Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

Ren

Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony. It may not seem so obvious but I'm terrified of what comes next. What happens after we graduate? Where will everyone go?

I sit on my bed, waiting for Austin to come back from his last class. I'm reading the same sentence from the book I'm currently reading. I can't shake the thought of my friends and I separating. Some of us will be living on the other side of the world. And I know Austin said we'd figure things out, but how?

The doors opens and Megan comes in. "Hey Ren-what's wrong?" she sits with me on the bed and wraps an arm around me.

"You look like you've lost something," she adds.

I shrug, "I might be soon."

She furrow her brows. "I don't follow."

I sigh, "I'll be losing you guys after graduation. I don't want that to happen." I tear rolls down my face and Megan wipes it away. "Graduation will tear our friendship apart."

She shakes her head and rubs my arm. "Graduation will only tear us apart if we let it."

"I want to believe you. But I can't," I rub my nose.

"Can't or won't?" She raises her eyebrows.

I'll take that as a rhetorical question. I don't know how to answer that. I don't know what to believe. I can only expect the unexpected.

"Did you make your speech already?" she asks.

My eyes widen. My speech! How can I forget about it? I quickly get out of bed and grab my laptop. I go into Word and start typing my speech down.

Megan shakes her head, chuckling. "Can't believe you forgot about your speech."

As if on cue, the door opens and Austin comes in. "Hey Megan," he nods at her before kissing me on the cheek. "Hello princess, what's that?"

"My speech." I tell him without looking away from my laptop screen.

Megan gets out of my bed and heads for the door. "I'll see you two later," she says and I tear my eyes off the screen and look at Megan.

"But you just got here," I pout.

"You have your boyfriend here and I've got mine waiting for me at the lobby," she points out. "And you have to finish your speech. So go finish it."

Megan leaves and Austin sits behind me, massaging my shoulders. "I'm scared for tomorrow..." I trail off.

"Of what? Losing us? Ren, I told you-"

"...of tripping on stage." I cut him off and bursts out laughing.

"Then I'll make sure to be there to catch you when you fall." He grins at me.

I nudge him with my elbow. "You're so cheesy."

"As cheesy as a mozzarella pizza," he says.

**

After finishing up with my speech I decide to practice them at the theater, where the graduation is going to be held. I stand behind the podium and read my speech. I mess up a couple of times and I kick the podium in frustration.

I wince in pain and hold my right foot. "Son of a..." don't curse. "...beeswax."

I rub my right foot and straighten my back. I walk in front of the podium and look at the chairs, imagining the thousands of people watching me right now. I recite my speech once more and I finish reciting it without any stutter or any mistake. I smile at myself and grab my phone, calling Austin.

I hear a phone ring somewhere in the theater and it makes me jump. I follow the sound and squint at the very last row of chairs by the door. "Austin?"

He gets up from the chair and waves at me sheepishly. "Hi."

"What are you doing here?" I ask him. Moving away from the podium.

He approaches the stage and holds out his arms. He carries me back down from the stage. We intertwine hands and walk out of the theater together. "I was looking for you and Alanna said you'd be here."

"Now I feel stupid," I blush in embarrassment.

"For what? Kicking the podium?" he laughs and I hit him on the chest. "But you're fine now, right?"

I nod. "I'll be fine."