I couldn't sleep all night, I was nervous and excited yet sad. But I wasn't going to miss the classes or the people but more so the memories.
The girls and I were getting ready at my house. We have been since six this morning. Zoë's dad came along as well so him and Colton have been talking for what feels like forever.
Kinsley has been more than excitedly helping us.
We had to be at school by ten but somehow the time didn't feel like it was enough.
We all had similar satin dresses. Mine was blue with a bit of a scrunched top and a frilled layered bottom. I wore it with white heels and gold jewellery. I put my hair half up, half down and did a good amount of makeup.
Birdie had a white dress exactly the same style as mine and she wore black heels with gold jewellery too. Her hair was down and had the perfect amount of volume to it.
Zoë was wearing a dress similar to ours except it was a dark shade of purple with a square neckline she wore it with a pair of nude heels. Her hair pulled back into a slick back ponytail and she had silver jewellery.
Once we were all ready we threw on our blue cap and gowns and drove to school. Nervous shooting through us. We were all so nervy but excited for it to finally all be over.
We arrived at school and the first person I spotted was Val on the stage. She looked amazing, she was wearing a black pants suit without a blazer and just a waistcoat. She had her hair down and cold look on her face as she sat amongst the other teachers.
"Aunty Zoë!" Emilia ran up to Zoë with Natalia by her side.
"Hi Emy." Zoë hugged them both.
They aren't related to us in anyway but to them because we're dating their aunts, they think we're their aunts too. They've grown too, they're four now and the few times I have been around them since, they're naughty as hell. Mainly Emilia.
"Your dress is pretty, did you chose it yourself?" Natalia asked.
"I did." Zoë said to them.
"And did you choose yours too aunty collect?" Emilia asked.
"Emilia, Collette. Say it nicely." Natalia said, Emilia rolled her eyes and Zoë and Birdie burst out laughing.
"Aunty Collette. It's what I said."
"You finally got it Emy." I gave her a high five.
"See told you Nat." Emilia countered as she rolled her eyes.
"I'm telling mama, your eyes are going to get stuck like that." Natalia ran away and Emilia followed.
The girls and I took our seats and waited. We talked about everything that could possibly happen to us in college, the parties, the freedom, possibly being in a room together. It was all so exciting to us.
An hour passed and the ceremony was in full swing. People were being called up and got to shake hands. The three of us waited for our turns, holding each other's hands waiting for the moment we could toss our tassels and caps in the air.
"Axel George." Mrs Morris said. The crowd applauded and his family and other people cheered for him.
Nothing was really embarrassing today because we were all in the same boat. All our families were cheering for us so no one really had a chance to be embarrassed.
"Zoë Hassan." Mrs Morris called into the microphone.
Zoë walked up with a huge smile on her face. The crowd erupted into congratulatory applauses from everyone from everyone one of Quinn and Vals friends and her dad. Quinn and her dad being the loudest of the bunch.
"Collette Hollis." I was called up, I walked with everyone else cheering just like they had for Zoë, along with Colton and Kinsley. As I walked up, I watched as Valentina had upturned corners on her lips.
I didn't do anything obviously but if it was allowed I would've kissed her.
As I left I watched her face return back to a stone cold front.
Other people went up and we waited for birdie to be called and when she did get called up, we all cheered. Really excitedly.
"Now I'd like to welcome our valedictorian." Valentina spoke into the microphone.
I didn't want valedictorian but thankfully birdie did.
She walked up and stood at the podium. "Before I get into what I actually want to say, I'd like to thank every single teacher here who put up with the graduating class. Through our turned in late work, incompleted work and the countless of keep quiets you all had to dish out." She spoke and almost everyone let out a little laugh.
"Our graduating class is immaculate but not because we all made it here today but because of the amount of incomplete work we turned in and we still made it here." She said with a smile.
