With a round of nods, we all start making our way to the parking lot.
“That was really exciting, honey. Congratulations on your award,” my dad says, as we splinter off from the group and head to his car.
“Wow. Travis really dropped a bomb on you guys.” Mom squeezes my arm.
“Tell me about it. I just got used to Ben being gone.”
“Now you know how your mom and I are gonna feel.”
“Are you still happy with your choice?” Mom asks.
“Absolutely.”
Dad rests his hand on my shoulder. “No regrets on turning down Berkeley?”
“Actually, no,” I tell them, and I really mean it. “I really want to be an independent person. If I stayed close to home, I’d always lean on you guys. But as amazing as it would be to go to Berkeley, I also need to create my own life. Going there would make me feel like I was following Alex. I just couldn’t do it. And, I really loved San Jose. I can’t wait for you guys to see it.”
My friends beat us to my house and are already camped out in my backyard, sitting on the chaise lounges.
“Who’s up for a swim?” Travis asks.
“Not so fast, mister.” My eyes narrow on him. “What the hell? You enlisted in the Marines?”
“That’s what I said, right?”
“Why?” Steph asks.
“It just felt like something I needed to do. After Ben left, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The idea of serving our country really appealed to me.”
Dom holds out his fist to him. “Good luck, bro. It’s cool.”
“Thanks,” he says.
Dom smacks Josh on the back. “What’s up, Joshie? I really thought you were going to throw your name in the ring? That’s what the papers said.”
“What papers?” Keesh asks.
Josh shakes his head with a roll of his eyes. “Do you girls really not read the papers? I’ve pitched five no-hitters this season, and I’ve been clocked at ninety-four miles an hour.”
“We know that,” Steph says, in our defense. “We were there for most every game.”
“And he hit twelve homeruns. Do you guys get how bad ass that is?”
“Yeah,” I say. “That’s cool.”
Now, Dom shakes his head. “It’s more than cool. Josh is really good, you guys. He’s like Los Angeles Dodgers good. Like he’s going to go pro someday.”
“Why don’t you ever say anything? If I was that bad ass at something, I’d be shouting it from the rooftops. Especially if I was Dodger Dog good.”
“Well, now you guys know.” He sits back in his chair, pulling me with him.
“The whole humble thing is a lot sexier. The girls are gonna love it. Much better than being pimp.” I snuggle up to him, resting my head on his shoulder.
“How you ladies gonna be my hoes if I’m not pimp?”
Steph throws her shoe at him. “So much for humble. You killed it.”
He runs his knuckles over my head. “Now, let’s talk about you guys. I guess you’re all heading north.”
Andi sticks out her bottom lip and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her sad. First, her boyfriend is leaving her to be a killing machine, and now all her girlfriends are moving four hundred miles away.
“Yup. Looks that way.” I look in Keesh’s direction. “I can’t believe we picked the same school.”
“Me neither. I thought you’d be going to Berkeley, if you got in.”
“I did get in,” I share with them.
“I knew she wouldn’t go to Berkeley,” Steph says. “Meg wants to carve out her own path. When we got to San Jose, I could see it in your eyes that you were going to pick there. I could see it in both of you.”
“So what are you gonna do, big guy?” Travis asks Dom.
“Well, I already made some plans of my own.”
Steph sits up and turns to her guy. “What plans?” Keesh giggles and Steph turns to her. “You know something?”
“You already know what my plans are,” he tells her.
“Are you coming to San Jose with us?” I ask him.
“And he’s not the only one,” Keesh says in a sing-song tone.
“Jon’s coming home!” Josh shouts.
“Yeah. I’ve got myself a roommate,” Dom informs us.
By the time, the pizza arrives, our futures are starting to become a little more clear.
Travis is enlisted in the Marine Corps.
Andi and Josh are going to school close to home.
Stephanie is going to Berkeley.
And me, Jon, Dominic, and Keesh are going to San Jose.
Keesh and I want to dorm together.
Dom and Jon have been making plans for months. Apparently all kinds of contingency plans based on where their girlfriends could end up. Now that the verdict is in, Jon and Dom are getting an apartment together off campus. And I’m sure Dom will be making many trips to Berkeley, which sounds great to me because I might just bum a ride.
Chapter 32
We all gather at my house on graduation day for pictures and to watch a video of Ben.
I press play and then sit on Alex’s lap in my gown—which strangely feels like a camping tent.
He circles his arms around my waist. “In just a few months, I’m going to be able to do this whenever I want,” he whispers in my ear.
Since I made the announcement, Alex has been telling me about all the things we get to do together when I move up there—watch movies, eat dinner together, wake up in each other’s arms. I keep reminding him that he will still be forty-five minutes away but it doesn’t stop him.
“Hey everybody! I’m guessing you’ll get this right before graduation. But hopefully after your big awards night. If you’re getting this before then, hit pause and don’t watch this until after that night.” He pauses for several beats. “If you’re still here, I’m guessing the big night happened. So, congratulations to each of you. Travis, start doing some push-ups, bro. And start running your ass off. Alex, I bet you’re smiling from ear to ear. You finally got your girl. I’m so happy for each and every one of you. I really wish I could be there. I can’t wait to see pictures and videos from your graduation.” He smiles and I can feel his happiness. “Hey, I have some good news of my own. I finally got my security clearance so I should be traveling with the President soon. If you see me on TV record it, snap a picture. I’ll give you my autograph when I see you. All right, I gotta go. Congratulations again. I love you guys.”
“That was cool,” Keesh says. “A great way to start off our night.”
