Teach Me

Chapter Forty-One: Graduation

ALANA POV

A loud ringing sound woke me up, and I sat up, expecting it to be my alarm. Instead, I noticed that it was pitch black outside and the noise didn't resemble that of my alarm. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and then noticed that Chris was sitting up too, his bare chest reflecting some of the light in the room. He reached over me and grabbed his phone, yawning as he answered it.

"Hello?" He grumbled tiredly. There was a short pause, and I saw him clench his jaw. "No, not now. Later... Next month. I promise, July tenth. Okay?" He listened as if waiting for confirmation to what he had said, and then he nodded to himself. "Alright. Bye." He noticed I was awake as soon as he hung up.

"What happens on July tenth?" I asked grouchily, still upset that I had been woken by the ringing of his phone so early in the morning.

"Nothing. It's a surprise." He said, smiling and kissing my cheek. "Now go back to bed." I stared at him, unconvinced, and he stared right back. "Alana, seriously." He protested when I continued to stare. I sighed and laid back down, but I laid so that my back was facing him; I pretended to be asleep.

A few moments later, I heard him roll over, signaling that he had laid back down and was going to sleep. When I heard his breathing slowing and becoming deeper, I realized he was asleep. I bit my lip and hesitantly grabbed his phone from the nightstand. I went to his call log, feeling a bit guilty from the moment I touched his phone. Shouldn't I trust him? If he said it was a surprise, it was a surprise, right? The number in the call log wasn't listed in his contacts. It just said "unknown". I looked over to check on Chris, and after making sure that he was still asleep, I slipped out of bed. I took his phone with me into the bathroom and gently shut the door behind me. I clicked on the unknown number and hit "send". It rang for a few minutes until an unfamiliar, masculine voice answered.

"Hey Chris, I'm glad you changed your mind about coming to LA. So can you come earlier than July tenth?" The man asked. I knew he was waiting for an answer, and I also knew that I had poor hopes of imitating Chris' voice. So I bit my lip and decided to tell the truth.

"Um... I'm Chris' girlfriend." I said in a whisper so as not to wake him. There was a short pause.

"Oh...will you be coming with him, then?" He asked, his voice sounding more professional.

"I...I'm not sure. Goodbye." I hung up before I could get myself into further trouble. I was so stupid! The next time I saw an unfamiliar number on Chris' phone, maybe I should just ask him about it, or at the very least, text the person instead of calling them. I sighed and opened the door, jumping back and screaming in shock when I saw who was on the other side. I quickly hid the phone behind my back.

"Alana, who were you talking to in there?" Chris asked as he sternly crossed his arms.

"Um... j-just myself." I lied, hoping I'd fool him.

"Then why has my phone mysteriously disappeared?" He asked, unconvinced. I took a deep breath and shakily handed him his phone, which he accepted with a cold glare in his eyes.

"You don't trust me." He said, sounding angry. A small spark of anger flared up inside me as well.

"Why would I trust you when you kept something like this from me?!" I said, completely losing my temper. I felt his warm, strong hands grip my shoulder tightly and hold me in place as he stared into my eyes.

"Listen to me Alana. I will NEVER lie to you, ever again. I already told you that before, and I never broke that promise. I was going to tell you about the record deal, but because it's in LA I decided you had enough to worry about. I didn't want to add to your stress by making you worry over choosing me or your parents. I'm sorry. But I did plan on telling you." He explained. I stared at him with confusion in my eyes.

"Why would that stress me out? You KNOW I'd go with you in a heartbeat. There's no decision to be made." I said firmly. His eyes lit up and the hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

"R-really?" He asked, like it was too good to be true. I shrugged.

"Of course. I wouldn't just give up on you because you're leaving the state. As long as you want me to come, I'll come." I reminded him. He smiled and wrapped me in his arms, and I decided he had a good enough reason for not telling me, so I hugged him back. He seemed to get the message that I had accepted his apology. I pulled away and stared at him. "But I want you to tell me about these type of important things in the future, okay?" He nodded quickly and I kissed him softly. His eyes fluttered open when I deepened the kiss. He gently pushed me away.

"Babe, you have gr-"

"Graduation later. Yeah, I know." I shrugged. "But I don't have to wake up as early, so we have a little time." I said as I smiled and kissed him again. He finally gave in and kissed me back, telling me how much he couldn't wait for me to be his again, and only his. Without school or anything else getting in the way. I smiled. I liked the sound of that.

***

I woke up around noon, realizing that I had to be at the ceremony in an hour. I quickly jumped up and got out of bed, grabbing my clothes on the way to the bathroom. I can't be late for this.

CHRIS POV

I drove Alana to her school, holding her hand the whole way there.

"It's nice to be able to hold your hand without worrying about getting fired." I said, glancing at her and smiling. She smiled back and squeezed my hand tighter, as if saying that she'd never let me go again.

"It's nice to know that we're going to Cali this summer." She said, and I felt a smile make its way onto my face as I envisioned the scene in my mind. I never thought she'd agree to come with me so easily.

"I thought I'd have to beg and plead for you to come with me for hours and hours until you finally agreed." I said, chuckling softly as I looked back at the road. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.

"You should have more faith in me than that." She said teasingly.

"But what about your parents?" I asked suddenly, seeing her look down at her lap in shame.

"I'll tell them about leaving with you. T-they'll understand." She said, seeming a bit sad.

"You don't want to leave them, do you? You'll miss them..." I came to that realization and instantly felt guilty that I wanted her to accompany me to LA when she had family here at home.

"Of course I'll miss them. They're my parents. But living my life with you is important, too. It's time for me to actually start living my own life instead of just revolving around my childhood." She explained. I shrugged in agreement as I pulled up in front of the school. She kissed me softly before getting out of the car and walking across the parking lot. I watched her until she went into the school, and then I checked my phone. I guess I could be a few minutes early. I got up and followed the path she had taken into the school.

***

I smiled the whole time I saw her up on the stage, and she only looked at me, blushing whenever she caught my eye. When her name was called and everyone clapped, I smiled even more. She was finally mine, and only mine.

When everyone had been called, and the diplomas received, she ran into my arms and hugged me tightly. I kissed her in front of everyone, and the best part was, no one could stop us. Because I didn't work here, and there was no rule that said I couldn't be with her. She was all mine. I kissed her again and again until she pulled away out of embarrassment.

"We should go." She said, and I picked up on the urgency in her voice. I had almost forgotten that she hated large crowds. I nodded and reached for her hand, leading us out of the crowd of people and out of the school. I breathed in the fresh air once we were outside, and we stopped once we reached a bench beside the sidewalk. I sat down and pulled her into my lap, kissing her cheek.

"I'm proud of you baby." I said as I gripped her waist. She smiled widely.

"I love you." And she kissed me again.

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Surprise surprise, I was able to update because we had a field trip today so I had no homework :D hope you like the chapter ^_^