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Chapter 2

Today is the day I graduate. It's been a long two years but finally, its happening.

Kate, my best friend, has been stressing all morning. She has a Valedictorian speech to make. I have been living with her as a roommate in an apartment we share together ever since we started college together, so I haven't been home much. I haven't seen my parents or Christian in awhile, but I know I am supposed to see them today when they come see me graduate.

I check my phone while I get some breakfast, realizing I've missed a call from my mother. She is meant to come today and watch me, as well as Ray, my father. As for Christian, I still don't know whether he is actually coming or not; We have kind of lost contact in the past two years ever since we both moved out of the house. We'll call each other and talk every once in awhile, asking what's up with each other, but that's about it.

I redial her number, waiting for her to pick up. When she does, I can hear my father fussing around in the background.

"Hello, honey. Are you all ready and excited for today?"

"I'm anxious and excited, Mom. A bit of both, really."

"Oh, honey. I'm sure you'll do great."

"So you and dad are still coming?"

"Of course. We wouldn't miss this for the world."

"And what about Chris?" I ask hopefully. I want to see him, most of all. It has been way too long. "He's still coming too, right?"

Mom pauses for a moment, and I hear her ask Dad whether Chris is coming. "Actually honey, the verdict is still out on that one," she answers after a moment. "I know he's been busy working late hours lately. Surely he should come though. You two have always been particularly close, and I know he would hate to miss this. Maybe he's hoping to surprise you and spring up unannounced?"

"Well, I hope so. I would really love to see him."

"I know, honey. You and me both."

"Well, see you guys today anyway."

"Okay, honey. Don't stress too much, all right?"

I smile tightly. "Yeah, yeah. I'll try my best."

Once Mom hangs up and I end the call, Kate urges me to sit and listen to her make her speech for about the hundredth time; She has been stressing about making her speech for weeks and, honestly, I think the pair of us will be relieved once its all finally over. We intend to head out tonight and celebrate all our hard work finally paying off.

"How did that sound?" Kate asks nervously as I sit at the table, munching on my piece of toast while listening to her patiently.

"I think you'll do awesome, I promise," I assure her. "It sounds really good to me."

"And you're sure?"

"Positive." I nibble on the corner of my toast, smiling at her. Relieved, Kate musters up the energy to smile back halfheartedly. "Are your parents coming?"

"I'm pretty sure they are. Yours?"

"Yep. Both Mom and Dad."

"And what about your brother?"

It still doesn't sit right to me, hearing people refer to Christian as my brother. I really don't see him that way. I definitely don't look at him in a brotherly way, either- not that anyone would ever know that. "I don't know. He's been... hard to reach. Even Carla is having trouble contacting him."

"Oh." Kate smiles at me sympathetically. "Well, I hope he does come for you."

"Yeah, me too. I have a feeling he won't though, if he is unreachable."

"Hey, well. You never know, right?"

"Right."

Once both Kate and I are dressed and ready, my parents car pulls up; They had agreed to take us to the college campus, so Kate's parents wouldn't have to drive to the apartment as well. When I open the front door, there my mother Carla is, with a bottle of wine for us. She greets us both with a warm hug, and then Ray gets out of the car in his ill-fitting suit. Gratitude and love spills through me for my parents when he hugs me tight, congratulating me. I think he is still shocked that I'm twenty one and graduating.

"My God. Where has the time flown?" He says in the car while Kate and I sit in the backseat, Kate muttering under her breath as she rehearses her speech yet again. "Seems like it was only yesterday when you and Chris were kids. Isn't that right, Carla?"

Mom looks back at me between the gap in the seat with a grin. "Damn right. I can hardly believe it myself."

"Our own baby girl, Annie. All grown up already!" Annie is the nickname Ray has given me since I was a kid.

