Beauty & The Freak || Eddie Munson

Chapter 30

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June 8th, 1986. Eddie had probably written the date over a thousand times on every single surface of paper he could find leading up to this morning. He was more excited about graduation than I was. I couldn't wait to see him. I was so proud of him.

Mom was already crying the moment we already woke up. I couldn't even begin imagining how proud she was of me—I was her first-born child graduating. Eddie wasn't as nervous as me. If it were up to me, I wouldn't attend. The panic that was trying to replace the excitement was strong. I wasn't sure if I could suppress it all day.

I stood in the bathroom, waiting for my curling iron to warm as I looked through all of my eyeshadow colors, finding a light pink one that matched the skirt I was wearing. I was lucky enough that the caps and gowns for the ladies were white. Whereas the boys were stuck with a humiliating green. Leaning towards the mirror, I used my finger to swipe the eyeshadow across my lids.

Then I added some eyeliner and mascara, followed by a nude lipstick. It didn't take me long to curl my hair or finish the final touches of getting ready. I slid my gown on and then waited to put my cap on, but I carried it into the living room with me.

Dad was helping Abel put his shoes on when I walked in. The waterworks resumed after Mom looked at me.

"Mom, you've got to stop crying before you make me cry... and I just did my make-up!" I said, fanning my face to dry the tears away.

"You look so beautiful." Mom wept, "My little girl is all grown up!"

Mom pulled me into a hug when she jumped up from her couch. I hugged her back, accepting that this was going to happen multiple times throughout the day.

"We need to get going before we're late. Eddie and Wayne are meeting us there, right?" Dad asked.

"Yes, with Steve. Robin is also meeting us there." I nodded.

"Why are we all dressed up?" Abel asked.

I knelt down in front of him. "Sissy has finished school. Today, we're celebrating with sissy and Eddie. We both worked very hard to graduate, and it's a monumental day."

"Will I have to wear those funny clothes, too?"

"Yes." I laughed. "Now, we have to get going. We can't be late."

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I didn't think it would hit me so quickly. But the second I saw all the families with their children, huge smiles and tears being shed everywhere, it fully hit me like a sack of bricks. I was thrilled and nervous.

Eddie had been watching for my arrival, nearly knocking me down when he lept into my arms the moment he saw me. His hair was curlier than usual, and underneath his gown I could see the same solid black pair of jeans he had worn to prom, with a plain white t-shirt tucked into the hem of his jeans.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting him sweep me right off my feet and twirl us. When he placed me back on my feet, I leaned in to kiss him. It earned an annoying coo from my brother and a whistle from Wayne.

"Smile, honey, get a picture!" Mom declared.

Eddie wrapped his arm around me and planted a kiss on my cheek for the photo. Then we followed all of mom's orders, posing for every photo she requested. Robin and her family even joined in some.

By the time we finished with photos, we had all had to rush to take our seats in the middle of the football field. I looked around us, spotting Eddie easily as we both placed our caps on the tops of our heads. Robin was near the front of the rows and Eddie was just a few ahead of me on the right side.