The shy boy from math class

Chapter 48| Graduation

What will I be doing in the meanwhile? Working full-time at a retail job dealing with middle-aged women complaining about the stupidest things. I never noticed how clueless people could be until I worked retail.

I need to start bikini shopping. Genevieve's beach trip is the only thing I'm looking forward to, next to seeing Genevieve and Grayson again.

"Calvin Adams."

I snap out of my thoughts and look at the stage. He smiles as he gets his diploma, his family cheering in the distance. I completely forgot about Calvin for a minute. He went on to do his thing as a parent with Gaby.

"Scarlett Adams."

She confidently walks across the stage. I wish I had that walk. She could be an amazing model one day.

She decided not to go to college. Instead, she'll travel across the world with her boyfriend. I think they're going to help build schools for less fortunate kids. I don't know I overheard it in class.

I snap back into my thoughts. This is going to take forever.

I start picking at my cuticles, wondering if I need a manicure.

"Genevieve Cordova." The lady announces.

I cheer loudly as she walks across the stage. She waves at the crowd and bows like a princess. I clap as she takes her diploma then walks off the stage.

After nearly an hour the lady starts announcing the last names with R. My legs are nearly trembling as I get closer to the stage. I've imagined this since I was a kid and now that it's happening, it feels surreal.

"Selena Rojas."

Genevieve cheers loudly as I glance over at her with a smile. I feel my hair bounce as I walk to the end of the stage. They hand me my diploma and I shake their hand. I pose for a picture as the camera flashes. I think I blinked there. Who cares. I graduated!

I start going back to my seat, smiling at Grayson who's almost ready to go line up.

As the S last names are being called I open up my diploma, looking at my name in a nice print. This will look great on my shelf next to my desk. I'll enjoy staring at it this summer.

I look up at the stage to see Grayson next in line. I start smiling eagerly before his name even gets called.

"Grayson Taylor."

I jump up, cheering and clapping as loud as I want. I ignore the stares from everyone as I watch him receive his diploma.

I follow him with my eyes as he gets back to his seat. We make eye contact for a split second which makes my heart melt.

The sun is starting to set, making the field lights turn on. I squint my eyes as I watch other people receive their diplomas.

As I start to zone out the lady says, "Gabrielle Wilson."

Everyone looks around with confused looks on their faces. We look to the stage to see Gaby race walking on stage with baby Isaac in her arms. A few awes come from the crowd, including from me.

She takes her diploma then disappears back into the bleachers with the other families.

After the last student gets called everyone stands up, placing their tassel to the left.

"Congratulations graduating class of Greenview High School!"

We all cheer, tossing our caps in the air.

☆

"We did it!" I jump into Grayson's arms. He hugs me tightly, lifting me off my feet.

"That was amazing!" He grins.

I look around to see Genevieve race walking towards us with a big grin on her face.

"I'm so proud of you for that speech!" I squeal, holding out my arms.

She hugs me tightly and says, "Can you believe I actually wrote that? I didn't pay someone to write it!"

"It was great!" I smile.

She side hugs Grayson as she tells him congratulations.

She claps her hands together, "Dinner on me! Go find your parents then let them know."

She disappears into the crowd again. Grayson throws his arm around my shoulder and we walk around to look for our parents.

"Hey, did we ever thank Mr.Riley for all of this?" He chuckles.

"I totally forgot he's the reason for all of this!" I gasp. "Maybe we should send him like a fruit basket or something."