For the first time, I felt like I had made my Mom proud, and was finally going to prove my Dad wrong. Not only that, but I could confidently step out from Amy’s academic shadow. A tiny part of me, and I mean just a sliver, felt bad that she had lost her scholarship, but karma for what she had done still felt so sweet.
I impatiently waited until 5:00, when Chris would come visit me after his lacrosse practice was over. The moment that I heard the rumble of his truck outside my house, I flung the front door open and waited on the steps as he cut the engine and came running across the driveway to greet me. I held the letter out to him, and he stopped in his tracks, looking worried.
“Did you do this?” I asked as he climbed the steps slowly towards me.
“Do what?” he replied, staring at the paper.
“This,” I said, shaking the paper at him. He read it carefully, as his face grew an ear-to-ear grin.
“Maybe,” he said, still looking down at the letter.
I threw my arms around him before he looked up. He reached his arms around me and finished reading the letter, then whispered in my ear.
“I told you, you were amazing. I love you, Allie. I have a question, though,” he said, as he pulled away, and a lock of his hair that I loved so much fell into his eyes. I tilted my head, waiting for his question, as I reached up to move it, and he grabbed my wrist, then he said, “Don’t start something you can’t finish, baby. I got into Virginia Tech, too. Can I come with you?”
As my heart throbbed hard for the boy I loved, he crashed his lips against mine, then he pulled away and waited for my answer, which took me no time at all.
“Yes,” I said, and the fire flashed within his eyes.
Epilogue
“Girls, it’s time to go, we don’t want to be late!” Mom called from the bottom of the stairs.
“Coming!” I yelled in reply as I stood before the mirror and smoothed the front of my white cotton dress. Why on earth did they make us wear all white to graduate like we were virgin brides? What a stupid tradition.
“Holdon!”screamed Amy from down the hall. It had been three months since Amy had come clean about all the evil things she had done, and we were finally on speaking terms, even if things were still tense. I could hear her door open as I made my way down towards the top of the stairs. I turned back to see her glance in my direction before going down the back staircase but she didn’t acknowledge me.
Down in the kitchen, Mom met us with our usual smoothies, but I was tied up too tightly in my god-awful white dress and too terrified to even think of spilling something strawberry pink down the front of it to consider having any. “No thanks,” I said apologetically. My Mom scoffed at my denial and set it down on the counter.
“Amy? How about you?” she said, holding a glass out to her instead.
“Sure. Thanks,” she said as she took a few sips then set it down. Suck up.
“You both look beautiful. Let’s get going, I want to get a good seat.” Then she turned and headed towards the garage door.
“You look nice,” I said to Amy as she gathered her things before following Mom. She gave me a half smile and nodded but didn’t reply. Alrighty then.
We rode to school in silence, other than Mom commenting on the flowers that were beginning to pop through the soil in various yards. Neither Amy nor I could have cared less but we humored her with the occasional “Mm,” or “Huh” just to appease her. As soon as we arrived we split ways from Mom and found our seats on the stage. I had forgotten that we would be seated alphabetically. That meant that I would be seated next to Amy. My lucky day. I couldn’t wait to suffer through an hour of her cold shoulder in this sweltering heat. If only I could sit next to Chris.
Once I found my spot I made my way back out into the crowd to look for Chris who had surely arrived by now. Ever since everything that happened, he had taken every chance to spend time with me, and I was learning to let my guard down and let him love me in a way that my Dad never did. It was a risk, but I was finally willing to take it. Just as I was walking up the aisle, Isabelle came trotting towards me.
“Allie! There you are, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” she said with outstretched arms. As soon as I was close enough, she pulled me in for a hug.
“Easy tiger, I’m still in pain,” I said, and she immediately eased her grip. Even though physical therapy had dragged on for months, I still wasn’t making much progress and was still in almost as much pain as I was when the accident happened.
“Hi, dear!” Mrs. Wharton said, trailing up behind Isabelle. “I’m so happy to hear about your new venture at Virginia Tech, that’s wonderful news, I know you’re going to have a great time.”
“Thanks! I know. I’m really excited, I only wish that Isabelle was coming, too.”
“She’ll be right up the road. JMU isn’t that far away.”
“Road trip!” yelled Isabelle, as she waved her arms wildly above her head.
Just then, I felt warm hands on the back of my clammy neck. It must have been 105 degrees outside.
“Hey Superstar,” he said softly into my ear. I spun to meet his gaze. He stood before me in a navy blue suit and a green and gold tie. His dark waves of hair wilder than ever. I loved that he didn’t slick them back.
“There you are,” I said, as I reached a hand to his cheek, but he caught my wrist and my eyes went wide as this public gesture. However this time, he brought my wrist to his lips and kissed it before dropping it to his side and lacing his fingers into mine. I let out a breath of relief.
