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Chapter 7: Graduation
Frozen, she felt frozen. It was the ending of an important era and it was meaningless to her. Her life ended when she was seventeen, a couple of months before she turned eighteen. Her future was riped from her grasp and thrown into an empty oblivion she couldn't reach. How could she enjoy her own high school graduation if she was dead?
Hunter stood in the buzzing hallway filled with her classmates, all of them waiting to enter the auditorium and be seated. All she could hear were conversations about college, jobs, futures, and how much everyone was going to miss one another. That was another thing that made her feel worse, she had made close to no friends while she was here.
She was the weird new girl who was mean to anyone who got too close. That was her own fault, portraying herself as a bitch was her way of coping with the mess of her life. It was better than having a bunch of friends you'll miss to say goodbye to, knowing that you'll never see them ever again.
Angela and Eric were nice to her, they got used to her brick walls and bluntness, and it never scared them away. She appreciated and liked them, but she'd never admit that to them. Jessica always and continued to annoy her but with all things said, she was a good friend to Bella at times and that's what refrained Hunter from chewing her out. And then there was Mike, the boy who couldn't choose if he was afraid of her or crushing on her. She knew she wouldn't miss him, no matter how terrible it sounded, there was no use in beating around the bush.
And then there was Winston. She hadn't talked or seen him since her visit to the hospital and she hasn't tried to. He seemed serious about not seeing her so she respected his decision. She missed him terribly, especially knowing that he was upset with her.
He was here, mingling with his friends and laughing about old memories of freshman year. It tugged at her heart, to know that he was steps away from her but she couldn't move. She planned to confront him after graduation, to invite him to Alice's party and to apologize. She couldn't find it in her to celebrate a milestone without him by her side.
"Hunter."
She was pulled from her thoughts and her eyes adjust to the pair in front of her. It was Bella. She seemed happy, relieved even, and Hunter knew why. This day just marks the day when Bella is one step closer to immortality, something she didn't need. Hunter released a sigh and held back her tounge, not wanting to start an argument so soon before they end high school. "Hey." She greeted. She didn't even bother to let a false smile slip onto her lips.
"This is it." Bella started, grabbing a hold of Hunter's hands, "We're graduating, together."
There was some sentiment for Bella in this. She and Hunter have been with each other since they were kids. The simple fact that they were entering the next level of their lives together meant a lot to her.
"Yeah." Was all Hunter could mutter. She didn't mean to dismiss Bella's excitement or to rain on the parade, she just couldn't help but feel like this was a waste of time. She had no one out in the crowd of families to watch her walk across the stage and clap for her. It didn't seem real if her dad wasn't in the rows jumping for joy and cheering her on. It didn't feel good to not have a mother crying happy tears and recording the moment she accepted her diploma. It just didn't feel worth it.
