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    Cia
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

Escaping the Pain - 22. Epilogue

"I can't believe it's finally here!" Dane said excitedly.

"Me either," Tap laughed, reaching for Dane with both hands.

Dane slapped at them, "Stop trying to grab me! I can't tie your tie if you keep moving."

"I'm just so excited. Graduation, moving into your apartment next week and then college in the fall. I'm glad we got accommodated in the dorms," Tap said with a huge smile.

"I told you we could have gotten an apartment, I can afford it," Dane pointed out.

"But we don't need it. Besides, it might be fun. It’s all part of 'college', you know?" Tap said, finally managing to stand still long enough for Dane to finish making a neat knot around his neck with his powder blue tie.

"I guess," he said slowly as he tied his own red tie. “But don’t whine when the mini fridge won’t hold all your food!” Tap laughed as they grabbed their robes and caps and clattered down the stairs to the living room.

"Ready?" Patrick asked them.

"No!" Keri said, tissue already in her hand, "But you boys look handsome. I'm going to be the luckiest mom in the gym tonight."

She cried all through the ceremony, holding Ricky, Tammy's baby, and trying to remember where all the years had gone. Patrick clapped loudly and Brett whistled when first Dane and then Patrick were called up on stage to accept their diplomas.

After the group threw their caps and then filed out of the gym they congregated in the courtyard. Dave walked over to Dane and Tap where they stood holding hands, "So you guys coming to my party later? My folks are totally going to stay out of the basement so we can have a good time as long as everyone promises not to drive."

"Sure are," Dane said, "we wouldn't miss it."

"We might be a little late," Tap said, "I've a little celebrating planned for just the two of us." He grinned down at Dane who blushed furiously.

Dave laughed, "Okay dude, TMI." He shook his head when Tap snickered, "Alright, I'll see you later. My parents are waving me over and I see a camera in my mom’s hand. Jeez, thank goodness we don’t have to do this again for a few years,” he said with a grimace.

Soon Dane and Tap were surrounded by their family, hugs and congratulations flowing all around. Neri walked up with her camera in her hand, her parents and sisters with her.

"Hey Neri!" Tap picked her up and swung her in a circle as he hugged her.

"Oof, put me down you big lug!" she said. She held on for a minute to get her balance when he put her down before giving her another hug, leaving her feet on the floor this time

"I think I’m going to miss this place but I can't wait to get out of this town and start college in the fall though I'm so glad we all got into the same school."

"Yeah, we can't break up the trio," Dane said, "besides, who else could help me keep the big lummox in his place?"

"No one but me of course!" Neri said smartly, "Okay, pictures!" She handed her camera off to her mom and posed with the boys. Then she took pictures of them and their family. "Okay, just the two of you."

Dane and Tap snuggled close together, smiling for the camera. They had found love in one another and it had been tested and held true. No matter what came in the future they would meet it together.

So... it's over! At least chapter of their lives. Will we get to see the next one? Perhaps. Please leave a review, or visit the forum and leave me a comment. I'd love to hear what people think of the story, especially now that it's at it's end.
Copyright © 2011 Cia; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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**breathes a sigh of relief**

 

Thank you.. Thank you so much! Loved Tap and Dane's adventure so far!! Certainly would love some more.. :D

Maybe Neri can find her better half too?? :D

Denise.. what a character.. :D Glad that she made one more appearance! :)

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On 01/15/2011 10:20 AM, Frostina said:
**breathes a sigh of relief**

 

Thank you.. Thank you so much! Loved Tap and Dane's adventure so far!! Certainly would love some more.. :D

Maybe Neri can find her better half too?? :D

Denise.. what a character.. :D Glad that she made one more appearance! :)

I definitely plan to come back to these characters. I want to expand the secondary ones, and yes, definitely more with Neri. Denise... I needed an older maternal person to counteract Dane's evil grandma. Everyone needs a soft loving hug once in a while from someone that reminds you of those days when being enveloped by those arms meant everything was going to be okay. I really appreciate your comments and being patient with my erratic posting schedule. :hug:
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Sappy, cute, and totally worth waiting for :) But I was totally disappointed, NO CLIFFS??? Cia, C'mon, you are the Queen of Cliffs, why not a teeny weeny little omen of bad to come - like Grandma lurking at the edge of the crowd, deuce deuce raked and ready?? Okay Just kidding. Nice ending :)

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It's so bittersweet seeing the story come to an end. But it was a great adventure. Those two definitely grew up and now hopefully they are ready to tackle the world head-on. :2thumbs:

