I'M BACK, MES AMIES. I am so sorry for being gone for so long. My work has been out of control and I have so much of it. I'll catch up and then write a bunch more next week (which is a break for me). This is a bit of a filler chapter, but I promise that Chapter 13 is where things are at. It's gonna be worth the wait, I promise. Enjoy!
Warning: Google Translate French
Much Love, Krissy
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Graduation Day (Jfc FINALLY):
This is it. The time has come. High school is over! Tonight we graduate, and then we party! Alright, maybe not party, but we'll celebrate. My mother is taking me and John to dinner, and then she said there was a surprise for us. I'm excited. I adjust the dress I'm wearing underneath my graduation robe and smile at myself in the mirror by the door.
"Anastasia, mon coeur (my heart), where is John? We need to leave in a few minutes," my mother says. I turn around and look at her, shrugging.
"I'll check our room," I say. She nods, setting Nicolette down on the ground and leaning over to put her shoes on for her. I go back upstairs and look in my room. He's sitting on the bed with his back toward me. I take a single step before I watch his shoulders jerk slightly and realize he's crying.
"Mon tendre (My sweet)?" I ask softly. He sniffles loudly and tries to wipe his face before I can see.
"I'm ready," he says, voice soft. I walk over to the bed and sit down next to him, not looking toward him. Clearly he doesn't want me to see him cry again, so I reach over and take his hand.
"Est-ce à propos de ton père (Is this about your father)?" I ask softly. I can see his head move in a nod out of the corner of my eye. I sigh and give his hand a small squeeze.
"I'm sorry," I say. He looks at me.
"For what?" he asks. I shrug and look at him.
"For your own father not being able to accept who you are," I say. He squeezes my hand tightly, looking at that instead.
"It isn't your fault," he says softly, before smiling slightly, "and at least I have you, your mom, and Nicolette." I smile softly and nod.
"Of course. You'll always have us. And your mom and siblings," I say. He looks up at me and nods, giving my hand another squeeze.
"Always?" he asks. I lean against him a little and squeeze his hand.
"Always," I say. He puts his head on top of mine, just briefly, then stands up.
"Let's go graduate."
"Anastasia Reama." Our principal announces my name, and the crowd begins to clap. He lists my achievements and future plans as I cross the stage, and he hands me my awards, scholarships and graduation certificate. This is it. This is my freedom. My future. I look out across the applauding crowd, seeing John, his mother and siblings, and my own mother, all beaming at me. I can see pride and love glowing in their eyes and smiles. I'm going to do something amazing with my future. I shake our principal's hand and smile. A camera flashes somewhere, and then I walk off the stage, returning to my seat.
My mother is crying tears of joy. She's been hugging me for a good solid thirty seconds, and I haven't the heart to ask her to let go.
"Je suis si fier de toi, ma chère (I am so proud of you, my dear)!" she cries. I hold onto her tightly and smile.
"Merci maman. Je suis content de vous avoir rendu fier (Thank you, mama. I'm glad I have made you proud)," I say. She pulls back and holds my face between her hands, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. She's smiling, so full of motherly pride.
"Ana!" I raise my head and look over. Skylar is grinning at me and waving wildly. I look back at my mother, who smiles and nods, letting me go. I walk past her, receiving a knowing look and a wink from John. I giggle and go to Skylar, who immediately hugs me.
"I can't believe we're graduated!" she says. I laugh and return her brief hug, before we step back and look at each other. She looks around before taking my hand and holding it. We both blush, but I'm smiling. A moment passes, before my smile becomes a hesitant one.
"Skylar...I'm moving to New York for college. I don't think I'm going to be able to see you very much," I say. Her smile fades too, and she takes my other hand in her free one and squeezes both of my hands.
"I know, and I know that's where you'll be happy. You and John are going together, right? I really like you, but I want you to be happy, and you'll be happy in New York, with John," she says. I tear up a little bit.
"What did I do to deserve someone like you?" I ask softly. She smiles softly and squeezes my hands again.
