Shrieks and cheers filled the air in the soccer field we were in.
My eyes welled up as I took in the sight of the graduation caps that had been tossed into the air above us, momentarily overwhelmed by the finality of this moment.
This was it.
High school was officially over.
Someone collided into my side and pulled me into a giant hug.
"We're high school graduates now!" Next to my ear, Melissa's voice was almost uncomfortably loud.
"Yeah!" I responded, turning around to hug her back. "Congratulations, Mel!"
"Congratulations!" she chirped back.
Derek stood at her side, looking in all directions as if it were the first time he was seeing our school field.
His eyes gradually landed on us, and he said, "I can't believe we won't be coming back here next year."
"Me neither," I replied, trying to blink away my tears.
It didn't work—they rolled down my cheeks instead.
"Aww, are you okay?" Melissa squeezed me harder.
I put my arms around her in return. Simultaneously, Derek petted my shoulder.
"Yeah," I reassured her, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. "I'm just a bit ... emotional, I guess."
After all, this was our graduation day. It was only natural to be moved to tears, right?
"Guys!"
A sudden force almost knocked us off our balance, causing us to stumble sideways. I blinked as I realized that it was Ashley who had launched into us and joined in on our group hug.
Laughing, Melissa withdrew one arm to drape it over her shoulders.
Ashley pulled back to grin at us. Her cheeks were already wet with tears.
"I almost don't want to leave," she said, looking around at us. "I'm going to miss you guys so much."
Nolan, Ashley, and I would all be going to Cornell University in the fall, but Melissa and Derek were both attending Boston University. Derek's family lived in Massachusetts, and he wanted to go to a college that was closer to home. Since the location of her college didn't matter as much to Melissa, she decided to go ahead and apply to there as well.
"I'll miss you too," Melissa said. "But we'll arrange meetups for sure."
Behind me, I felt someone's presence breach my personal space. Upon turning my head, I was greeted with Nolan's half-grin. I returned it with one that felt like it was about to split my face into two.
"Congrats, guys," he said.
The skies were gray, and the sun had been entirely blocked out by the threatening-looking clouds. Despite that, there hadn't been a single drizzle today. Principal Lawson had announced that if there was a lightning warning or if it began to actually rain, we would be relocated to the auditorium. It wouldn't have been a problem for Nolan if it took place there, but cap-tossing would have to be canceled for safety reasons.
The both of us had initially thought that Nolan wouldn't be able to attend today since the graduation ceremony was supposed to take place in the open school field. Thanks to the weather today, however, he was able to make it. Apparently, as long as he wasn't exposed to direct sunlight, he would be fine.
He'd warned me that he would leave the second he spotted any signs of the sun emerging, though. He said that he didn't really care about participating in the ceremony, but all the same I'd hoped that it would remain cloudy all the way right up until the end. I was so glad that it did.
Cody showed up at my right, a giant smile already on his face. "Yes, congratulations, everyone!"
When she heard his voice, Ashley perked up. "Hey, Cody!"
"Hey, Ash," he said.
He was also going to Cornell with us—I remembered how happy Ashley had been when she shared the news with me.
"Come on, you three! Group hug, please!" I said, beckoning to the both of them.
Cody laughed and hugged our little cluster. "Sure."
"Okay, okay!" Derek piled onto us with his outstretched arms.
"Anything for you," Nolan said, joining in from my side.
"Seriously? You guys are flirting during this touching group moment?" Ashley's voice was muffled through Melissa's shoulder.
Bright and clear, Melissa's laugh triggered more tears to surface in my eyes. "I guess that's what you have to look forward to at college now!"
Sometime in the early part of senior year, they actually dubbed Nolan and me as 'the lovebird couple'. Nolan was affectionate in a lot of small ways, so of course as part of my appreciation I tended to reciprocate that.
Apparently—according to our friends—half the things he said to me could be construed as flirting. In my opinion, it was ridiculous and generated great spluttering from me every time we were accused of it, but nobody asked for my opinion anyway.
