Author's Note: Umm... So I guess you're kind of surprised that this is the epilogue because I just noticed that I hadn't mentioned that the previous chapter was, in fact, the last chapter.

Don't throw rocks at me yet! (Though you are allowed to once we reach the end). I'm travelling today to Alexandria and will be on the road shortly and there's no wifi in Alexandria so I'm actually kind of doing you a favor *rocks still get thrown*

Anyway... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own DP.

Epilogue

"Mom!" Sam grimaced as she tried to push her mother out of her room that morning. "I don't want to have the sex talk with you!"

"But Sammy, you need to understand the implications–"

"I do understand," Sam dared a peak behind the door to give her mom a pointed look. "Sex makes babies, I get it!"

She finally closed the door to her bedroom, and then leaned her back on it in relief. She listened and tried to hear her mother outside of her door, and heard a slight sigh and then footsteps moving away.

She sighed in relief and then turned back to the room. "I'm sorry. This is like the fifth time this month this happened."

Danny turned visible again a few feet in front of her with a chuckle. "You gotta admire her persistence, though."

"The only thing I want to admire right now," Sam walked over to where Danny was standing and wrapped her arms around his neck, "is you."

She'd captured his lips with hers but he drew back before she could go further and unwrapped her arms from around his torso. "Tempting, but we have school in an hour."

"Being the responsible one is my job," Sam folded her arms across her chest with a pout.

"And being the pouter is mine," Danny chuckled at her expression. "Later, Sammy."

"Don't call me that!" Sam grunted in annoyance as he flew out of her window. "And give me my morning kiss back!"

They had a Chemistry test at school that day, but Sam was lucky enough to not be in chemistry with Danny and Tucker, so they were doing enough worrying for the three of them had Sam been in the class with them. They were at Sam's locker, and while they were busy taking the exam, Sam would have free track, where she would work on her English homework.

"So if we add magnesium to oxygen–"

Sam cut Tucker off before he could continue. "There is no such thing as adding magnesium to oxygen. How are you going to add anything to air?"

"You burn the magnesium," Danny corrected, and Sam smiled at him proudly. However, that smile faded when he continued and said, "And then it burns out just like any metal?"

Sam banged her head against her locker and groaned. "I pity the teacher who's going to grade your papers."

"What the hell, man?" Tucker slammed the revision papers he was holding against the back of Danny's head. "You told me you would get some notes from Sam last night and then come over to my place and we'd go over them together but you went AWOL." He turned to Sam. "So did you. Why weren't any of you picking up your phones?"

Sam and Danny shared a look and a silent flashback passed between them. The tangle of bed sheets. Violet-scented candles. A trail of kisses down unspoken areas of skin.

"I was fighting ghosts all night and crashed the minute I was home."

"I was having a long, meaningful conversation with my mom."

Both Tucker and Danny turned to give her a look. When they resumed giving her the same look, she shrugged and scoffed. "Don't you have a test in two minutes?"

Tucker shook his head darkly at both of them. "My F is on your conscience."

As the bell rang, he started heading to class, leaving a chuckling Danny and Sam behind.

"Good luck on your test!" Sam yelled after her boyfriend after he gave her a chaste kiss and started catching up to Tucker.

Danny snorted. "I don't need luck. I need a miracle."

Sam inwardly chuckled and started heading towards the courtyard. Absentmindedly she found herself looking back at Danny, who was disappearing around the hall with the crowd towards his next class, and couldn't stop the pang of guilt she felt.

Ever since the virginity thing, Sam would always find random moments in the day where guilt would hit her like it was fresh. Even though she didn't want to, she couldn't help think about what she'd done to Danny, and it made her feel worse every single time. Sometimes, when these thoughts hit her while she was with her boyfriend, she'd blurt out an "I'm so sorry" before she could stop herself, and Danny would have to hold her and comfort her and tell her it was alright.

But even though Danny told her it was fine, she still felt his pain. She could tell that he was as scarred as she was by the Latina, both of them tricked and screwed over by the same person. Danny never liked to talk about it again, and whenever Sam brought it up, he told her that what was done was done and that he was over talking about it.

Sam sighed to herself as she walked through the empty halls of Casper High and refrained from saying 'I wish'.

Sam decided she would spend her free track in the courtyard where it was nice out – and by nice out Sam meant not sunny and there was a gloomy cloudy atmosphere in the sky. She'd gotten out her English books and started working.

She didn't even notice when Paulina was walking towards her table.

It had been almost a month since the entire switch and its events had taken place. Paulina had stayed true to her words and hadn't tried to contact Sam once, which Sam was thankful for. Seeing the Latina in the halls was bad enough – actually talking to her would put Sam over her edge all over again. Weirdly though Paulina hadn't antagonized her once like she always did – whenever she heard the words "Goth freak" directed at her were always from a football player or a cheerleader or any of the A-listers, but she never looked up once and found that it was Paulina who was sneering at her.

She didn't think much of it, knowing that the Latina was probably too smart to stoop back to her old stunts after everything they'd been through. But even though Sam was grateful there was one less person who antagonized her, she still felt her stomach clench at the sight of Paulina in the hallway.

