Like I said, this chapter is jumpy because it goes through five different graduation ceremonies in various parts of the country. As always, I love the reviews and alerts so thanks. Much appreciated.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
Aria sat in her seat between Orion Montague and Drew Muder, waiting for her row to be called for graduation. Somewhere in the crowd of Dodd Hall, she knew her parents and Mike were sitting with Spencer, Emily, and Hanna. Part of her had wanted to invite Ezra but the fear of not knowing if he would show up nearly paralyzed her. The last month of school had been agonizing. She'd spoken to him over the phone some and they'd even done a Skype chat once but she was terrified there was too much disconnect between them to reconcile their relationship.
"We're going," Orion whispered as the proctor motioned for their row to stand up.
The English department at UCLA was smaller than Aria thought it was going to be but the nice thing knew most of her classmates. They'd survived four long years together so she really felt like she was graduating with one hundred and twenty of her closest friends.
"Aria Christine Montgomery, graduating Magna Cum Laude."
With a deep breath, Aria made her way across the stage and as she did, she heard a distinct voice—that of one Hanna Marin—scream out, "Yeah, Aria!" Aria chuckled, shook Dean Fowler's hand, and descended the stairs.
"No tripping!" Drew said happily when the two girls sat down. She hiked up the bottom of her robe to reveal the five-inch heels she was wearing. "I didn't exactly come prepared for such an important walk."
"No, you definitely didn't," Aria chuckled. "You should've been more like me—flats."
Drew rolled her eyes. "Aria, you've known me for three years. I haven't worn flats since I was fourteen so why start now?"
"Touché," Aria smirked.
"So, is that hottie ex-boyfriend of yours here?" Drew wondered. "Laney said she caught you video chatting with him, talking like you were getting back together."
Aria frowned. "We're just talking again. I don't really know what's going on right now."
"Well, figure it out, lady, cause I don't want you to be so unhappy anymore," Drew declared.
After the ceremony ended, Aria hugged several of her fellow graduates on her way outside to meet her family and friends.
"Aria!" Hanna squealed as she, Emily, and Spencer rushed to envelope her into a hug. "Who knew you were such a rock star, Miss Magna Cum Laude?"
"Well, when your four-year relationship ends and you don't have the desire to party, all you can really do is study and work your ass off," Aria shrugged. "Thanks for coming out here though, guys. It really means more than you know."
"Like we'd be anywhere else this weekend," Spencer scoffed. "Besides, at midnight we're making the seven-hour trek to Tucson for Emily's ceremony tomorrow afternoon."
Aria spoke to her friends for a moment longer before breaking away to meet her family.
"Congratulations, sweetie!" Ella cried, hugging her only daughter tightly. "God, I can't believe my baby graduated from college."
Mike made a face. "Uh, what am I?"
"It's different with boys," Byron spoke up, taking his turn to hug her. "I'm so proud of you, Aria. I was worried when you first came out here but you just graduated Magna Cum Laude so what do I know?" He pulled away and held her shoulders in his hands. "So grown up."
"It happens," Aria teased. "One minute I'm putting pink streaks in my hair and the next, I'm twenty-two and graduating from college." She hugged Mike. "Thanks for coming."
Her brother rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have missed it." He paused. "And I also had no choice."
"Well, thanks for the honesty," Aria grinned.
Ella looked at Aria. "There's someone else who'd like to congratulate you." She looked over Aria's shoulder briefly. "I wasn't sure if you'd invite him but I knew you'd want him here so I called."
Aria turned around and found Ezra standing fifteen feet away, holding a small bouquet of orange roses.
He smiled. "Hi."
"Hi," she whispered, approaching him slowly. "I'm so happy you came."
"Were you afraid I wouldn't?" he wondered.
Before Aria could respond, Byron called over to her friends. "Girls, why don't we give them a little privacy? I'll buy you all some ice cream."