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On 01/15/2011 01:15 PM, Andrew_Q_Gordon said:
Sappy, cute, and totally worth waiting for :) But I was totally disappointed, NO CLIFFS??? Cia, C'mon, you are the Queen of Cliffs, why not a teeny weeny little omen of bad to come - like Grandma lurking at the edge of the crowd, deuce deuce raked and ready?? Okay Just kidding. Nice ending :)
Of course it's sappy! Haven't you read my other stories? I may be a sadistic Supreme Being but I am all about the happy endings. However... you sort of touched on the fact there could be more out there. I didn't tie up all the loose ends ;) Thank you so much for all of the comments and thoughtful insights you've shared throughout the story. I always love hearing your take on everything.
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On 01/15/2011 04:17 PM, C.K. said:
It's so bittersweet seeing the story come to an end. But it was a great adventure. Those two definitely grew up and now hopefully they are ready to tackle the world head-on. :2thumbs:
Yes, endings often come after a break in my writing, I have a hard time facing them myself. I try to make the happy endings believable and keep my 'character angst' within the realm of the not absurd while still bringing enough drama to create a good story. It's a fine line, I'm lucky to read voraciously so I often get fine examples of what to do and what not to do. I'm happy you enjoyed the story and thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment to let me know!
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The only bad part is the part where it says "So....Its over". I mean really you could have left that part out. :-) Seriously it is a very good story. Thanks for sharing. I really hope you do pick it up again with college and let us get a peek at how life continues. I would also like to see a little revenge of sorts on the old bitch grandmother just for fun. Thanks again.

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On 01/15/2011 04:37 PM, sdaddy said:
The only bad part is the part where it says "So....Its over". I mean really you could have left that part out. :-) Seriously it is a very good story. Thanks for sharing. I really hope you do pick it up again with college and let us get a peek at how life continues. I would also like to see a little revenge of sorts on the old bitch grandmother just for fun. Thanks again.
Thanks for reading and the review! I hate ending things and I always feel so awkward but stories must have some form of culmination. At this point I plan to come back to these guys, I like them too much not to, I simply have to find the time! If I keep getting great comments like I have tonight I don't think I'll be able to resist, it's a great motivator to read what people thought of the story. Thanks again!
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I agree.. i really liked the story. Ok, and i admit., i like happy endings. So shoot me :P. Lol.

Good job Cia!

I'd sure like to read "book II" of Escaping the Pain :-)

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On 01/19/2011 09:30 AM, YaP said:
I agree.. i really liked the story. Ok, and i admit., i like happy endings. So shoot me :P. Lol.

Good job Cia!

I'd sure like to read "book II" of Escaping the Pain :-)

thanks YaP! I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I'm a sucker for happy endings myself as well. I'm a tad sadistic to my characters I've been told (okay, I admit it too) so they definitely deserve it by the time I'm done. Who knows what book II will bring them??
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So the boys live on to see another day. Swift, clear writing. Strong characters, an equally strong plot and you have the perfect recipe for a darn good yarn. The epilogue has done its job, seeing them go from teenagers to young adults in an imperfect world. A dog eat dog world. A world where the strongest survive and both of your characters have that will. I loved this story.Thanks for the journey....

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On 01/24/2011 08:57 PM, LJH said:
So the boys live on to see another day. Swift, clear writing. Strong characters, an equally strong plot and you have the perfect recipe for a darn good yarn. The epilogue has done its job, seeing them go from teenagers to young adults in an imperfect world. A dog eat dog world. A world where the strongest survive and both of your characters have that will. I loved this story.Thanks for the journey....
Wow! Thanks for the compliments Louis. I read a lot of the great writing tip topics you post in the Writer's Corner and so when you give me concrete feedback I really appreciate it! The story does have your classic happy ending but I'm a total sucker for those. Not everything is perfect but you overcome and get through and then move on. Tap will always have that eager boyishness to me but that's just him in my head. We'll see what happens to them as their lives unfold in later stories, it is, as you say, a dog eat dog world out there! Thanks again!!
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WOW Cia this was really good i loved it! If i have time ill read your other stories... Because you got me hooked now!thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

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On 03/11/2011 10:14 PM, Douw said:
WOW Cia this was really good i loved it! If i have time ill read your other stories... Because you got me hooked now!thumbsupsmileyanim.gif
Awww, thank you dear! They are not all like this though most of my stories do involve new relationships. Some fantasy, some modern, some romance, but all with a pair meeting and falling for each other. What can I say? I'm a sucker for those first meeting moments. Thanks so much for the review dear!! :)
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Well Cia this was quite the story! It had all the good elements I like, romance, drama, climatic moment of danger, happy ending.

I found myself drawn-in and actually looking forward to the brief glimpses of story telling from the fathers POV despite him being a total A** :P

 

You have this amazingly unique quality to switch POV's between Dane to Tap to Tap's mother to his father and back again to Dane flawlessly that I've never encountered before.

 

This was an awesome story and it was truly wonderful to read!!

