“And because I knew they’d be trying to butter you up this morning …” he says, reaching into his own bag and grabbing a book. He slips it into mine as I cock a brow at him. Pulling the book out and opening it, I see that it’s a manga—a Japanese anime comic—and that it has … it has … My eye twitches. “There’s so much sex in this book,” I choke out as I try to hand it back to him and he dances out of my way, laughing and folding his arms together behind his head.

“God, Chuck, stop it, I don’t want your dirty gay porn mag!”

“Spencer Hargrove!” I chastise as the twins appear, one hand tucked into each of their pockets.

“We warned him not to embarrass you on your first day back,” Micah says, and then he glances over at Tobias, and they both smirk.

“We thought you might miss this,” they say together, and I realize their other hands were hidden behind them, holding something suspicious behind their book bags. Together, they present the infamous packer penis, right there in the middle of the hallway. And then they toss it to me. It hits me right in the boobs, bounces off, and flies through the air to smack my dad in the face.

“Charlotte Carson,” he says as the flaccid penis falls to the floor with a slap. “That’s a write-up.”

“Wait, no!” I yell, but he’s already walking away while Spencer howls with laughter. Ranger and Church are both chuckling as the twins grin and lean in to press matching kisses on either of my cheeks.

“I love you, Charlotte,” they both say at the same time, but in their own ways. I don’t think either of them even knew it was meant to be a twin thing.

“I love you guys, too,” I say, exhaling and lifting my chin. “All of you. Now, if I may, I’d love to have the illustrious Student Council escort me to class.”

And, much to my pleasure, they do.

The last few months of school are almost too easy. Without the Fellowship to worry about, life is calm. No, no, not just calm, but good.

I’m going to Bornstead University next year, and this summer, the boys and I have a trip planned that’ll take us around the world and back. It’s hard to find anything to complain about. Hell, even Archie and I are getting along alright.

“Do you need anything from me?” he asks, appearing in his 1940s suit, hair slicked back from his face. I shake my head, but he steps into the room anyway, looking me over in my cap and gown with a far-away sort of smile on his face.

“What?” I ask, setting the cap just so over my blond curls. I’ve been letting them grow for a while, but I might cut them short before we leave for Paris next week. And yeah, I totally said Paris. Paris, Paris, Paris. Micropenis Chuck is going to see the world! “You’re staring at me, and it’s weird as hell.”

“Oh Charlotte, stop that,” he says, coming over and fiddling with my cap so that the tassel falls right into my face. I blow it away with a huff, studying myself in the navy-blue robe, the pink diamond winking back from my finger.

It’s nice knowing that I don’t have to pick between the boys, that there’s no ultimatum, no expiration date for our relationship. We’re just going to take things slow, and see what happens. If it works forever, then we’ll date forever. If it doesn’t, then that doesn’t matter either because we’re a forever crew. I feel confident that we’ll be in each other’s lives, no matter what, even if it’s just as friends.

But, you know, I don’t want to be just friends and luckily, it doesn’t seem like any of the guys do either.

“You know I’m only looking at you like this because I’m proud of you,” Archie says, and I feel my little icy Grinch heart get all warm-y and shit. Yes, I said warm-y. I’m a shitty poet, so sue me. “You’ll always be my everything, Charlotte Farren, whether you like it or not.”

I wrinkle my face up, but when Dad turns toward the door, I stop him by throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him tight from behind. He hasn’t always listened to me, and I haven’t always tried to make things easy between us, but that’s okay. Love isn’t easy. It isn’t perfect. It’s not a quiet pond without ripples, but a raging river that cuts through the earth. It might have rapids, but it can carve stone and create the Grand Canyon. That’s how powerful it is.

“Your mother’s downstairs,” he whispers, and I let go, knowing that everything’s going to be okay between us. When I marry Church in his mother’s wedding dress, Dad will be there by my side. When I choose to commit to the other boys in the same way, I know he’ll roll his eyes, but he’ll get over it. There’ll always be growing pains as our relationship shifts and adjusts, but real love, true love, is strong enough to ride out the storm.

I follow Dad down the steps to find Mom waiting for me in the foyer, a smile on her face as she turns to look at me. Ian Dave is standing nearby, looking a bit nervous and out of place. Dad and Ian regard each other with wary expressions, but when they both turn their attention toward me and Mom, I can see that they each love her in their own way. Hey, if she plays her cards right, maybe she could start her own harem?

“I’m glad you were able to make it,” I say, knowing the boys sent her a first-class ticket, just so she could be here today. We hug tight, and I close my eyes, savoring the moment. Mom isn’t perfect either, but nobody is. Did she make a mistake when she left me? I think so, but I’m not going to hold her mistakes against her because she’s human. She’s imperfect, just like me. And I know she loves me the best she can, in her own way.

“So am I,” she says, pulling away and smiling softly. She looks better even than when I last saw her, and I have to wonder if Ian Dave has anything to do with it. He might’ve met her while he was investigating the Fellowship, but I think that what they have is real. Maybe now that he’s done at Adamson, they can spend more time together? “Are you ready?”

“I am,” I say, taking her hand and leading her down the front steps of the headmaster’s house and along the winding path toward the main building.

The boys are standing around the bench at the first curve, that same spot where Spencer waited for me before winter break, kissing me and making me question everything I thought I knew, that I thought I wanted.

“Hey, Chuck-let,” he says, as my mom releases my hand, and I go to him, lost in his turquoise eyes and his smile. We kiss, a brief brush of lips that could go on forever. I’d die happy that way, but I would miss the others.

“You look …” the twins start, and for the first time, they mess up their perfect unity by accident.

“Gorgeous,” Tobias says.

“Stunning,” Micah breathes, and then they exchange a look, and I laugh. Nearby, one of those ridiculous short-eared owls hoots, and I roll my eyes. Sorry, buddy, but the murder-mystery is over, and you don’t scare me anymore.

I throw one arm around each of their necks, squeezing tight as the wind blows pink flower petals around us.

“Ready to graduate?” Tobias asks, hooking his arm around my waist.

“I’m ready,” I say, planting a kiss on either of their cheeks and trying to step back.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Micah says, tucking his fingers under my chin and kissing my lips. Tobias isn’t about to let his twin get one up on me, so he sneaks a kiss in, too. Meanwhile, my dad clears his throat and shuffles his feet behind us.