So that was why, when the Latina sat down in front of Sam on the bench table, Sam's instant reaction was for her expression to darken and for her to automatically start collecting her things to get up and leave.

"Wait, come on," Paulina gave her an exasperated look. "It's been almost a month, Sam. You can spare me a few minutes." When Sam only continued to glare at her, Paulina sighed, and added, "Please."

Even though the last thing Sam wanted was to talk to her, she sighed, rolled her eyes and sat back down. "Fine. But make it quick."

Paulina nodded absentmindedly. "Um, so. How are you?" Sam only stared blankly at her, so Paulina refrained the urge to sigh and continued. "You seem alright. I watch you in the halls, laughing and playing. You seem happy."

"Um, okay," Sam gave her a look. "Aren't you like sacrificing your reputation to come and sit down with the Goth freak?"

"First, no one's here," Paulina scoffed. "And second, no, I'm not, because I don't do that anymore. This is what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Your reputation?"

"No," Paulina shook her head. "No. Me. I wanted to tell you that everything you said about me, everything, was true. Totally true."

When Paulina paused to gauge Sam's reaction, Sam raised her eyebrows at her sarcastically. "Was that not already established?"

Paulina shrugged. "I guess not. But it's been almost a month, and I've been piecing my life back together in that time, and day by day I'm hit with how completely right you were. I… I broke up with Dash. You were right to do that too, I realize that now. I'm not such a bitch anymore – well, okay, maybe I am sometimes, but only when the occasion warrants it. And I'm not mean to random people in the hallway just because they annoy me. I'm pretty sure you noticed that one."

Paulina took a deep breath, and continued on with her speech. "After the switch, I realized that something was very wrong with me. So I went to see a therapist." Sam couldn't help the surprised raise of her eyebrows at that, but said nothing, allowing the Latina to continue. "It took some time, but because I already talk a lot, we started putting the pieces together pretty quickly. I've always been spoilt, and I'm always at the top, and I always have to be the best person in anything, so I guess, subconsciously, I developed an envious nature and tried to do anything to stay the person on top – whether this is in things like cheerleading or being the best bitch. It's fucked up and confusing, but I'm working on it. I'm a lot better now, and I have a brand new perspective on things. But, Sam, I wouldn't have been able to achieve something like that if it wasn't for you."

Sam really didn't know what to think. She'd thought Paulina had changed before, but she was dead wrong, so she didn't want to make any assumptions now, especially since what Paulina could be saying could be lies, just like last time.

But no, Sam could see the honest look in her eyes. And she wasn't adding any of the dramatic moves she usually did when she was trying to get someone to feel sorry for her. Sam knew that she was genuine.

But she didn't know why Paulina was telling her all of that.

"That's great," Sam said weakly, not knowing what else she was supposed to say. "But why are you telling me this?"

"Oh!" Paulina blinked. "I'm sorry, that wasn't even my point. You know me, I could ramble on for days." She chuckled, but when Sam maintained her blank expression, Paulina cut herself off from laughing and cleared her throat awkwardly. "My point is that I'm getting my whole life back together piece by piece. But there's only one thing that's missing, Sam… Your forgiveness."

Sam blinked at her. "My forgiveness? You expect me to actually forgive you?"

"I know what I did was horrible," Paulina said, "I know that. And I am truly and deeply sorry for what I did to you and Danny. But I changed. I know I probably said that a lot, but this time it's for real. I'm a whole new person and I'm not the Paulina who slept with your boyfriend. I'm better now."

Sam sighed at the look Paulina was giving her – pleading, almost desperate, like she was groveling. And Paulina Sanchez does not grovel, feel remorse, guilt, or shame. But that was the girl sitting in front of her now, Sam realized that.

"So," Paulina bit her lip nervously. "Do you forgive me?"

Sam sighed, and she realized that her decision was already made up. "Paulina… I…"

A/N: ... am so sorry I'm doing this to you.

But not really.

See, I don't think there can be any other ending. When I started this story, it was for the purpose of making Sam and Paulina friends by the end. But as the events progressed and the sex thing happened... i just didn't see that happening anymore. However a lot of people have been making compelling points about how Paulina shouldn't remain the one to blame and Sam was as much to blame and everything, so I couldn't really make Sam not forgive her either. But if I were to make Sam forgive her, it would be for MY own reasons, not Sam's, so that wouldn't be fair to the story. However I do still believe that what Paulina did was unforgivable, but at this point whether Sam should say yes or no, I don't know.

So that's why, dear readers, I'm leaving you to decide what you want the ending to be. Do you want Sam to forgive Paulina and let bygones be bygones, or not?

Okay. You can throw rocks now.

OW!

Writing this story was the most fun EVER. I've never had this fun writing a story before, because the scenes just seemed to flow out of me. 80% of the events in this story weren't planned from the beginning and were spontaneously sprouted while I was writing it, and that is the best way a story should be written. So, I'm really sad to see it end, but at the same time it's such an accomplishment to me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it, and thank you so much for your reviews and your support! I love youuu 3

See you next time xxxx

~Looka'sMagicHell~