“Thanks, Dad.”
My mom comes in next, shoving my dad out of the way so she can steal her own hug. “There’s my valedictorian.”
“Are you crying?” I ask when I hear her sniffling.
“She’s been crying the whole time,” my dad offers behind me.
“Shut up, Ted. Don’t pretend you weren’t weeping through your lens.” My dad laughs, not bothering to deny it. My mom cradles my face, her makeup smudged from wiping her eyes. “Your speech was…what was the word Alex used? Brilliant?Youwere brilliant.”
“Alex? You’ve seen her?”
My mother nods. “Oh, yeah, she was here looking for you a few minutes ago.”
Shit. I stand on my toes to try to look for her above the sea of people. “Which way did she go?”
My mom thinks for a second, then points toward the parking lot. “That way, I think.”
Before I can take a step in that direction, I’m swooped off my feet and spun around in a circle. “Babe!” Tyler places me on the ground but keeps me in his arms, smiling wide. “You did so good!”
“Thank you.” I straighten the cap on his head and pat his chest, his enthusiasm infectious and welcoming.
He offers to take a few photos of me with my parents and hands the camera back to my dad just as Chloe appears yelling, “We did it, bitches!” at the top of her lungs.
My dad snags about a thousand more pictures of the three of us until I’m not sure my cheeks can handle any more smiling.
“I better go find my folks,” Tyler says, pulling me close once the photo shoot is over. “See you tonight?” I nod, and he leans in for a kiss.
Chloe makes gagging sounds beside me, and Tyler pretends to punch her in the jaw. She scowls and slaps at his hand, leaning away. “You’re such a boy.” He laughs and gives her a hug. She turns her scowl to me once he’s gone. “You’re not going to make out with him the entire time at the all-night grad party, are you?”
Before I can respond, there’s a gentle tug on the cords that still hang around my neck, followed by a familiar voice whispering into my ear from behind. “Nice ropes.”
“Alex.” Her name comes out with a rush of emotions, relief, happiness, and the feeling offinally, as I throw myself into her. I want to tell her how glad I am she’s home, how long this past year feltwithout her, and beg her to never go so far away again, but the words seem to be caught in my throat. Instead, I press my face into the side of her neck and take a deep breath. She smells like bergamot, sunshine, and nostalgia. Tears prickle my eyes, and the lump in my throat grows.
“Damn, I missed you,” she says with her face in my hair while squeezing me so tight that it forces all the air from my lungs.
“Nice of you to show up,” Chloe quips, and Alex laughs, pulling her in for a hug, too.
“Smile, girls,” my dad says and holds up his camera. Alex wraps her arm around my waist and presses her cheek against mine.
After a few shots, I hold out my arm for Chloe to join in. She squeezes in on my other side, and I don’t even mind my face hurting because I finally have my graduation picture with my two best friends.
But way too soon, Alex pulls away and backs up toward the crowd. “Mom and Mason are waiting to take me to lunch. See you at the Ridge?”
“Wait,” I say, trying to get her back. The entire morning has been so crazy that I feel like I haven’t even gotten a good look at her yet.
She flashes me a devilish sort of smile and slips on her sunglasses. “I have something I want to show you.”
“Alex,” I call out, wanting her to just slow down for a minute.
“Tonight,” she yells and throws up the rock ’n’ roll horns before she disappears into the crowd.
We were supposed to meet at eleven. It’s now eleven twenty-three, and Chloe is getting antsy. But Alex made me swear I’d wait for her outside so she didn’t have to walk into the entertainment center alone. We sit on the railing in front of the building while classmates wander about and line up for the food trucks along the parking lot. I yawn. It’s been a long day of celebrating, and I wonder how I’ll be able to stay awake all night.
“Are you sure she’s coming?” Chloe asks beside me.
I check my phone, but the last message from her came eighteen minutes ago. “She said she was on her way.”
“I bet she fell asleep and forgot,” Chloe grumbles. “Do you think Tyler would bring us some food? I’m starving.”
