in front of the crowd. He didn't talk to much of anyone for quite some time. The brunette had it set in his mind that he couldn't get attached to anyone anymore; he was scared to do it. After a while and after some serious intervention from his friends, even Zack tried to talk to Alex about the girl, Rian, Jack, and Zack all decided the only thing to do would be to put Alex in therapy.

They asked Isobel and Peter, Alex's parents, and they agreed that their son, in fact, did need someone to talk to. He needed someone to listen to how he felt about losing someone so important to him.

After much convincing for a week and a half straight, Alex finally gave therapy a shot. Alex participated in a therapy session twice a week for the following three months; in fact, his last session was the week before graduation. His therapist, Lindsey, found it difficult to get Alex to open up. Everyone in his life had just wanted him to come to terms with the things he couldn't change in his life, despite how much he wanted to. Losing the life of someone was close was, indeed, a hard thing to overcome, but everyone believed in Alex. They knew he could do it.

Alex, though, didn't think he could, so he altogether refused to try. He wouldn't say a thing about Abigail or how he felt about it. He didn't want to tell someone his feelings, simply because they were paid to do so.

After the first two months of endless therapy sessions, Lindsey finally got through to Alex. The blonde woman had told Alex that if he wouldn't open up about how he felt to others, he should try to write about it. Write a song for his band, even.

That's exactly what Alex did.

-----

Now here they were. The class of 2006 was standing together for the last time. Alex could feel his palms sweating and his body shaking. So much had happened during his senior year of high school. Some good, some bad.

The eighteen year old singer did nearly everything he wanted to do, well all the good things, at least. He fell in love for the first time. He got his band off the ground and had gotten signed. He helped somebody with their problems - even if he could only help for a short time.

It all came down to this moment, though. When they called his name and he walked across the stage, it was all over. His adventure at Dulaney High School would be at an end while he started the rest of his life.

Taking him out of his train of thoughts, the principal's loud booming voice echoed across the football field where the ceremony was being held. "Robert Rian Dawson, highest honors," the older man's voice called as Rian walked up to receive his diploma.

A few minutes later, another familiar name was called. "Jack Bassam Barakat, with honors." The smile on Jack's face couldn't have gotten any larger as he shook the principal's hand enthusiastically.

And here it was. The moment Alex was waiting for. "Alexander William Gaskarth, with honors," as soon as the words escaped the man's mouth, Alex heard the hoots and hollers and cheering from the section his family was sitting in.

In the last six months, Alex's smile hadn't been this big or real. Shaking the man's hand, Alex grasped the diploma in his palms, walking back to his seat.

He had done it. He had gotten through the last six months of hell, and now here was to the next few years that would be everything he wanted to do with his band.

"Without further adieu," the principal cleared his throat, scanning his eyes over the seventeen and eighteen year old boys and girls in front of him. "I present to you Dulaney High School's class of 2006."

The graduation caps all went flying into the air at the second; some people cheering with their friends, happy this journey was over now. Some were hugging their family members, sad that their time at Dulaney was coming to an end.

Then there was Rian, Alex and Jack who were all engrossed in a large group hug with each other. "We did it guys!" Alex yelled from the middle of the hug. "We really did it."