Page 15

G raduation.

Everyone expects graduation to be a milestone event, and it proved to be exactly that.

The ceremony was held. The Valedictorian's speech captured my attention completely when I learned Neha had been named Valedictorian while I received my diploma and shook Hazelds with my teachers.

Before returning home I snapped some photos and began planning for our celebratory lunch. During the drive to the restaurant my thoughts kept circling around my future and what it might look like.

My happiness should be complete, but I am constantly reminded that someone else will share this journey with me. I remember it so clearly:

During winter break I had submitted my early decision to Georgia.

Both my parents and family members along with my friends were aware of my early decision and commitment to Georgia. During the past year I maintained a small journal that documented my daily experiences.

The journal contained many rants, yet it also featured summaries of my most memorable experiences.

The entry from my journal that stands out the most to me was written the week before Christmas.

18 December

I can't wait for college. My main concern now is escaping from his presence. God, he is such a hassle. I prefer to avoid him today because this journal likely contains numerous rants about him.

But I seriously can't wait. I'll endure another five months of school followed by a life-challenging Savannah before I transform into a Bulldog. I will soon be Jaxon Rowan-free!

The next day we received shocking and devastating news at the Rowan household which clearly showed in my following entry how I felt.

19 December.

Him would be the only person I want to kill. One. Fucking. Person. I am going to commit homicide tonight.

Yep. Jaxon shared his University of Georgia commitment in private before making it public.

The day started as my worst but took a turn for the worse when I noticed the expressions on both our mothers' faces.

They were excited. There's no way they could show excitement for this situation. Despite being aware that this person creates 99% of my life problems they still throw him congratulations while ignoring that my dream to attend that place started when I was nine.

And I've wanted to go there alone.

But whatever. I probably won't get to see him very much. He'll have football and a hole.

Numerous other girls seem to be catching his attention.

So it won't be that bad.

But it's still annoying.

The light shakes of my hand pulled me back to reality from my thoughts.

I responded with a short laugh to Hazel’s text message as we moved closer to the restaurant. The lunch proceeded without any problems even though there were no exciting events. Nonetheless, it was a nice outing.

I remained inside our home until late when we arrived. Their schedules were full, but they managed some free time at the party.

I lay down on my bed for several hours before I began to prepare myself.

I took a shower before I quickly dressed in jeans shorts and a shirt. The outside air contained humidity, and I realized the temperature remained high.

By eight, I was ready. After Elijah took his car, I informed my parents that I would see them later. They advised me to remain cautious, but I listened briefly before disregarding their words.

Lectures. Lectures. Lectures.

Whenever one of us leaves home for an outing we end up facing identical situations.

I entered my car and headed across town toward Travis's home. Travis throws the best parties because he owns the ideal house with plenty of alcohol and other essentials. He manages the task without explanation but nevertheless completes it.

Due to the main road traffic I reached the destination at approximately 10:20. It was packed. The moment I stepped through the door

I noticed people gathered in the front yard. The large crowd demonstrated that students from multiple schools attended the party. But I didn't care. The more, the merrier. Kylie sent me a text message to join her at the back of the location.

I maneuvered through the crowd of people while passing two competitive beer pong matches to exit the building.

After reaching the back area I found Kylie standing there with the rest of the crowd next to the coolers. I picked up a drink for myself before beginning my evening. JAMIE told me that this party was restricted to seniors only.

The fact we all graduated explains why it's a seniors-only party. The party was wild. We only stepped outside for a moment when a shout came from the roof. As I followed the voice with my eyes, I caught sight of Travis preparing to leap.

"Oh my God," I say out loud.

"He's insane." Hazel laughed.

I observed Travis running toward the roof's edge and leaping off without hesitation. His body disappeared under the water which created a huge splash when I followed him.

Our surroundings filled with cheers while people pulled out their cameras to capture the moment. Stunned along with Kalya and Hazel I stood there. This event definitely kicked off our night with a bang.

I kept drinking rapidly following the show. At nine o'clock I completed my fourth drink and realized I needed to quit.

The group had transitioned indoors but could no longer find Camden and JAMIE. The living room became our space while someone randomly selected a show to play.

There were unfamiliar children operating the music player but their presence didn't bother us.

