Epilogue

Allison Delaney had never seen herself as the adventurous sort, and yet, as she got ready for their graduation ceremony, she had to admit that she no longer even remotely resembled the young girl who appeared on campus nearly four years ago. Between her makeover and her sexual revolution so to speak, she was a totally different person. And in her eyes, that was a good thing.

So the book she was supposed to write with Professor Salinger never panned out. It wasn't his fault. The series the book had been targeted for was discontinued by the publisher, leaving no other logical home for the project. It was an awesome experience just the same though. At least Ally could say she had worked with a "real" author before. Besides, Professor Salinger was preoccupied with his new life with Maddie Fenton. Turned out the two professors had been close for years, but Professor Salinger distanced himself from the Fentons because he felt Maddie's husband was a total jerk and she deserved much better.

Guess the organ pickling and subsequent suicide proved him right, Ally thought with a sigh as she brushed her thick, blond hair. The thought of a life without Ben made her shiver. She couldn't imagine it in a million years. But the good news is Salinger and Professor Fenton married during the summer of Ally's sophomore year, and occasionally sitting in as their babysitter helped immensely in raising money for Ally and Ben's trip to Europe. A trip they'd leave for in... Ally glanced at her delicate gold link watch. Two days, three hours, and twenty six minutes, she calculated with a grin.

Yep, Ally and Ben were going to travel Europe together for six blissful weeks before returning to the United States, where they'd pack up the contents of their modest apartment and head for graduate school. The pair had decided that the Columbia School of Journalism was the perfect choice for them because "newspapers were less fickle than book publishers" Ally routinely joked, making reference to the unpublished romance she had written with the sexy-but-now-married Professor Salinger.

And speaking of being married, Ally and Ben had discussed the issue from time-to-time, but in a stunning act of maturity, they decided to wait until they had finished grad school and settled in to their careers. Besides, Ben said he already had the best perks of being married anyway. The sentiment warmed Ally's heart even though it was usually delivered with an evil grin and a tweak of her nipple.

Ally smiled in the mirror as she arranged her hair in a refined knot at the back of her head, a style that would help keep her cool during the humid outdoor graduation ceremony.

Boy, she was gonna miss this place. She'd miss hanging out with wild and crazy Kaija who was always bringing her guy-of-the-week over to meet them. While playing the field wasn't Ally's style, it seemed to agree with Kaija, who showed little signs of changing.

Heck, she'd even miss Barclay's lewd come-ons at the dining commons over lunch. Ah, but that big goof got what he deserved, Ally noted with a smirk. He ended up dating a jealous, possessive, high-maintenance cheerleader, a girl who routinely made noises about marriage and kids. Ally had never seen Barc run so far so fast! She laughed aloud at the memory as she reached for a tube of lipstick.

"You about ready to head to the stadium, Al?" Ben asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders and kneaded them gently.

"I sure am," she smiled.

And with that, they joined hands and walked out the door and into their future. Together.