"You didn't do anything. You just were and I was drawn to you. All the best people are drawn to people like you," she says. I laugh a little, a tear rolling down my face as I hug her again.
"That was tellement ringard (so corny)," I giggle. She hums and I chuckle.
"Corny," I translate. She laughs, and I bask in the noise. I don't know when, or if, I'll hear it again before I leave. We'll have to plan a date or two before I move.
"Anastasia, your mom wants a picture!" I pull back and turn to look toward my mother. She smiles and waves her hand at me while John holds Nicolette. I look back at Skylar before pulling her along behind me.
"Can Skylar take a picture with us? We're kind of a trio," I say. My mother smiles and nods.
"Of course! It's nice to meet you, Skylar," she says. Skylar smiles and nods. John hands me Nicolette and puts his arm around me, while Skylar does the same on my other side. The three of us smile, and my mother takes a picture of us. She takes several pictures, some of just me, some of me and John, some of me and Nicolette, the list goes on. When she is satisfied, the camera is put away and she smiles.
"Skylar, how would you and your family like to come and join us for a celebratory dinner?" she asks, looking over at the girl beside me. I watch Skylar's eyes light up as she nods.
"That would be lovely, Mrs. Reama! Let me go ask my mom!" she says, running off to find her family. My mother's gaze turns on me, and she smiles.
"She seems like a nice girl. Why have you never introduced her to me?" she asks. I shrug, not really sure of the answer.
"We only became close this month. I guess I didn't think that I had time between exams and studying for exams," I say. My mother nods, taking the answer.
"I think that makes enough sense. I hope that she can join us for dinner," she says. I nod and grin.
"Me too."
By some grace, Skylar and her family agreed to have a celebratory dinner with us. We laugh and talk, and everyone gets along extremely well. Skylar and I hold hands beneath the table, and John keeps giving me fond, sly glances and winking.
"So, Anastasia, where are you going to college?" Skylar's mother, Mia, asks. I swallow my sip of water and grin at her.
"John and I are both going to Columbia University in New York," I say. Skylar's father, Connor, smiles and looks impressed.
"That's a very nice university. Did you both get there on scholarships?" he asks, looking between us. John chuckles.
"Half of us. Ana did. My mom is going to try to help pay for mine," he says. My mother smiles at him.
"And if she can't, then I will," she says. John opens his mouth to object, but my mother reaches over and touches his hand.
"John, darling, you've been Anastasia's best friend for a very long time, and we both love you very much. You've become the son I don't have. If your mother cannot help you with college, I will do so in a heartbeat," she says. John gapes at her for a moment, before he smiles softly.
"Thank you, Charlotte," he says softly. My mother smiles at him and nods, before retracting her hand as our food arrives. My mother insisted on paying for everything since we were the ones who invited Skylar and her family out. They're appreciative.
"John!" The entire table turns their attention on the voice calling out. It's Eleanor and all four of John's siblings. They're smiling, and I see John start smiling at the sight of them. He stands up from the table and walks around, hugging his family.
"Congratulations, John!" his oldest sister, Martha, says. The youngest, Mary, is holding flowers, which are crushed in the hug with her family. I smile slightly, and look toward Skylar and her confused parents.
"That's John's mom and siblings. They're very accepting of him, but his father isn't," I explain softly. Skylar's mouth falls open slightly and she looks back at John for a moment. I squeeze her hand under the table, and she smiles softly. I look back at John and his family, smiling softly. If they were accepting of him, I wonder if my parents would be too.
In short, John and Skylar's families came back to our house with us, and now John, Skylar and I are standing in the driveway.
"We'll have to come visit after we move. Maybe over breaks, since it's so far away," John says. I nod in agreement. Skylar laughs, swinging my hand back and forth.
"You definitely should. I would love that," she says. I smile at her and she smiles back as I lean on John. He chuckles slightly and puts an arm around my shoulders, kissing the side of my head. I giggle slightly.
