"Francesca Curtis." Fuck me, I hated my name.
But the cheers came from not only guys, four sets of whistles along with Rachel's "Yes bitch!" carried and some of my fury gave way to warmth. They were here for me. Just like I was here for them, and as I accepted the empty folder, I looked out over the crowd. Coop, Ian and Archie were all in the line behind mine, but Jake held up both thumbs toward me. Then beyond him, I glanced at the stands.
My grandparents were here, and they were both clapping. Maddy wasn't sitting with them. She wasn't sitting with any of them, really. Not even Eddie. Instead, she sat at the end of the row with a few seats between her and all of them. But Hank was where I forced myself to focus. I didn't want her here.
I didn't want her to be part of this.
The moment my gaze snagged on his, he put a hand over his heart and mouthed “Congratulations,” or maybe it was "I'm proud of you," or something. I was too far away to really make it out. What I could see, however, was the pride reflected on his face.
The pride he'd worn when he talked about his kids back home.
I dropped my gaze for a moment and blinked back the tears as sound rushed in and I shook the superintendent's hand before I moved my tassel and headed off the stage. I was almost numb by the time I made it back to my seat.
The girl next to me let out a shuddering breath. For the life of me, I couldn't remember her name. Maybe it was Dawn? "We did it," I murmured to her.
And she let out a ragged little laugh before she bumped my shoulder and grinned. Then Archie strode across the stage like he owned it and I whistled for him just like I had for Jake. There was a wild burst of applause from our families. The same for Coop and Ian when they had their turns. I locked gazes with each of them as they exited the stage.
This was it. We'd done it.
Graduated.
No more high school.
No more mornings in the cafeteria. No more pop quizzes. No more library make out sessions.
No more bullshit notes on my locker or worrying about vandalism to my car.
Weirdly, no more donuts or coffee runs.
I mean, we'd have all of that, but it would be different.
No more watching the guys with other girls. Or worrying about girls trying to make friends with me to get their attention.
That alleviated some of my melancholy, but we still had another five hundred students to pass through and that took time. There was a moment where the band played. More remarks from some of our teachers, and even Diane was up there giving us a few last encouraging words before the principal congratulated our graduating class and dismissed us for the last time.
Despite being scolded to not throw our caps, we all hurled them skyward. Some of the kids had decorated theirs and spontaneous hugs were offered. I even got one from Maria, before she grinned and slid away. Ian got to me first and scooped me up for a hug. Coop wrapped his arms around me from behind. Then Jake and Archie were there. They dragged Rachel into our group hug and I let out a noisy breath.
"Let's make a break for it," Archie said as we pulled apart. "I'll call for a car to come and get us."
"We can't," I told him. "And more...I don't want to. I want to see Grandpa Ted and Jeremy. I want to see Marsha and the rest of our families." More, I wanted to see Hank.
"Whatever you want, Angel," Ian promised me. "They would understand."
I cast a glance over my shoulder. Like the kids, the families were heading outside. One of the announcements indicated we'd be exiting through a different set of doors and meeting them on the other side of the event center.
Fingers linked together, Jake tugged me toward him. "Then let's go get this over with."
"Your dad is here," I murmured to him. I hadn't missed the uniform. Even in all the emotional noise generated by the arrival of Maddy, I'd seen Jake's dad and Klara with his mom. She had to have known they were coming and she made it a surprise for Jake, which was awesome.
He deserved all of that and more.
"I know," he said. "Yours too. Apparently, all the dads showed up today." He cut a glance over my head as Coop handed me a cap. I had no idea if it was mine or not. We collected six of them and then Rachel hooked her free arm through mine.
"You good with this?" she asked as we walked toward the exit. We'd be among some of the last out and to be honest, I didn't care. I wanted the time to cool down before I laid eyes on Maddy.
"We graduated," I told her, grinning. "I'm gonna be fantastic. Besides, I want you to meet Hank. And I saw your aunts were here."
Rachel laughed. "They're all here. Even my mom. She's dying to see you again. Says she likes me having a normal friend."
I snorted. Normal was not a word I would usually apply to myself, but fine. Archie and Ian took point with Coop strolling behind us. It wasn't lost on me that the guys were constantly forming up like a barricade. Some distant part of me resisted the notion that I needed bodyguards, but the rest of me adored them for it.
Ian wasn't the only one who wanted to take care of me. But right now, I had Jake while Ian had Archie. Coop would probably move between us as needed. Eddie and Muriel being here was not ideal. Jake's dad, though? That was a huge