“Perfect graduation present. Let’s record throughout the ceremony and send it to him,” Keesh suggests.
“I hate to break up this party,” my dad says, “but you guys need to get to school.”
Keesh throws up her hands. “We’re graduating today, bitches!” Dad clears his throat. “Oops. Sorry!”
During final exams, Mrs. Fuller talked to me about graduation. She said to try and relax through the ceremony and soak it all in. She said it would go by in a flash and I wouldn’t remember a thing unless I tried to calm down.
Easier said than done.
We’re all lined up, our caps fixed to our heads with tons of bobby pins, and our tent material gowns draping over our bodies. Smiles are plastered to our faces and I’m sure my cheeks are going to be stuck in this position by the end of the night.
The processional starts to play and teachers start to call out directions. We stand in the same order we did for awards night.
Steph is first. And I can see the nerves rattling her body as she takes her first steps onto the track of our football stadium. Keesh follows about five paces behind her. And then, it’s my turn.
I trail behind trying to soak in the moment like Mrs. Fuller suggested. I look up into the bleachers and realize it’s useless trying to find our parents, or Alex and Dom. There is a sea of faces and they all look the same.
When we’re finally seated, the principal takes the podium and the longest speech known to man escapes from his mouth. If I didn’t have my cell phone with me, I’d fall asleep.
Having fun yet
, Alex texts.
I’m dying of boredom. I wanna turn my tassel already.
Be patient
Haha
Our class president takes the mic and it doesn’t get any better. The typical, “When we were freshmen, we walked on campus afraid we’d get lost on the first day,” kinda speech booms through the speakers.
What seems like eons later, we stand row by row and line up to receive our diplomas.
Steph is a few feet away from graduating when I yell, “I love you, girls. Congratulations!”
Steph and Keesh turn around and say together, “I love you too.”
As Steph crosses the platform, her name is called and she shakes hands with several people before she gets her diploma.
Then comes Keesh. She holds her hands high and screams a big, “Woooo!”
My turn. My stomach does a back flip.
“Megan Miller.”
I take a step onto the platform and shake hands with the principal. Next is Mrs. Flores. She holds out her arms and I give her a big hug. “Thank you so much,” I tell her.
She releases me and I make my way through a receiving line of teachers, all lined up to shake our hands and tell us congratulations. As I get toward the end of the line, I tear up. The Fullers and the Gelsons are all smiles as Steph and Keesh stop at each one of them.
When it’s my turn, I shake Mr. Gelson’s hand. I give Mrs. Gelson a quick hug, then Mr. Fuller. When I see Mrs. Fuller, tears start to flow. “I’m gonna miss you so much,” I tell her.
“I’ll always be here, Meggie,” she says. “Always. I’m so proud of you.” She wipes the tears from my eyes before hugging me again. “Congratulations, kiddo. Good luck.”
I give her one last smile and move on.
Andi is right behind me.
“Dude, I can’t stop crying.”
I turn to face her. “Neither can I.”
The two of us walk back to our row, arm in arm, sobbing like blubbering fools.
I remind myself to calm down and take it all in.
While we wait for the rest of our class to receive their diplomas, we all take turns hugging each other and crying in each other’s arms.
Some of the best years of our lives have been spent together. And now, our lives are taking on new paths. But something tells me we’ll always be close. Nothing can break up our crew. Not a damn thing.
“Are you ready?” Josh yells over the roar of the crowd.
“It’s time seniors!” our senior class president shouts into the microphone. “Congratulations graduates! Please join me in turning your tassels from the right to the left.”
Fireworks start to go off as “Celebration” blares through the speakers.
We did it. We graduated.
There’s ultimate chaos as the graduates scramble to congratulate each other.
Travis lifts me from the ground for a giant hug. Josh cries on my shoulder. And the rest of us just stare at each other in awe.
“Okay, we’ll meet at the buses in a bit. Let’s go find our families,” Steph says.
With that, we split up in a hunt for our people.
I’m searching the crowd for my mom, dad, and Alex when I hear my name. I turn around to see Eric.
“Meggie, I can’t say goodbye like this. I need you to know how sorry I am.”
“Dude, save it,” I say. “I’m not the one you need to apologize too. You’re a sorry excuse for a man and I don’t ever plan on talking to you again. It’s my graduation day and I don’t want to waste any more of it talking to you.”
He opens his mouth to say something but I cut him off, “Best of luck to you.” And then, I turn in the other direction.
After feeling like Nemo swimming in circles, I finally see my dad.
He swallows me in his big arms. “Congratulations, honey.” Tears stream down his face. “I’m so proud of you.”
The waterworks start again when I embrace my mother. “Thank you so much, Mom. For everything. You’ve been here for me every step of the way. I’m so lucky to have you.”
I hear a hitch in her breath as she says, “I love you, Meggie. Congratulations.”
She releases me and I get a good look at her as she stares at me, a smile spread across her face.
Then, I get to hug my guy, who looks gorgeous in his dark jeans and black leather jacket. “Congratulations,” he says, hauling me into his arms. I press my face into his chest, feeling the beat of his heart under my cheek.
I could stay like this forever, with Alex’s strong arms around me, and his chin resting on the top of my head.
“You need to get to the buses, babe,” he reminds me.
“How about I just go home with you?” I joke. “Who cares about grad night?”
“You do. You need to go with the crew. We’ll have plenty of time together after tonight. In fact, I hear it’s someone’s birthday in a few days.”
I gaze into his sexy eyes, and sigh.