"Aside from the incomplete work, we all did really well to be able to make it here. The hours we put in after school and the bruised social lives we all have, have finally paid off. As we move onto college I hope for three things for our class. One, that we take what we've learned here at Ambrose high school and apply it every day in college or the other adventures we might go on after this. Two, to carry out the long lasting friendships we've made here, past the trials and tribulations of college and finally to regain our social lives." She laughed along with everyone else.
"This is the graduating class of the year and I hope the after party at the beach is as much fun as the football game during the first week." She said and everyone clapped and cheered as she stepped off the stage.
Valentina made a very short speech followed by Mrs Morris where we turned our tassels and then we had a countdown until we threw our caps into the air.
We graduated.
Happy tears were shed. By the time we finished it was only one in the afternoon.
I went up to Colton who still seemed to be talking to Zoë's dad.
"Hey kiddo. You've graduated." He hugged me tight.
"It feels so surreal." I said as Zoë came too. Her and Quinn holding hands.
"I know I feel that way too." Zoë said with a smile as she held Quinn close.
"Lucky lady?" Colton asked.
"Sometimes i feel like im going to have to plan a wedding for these two very soon." Zoe's dad chuckled.
"Dad." Zoë said and Quinn blushed.
"Hey." Val whispered in my ear from behind me. All her other friends were behind her too, including the twins who seemed all too excited.
"Val." I wrapped my arms around and then the twins who also wanted hugs.
"Okay kiddo, do you want to—"
"No, I'll go with Val." I said already knowing his question.
"That works out. I'm going to drop Kinsley off at Nala's house and then I'm off." He said with a smile and Zoë's dad chuckled too.
"Okay." I said. Colton and Zoë's dad said their goodbyes before they both left.
We drove here in my car so I had to drive back to vals house. Val said to wait twenty minutes after she left and she'd see me at home and left. I stayed talking with Zoe and Quinn for the whole twenty minutes until they decided to go and I left too.
The drive over everything felt so surreal, like I didn't have to worry anymore. But I felt like something was still looming.
Once I got to her house I just walked in. I've come to learn to just walk in because it's always unlocked.
"Val?" I called out. As I took my shoes off at her door, sliding on the Ugg's I always leave here.
I oddly had a lot of things here that kind of just accumulated over the last month or so, things like jeans, tops, swimwear and shoes.
"In the kitchen my love." She called out, I could hear the smile in her voice. I giggled to myself as I walked through the house.
I walked into the kitchen to an array of tulips. Realistically it was only one bouquet with pink and white tulips and a little card too.
"Val..." I said softly with a smile. I picked up the tulips and smelt them like always. They smell amazing each time and I don't know how she does it.
"These are amazing. Thank you." I wrapped my arms around her in a hug before placing a kiss to her lips.
"Mhm, I have something else." She said softly as she pulled away.
"Really?" I asked as she slipped from my hands.
She came back with a small white box. I've never seen the box before. It was too small to be anything big but too big to be a ring box.
"When I put a pin in our relationship a while ago I thought of ways to ask you to be mine again, an ordinary necklace felt too repetitive—"
"I still have your necklace." I smiled knowing it was sitting in my car right now.
"I know baby, I'd like that back by the way." She said with a smirk.
"Show me your thing first." I said.
"I know you like a lot of things and it probably changes every week but the one things that's consistent that you like tulips," she opened the box and inside sat the perfect gold necklace. It had one pink tulip and one white one. She flipped it for a second and our names were on the back.
"I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend again but I guess your office stunt took care of that." She chuckled.
"No I didn't, ask me." I said excitedly.
"Collette, will you be my girlfriend, again? No more hiding, no more secrets, just us. A proper relationship. More than us hiding and only going out on weekends." She asked.
"Yes." I kissed her lips. "We're not erasing the last six months of us though right?"
"No baby, it's like an updated version of us." She smiled and kissed me again as she placed her hand to the back of my neck to draw me in.
She walked me back until I was up against the island, not breaking the kiss the entire time.
She set the necklace down and gripped my waist close. I hooked my arms around her neck pulling her closer to me.
