Chapter 161 Graduation

Chapter 161 Graduation
"It's finally here!" Tori shrieked in joy, jumping up and down as soon as she spotted Irene.

The huge purple gown Irene wore made her hard to distinguish from the over twenty-five people who wore the same. But she found her anyway.

Irene smiled as she saw her friend, tempted to start jumping as well.

Tori looked great.

Better than the way she did almost a week ago when she told Irene about her father. Her face had a lot more colour; it was brighter, and her eyes were sparkling.

She wore a long, red, body-hugging dress which seemed to go perfectly well with their graduation gown, and the high heels she wore made her look taller.

But even with that, she wasn't as tall as Miles, who stood next to her, holding her waist.

"I can't believe it's all over. I'm done with this bloody school!" Tori yelled again, grabbing Irene's hands this time as she jumped up and down.

"You do know that in less than a few months, you have to go to another school?" Irene asked Tori with a giggle.

She seemed too excited.

Victoria paused.

Oh, she hadn't really thought of that.

"Meh." She waved her hand, dismissing it. "It wouldn't be that bad. Plus, I get to leave that God-forsaken house for my parents."

After everything with her parents, their already strained relationship had gotten worse. They hardly spoke to her or had dinner with her... It was a mess.

She didn't even know who was angry with whom anymore.

They made it look like it was all her fault. She was the bad daughter, yet her father didn't cut her off.

Irene, Miles, and Tori began walking together, heading towards their school's huge field, which had been transformed into some kind of party, with multiple chairs placed outside and a stage.

"Would you believe that before, my parents didn't want me to go to graduation?" Tori asked, breaking the few seconds of silence.

Irene turned to look at her in surprise, and Tori nodded.

"That's one of the reasons why I wanted to go to prom. Because it was one of the only things they would let me attend."

Oh.

That was one of the reasons Tori had been so adamant about going to prom. But Irene didn't feel guilty. They went, didn't they?

Almost got killed too.

Miles let out a groan, shaking his head.

"Can we stop talking about parents? Please." He murmured. "It's giving me a headache."

Tori giggled, leaning closer to him.

"Why?" She asked, tilting her head to the side gently. Then her hands went up to his bow tie, adjusting it. "Your parents aren't coming?"

Miles said something that Irene couldn't hear because she was too busy admiring the happy couple.

Back in the future, she had always wondered when and how Miles and Tori got together, and now she got to see it happen firsthand.

They looked cute together.

She watched as Tori's face brightened, her smile reaching her eyes as she stared at Miles, who looked just as happy.

"How come you both only got together now?" She blurted out without thinking, which made the couple separate from each other and look at her.

Irene smiled. "You guys have only been together for like a week, but it already looks like you've been dating for months."

Miles nodded, his hands snaking around Tori's waist. "Maybe because we've liked each other for too long not to have remarkable chemistry." He teased, kissing Tori's neck.

Irene rolled her eyes and continued walking ahead while Tori giggled.

She pulled Miles' hands away from her and ran after her best friend.

"Don't mind him, Irene." She said, still giggling while hugging Irene from behind. "You know you're still the love of my life."

Irene chuckled.

She wasn't jealous.

She was happy that they finally got together. Even though she had no idea how.

Victoria held Irene's neck with one hand, walking beside her while her eyes roamed around.

"By the way, what about your parents?" She asked without looking at Irene, her eyes still searching the multiple guests to see if she could spot them. "I didn't see them either."

Finally, she turned to look at Irene, whose face fell as soon as her parents were mentioned.

"Are they not coming?"

"Yeah." She muttered, thinking back to her discussion with them that morning. They still weren't thrilled that she didn't apply to other schools.

Even though she still hadn't gotten a reply from the only school she had applied to yet.

Her parents had asked her what she was going to do if she didn't get in, and sincerely, Irene had no answer.

This wasn't part of the future she saw.

So she could only hope and pray.

To make matters worse, they weren't coming to her graduation.

