It surprised me how fast time went by. Before I knew it, I was at graduation, sitting between Jess and Megan. I looked up. I could just barely make out the faces of my mother and Stanley. Stanley had Chloe boosted up on his shoulders, and I swore I could hear her shout "DEE DEE!" She'd long since figured out how to pronounce "Cassidy", but she cherished that special cheer of hers.
Courtney was there too, and Grant's face smiled out from next to her. I felt a little prickle of irritation foam up inside me, but it died when I thought of how great he had been since their engagement.
They'd decided to wait until after Courtney finished school to get married. They'd already scheduled for it to be the following May (Courtney's favorite month). Even though it was nearly a year away, they were both already so giddy with plans.
"This year's Outstanding Achievement in Athletics Award goes to… Cassidy Ann Sloane," our school principal announced.
Zach gives me a playful shove from behind.
"They called your name, stupid," he grinned at me. "Go get your award."
I toss a smile at him over my shoulder as I cross to the stairs leading up to the stage.
The day floats by. Before long, I'm sitting on one of those fancy wicker chairs in the Chadwick's backyard. Over my head, this big silver tent arches, and Emma told me it looked just like it did for Stewart and Darcy's graduation.
A slow song comes on over the speakers. Megan's dad must have brought them over.
I watch contentedly as Emma and Stewart (who, along with Darcy, is back for the summer), Jess and Darcy, my mother and Stanley, and all the other parents pair up together to dance. Simon and Theo couldn't make it today, but Megan and Becca both get asked to dance by these two guys in our grade I don't know that well.
Zach appears over my shoulder.
"Wanna go for a walk?" he asks me cheerfully.
"Oh whew, I thought you were going to ask me to dance, and we all know that wouldn't have ended well," I reply with a chuckle. Zach and I never dance, and the real reason is truthfully because it reminds me too much of Tristan. Besides, dancing is so old-fashioned.
Zach grabs my hand as we slip past the side of the house and onto the street.
We amble around for a while.
"So, excited for the summer?" he asks.
"Yeah," I replied. "How about you? What do you think about college?"
He pauses.
"Excited for that too. But eeerr… listen… what are we going to be in college?" and there's sincerity in his voice.
The question catches me off guard. I trip over a fire hydrant, but Zach puts his arms around me instinctively, and I end up tilting my head up to look into his blue eyes. I can feel my heartbeat quicken. Sigh. I liked it better when I was the taller one.
"Well… I don't know honestly, but why don't we just enjoy 'us' while we're together?" I hope this is a decent answer.
Fortunately, he looks satisfied, and pretty soon, we've looped the block and are back at the door of the Chadwicks, we're sucked back in to the festivities.
Clink. Clink.
"I'd like to propose a toast," Emma announces. She smiles at me as we meet eyes, and I give her a wink.
"To fantastic teachers, wonderful parents, and great friends. Even if someday we don't know each other, I'll cherish the memories I've made with you all forever. And I promise, I wont lampoon you in my next book!" This gets a laugh from everyone, before we all segue into a frenzy of applause. Emma sits down as Stewart leans over to kiss her cheek. Normally, this would invoke my gag reflex, but tonight feels like a good night to be sentimental.
And I do tear up a little bit when the five moms from our book club, including mine, get up and sing their own original song. It's all about your kids growing up and leaving "the nest", but also knowing that they'll return. It's pretty good, actually.
As if she was reading my mind, Jess leans over.
"I had Mr. Elton at Colonial look it over for them," she whispers, her eyes twinkling. I nod in response.
Later, just when we're leaving, Becca calls out to me.
"Cassidy, do you want to stay? We're having an impromptu sleepover. Mother-Daughter Book Club members only," she tells me. I don't usually notice this, but she actually looks really pretty tonight. Like natural pretty. Her cheeks are flushed a rosy pink, and her eyes look really sparkly and happy. It just goes to show that makeup doesn't do you any good after all.
I look to my mom for consent, and she nods.
"Of course." I grin at her.
We stay up late that night, talking about – well – everything. We take turns pestering each other about boyfriends (I blush beet red and sigh when it's my turn), stuff ourselves with junk food, and ponder the future. As we talk, I gaze around and observe my friends.
Emma's hair has grown out since she cut it in sophomore year. It looks okay actually. She looks really grown-up in general these days. She's the same height as her mother, and she's definitely not as chunky as "middle school" her. Emma was accepted into Williams College, and she's so excited to go. She told me a while ago that she was looking into journalism and creative writing. They offered her a big scholarship as well, and I overheard her parents talking about what a relief that was for their bank accounts. She and Stewart have been okay too. Too Becca's utter surprise, the two remained together for the rest of Emma's high school career.
I turn my gaze on Jess. She's still just as petite as ever (she's just barely 5'3" right now), and her eyes and hair look the same as they did when we first met in 5th grade. Wait, not her eyes. Her eyes look older, but in a nice way. Like she "gained wisdom", or so my mother would say. Jess got into, believe it or not, YALE, with a full scholarship-which she accepted, but she's still deciding her major. However, she's determined to keep singing and riding, which I definitely admire. It's determination that gets you places, after all.
Megan next. Two summers ago, she signed on with this French company, and now she's got this line called Gigi (which Gigi herself was pleased to hear). Everybody was raving about it, and the company wants her to start another line this fall. However, she decided with her parents that college was important, so, with Wolfgang's help, she applied and was accepted into Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. She was ecstatic at the thought of living in New York, plus Wolfgang offered her this exclusive internship at Flash. I swear she near exploded with joy. We made her promise that when she was super famous, she'd come visit us all and grant us lots of free clothing (well, except for me of course). Megan and Simon, her on-again off-again boyfriend, are back on again after a falling out last winter, so that's another reason for her to smile.
Oh, and Becca. Looking at her now, I think about how much we all changed, especially her. She went from pretty, popular, and backstabbing to caring, supportive, and down-to-earth. Becca decided to go to the U - otherwise known as University of Minnesota – and study architecture. When she first announced that to us, I swear we all gaped at her for so long she thought we'd been frozen. But she showed us some sketches, and even I admit that they're pretty good. I think she also picked the U for romantic reasons as well, though. Theo, that guy she met in sophomore year on spring break, is a biology major at the U, and he asked her out last summer when she flew out again. So now they'll be closer together. Hmm. Good for Becca. On another note, she's much less waspy than she used to be, as is her mother.
"Cassidy?" I hear my name and stumble out of my thoughts to see the four of them staring at me, big smiles on their faces.
"Mm? What did I miss?" I give them a sheepish grin.
"We were just wondering if you would join us now," Megan says drily. "Becca's proposed a vow for us."
"Sure." I walk over and sit so that the five of us form a circle on the floor. "Now what's the vow?"
Becca looks solemn for once. She puts her hand in the center of our circle, and we all follow suit, making sure our fingers touch.
"We vow to stay friends, come hell or high water. We vow to always be there for each other, no matter what happens. We vow to read more musty books together that we all secretly enjoy." That gets us giggling.
"Hey," Emma protests, "I openly enjoy the books."
Still suppressing our snickers, we parrot Becca's words before collapsing in a pile on top of one another, laughing.