"I'm guessing everything else can wait." I murmured against her lips
"Mhm." She hummed as her tongue slipped into my mouth and I started undoing the buttons of her waistcoat.
✾ ✾ ✾
After a while Val and I laid in bed finally feeling worn out from the copious amounts of sex. At one point Val had to stop because I started tearing up.
There was just so much emotion in it for us.
It was beautiful and for the first time between us, emotion filled. More than usual.
We laid with our bare bodies pressed together and tangled beneath the sheets.
"Okay I have a question." I said turning over to lie with my hands placed on her torso with my chin resting on my hands. Our legs still entangled underneath the covers.
"Mhm, go ahead love." She said with a smile brushing a piece of hair behind my ear as her green emerald eyes looked down at me.
"If you could go travelling, anywhere in the world, where would you go?" I asked her softly.
"With you?" She asked and I blushed.
"On your own—"
"I rather travel with you." She said cutting me off before leaning to kiss my lips softly.
"Okay fine, with me, where would you go? Anywhere in the world." I asked her as blush rose to my cheeks even more.
"I don't know, maybe Spain. I've always wanted to go to Valencia." She said with a smile as her fingertips stroked up and side softly.
"Where would you go?" She asked me.
"With you or without you?" I asked her with a smirk.
"Both." She said.
"Well, without you, nowhere because I'd rather stay with you." I said truthfully. "but with you, everywhere. Id want to go ever with you."
"Where would our first stop be?" She asked with a smile.
I took a moment to really think about where I wanted us to go. "Somewhere serene, like the cabin we spent Valentines weekend at." I said with a smile, but I definitely had other places I wanted to go with Val.
"Or Paris." I said. "I really want to go to Paris with you. City of love and all. It seems so magical, like love lurks at every corner, like if you were to open a window you'd be able to feel the love. I don't know, I guess the city overall brings me a sense of love." I said looking into her eyes.
Her green eyes sent me a soft gaze. "You're like Paris to me." She said before cupping my face and placing a soft kiss to my lips.
"I love you Valentina." I said before kissing her back fleetingly.
"I love you too darling."
A moment of silence passed us. It was comfortable.
"What's your dream house?" I asked her at random. "Like if you could build it, what would it look like?"
"I don't know, I've never thought about it. But I guess somewhere open. Big windows, a calming area." She said softly as I looked at her.
"What's yours?" She asked me the same question.
"Somewhere by a lake, that way there's always a calming place nearby. Big windows and a a direct door from the kitchen to the back yard. Something about having that, I've always loved. I'd make the kitchen marble themed. And high ceilings in the living room. And a good sized back yard not massive because then it leaves no space for the lake." I said describing my dream place.
"Algún día amor, te lo prometo." She said softly. I couldn't understand a single thing she said but it was soft and so pretty so I smiled and laid my head on her chest.
(Translation: someday my love, i promise)
We talked about other things for a while as I laid in her chest listening closely to her heartbeat.
"Can't we just stay here for the rest of forever? You and me?" I asked.
"Now we can my love. You and me. But we do have to shower." She said softly.
"Right, I'll go first." I said getting off her, lifting off her bed.
"Darling you know I'm just going to join you. You still finish all the hot water." She chuckled.
"Shut up." I rolled my eyes playfully at her. "Fine, but only if we finish the rookie after."
"Of course." She stood up with me.
We had a shower and afterwards went downstairs like she promised to watch the rookie.
We'd be downstairs for almost two hours now, it was almost six and the sun was no where near setting.
"Do you want to go to the beach and watch the sunset there?" Val asked me.
"I would but I'm sure so many other people from school are there." I sighed thinking of how nice it would be.
"We could always use the private beach by Stella and Lottie's house. We could invite Quinn and Zoë, and obviously Stella and Lottie's. I think it would be nice." She said
"Yes," I said excitedly, more than I should've been. "Okay, meant okay." I replaced my excited yes while she laughed at me.
