20.Fourteen Years Ago
PENNY
Lance came to almost every single one of my physical therapy sessions in between finals and graduation. I was trying to rehab my knee but progress was slow. Almost every session ended in frustration, but Lance had the patience of a saint.
On Commencement Day, Doug wheeled me up the ramp to the stage to receive my diploma. Although I technically hadn’t completed my final’s performance, Doug had given me an A and some good news: Joey wouldn’t be graduating.
I didn’t press charges against Joey. The university basically rejected all his pleas to transfer his dance credits to another college after Doug filed a report about the incident and the months leading up to it. I don’t know where he went, but I never saw him or heard from him again.
As we all hung out after Commencement, I could tell Gavin was no longer standoffish toward Lance. He had no right to be. He was swept up in Lottie, and Lance was there for me in ways Gavin couldn’t be. I had forgiven him, and we had fallen back into our friendly routine of hanging out once a week or so, but something had changed between us. I think we could both sense it.
“Congrats, P,” he said as he bent to kiss my cheek.
“Thanks. Congrats to you, too. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to your engineering department ceremony yesterday. You know I can’t miss a single PT session, right?”
“Don’t sweat it,” he said. “My mom and dad were there. Lottie, too.”
Gavin, Lottie, Ling, Lance, my family, and I were all by a tree waiting for the parking lot to clear out after the ceremony. My dad was getting over a nasty bout of pneumonia and was hacking pretty badly, but he still had dragged himself out of bed to see his baby girl graduate.
“Liam,” Gavin said, “why don’t you guys take off so you can go home and get some rest? We’ll take Penny out to celebrate.”
I noticed Lottie’s shoulders sag. She whispered something to Gavin. “We’ll do that tomorrow,” he whispered back. She pouted but we all ignored her.
My parents and Kiki hugged me good-bye and headed toward the car, leaving me with Lance, Ling, and the two lovebirds.
Lance was checking his voicemail and smiling. “Yes! I have an interview tomorrow at a huge pharma company. I’m stoked—it’s already starting!”
I high-fived him. “We all have so much to celebrate. Let’s get outta here.”
“Ugh, I really feel like a fifth wheel,” Ling said.
“We’ll get my crutches and go to a bar. This isn’t a double date—just a casual hang.” Ling rolled her eyes at me.
Gavin and Lottie rode in his car, and Ling and I went with Lance in his pristine vehicle. When Lance helped me into the front seat, he pulled my seatbelt around for me and then pecked me on the lips. It was our first kiss.
I grabbed his neck and pulled him in for a more intimate kiss, but the sparks just weren’t flying. He was trying, but strangely it felt awkward on his end as well. Too forced and rigid. When he pulled away, he was smiling, so I smiled back.
“That was nice,” he said before shutting my door and walking around to the driver’s side.
Ling leaned forward from the backseat. “What was that? I thought you didn’t like him?”
“He’s growing on me.”
“Sounds like a freakin’ fairy tale.”
“Shh, he’s coming.” I swatted at her and gave Lance a big smile as he opened the driver-side door.
ONCE WE GOTto the bar, I used my crutches to propel myself to a barstool. All my friends made way for me and basically kicked some guy out of his seat so I could sit at the end of the bar. They gathered around me, menus in hand.
“I’ll get your first drink,” Gavin said. “Wait, are you allowed to mix pain meds with alcohol?”
“I’m not on that stuff anymore, so I’m drinking, yo! Tequila shots!”
Lance shook his head. “I’ll get Penny’s,” he said to Gavin.
Gavin raised a brow. “I was just gonna buy her one celebratory drink, man.”
Thankfully Lottie was busy talking to Ling and wasn’t watching this lame macho face-off unfold.