"Hey," I protested half-heartedly. "He was the one flirting, not me. Leave me out of this!"
"That's right," Nolan said agreeably. "Leave her out of this."
"I can't believe you guys." Ashley's voice cracked, but she was smiling. "I love you all so much."
Abruptly, our hug was interrupted by someone's ringing phone.
"It's mine," Ashley said, extricating herself from the tangle of arms we had formed.
Both Nolan and Derek let go and took a step back so that we could all stand properly.
She checked her phone. "It's my mom. I have to go find my family now. We'll meet again later, okay?"
Cody looked down at his phone. "Yep. I have to go too. I'll text you."
"Yeah, I should probably go find my parents too," Derek said, pulling out his own phone.
"Same," Melissa said. "See you guys in a bit!"
To check for my texts, I got my phone out too. "Okay!"
"Later," Nolan said.
We all waved at each other before splitting ways. While Ashley darted off to the left, Melissa and Derek strode off together.
My parents had left me a couple of messages, indicating where near the bleachers they were waiting for me.
"Want to look for my parents together?" I asked Nolan. "Are you going to look for your dad?"
They'd already met Nolan several months ago during one of their weekend visits here, after I'd announced to them that I was dating someone. Despite being a little taken aback initially, they seemed to realize that it would eventually happen, anyway. They were worried that it would possibly distract me from my school and my studies, but I showed them that my grades had actually been improving since Nolan started helping me.
That was when I sat through a small bird-and-the-bees talk that Mom gave me, which ended in her asking me to bring him along to a lunch on a weekend.
I hadn't really wanted Nolan to join us for a meal because I didn't want him to get sick, but Nolan was adamant about coming with me when I mentioned it to him.
"They might think I don't want to meet them if I don't go," he had said. "I don't want to leave a bad impression on them. It might make things hard for you."
To ease my worries, he ate as little as possible when we sat in the restaurant with my parents, explaining to them that he wasn't very hungry.
I'd been on edge the entire meal, wondering if they were about to interrogate him or try to scare him off.
They simply engaged him in regular conversation and asked light questions about his plans after high school, which made sense, since we were already seniors at that point. I hadn't realized how tense I really was until we'd finished eating and nothing terrible had happened.
Later that night, when I was having my daily video call with my parents, Mom had said that he seemed like a sweet boy, and she liked the way he talked to me.
"That means you approve, right?" I had asked, staring intently at her through the screen.
She'd laughed and said that yes, she approved of him.
Afterwards, Nolan joined us for lunch a couple more times when my parents asked.
"Nah, I'll go with you first," Nolan said, falling into step beside me. "He's surrounded by parents and students now, anyway. It's probably better if we wait a little bit."
"Good point," I said. "Okay, then follow me!"
I still loved the way the corners of his lips turned up when he smiled. "Lead the way."
I called Dad to ask where he was, and we began walking. We found my parents and Ryan standing beside the edge of a large graduation banner the school had set up along the front of the bleachers.
As I brisk-walked towards them, I cupped my hands around my mouth and called, "Hey Dad! Mom!"
They quickly turned in the direction of my voice, and their faces lit up when they saw me.
"Congratulations on graduating, honey! I'm so proud of you!" Mom cried, opening her arms up as I ran towards her.
"Thanks, Mom!" I leaped right into them and threw my own around her. "Thanks for coming."
"Don't be silly," she said, letting go and giving me a onceover.
Dad stepped in to give me a hug too.
"We wouldn't miss your graduation for anything," he added. "Congratulations, sweetheart. I'm proud of you too."
"Great job, Chelsea," Ryan said, ruffling my hair. "Congrats on graduating."
Narrowing my eyes, I swatted his hand away. "Thanks, but don't mess up my hair!"
They turned to Nolan, who was standing patiently behind me.
"Congratulations on graduating high school, Nolan," Dad said, extending his left hand to him.
Nolan shook it and smiled at him. "Thank you, Mr. Arnold."