"Okay, we should go get bathing suits." She said and I sprung up to head upstairs.
I wore a ribbed blue bikini with white flowers detailing all around it. It was a string tie so it held at the back and around my neck, and either side of the bottoms. Also wore a pair of blue denim shorts and white slides with of course my necklace around my neck. And lastly I wore a white cap with a small piece of writing on it. I carried all I'd need in a blue tote bag with one giant white flower on it.
After a little convincing from me, I finally got Val into a dark blue bikini. Like mine it was a triangle string tie bikini. She wore a pair of shorts too with a pair of slides.
"Quinn said they'd meet us there, love." Val said to me as we walked out her front door together.
The drive was so refreshing, we had the windows down so the warm summer breeze was hitting us perfectly. Once we got to Stella's house, we walked right in.
Both of her twins were running around in purple swimsuits when we got there.
"Hi, okay we're ready to walk down but we need to wait for Quinn and Zoë." Lottie said to us as we walked in.
We waited for a while, Natalia and I played for a bit while Stella and Emilia played. Valentina stood with Lottie and talked together.
Shortly after Zoë and Quinn both got here and we all walked down to the beach. It was a good ten minute walk away from their house, just slightly beyond the other houses in front of Stella's.
Zoë and I walked together with Natalia, Lottie and Quinn walked together and Stella, Valentina and Emilia walked behind us all.
"I'm gonna marry her you know." Zoë said softly to me.
"Who?" I asked her.
"Quinn. Who else?" She chuckled, "I'm gonna marry her." She said with an even wider smile on her face.
"Isn't that what your dad said today?" I asked her with a light chuckle.
"Shut up." She laughed along. "But I will, i want to make a forever kind of promise to her. Maybe after college." She said smiling widely.
"I know you will. You two have been everything." I said as we finally arrived at the beach with seemed to be emptier than beaches away from residential areas.
I picked a spot to put all my stuff down and Valentina joined me. She laid her towel down, laying on it.
She wasn't going to come in right know, I knew that much so instead Zoë and I went in instead. Running and getting our bodies in all the way.
We swam around for a bit before eventually getting out to disturb our girlfriend's peace.
"You should come in with me." I said to her fishing some water out of the bag before sitting on her lap, as wet as I am.
"My love, you're all wet and cold." She said
"You're an exaggerator." I said playfully to her. "Just come in once. With me."
"Alright let's go." She said and I stood up in full excitement.
"Really?" I smiled widely at her.
"Really." She smirked back.
I took her hand and went in with her. The water was warm, and so blue. The sun wasn't as high anymore and sunset was nearing.
Val and I swam further in, simultaneously splashing water at each other as we went. We the sun was setting, our little water game calmed down and I swam into her arms.
"All summer, it's us. We don't have to hide, or lie. We could go out for ice cream tonight and no one could say anything." I said excitedly as she held me close while our feet tread water beneath us.
"Mhmm, we could. We've got all summer love." She kissed my lips softly.
"I'm gonna miss you when I go to NYU." I pouted slightly.
"I'll come visit you as much as I can. and you'll be home for breaks."
"Or...you could come with me." I smiled at her.
"I would if I could. It's four years, we'll be okay. And then you'll be the best criminologist out there." She said and I blushed hard.
"We will be okay." I kissed her softly.
✽The end✽
A/N: Thank you all so much for reading this book!! Every single one of the comments and votes really helped me keep this book alive so thank you all so much!
This is sadly the end of Teachers Tapestry. There will be an epilogue and bonus chapter coming soon.
However there is going to be a book about two of the most unexpected characters (I think) in this book. And that book will be the last to finish of the 'Rich And Not Spoiled' series. It will be only be much later on tho. After this one I'll be working on my the next book in a new connected books thingy ( the 'you inspire me' series)
Anyways!!! I really hope you all enjoyed this books & thank you so much for reading all this far into it.
The epilogue and bonus scene will be out soon.
-lovingfemmes <3