Once we reach the college campus, Kate leaves to go to where she is meant to be to give out her speech while I walk with Mom and Dad through the auditorium. It's crowded, and I can't help looking around, searching for any sign of Christian. I am dying to see him; I want so badly to see his face again. When I see my mother scanning the room as well, searching for him among the crowd, I realize just how much she is dying to see Chris too. It's impossible to find him through all the students wearing their matching gowns and caps like I am, so Mom gives up, letting Ray steer her towards where the parents are supposed to sit.

At eleven precisely, the Chancellor appears from behind the stage, followed by the three Vice Chancellors and then the senior professors. We all stand and applaud, and then it begins.

I still can't help glancing around the room anxious for any sign of Chris. I feel my heart sink more and more every time I do; It's obvious he isn't going to make it here today to see me graduate. It hurts a lot more than I thought it actually would, because we have always been close, despite all that time and distance away. I just always assumed he would be here, especially on a day that means the most to me.

Kate coming up onto the stage to do her speech seems to distract me and take my mind off how hurt I feel wonderfully. She does her speech so well and hardly lets her nerves show; All that fussing and panicking the last two weeks had truly been for nothing.

Once applaud rips through the room for Kate's speech, finally the long process of collecting our degrees begins. After what seems like over an hour, I hear my name being called. I make my way up to the stage, accepting my degree from one of my old professors. When I go to return to my seat, I catch Mom and Dad smiling at me in appreciation; The pride radiating from the two is almost palpable, and I can't help grinning back.

Once its finally over, we all rise from our seats, carrying our degrees with us. I find my parents again, getting hugged by both of them. Ray even looks a little teary-eyed for me.

"Any sign of Chris yet?" I ask Mom.

"Unfortunately no. Nothing as yet, honey. He hasn't returned my call or anything."

"He's probably just busy with work," Ray says. "Don't take it personally, Annie. I know how much you wanted him to be here today."

"It's okay and I know he is probably super busy," I say, forcing a smile in understanding. I can't shake off the hurt, though. I wanted him to be here. Why couldn't he have come?

I find myself eager to get home to take the ridiculous cap and gown I am wearing off. It's hard not to feel like a complete dork. I let Mom and Dad take me out for a celebratory lunch and drink, still without Christian. Then as they drive me back home, Mom's phone goes off.

"It's Christian," she says happily. "He said he was so sorry, Ana, but he couldn't make it in time. He's had an extra busy schedule at work. He wants to know if you would like to meet some time to celebrate when both of you are free, though?"

"Yeah, sure. It would be good."

"Okay, honey. I'll text him back and let him know. I think it would be good for you two if you met up."

Once I get back to the apartment, Kate comes in about roughly twenty minutes later. She is beaming and pleased over such a good reception her Valedictorian speech got around the auditorium.

"You were great like I told you. See?" I tell her.

She pretends to wipe her brow. "God, Ana. I was so nervous I could have died! Did you see how many people were in that room? I'm surprised I didn't choke on my own tongue, but preparing in advance definitely helped!" She finds the wine Mom brought over in the fridge, grinning at me. "Ready for tonight?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"It's so great, isn't it?" she says in excitement. "Finally, we can go out and drink to celebrate! We are totally getting hammered tonight!" She opens the wine bottle, finding two teacups for us to drink out of as we don't have proper wine glasses. "Pre-drink celebration, Ana?"

"Of course."

She hands me a teacup, holding hers near mine. "To finally graduating and getting our degrees!"

"To finally graduating," I sing back to her, and we clink our cups together. "Partying, here we come!"


The bar where we are at, its loud and hectic. Our friend Jose has joined us, and offered to buy us a round of tequila shots each. Combined with the two glasses of wine Kate and I had before we got in, I'm finding its a lethal combination. Already, I feel tipsy and more confident.

Jose is just offering to buy me another drink up at the bar when my phone starts vibrating. I check to see who it is, and its Christian.

"Shit, Jose. My brothers calling me."

"What do you want to drink next though, Ana?"

