S A R A

Ch 19

19

It all happened in a bit of a blur. My name was being called, along with my honours qualifications and the announcement of UCLA in the fall, followed by applause, followed by a Haden getting up on his feet along with Bruce, followed by my dad turning the camera away from me and towards them and then back to me.

My sister and brother were in the middle of the section four rows down, and as I saw realization come to their eyes and their mouths drop open, I just gave an apologetic shrug.

My mother was holding the flowers that they were going to give me before she dropped them. I was still standing on stage when the principal took over the microphone that the vice principal was using to announce names.

"Alright everyone, settle down," the principal said in the microphone.

Oh my god, people may not have notice him before, but they sure did now. The laughing girls were taking pictures, but everyone was mostly staring and at that point still clapping, only for him I believe.

"At this point we ask that you refrain from clapping until all the names have been called, for timely purposes," but nobody was listening to the principal anymore.

Probably my family, or anyone for that matter, didn't understand why Haden Rand got up to applaud me.

But Emily, who received her diploma in the earlier name section just stood there, wide eyed, looking at me in complete disbelief in a sort of dejected fashion.

"No." She whispered, regaining self-control. "You didn't tell me? It's you?" She actually might have looked a little disappointed that I didn't tell her.

But I didn't tell anyone.

They began to call up the rest of the names, and I found his eyes. First, I had angry fear in mine. Upon finding his, he raised his eyebrows as if to say 'see, it wasn't that bad?'

I couldn't believe it, I was smiling. He was gorgeous.

People were still giving him a bit of side-eye, but mostly everyone had moved on. Almost a little too quickly actually.

"We'll talk later." I said to Emily, touching her arm on our way back to our seats, in an effort to reassure her the way Haden reassured me.

In my seat, I could feel the gaze of nearly everyone around me burning hot onto my skin, but I just looked ahead. For once, I didn't care. This was ours, his and mine. The rest was just details. Only in this case, it really was him and me against the world.

Near the end, I came to the realization that it was only his gaze that mattered to me, at that moment. Was he looking at me? I turned my head halfway, hesitating, and turning around I saw him a few rows down.

Haden, baby.

I don't think he understood...My life was so structured, so bland, so achingly simple until I met him.

Until he touched me.

The last name was called, the last diploma given out, and officially I, Sara Clementine, have graduated high school.

1..2..3..4! We threw up our graduation caps in unison and it was beautiful and somehow as unifying as it got during my time in high school.

Finally, we were allowed to move. I found my parents quickly, before they could do anything. I was handed a beautiful bouquet of flowers and made a round getting a picture with every member of my family, yes, separately and together.

I got a congratulatory round from them all. I looked over to see Haden having a photoshoot of his own. It was like my family and I, only the laughing girls and him. He was being very gracious about it, and if I wasn't mistaken, I felt a slight tug of jealousy. Even though he was there for me, not them.