Chapter 54 Extra_ It's Graduation Day!
Chapter 54 Extra_ It's Graduation Day!
My alarm clock didn't wake me, I was up staring at my ceiling when it went off. Today was graduation day. The air in my room felt stagnant, heavy with the realization that the girl who woke up in this bed wouldn't be the same one who fell into it tonight.
I sat on the edge of my mattress, staring at the blue polyester gown draped over my desk chair. It looked cheap in the morning light, threadbare and shiny. This was it, I was about to become a graduate and I still couldn't believe it.
My mom's voice tore through my thoughts bringing me back to reality.
"Clara! If you aren't in the shower in five minutes, I’m coming in there with a bucket of cold water!" my mother yelled from downstairs.
The morning was a frantic blur. I showered until my skin was pink, the steam filling the bathroom as I scrubbed, in my mind for some reason I was scrubbing away the last remnants of high school. I dressed carefully in the red silk dress, beneath the academic blue. My mother hovered, her hands constantly reaching out to straighten my cap, her eyes perpetually glassy.
"You look so grown up," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I remember your first day of kindergarten, Clara. You wouldn't let go of my hand."
"I’m still not letting go, Mom," I said, both our eyes glossy with tears. "I’m just... stretching the reach."
The school gymnasium was a chaotic hive of blue. Five hundred seniors were packed into the humid space, the air smelling of cologne, nervousness, and the floor wax that had become the scent of my adolescence.
"Clara! Over here!"
I turned to see Hilary waving her arms frantically. She was a vision of glitter and perfection, her mortarboard cap decorated with enough rhinestones to blind a scout. Next to her, Kelly was standing next to her, smiling and waving at me enthusiastically. David stood with them, I couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked and also his tie which was perpetually crooked.
"Look at us," Kelly said, her eyes wide. "We actually made it. No more detention. No more cafeteria mystery meat."
"Speak for yourself," David grumbled, looking around the gym with a lost expression. "I don't know what I’m supposed to do with my hands if I’m not holding a football or a playbook."
"You could try holding a book," Hilary suggested, checking her reflection in her phone screen for the tenth time. "I hear they’re great for the brain."
"Where's Theodore?" I asked, scanning the sea of blue heads.
"Probably in an empty classroom getting his face eaten off by some random chick one last time," David joked.
Right on cue, Theodore appeared, his gown unzipped and flapping behind him like a cape. He looked energized, his eyes darting around the room with a mischievous glint.
"Clara! My favorite tutor!" he shouted, throwing an arm around my shoulder and nearly knocking my cap off. "Did you hear? The principal tried to tell me I couldn't wear my lucky socks under the gown. I told him it was a religious exemption."
"Theodore, you aren't religious," I laughed, pushing his arm off.
"I am today. I’m praying I don't trip on that stage and become a meme for the next decade."
"If you trip, I’m filming it," Hilary said flatly.
The laughter died down as the teachers began barking orders, trying to herd us into alphabetical lines. This was the moment the reality set in. We were being sorted, categorized, and prepared for the final walk.
"See you on the other side," Kelly whispered, giving my hand a quick squeeze before disappearing toward the 'K' section.
I stood in the 'J' line, my heart thrumming a frantic, irregular beat. And then, I felt it. That prickle on the back of my neck. That sudden shift in the air that only happened when one specific person entered the room.
I didn't have to look. I knew he was behind me.
A large, warm hand settled on the small of my back, right where the red silk of my dress met my skin. The heat of his palm seeped through the thin polyester of the gown.
"You're shaking, CJ," his voice rumbled in my ear, low and private.
I turned slightly, my breath hitching. Cross looked like a god in blue. He had his cap tilted back, exposing the sharp line of his jaw and the smolder in his eyes. He wasn't smiling. He was looking at me like I was the only thing in the room.
"I’m not shaking," I lied, though my fingers were trembling against my diploma folder.
"Liar." He leaned in closer, his nose brushing the hair at my temple. "Just remember. When you're up there, don't look at the crowd. Look at me. I’ll be in the back row, counting down the seconds until I can get you down here in my arms again."
"Cross, we're in line," I hissed, though I was leaning into his touch.
"I don't care where we are. I’m proud of you, Clara. More than anyone else in this building."
The teachers blew the whistles. The line began to move. He gave my waist one last, possessive squeeze before he had to peel away toward the 'C' section. I felt the loss of his heat immediately, the air in the gym suddenly feeling cold despite the June humidity.
The walk to the football field felt like a funeral procession and a victory lap all at once. The band was playing that same repetitive tune, the drums thudding in sync with the blood bubbling in my ears.
The stands were a blur of color, parents screaming, air horns blaring, banners waving. I walked with my head held high, my eyes searching the crowd until I found my mother. She was standing on her chair, waving a handkerchief, her face a mask of pride and grief.
We filed into the folding chairs on the turf. The sun was relentless, beating down on our black caps until it felt like our brains were melting.
I sat next to a girl named Sarah who I’d shared a locker with for three years but never really knew. We sat in silence, the heat of the field rising up to meet us.
The speeches started. The principal talked about "the threshold of adulthood." The valedictorian talked about "the footprints we leave behind."
I looked over at the football section. Cross was sitting with David and the rest of the team. They were restless, shifting in their seats, whispering and laughing. But every few minutes, Cross would shift his gaze toward the front.