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On 04/11/2011 06:34 PM, ande52 said:
Well Cia this was quite the story! It had all the good elements I like, romance, drama, climatic moment of danger, happy ending.

I found myself drawn-in and actually looking forward to the brief glimpses of story telling from the fathers POV despite him being a total A** :P

 

You have this amazingly unique quality to switch POV's between Dane to Tap to Tap's mother to his father and back again to Dane flawlessly that I've never encountered before.

 

This was an awesome story and it was truly wonderful to read!!

Thank you Ande. This story does seem to be most popular. I tried to keep it real and yet still add in elements of a happy ending throughout the story so it wasn't all doom and gloom. Switching POV's is actually something I have to work on so that it's not jarring. I try not to switch too often but I've found that I can't stick to just one. I'm obsessed with making sure a story flows even as I switch pov's so I'm glad it worked for you! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
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On 04/15/2011 07:42 AM, TrevorTime said:
So glad that Dane and Tap got together at the end. I'm a sucker for a happy ending!
Me too!!! I'm glad you liked the ending. I left it open to perhaps continue this in a college tale. I just have to find the time to write it, lol!
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Guest cogito_ergo_sum1666

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i read this one before in a print out just want to say thanks for this and i love this story too! hope to read more stories from you cia!

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On 07/25/2011 05:38 AM, cogito_ergo_sum1666 said:
i read this one before in a print out just want to say thanks for this and i love this story too! hope to read more stories from you cia!
Wow, you printed it? Cool! I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I have more coming, I just have to write faster, lol. My family keeps me so busy during the summer that I can't get as much done as I would like. I have many short stories for the anthologies but you'll have to wait a bit for more novella length ones.
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Its been a few chapters since I left a review. I was a little too wrapped up in reading it and just wanted to get to the next chapter, sorry. I guess I could blame that on you for being such a great writer *wink*, lol. Ok, all joking aside. An excellent story that was heart warming, moving, emotional and down right a pleasure to read!

 

I'm glad to hear that you are planning to revisit this and write more one day. I would love to read about Tap and Dane's college years. See how they have grown, matured and where they are within their relationship a few years from now. You are deffinately going on the must read and highly recommended list when anyone asks me who I think they should read.

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On 10/05/2012 03:53 PM, CW Prince said:
Its been a few chapters since I left a review. I was a little too wrapped up in reading it and just wanted to get to the next chapter, sorry. I guess I could blame that on you for being such a great writer *wink*, lol. Ok, all joking aside. An excellent story that was heart warming, moving, emotional and down right a pleasure to read!

 

I'm glad to hear that you are planning to revisit this and write more one day. I would love to read about Tap and Dane's college years. See how they have grown, matured and where they are within their relationship a few years from now. You are deffinately going on the must read and highly recommended list when anyone asks me who I think they should read.

Oh don't worry, not wanting to stop reading long enough to review is a huge compliment in itself, lol. I've had a few stories like that before that just floored me as I read and even waiting for the next page to load was enough to get me growling.

 

When I finally do get time, this is DEFINITELY in my re-visit and sequel pile, lol. Dane and Tap are two of my favorite characters of all time and their story deserves to be told. There are things that weren't shared in this story fully that need to come out in the next one. Now I just have to figure out how to stuff about 4 more hours into each day to write, lol.

 

 

I'm so glad you enjoyed the story Clockwork, and thank you so much for your reviews, and any future sharing of my work with those you know. One of my favorite things to do is to offer up stories to people I know, because reading has, and always will be, a passion for me. Getting my stories out to the wide audience I've gained has been in large part to people like you who are willing to spread the word about my stories. So again, thank you!

 

 

Btw, if you like this type of story, you might enjoy the modern short story I have written (a bit over 20k) called Double Down. The sequel to it is on hold, but the first story is a stand alone crime/drama/romance.

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Guest SurgoSupra

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Amazing story. One of my favorites of any author's thus far :-D I absolutely fell in love with the characters... especially Dane XD Perfectly romantic and very well thought out. My first story of your's, and I definitely intend on ready the rest of 'em! Thank you so much. Would love to see that sequel as well ;-)

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On 07/16/2013 12:49 PM, SurgoSupra said:
Amazing story. One of my favorites of any author's thus far :-D I absolutely fell in love with the characters... especially Dane XD Perfectly romantic and very well thought out. My first story of your's, and I definitely intend on ready the rest of 'em! Thank you so much. Would love to see that sequel as well ;-)
Hi again SurgoSupra! Thank you so much for this lovely review. I enjoyed writing this story, though teen fiction isn't my favorite genre to write, these guys called to me. Dane and Tap are still two of my favs. I have a few other contemporary pieces as well, but I do a lot of paranormal/contemporary too. I hope you enjoy the rest of my stories and others here at GA!
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