Falling Into Place

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Maya looked through the rows of seats, catching Lucas' attention from his seat. She gave him two thumbs up and a smile, causing a smile to spread across his face aswell. The principle stood on the stage, walked infront of the podium and read a well, prewritten speech about his senior class.

"Now, the valedictorian, Riley Matthews will give her speech."

Everyone cheered for Riley, especially Maya, being proud of her best friend. Riley walked onto the stage in her cap and gown, and stood infront of the microphone, smiling down at her class before begining her speech.

"As we take this huge step forward in our lives and accomplish what was once thought to be impossible, we must not forget the people who made it all possible: our teachers, our parents... and our friends..."

Maya smiled, thinking about how everything her, Lucas, Riley, and Liam had been through... every heart break, every fight, every laugh, every hug, every kiss, every tear... Everything had made them who they were and made them ready to take on the world.

"Every single one of us has the ability to change the world, every one of us will change the world in some way. We will smile, we will laugh, we will cry, but we will do it together and it will make us stronger... One of the most important lessons I've learned in the past few years is that people change people... that's the secret of life... You can change one persons life, or you can change the lives of millions, but what you do will never go unnoticed."

The senior class began to clap as Riley walked off stage, talking her seat among her classmates.

More teachers and authority figures from their school spoke on stage, earning reaction from the senior class and the audience that filled the bleachers surrounding the football field. They began to call names and rows, which were lined with students in alphabetical order by last name.

Lucas was the first out of the four to walk across the stage and receive his diploma. Between Lucas' mother and Maya, people's ears had to be ringing by the time that boy got off stage!

Next out of the remaining three was Maya. Riley had to be the loudest person screaming for her best friend, topping out Katy and Lucas!

Students continued to walk row by row, waiting by the stage to hear their name, after receiving their deplomas and a firm handshake from their principle, they would file back into their seats, only to await the end of the ceremony.

Next was Riley. She received her deploma, walking off the stage, waving to her family in the audience as she found her way to her seat.

Last was Liam. Once the new kid, now was graduating from his school with the best group of friends he could ever ask for. He held a goofy smile across his face as he went back to his seat.

Once everyone's names were called, and everyone stood around the field, throwing their caps in the air, students found their parents, their friends, they picked up their hats and looked around at the school they would be leaving in a short period of time.

"Hi, Mom." Maya smiled, walking up to the fence around the football field.

"Hey babygirl." Katy smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Maya."

"Thanks." Lucas' mother appeard by Katy, and she sighed.

"You used to be so tiny, Maya... You're not the same little middle schooler I was introduced to." She chuckled.

"Thank you." Maya laughed. "Where's your goofball son?"

"Somewhere." Mrs. Friar shrugged. Maya rolled her eyes playfully, and turned around to find Lucas. She wandered the field looking through the whole senior class before spotting Lucas talking to one of his friends. She jogged a bit, jumping into his back, causing him go stumble and catch his balance.

"Hey, Huckleberry." She smiled, kissing his cheek.

"I'll catch ya later." Lucas commented to his friend who nodded, saying goodbye to him and Maya before walking off. Maya slipped off Lucas' back and he turned to face her. "We did it." Lucas smiled.

"We did." Maya nodded. She squinted up at Lucas, blocking the sunshine with her hand and looked around at all of the students on the field still. "What do we do now?"

"We can do whatever you want." Lucas grinned, wrapping his arm around Maya.

"I don't know what I want." Maya admitted, chuckling slightly. Students started filing off the field and started leaving the school's parking lot. Lucas and Maya had taken a seat in the field, reminiscing on their high school memories.

"Remember homecoming?"

"And prom." Maya added, smiling and leaning into Lucas' chest. "Remember when we used to watch over Alice?"

"I do." Lucas smiled and nodded. "...Remember the first day on the subway?"

"My God." Maya mumbled, smiling and hiding her face in Lucas' chest.

"Come on, you were cute!" Lucas laughed. "We dated before we even dated."

"I was such a dork." Maya's face was slightly red and she sighed.

"And you haven't changed one bit."

"Gee, thanks." Maya smirked sarcastically. Lucas laughed, kissing Maya's temple. Maya sat up off his chest and looked around the football field. "Lucas?" She asked. "What happens now?"

"I'm not sure, babe." Lucas admitted.

The sun was starting to set and Lucas and Maya hadn't moves from their positions on the football field. Everyone else had left the school: the students, teachers, parents, even Lucas and Maya's parents.

The two sat in silence, admiring the pink and orange sunset. Lucas could read the uncertainty on Maya's face and started thinking of a way to cheer her up or get her to talk about exactly what's going through her mind.

"You're going to be just fine, Maya."

"I know but..."

"But what?" a Lucas asked.

"Where do we go from here?" Maya looked up at Lucas, who chuckled and stood up, offering his hands down to Maya. She accepted his offer, grabbing both of his hands and pulling herself up to stand infront of him.

"Wherever you go... I'll go."