"Congrats, Nolan." Ryan nodded at him. "Heard you're going to the same college as Chelsea."
"Yes, congratulations, Nolan," Mom said, her smile warm and huge. "You'll be going to Cornell with Chelsea in the fall, right?"
I groaned. "Mom. We've been over that so many times."
Nolan and I wanted to prioritize going to the same college, as long as it offered both the majors—linguistics for me, and computer science for Nolan—that we were each interested in. It was difficult enough to find time for each other when our sleeping schedules were so different, and neither of us wanted to throw in long-distance to the mix.
It wasn't worth risking the strain on our relationship to go to separate colleges if we had the option of attending the same one. Cornell accepted the two of us, and it was the best choice we had out of the other schools that had also accepted us both, so it was an easy decision.
Looking amused by my reaction, Nolan said, "Yes, Mrs. Arnold. We are, and I'm looking forward to college."
"Me too," I said. "But I'm also looking forward to the short break before the semester starts."
Mom's eyes shone with unshed tears. "Look at you. You've grown up so fast."
My heart felt so full, I couldn't help but hug her again. "Aww, Mom! I love you!"
"I love you too, honey," she said.
We took several pictures, some together, some with just me and one family member, and finally, my parents offered to take one of just me and Nolan. Of course, we took them up on it.
Eventually, my parents let us go to mingle with other schoolmates before I had to leave.
As I greeted various classmates and exchanged well-wishes with them, Nolan just tagged along with me, saying that he didn't have anyone else he wanted to say goodbye to.
"All the best for everything ahead, Chelsea," Cheryl said, when we passed by each other. "And you too, Nolan."
"Thanks," he said. "All the best to you."
She looked a little surprised by his response, but all she did was give me a smile before moving on.
Feeling Nolan's hand wrap around mine and tug at me, I glanced back at him.
"What's up?" I asked.
He leaned down and said quietly, "Let's go talk to my dad for a bit. If we don't chat with him for too long, it'd be fine. He told me he wants to say hi to you."
I wasn't expecting that.
"Oh. Sure!"
Suddenly, my heartbeat was going as fast as a bullet train. Could Nolan feel my palms growing clammy?
Nolan's relationship with Mr. Lawson had been recovering slowly but surely over the last year, enough for Nolan to refer to him as his 'dad' instead of his 'father' in regular conversations. Sometime in the middle of our senior year, Nolan had told him that he was dating someone.
Apparently, Mr. Lawson had already heard about us through the grapevine, because he passed by some gossiping teachers in the staffroom mentioning how they were seeing Nolan hold hands with a girl in the hallway.
Although he already knew who Nolan was in a relationship with, Mr. Lawson told him that he was happy to hear it directly from Nolan.
I was unbelievably embarrassed when Nolan shared with me how he'd told his father that it was because of my support and encouragement that he could start talking to Mr. Lawson again.
As a regular student who only ever got detention twice, I didn't really have much of a chance to meet Mr. Lawson personally prior to this.
Nolan led me through the gaps in the crowd of students and parents. Finally, he brought me before Principal Lawson, who was just saying goodbye to a family.
Principal Lawson's jet-black hair was worn in its usual comb over. His dark-brown eyes were alert and sharp, although I couldn't help but notice the eyebags under them.
His face broke into a smile when his gaze fell on us.
"Congratulations, Nolan," he said, before turning to me. "It's great to see you, Chelsea. Congratulations, both on graduating and being accepted into Cornell."
Nolan had already told him that we were both going to the same college, so I wasn't surprised that he mentioned it. His gaze traveled down our arms to our intertwined hands, and his smile seemed to grow softer ever so slightly.
"Thank you, Principal Lawson," I said with a nervous nod. "I've had a wonderful six years here at Fairwood."
"Have you already decided on your major?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "I'm planning on majoring in linguistics."
English language, after all these years, was still my ultimate favorite subject. The study of language was definitely something I found fascinating and wanted to pursue. I loved how it could be used in different ways and still mean the same thing and vice versa. It was so versatile.