"Sounds good," Hanna agreed as the three girls walked away with the Montgomery's. "It gives me a chance to finally tell Mike what I think of that ugly faux-hawk he's sporting."
Aria and Ezra sat down on the low stone wall behind them and he handed her the flowers.
"These are lovely," she stated. "Thank you."
"You didn't answer my question," he pointed out. "I was so happy to hear from your mom about this because you never mentioned when it was but I didn't want to pry so I never asked."
"The fear of you rejecting the offer forced me to keep quiet," she admitted. "I'm not really sure where we stand so I was afraid you'd say no and I'd feel like an idiot for offering."
He reached for her hand. "I would never have said no. Even if we hadn't spoken when you were home last month, I would've come if you had asked. I love you, Aria."
"Me, too," she nodded. "But that doesn't mean I'm ready to call you my boyfriend again right away. I want to come home and take it slow."
"That's fine," he assured her. "I'll just charm you again like I did when you were sixteen."
Aria laughed. "Well, if you want me to fall for you like I did when I was sixteen, you'll have to grow your hair out some."
"Maybe I will," he mused, standing up. "Come on, let's go find your family; your dad actually offered me dinner."
Emily's ceremony was shorter than Aria's had been but her graduating class was also significantly smaller. She'd gone to the University of Arizona because of their stellar swim program and after a year of being undecided, she'd declared Gender Studies as her major. It had been eye-opening for her to take courses on homosexuality and the unfairness towards homosexuals in all aspects of life. It made her want to really fight for equality, which was why she was going to work on the campaign of a Pennsylvania politician working towards the US Senate. Reid Kelley was gay himself and when they'd met the previous month, he'd liked her passion for the cause so he'd offered her a job on his campaign, effective as soon as she was back in Rosewood.
"Emily Marie Fields!"
As her name was called, much like Aria's ceremony yesterday, she heard Hanna cheer for her over the applause. She accepted her diploma and finished walking across the stage before taking the steps back to her seat.
"You have a fan club," her neighbor, Gage Fallon, stated.
"My friend, Hanna," Emily smiled. "She's a little outrageous sometimes."
Gage nodded. "I have a few of those but they're all back in North Carolina."
"Well, my friends and I made a pact that we'd go each other's graduation ceremonies," she explained. "We went to one yesterday at UCLA, mine is today, and then we'll have them for the next two weekends at Yale and Parsons."
"An eclectic group," he noted. "I'll miss you, Em."
"We'll keep in touch," she promised. "And I'll definitely come when you and Sierra get married in August."
"Good," he beamed.
"Two down, two to go," Spencer said over dinner that night with the girls. Emily's parents had retired to their hotel for the night.
Aria yawned. "Yeah, but yours is going to be so long and Hanna's will be full of seriously crazy ensembles."
"Parsons encourages its students to design our own robes to showcase our talents," Hanna reported proudly. "It's a real honor because the best end up in the Styles section of the Sunday Times."
"Which is why she's been working on hers since February," Emily joked. "She's determined to make that section."
Hanna scoffed. "It's a big deal! If people like my graduation robe, imagine how they'll feel someday when I'm designing clothes they wish they could afford."
"Oh, God," Spencer muttered. "Em, are you excited to work with Reid Kelley? My mom was at a lunch he hosted last week and she said he's gaining a lot of momentum."
Emily sipped her water before answering. "I can't wait. He's really smart and has so many great ideas. It's definitely inspiring."
"Well, Senator Emily Fields does have a nice ring to it," Aria teased. "I could see it someday."
"And I'll design your wardrobe for when you run for president," Hanna added excitedly. "It'll be like when Jackie Kennedy wore Oleg Cassini almost exclusively."
Aria opened her menu. "Hurry, let's order before she starts giving us the history of White House fashion."
"I assume that if I graduated Magna Cum Laude, Spencer is graduating Summa?" Aria guessed as she followed Toby into one of the event halls on the Yale University campus the following Saturday. "She's a hundred times smarter than I am."