"Do you think mom will throw us a graduation party?" I ask John, looking over at him. He hums and smiles slightly.
"It wouldn't shock me if that was what they were all planning inside right now," he says. I laugh and nod in agreement.
"Anastasia!" We all turn at the sound of my mother's voice. It isn't quaking, but I can tell it's nervous. My mother rarely sounds nervous about anything. I notice that she's rushing out of the house with Nicolette in her arms, and our guests are hurrying to their vehicles. I release John and Skylar, going to her.
"Maman, qu'est-ce (Mama, what's)-"
"Ton père rentre à la maison (Your father is coming back home)," she says. I feel my blood run cold. We haven't seen him in months. Not since the day Nicolette was born. What could he possibly want from us now?
"I don't...What's going on?" Skylar asks, not able to understand French. I look over my shoulder at her.
"My father is coming home," I say. Her face pales, while John's is hardened in dismay. He comes forward to stand by me.
"What can we do?" he asks. My mother shakes her head and hands Nicolette to me.
"Nothing. I'll deal with him myself. I need you two to take Nicolette and go with the Harks," she says, gesturing to Skylar's parents. I shake my head, reaching out to her.
"Mother, I'm not leaving you here to deal with him by yourself. I don't want him to do anything to you," I say, touching her arm. Her eyes harden on me slightly, in a way I've never seen her look at me before.
"Anastasia, listen to me. I will not put you in danger by letting you stay here around that man," she says firmly. This is how she would act with an employee, I realize. I stand still, unwavering under her gaze.
"Mother, I'm not leaving. You taught me to stand up for myself, and I can't do that if you're trying to protect me. You know you can't force me to leave," I say, equally as firm. She stares at me for a moment, before she huffs.
"Fine." She looks at John. "Will you take care of Nicolette?" I glance at my best friend, who shakes his head.
"I'm staying here too," he says. An objecting cry forms in my throat, but my mother beats me to it.
"John, I appreciate that you want to stay and protect us, but this is a matter of family and Nathan will not hesitate to hurt you. You need to go," she says, stepping around me to put her hands on John's shoulders. John holds her gaze and shakes his head.
"You two are my family," he says softly. My mother looks away at that and sighs.
"Je ne veux pas qu'il te blesse (I don't want him to hurt you)," she says. John nods.
"I won't let him hurt me or either of you. I'm staying," he says. My mother looks at me, and I give her a determined look. She sighs and looks at Skylar.
"You should go, dear. Your family is waiting for you," she says. Skylar looks between the three of us, then over at the car where her parents are waiting for her.
"Let me look after Nicolette for you. I want to help somehow," she says. My mother smiles slightly at her and nods, and I had Nicolette over to Skylar.
"Be careful," she whispers while I'm close to her. I meet her eyes and nod, offering what I hope is a comforting smile. She holds my gaze for another second before I step away. She holds Nicolette carefully in her arms and swallows.
"I'll take care of her. Be safe," she says, before hurrying toward her parents' car. We watch their car and John's family's car pull out of the driveway, though I see several faces look back at us with concern.
"Let's go inside," my mother says. I nod and turn around, following her. John waits for me, and takes my hand as we walk.
"It's going to be okay," he says softly. I look at him and give a slight nod, though it's more of a reassurance for him than for myself.
"Will you at least go up to your room?" my mother asks. We both shake our heads and she sighs, going into the living room. We follow her and settle on the couch, still holding hands. It's quiet, eerily so. The weight of the situation fills the air, making it heavy and almost cold. I reach for my mother, and she takes my hand. She looks more concerned about us than anything else.
"Ça ira. Nous irons bien (It will be alright. We will be alright)," I say. There's a nearly inaudible noise of a vehicle door slamming. My father's truck. The front door unlocks and I look at my mother. She swallows.
"J'espère certainement que tu as raison (I certainly hope that you're right)."
OOOOH. TENSE. WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT? ANY THEORIES? LET ME KNOW! Also, I plan to release another oneshot before I post the next chapter, so be on the lookout for that!