"It's great that you've made plans. Linguistics is a very interesting path to go into," he said.
"Principal Lawson!" A bright-eyed girl I recognized from a couple of my classes back in junior year came running up to us. "Thank you so much for your recommendation letter!"
When she noticed Nolan and I standing in front of him, she leaned backwards and raised her hands before her.
"Oh!" she said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!"
"No, it's fine," Nolan said, stepping in. "We were just about to leave."
He shot me a glance, and I nodded. It was better not to spend too long talking to Mr. Lawson here, in case people grew suspicious.
I took a half-step back. "Thanks again, Principal Lawson. I'm glad I came to Fairwood."
So many of my precious memories came from this school. I wouldn't give them up for anything in the world.
"Me too," Nolan said.
"Your teachers and I are very proud of you both," he said. "I wish you two all the best for your future endeavors."
We hastily exchanged goodbyes and left him to talk to the other girl, who was now talking very enthusiastically about her dream college that she would be going to.
In a low voice, Nolan said as he leaned down to my head, "My dad actually asked me to invite you to have dinner with us tonight. He wants to officially meet you as my father."
I froze. "Like meeting the parents, that kind of thing?"
"Yes, like I've met your parents." He gave me a dry smile.
"Actually, my parents wanted to eat dinner with you tonight, too," I blurted out.
I hadn't brought it up yet because I'd somehow just assumed that Nolan would be available.
"What?" His green eyes, which had been half-closed, fully opened. "They did?"
"Yeah. A bit too early for all of us to have dinner together, though," I said in a light tone.
I was way not prepared for our respective parents to sit at a restaurant table like soon-to-be in-laws meeting each other. Besides, Mom and Dad would absolutely recognize Mr. Lawson as our school principal.
It was a conversation best left for another time.
"Okay," Nolan said, nodding, "I'll ask my dad if he can reschedule it for another day this week. I'll have dinner with your parents tonight."
I paused. "Wait, are you sure that's okay? Don't you want to ask your dad first?"
"He'll understand," he said. "It's not like we can be at two places at the same time. He's very accommodating when it comes to stuff like this. Anyway, he only wanted me to ask you. It'd be a different story if we had officially made plans and canceled on him."
"That's true. Would you prefer if we had dinner with your dad tonight, though? I wouldn't mind either."
"I don't really mind. But your whole family is already here. Logistically, I think it makes sense if we eat with them today. It's easier to make plans for dinner with one person than with three people."
He had a point.
"Alright!" I bumped my arm into his. "Then we'll eat with mine today. Let's find the others and get some pictures taken first!"
"Check the group chat," he said, looking down at his phone. "Ashley's looking for us. Let's go."
Not for the first time today, my heart swelled with a various mix of emotions as I looked around at the large, crowded soccer field we were in. I was going to miss this school.
Here, I'd found the best friends I never knew I needed in my life, and I'd met Nolan.
Here, Nolan had finally stepped out of the shadows of his past to build a real relationship with his dad.
Here, he had formed so many relationships, where he'd originally decided that he couldn't afford to have any.
Now, we were moving on to our next stage of life.
The stinging sensation in my eyes increased with each passing second.
"Hey. You okay?" he said, peering at my face.
"Yup, don't worry," I said, squeezing his hand. "It's just so amazing, where we are now."
He planted a kiss on my forehead, quick and discreet.
"Yeah. I'll always be grateful for the day you walked into my life."
I beamed at him right as Ashley squeezed her way out of the crowd before us, with Cody in tow, exclaiming that she couldn't find Melissa. Nolan craned his neck in an attempt to spot them better among all our fellow schoolmates, and I laughed.
I was really looking forward to our future together.
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AN: what a long epilogue LOL. it took longer than i expected to write. so. THAT'S IT! keep scrolling for the afterword, where i talk about this story and thank you guys for everything! i'll be marking this story as complete now. i'm so excited.