"Somebody had to make them work today." She answered, a picture of Tori's father flashing in her head.

It was as though that man was deliberately trying to piss her off, and boy, was it working.

"Shit." Tori cursed.

Her father never seemed to learn.

Since he couldn't do anything to her, he was taking it out on people she cared about.

"Sorry." She muttered, shaking her head. "I guess my father doesn't learn, huh."

Irene nodded.

"What do you want to do with him?" Miles asked as he jogged forward, putting his hands around Tori's shoulders.

"I have no idea." Irene pulled away from them. "I may know the truth, but I don't know how to tell anyone. I can only just be cautious."

That was it.

Cautious.

It was as though she found out the truth only to avoid a few things, not to stop them.

In other words, she couldn't stop anything, just try her best not to get caught up in it.

The thought sent a shiver down Irene's spine.

It was a silent reminder that it wasn't over. Or rather, that the worst was yet to come.

"Anyways," Tori found her way to the front, putting her hand forward as she shook her head, which made Miles and Irene stop walking. "It's time to stop talking about all these sad things. It's our graduation, for fuck's sake."

"Where is Nelson, Miles?" She turned to her boyfriend. Irene also turned to look at Miles.

The last time they had spoken was earlier that morning. She hadn't seen him since she arrived.

"The principal took him backstage to prepare for his speech." Miles responded, pointing to the front of the stage.

"Really?" Irene frowned.

How long of a speech would take hours to prepare?

"Yeah, Irene." Tori let out a sarcastic sigh. "You should know that you're dating the valedictorian. Oh, there he is now." She said the last statement while pointing at the stage as Nelson came out from behind it, with the principal right next to him.

Just like them and the dozens of others present, he had on his purple gown and hat, but even wearing the same thing, he still stood out. Tall and handsome.

A loud sound came from the speakers, and the other students and parents began finding their way into the field.

Tori tapped Irene frantically. "Come, let's go take our seats. It's starting."

Not too long later, the busy and noisy field had quieted. All the empty chairs were filled with people; students, parents, and well-wishers were all gathered, and the program began.

Irene sat next to Miles and Tori, watching everything with a smile on her face.

"Why is there a piano on stage?" Tori asked, noticing the grand piano at a corner of the stage, a small frown on her face.

Both Miles and Irene shrugged.

"Good day, ladies and gentlemen. We welcome you to the graduation ceremony of the class of 2019." The principal began as he took the microphone.

Almost immediately, the crowd erupted with screams of joy and cheers.

The principal smiled, his teeth brighter than usual.

"I would like to introduce our valedictorian..."

"Oh, that's Nelson." Tori pointed as Nelson and one other girl from their class walked forward towards the stage.

"Nelson Clark, and salutatorian, Henrietta Owen." The principal announced brightly.

Irene, who hadn't been clapping or yelling before, suddenly found herself screaming and cheering as Nelson and the other girl gave a small bow to the crowd.

Somehow, amidst everyone there, Nelson managed to find her in the crowd, and he winked.

Irene froze, her cheeks turning red.

The principal continued. He motioned to Nelson to come over to the podium. "Now, a speech from the valedictorian, Nelson Clark."

"Is it me, or does Nelson look even more handsome in the same clothes as everyone else?" Tori asked, her eyes stuck on Nelson.

Her words made Irene look at him again.

He styled his hair back, with a few strands falling on his forehead, which made him look mature; like the way she remembered him seven years later.

He wore a tuxedo under his gown, ditching the bow tie, with two buttons left unbuttoned.

In total, he looked tall and hot.

And he was hers.

"Hey..." Miles groaned, hearing his girlfriend's words. How could she be looking at another guy when he was standing right there?

Tori cupped his face with her hands, leaning closer. "But you're the most handsome to me." She pecked his lips and smiled.

The sound of someone hissing behind them made Irene frown.

"Just look at the hypocrite, and yet I thought her friend was a slut." Someone said behind them, their tone filled with envy and anger.