He wasn't looking at the stage. He was looking at the third row, searching for the back of my head. Every time I caught his eye, my heart did a dizzying flip.
"Can you believe he’s still staring at you?" Hilary whispered from the row behind me.
"Who?" I asked, playing dumb.
"Cross, duh. He looks like he’s about to come here and claim his prize."
"Shut up, Hilary."
"I'm serious. If I had a guy look at me like that, I wouldn't bother sitting back here. Heck, I won't even bother with graduation."
I couldn't help but laugh, she was so unserious sometimes.
The ceremony dragged on. The 'A's were called. Then the 'B's. Each name was followed by a roar of applause and the occasional illegal air horn.
"Clara James."
The sound of my name felt foreign. I stood up, my legs feeling like jelly. I walked toward the stage, the boards creaking under my heels. I felt the eyes of five thousand people on me, but I did what he told me to do.
I didn't look at the crowd. I looked at the back row.
Cross was standing up, he wasn't cheering though. He just stood there watching, with the biggest and most genuine smile on his face. But even then the intensity of his gaze was a physical anchor, pulling me across the stage. I shook the principal’s hand, took the folder, and for a split second, I allowed myself to smile. For the camera. For him. For mom.
I walked back to my seat, the gold 'Ten' charm on my necklace bouncing against my collarbone. I felt a sense of finality I hadn't expected.
"I now present to you, the graduating class!"
The explosion was instantaneous. Caps flew into the air, a thousand black squares silhouetted against the bright blue sky. The air was filled with screams, confetti, and the sudden, overwhelming realization of freedom.
I stood there for a moment, letting the noise wash over me.
"WE’RE FREE!" Theodore’s voice boomed as he tackled David into the turf. They rolled around like two toddlers, their gowns getting stained with grass and dirt.
Kelly and Hilary found me first, pulling me into a three-way hug that smelled of expensive perfume and sweat.
"We did it, Clara," Kelly sobbed, her makeup finally giving up the ghost and running down her cheeks. "We’re actually done."
"No more exams," Hilary cheered, though she was already looking over my shoulder. "Okay, emotional moment over. Go find your man before he starts a riot."
I looked around. The field was a sea of blue. Families were reunited, cameras were flashing, and the noise was deafening.
I saw him near the end zone.
He was standing alone for once, his cap long gone, his hair a mess from the wind. He was watching the crowd, his eyes scanning with a frantic, hungry energy. When he saw me, he didn't wait. He moved through the crowd like a force of nature, pushing past parents and teachers without a second glance.
He reached me and didn't say a word. He just hooked his arms under my thighs and lifted me, my gown billowing around us. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his breathing heavy and ragged.
"You did it," he growled, the vibration of his voice echoing in my chest.
"We did it," I corrected, my hands clutched in his hair.
He set me down, but he didn't let go. He kept his hands on my waist, pulling me flush against him. He looked down at me, his eyes shimmering in the sun.
I was completely lost in them till I heard the sound of throats clearing behind us.
We turned around to see our moms standing and watching us with the biggest grin on their faces. I immediately tried to step away but Cross wouldn't let me as he strengthened his hold on my waist.
I couldn't help but look down as colour rushed to my cheeks, I already knew it was pointless trying to reason with him.
“If you guys wouldn't mind just taking a moment away from each other just to, I don't know.., spend time with family or even to just take a photo maybe?” Cross mom teased, and I would have felt bad if not for the teasing glint in her eyes.
“Mom, c'mon..” Cross dragged.
“Uhuh, i don't want to hear it. You both get your asses over here and let's all take a photo.” This time it was my mom speaking and I couldn't help but groan.
“Mom, language please.”
“Whatever baby… now chop chop” she said ignoring me as they ushered us back into the crowd.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in bruises of purple and gold, by the time we made it to Theodore’s after-party. The transition from the formal ceremony to the wild, unrestrained energy of the party was jarring.
Theodore had turned his backyard into a festival of bad decisions. A keg was tapped, a fire pit was roaring, and half the class was already in the pool, still wearing their graduation gowns.
"Clara! Cross! Get over here!" David shouted from the grill, where he was attempting to flip burgers with a plastic ruler he’d stolen from the math wing.
We walked over, hand-in-hand. The tension of the morning had faded, replaced by a hazy, celebratory glow.
"To the graduates!" Theodore toasted, raising a red solo cup toward the sky. "May our futures be as bright as Hilary’s highlighter and as intense as Cross’s glares!"
The group erupted in cheers. We sat on the edge of the patio with me, Cross, Hilary, Kelly, David, and Theodore.
"I’m going to miss this," Kelly said softly, leaning her head on my shoulder.
"I’m not," Hilary snapped, though she was smiling. "I’m going to miss you guys, but I am definitely not going to miss that hallway smell. Or the way the principal says integrity every five minutes."
"To integrity!" Theodore yelled, jumping into the pool with his clothes on.
As the splash drenched the people nearby, I felt Cross’s arm slide around my shoulders. He pulled me into his side, his thumb tracing the line of my collarbone.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I am," I said, and for the first time, I meant it.
I looked at my friends, the loud, messy, beautiful people who had become a big part of my life. I looked at the boy who had forced his way into my life and refused to leave.
The future was still a dark, uncertain room, but as I leaned my head against Cross’s shoulder and listened to the sound of Theodore’s laughter, I realized I wasn't afraid to walk into it.
Because I wasn't walking alone.
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A/N: Do we like?
I don't...