"Spencer is going to have so many sashes and cords, I'll be surprised if her neck doesn't hurt when it's over," he laughed as they—along with Emily and Hanna—found seats behind Spencer's parents, Melissa, and her husband of two years, Heath. "She fought tooth and nail to graduate at the top of her class."
Melissa turned to the younger group. "Aria, Emily, how did your ceremonies go?"
"Smoothly," Emily shrugged. "They were both a lot smaller than this."
"Well, all of us parents are so proud of you girls," Veronica told them. "It'll be nice having you all closer to home again, as well."
As expected, the ceremony for Yale's communications department was long and very drawn out.
"When does Caleb graduate?" Aria whispered to Hanna as the first row of 'A' last names stood up.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Hanna said. "I'm flying out with my mom in the morning to surprise him."
Aria smiled. "That's nice of you and especially of your mom."
"My mom jumped on the Caleb bandwagon when he first left for Arizona and she never really got off," Hanna murmured. "He doesn't exactly have any family so I wanted to make sure he has someone there to root for him."
"I'm glad," Aria said. "I know how happy I was to see Ezra last weekend so I'm sure Caleb will feel pretty similar."
Soon enough it was time for Spencer's row so she stood and waited at the steps for her name to be called.
"Graduating Summa Cum Laude and first in her class, Spencer Noelle Hastings."
With a huge smiled, she walked across the stage, shook hands with the university's president, accepted her diploma, and hurried back to her seat.
Emily nudged Toby discreetly. "I'm not sure who looks happier right now—Spencer or you."
"I'm just really proud of her," Toby explained. "I've been here with her the whole time; I know how hard she's worked for this."
"Well, you're stuck with her for a lifetime now so I guess it's good she still makes you so happy five years later," Emily teased.
Toby appeared almost jubilant. "I'll happily take her."
After what felt like hundreds of pictures with everyone, Spencer excused herself and Toby so they could head back to their apartment to change before a fancy lunch with her parents, sister, and Heath.
"You looked great on that stage," he told her as she unzipped her black robe. "Yale Law isn't going to know what hit them."
She looked at him over her shoulder. "I hope not."
He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Two months from now, we'll be married."
"I can't wait," she giggled as he placed a trail of kisses across her shoulder. "So far, planning has gone pretty smoothly and Hanna said she's making excellent progress on my dress so I think it'll be one for the books."
"As long as there are no doves, I'd marry you anywhere," he stated.
Spencer turned to wrap her arms around his neck. "You know, we don't have to meet my family for more than two hours."
"Music to my ears," he breathed, leading her backwards to their bed.
"Do you see him?" Hanna asked Ashley as they surveyed the Northern Arizona University engineering graduates on the gymnasium floor down below.
Ashley shook her head. "No, but he has to be down there somewhere."
After several more minutes, the lights dimmed and the ceremony began. Hanna sat back in her seat, disappointed she couldn't find him. Of the graduations she'd been to, Caleb's was by far the shortest.
"There!" Ashley cried as a row near the back stood up to start for the stage. "Third one in."
Hanna squinted her eyes and smiled at the sight of Caleb in his blue robe.
"Caleb Michael Rivers," the dean called out as Caleb walked towards him for his diploma.
Ashley took several pictures with her camera while Hanna cheered for him, though significantly quieter than she'd been for her friends—she wanted to surprise him after the ceremony.
"Thanks for coming with me," Hanna said when the ceremony ended and she and Ashley made their way out to the courtyard. "It was really nice of you."
"Well, I'm pretty sure I'll call Caleb my son-in-law someday so I wanted to be here," Ashley declared. "He's important to you—despite the current ambiguity of your relationship—so he's important to me."
Hanna watched as the graduates made their way outside moments later. She scanned the crowd for Caleb, looking for his tall frame and long hair. When she saw him talking with two older people she assumed were professors, she couldn't help but sneak up behind him. "Hey."