"Um, a gin and tonic," I say, first thing at the top of my head. "Be right back."

I try to find a quieter place to talk to him, yet in the bar, there is no such thing as a quieter place. The music is too loud, everywhere I go, but still I try my best. "Christian, hi," I say loudly into the phone, concentrating hard on hearing him.

He says something, yet its impossible to hear.

"Huh? Sorry, I can't hear you properly! I'm getting drunk to celebrate!"

"Where are you?"

"At a bar. I can't remember what its called though. I was really disappointed that you didn't show up today to see me graduate. I was expecting you to be there, and so was Mom and Dad."

"I had to work..." I think I hear him say. The fact I can't make out what he is saying, its the most frustrating thing in the world.

"I can't hear you!" I scream at him through the music, "It's too loud. Sorry."

"I'm coming to celebrate with you," I think I hear him say. I must be mistaken though, surely.

"What? Chris, I can't-" And he's hung up on me. Such an awesome feeling. Not.

I shut my phone, spotting Jose holding my drink for me. I return to him, pushing my conversation with Christian aside as I shove my phone back into my purse. I bet I've heard incorrectly, because why would he do that?

As we find a table to sit with our drinks, Kate rejoins us from her trip to the bathroom.

"Maybe that wine was a bad idea," she says to me in my ear loudly. "I feel sick. How are you feeling, Ana?"

"Yeah, not so good myself. Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea we've had..."

Kate says something to me after stealing a sip of my drink, but I can't hear her properly.

"What?" I say back to her. "What did you just say?"

"Over there," she yells, pointing. "Unless I have fucked up vision due to being a little drunk... isn't that your brother? Or am I completely seeing things right now, Ana?"

I turn to look eagerly, following her gaze. And oh my god, she's right!

I feel like I am not even breathing as I stand from my seat, pushing past the crowds of people up at the bar to meet him. He looks somehow... different than I remembered, but in an extremely good way. I feel like I'm grinning widely like a crazy person as he turns his head in my direction, finding me. God, he hasn't changed at all, I don't think. He's still as handsome as I remembered he was and the way his eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles at me...

It's been two years and, still, he manages to make me feel as though my heart is hammering away frantically in my chest in excitement. I cannot believe he actually turned up like he said!

"Chris! You actually came!"

It feels as though everything is moving in slow motion as I reach him, lifting my arms to hug him tightly. He hugs me back, resting his chin on the top of my scalp as his arms wrap around me, his body flush against mine. He even seems taller than I remembered.

It's only when I pull back and he holds me at arms length, inspecting me, that I realize he doesn't look too happy with me. "How much have you had to drink?" he asks me over the music, a tone of disapproval there in his voice. "I hope you have been pacing yourself?"

"But I just got my degree today," I point out, feeling more confident than I ordinarily do. Maybe its just because of the drinks though. "I think that's a good enough reason to be careless for one night in drinking a little more than usual. Don't you think?"

He's still gripping my elbow tightly as he looks past me at something. He still doesn't look very pleased with me, yet why the hell shouldn't he be? After all, I'm practically an adult now, aren't I? It isn't like I need him to look out for me and protect me anymore like I had when I was younger.

"Is that who you are with tonight? Kate?"

Christian's met Kate a couple of times when we were still living at home and she would come over to stay the night, so it hardly surprises me that he still remembers her. "Yeah, I'm here with Kate tonight."

"And who is the guy with her? Do you know him or is he bothering you two?"

"No, he's a good friend of ours," I explain, leaning closer to shout in his ear. "He's Jose, and we go to school with him."

"Do you want me to tell him to go away?" When I glance at Chris's face again, I realize he definitely isn't happy about this at all. He is frowning, almost glaring at poor Jose from where he sits at the table talking to Kate. I guess Christian really hasn't changed at all, in all that time away. He's still as protective of me as ever.

"Of course not! Go get something to drink and join us!"