Addicted

1. Graduation

"Graduating with honors, Delaney Thompson."

This is it. The moment I have been waiting for, for years, I am finally graduating high school. I worked my ass off to graduate with honors, so I can go to the nursing school of my dreams on a full-ride scholarship. I take a deep breath before stepping onto the creaky stairs of the stage, my navy blue heels not being the sturdiest choice for shoes. I make my way towards principal Meyers and he gives me a soft smile, a handshake, and congratulates me. I look out into the crowd and I see my mother standing up and cheering me on, still in her scrubs because she came straight from work to see me graduate. The proud tears streaming down her face is the only thing I really need to see before walking off the stage. Once I am off I am greeted by warm arms around me and the smell of musky cologne, Niall.

Niall is my boyfriend, we have been together for a little over a year now and things are going great. He got accepted into Harvard on a scholarship for Law and I couldn't be more happy for him, it is his dream to graduate from Harvard Law just like his grandfather, who was Niall's idol. I am very sad that he is going to be so far away from me, 971 miles to be exact since I will be staying in Illinois for school, but we promised to Skype all the time and make the long distance thing work.

"We did it babe!" Niall says as he is holding me in his arms.

"I cant believe that we are finally done with high school. We only get the summer off and then it's time to start our lives." I say with a hint of pain in my voice, thankfully not enough to make Niall notice, I don't want to bring down the mood. We have 3 months to spend together before we say our goodbyes. I try to shake the negative thoughts from my head and continue having a good time with the rest of my class.

"Now presenting the Bogan High School Class of 2018!" Principal Meyers says into the speaker. We all stand up, take off our caps, and toss them into the air. The red and black caps all come back down to us like confetti, signifying the completion of our childhood and the welcoming into adulthood.

I make my way through the crowd of thousands en route to find my mother, who said she was right outside under the lamppost waiting for me. The soft summer breeze relaxes my senses as I open the big metal door of the school, my eyes darting from left to right till I spot the light blue scrubs and dirty blonde bun that is on top of my mother's head. My feet are going as fast as they can in the uncomfortable heels that my tiny feet are stuffed into, until I stop right in front of the woman who has made all of this possible for me.

My mother has been my rock all my life, ever since I could remember it has always been just me and her. She worked almost every day of her life saving other people's lives as a nurse in the ICU, I guess that is where my passion for wanting to be a nurse comes from. My father was never really in the picture, getting my mother pregnant and then walking out on her. I have never met the man and honestly no part of me wants to. I never understood how a man could walk away from a woman and an unborn child that he made, and that is probably the reason that I am still a virgin at 18 years old. I don't want to give that part of myself away until I know I am 100% truly in love. I know what you're thinking, what about Niall? I love Niall I do, or at least I think I do. He takes care of me, buys me flowers, takes me out on dates, and has always made sure I was happy. But there has always been this feeling that I can't shake, that there is something missing. Like there is something more that I want out of life, more passion, adventure, danger, and a love that consumes me to where I think I would die without it. Niall is the practical option though, he can give me everything my mother always wanted for me. A family, a happy marriage, and never having to worry about anything in life, and my mother loves him, so I stay.

My thoughts are interrupted as a pair of much more delicate arms wrap around me.

"I am so proud of you Delaney." My mother sobs into my shoulder, seeing as we are the same height of 5 feet.