While Kylie sat with Elijah and Hazel nestled between them on the couch, I took my place at one end with my arm resting on the armrest.

Next to the archway stood a girl who held her drink. Her stare remained locked on the person who was seated nearby. I shadowed them and noticed she was looking at Felix.

He often talked at parties because he was not afraid to talk to others and became more talkative when he was drunk. Felix remained unaware of the girl who kept watching him.

Which I was partly thankful for. I looked at Hazel whose face was buried in her phone.

She appears completely unaware of her man's dangerous situation.

A person came into the room which led everyone to look at him after I chuckled at my own misfortune. Before I could process anything else I caught a glimpse of him but saw that the girl continued to stare at Felix.

The man in the armchair continued his conversation with another while sitting directly next to my elbow on the armrest. I took one more look at the girl and Felix before someone pushed past me to stand by Hazel.

With a quick motion to the left side I spotted Jaxon on the couch.

"Really?" I complain.

"What? I wanted to sit down." he shrugs and sips his drink.

Just then, another voice piped up. It was that girl. "Anyone wanna play a game?" She pitches the idea.

Everyone agreed after they took a brief look around the room. You played spinning the bottle, but when it stopped on you, you received a truth-or-dare question.

Simple, I know. The collective intelligence gathered here would create an undoubtedly fascinating experience. I lost track of what occurred during the initial rounds of the game.

I was well past being sober.

We reached that girl yet hadn't learned her name before she spun the bottle. The bottle rotated rapidly before finally pointing towards Felix.

Oh shit.

The smirk on her face caught my attention so I turned toward Hazel immediately. She seemed uneasy to me, and I understood the reason completely.

"So... Felix, that's your name, yes?" she asked in a sultry tone.

"Mhm." he hummed with a smile.

Hazel's discomfort began to make me anxious. Felix showed a degree of interest, but I kept worrying.

"Truth or dare?" she asked.

He said "Dare" and took another drink from his beer. Her grin only grew. "I dare you...to kiss any

girl in the room."

As someone moved on the couch, I felt around me I experienced my eyes opening wider. Hazel felt uncomfortable by the situation, yet she had no course of action.

All Felix did was laugh to himself. "Does that include you?" he asks, placing his drink aside. "It does." she smiles.

Everyone knew what she wanted.

I knew it. My gaze shifted left and Jaxon

immediately understood the direction of my attention. Hazel knew it. Kylie and Elijah knew it. The way Felix looks at her suggests he doesn't know.

His intentions remained uncertain to us. I felt a tap on my shoulder as Felix gained my attention.

"Watch this." Before stepping down from the armrest he gave me a kiss with his lips.

I was confused but let him go. He circled the couch and I tracked his movements with my gaze. I turned my head backwards to see past Jaxon.

His position behind Hazel revealed to me that her heart was beating quickly. He whispered "Hi" as he tilted her head back using his finger.

Her cheeks showed a red blush while she struggled to speak.

My facial expression showed even more shock when he bent over to kiss her.

My jaw dropped. I gasped "Oh shit" to myself while removing my gaze from the couple.

I redirected my focus toward the girl who initially dared him. Her expression remained unamused as she eventually faced her friends.

I wanted to laugh out loud but only chuckled silently so that nobody noticed.

My phone started vibrating which prompted me to look at my incoming messages.

Hazel's rants about blondies

Hoe #1: We're 100% debriefing tomorrow

Me: Oh yeah, we are

I smiled and put my phone down. Felix returned around the couch sporting a very intense expression.

I gave him a smile but his attention shifted away as he spun the bottle. He settled back on the couch armrest and released a breath while my eyes darted to Hazel.

Hazel positioned her knees against her chest while also hiding her face behind her hands.

She's fucking adorable. I love her.

I resumed watching the bottle as it came to a slower spin. I watched intently as the bottle came to rest and showed me its target.

"Oh no," I said to myself.

"Okay, Emerson. Truth or dare?" he asked with a smile. It was clear that he was thinking through the situation. He had already figured out what I was going to say. He was most likely prepared with his response to me before I even finished speaking.

"Dare," I said.

His smile widened as he laughed. "Seven minutes in... hell, I guess. With him."

His gaze floated above my head while I recognized the familiar presence behind me.

Shit.