Hearing that familiar voice cause Caleb to turn so fast he was sure he got whiplash but it didn't matter because she was there, standing right in front of him, thousands of miles from home. "Hanna?"
"I didn't want you to think it wasn't a big deal that you graduated," she told him as he pulled her into his arms. "It's a huge deal, Caleb."
"Thanks," he whispered, holding her tightly. He spotted Ashley. "Your mom came?"
"She's all about Team Caleb," Hanna smirked, pulling away and looking at the two adults. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"Quite all right," the woman smiled. "Friend of yours, Caleb?"
Caleb kept one arm wrapped around Hanna's waist. "Best friend. Hanna Marin, this is Julie Granger and Dr. Matthew Hudson. Professor Granger, Dr. Hudson, this is Hanna."
Dr. Hudson shook her hand. "So you're the girl Caleb's hoping to get back east for?"
"I guess so," Hanna blushed, a bit embarrassed that Caleb's professors knew that.
"Well, I hope you make the most of it then," Professor Granger said. "Caleb, congratulations and good luck in Philadelphia."
As soon as Professor Granger and Dr. Hudson excused themselves, Hanna turned to Caleb. "Philadelphia?"
"Yeah," he confirmed. "Dr. Hudson really came through for me and got me a job with a friend of his that works at Penn. I'll be working in the engineering department, doing research for preventative measures on hacking."
Hanna scoffed. "So you'll be working to put an end to your high school cash flow?"
"Something like that," he nodded, hugging her again. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you guys came. I'm so happy to see you."
"Me, too," she breathed, taking in his familiar scent. "Now, ditch the robe cause my mom is taking us to lunch."
"Oh, thank God this is the last one," Emily muttered as she, Aria, and Spencer took their seats for Hanna's graduation. "I'm so tired of sitting through graduation ceremonies."
Aria hit her leg. "Hanna was so excited for all of us so we owe her the same courtesy."
"You know I'm happy for her," Emily clarified. "Trust me, I thought my own graduation was awful. They're just so long and boring."
"Well, Spencer's definitely took the cake on the 'long' part," Aria chuckled. "I couldn't believe the number of communications majors at Yale."
"It's a good stepping stone to law school," Spencer reasoned. "You speak a lot in court so all those speech classes really pay off."
Emily nodded to the aisle. "Look. I think Caleb is meeting Mr. Marin for the first time."
Ashley gestured to Caleb. "Tom, this is Caleb Rivers, Hanna's um, friend? I don't really know at this point. Caleb, this is Hanna's father, Tom Marin."
Caleb held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you, sir."
Tom offered a firm handshake. "Caleb, huh? Aren't you the boy who broke her heart in high school?"
"Tom," Ashley warned quietly. "This is not the time for you to play the 'scary dad' role. Hanna is an adult now and she's forgiven what happened five years ago. I know Caleb and he's a good guy."
"I am, sir," Caleb agreed. "I promise that I can take good care of Hanna."
"We'll see about that," Tom muttered, going to his seat in front of the girls.
Caleb eyed Aria nervously as he sat on the other side of Ashley and Aria shrugged sympathetically.
"You know we're going to have to go crazy for her, right?" Spencer mused as the fashion show-like ceremony began. "She screamed loud enough by herself for all of us so we could hear her."
"You're right," Emily said.
When it came time for Hanna to make her walk across the stage, she looked out into the crowd at the group there for her and smiled seeing Caleb with her parents. She was sure his introduction to her father had been tense and even though she and Tom weren't exactly on pleasant terms, part of her was happy they'd met.
"Graduating with a job offer from Betsey Johnson in the fall, Hanna Elise Marin."
Wearing her impeccably designed graduation robe—which she'd worked into a very fashionable tunic—Hanna accepted her degree and beamed as Aria, Spencer, and Emily all stood up, cheering and whistling loudly.
"You guys," she mused when she found them in the hallway thirty minutes later. "That was so sweet."
"Well, you deserved it," Aria spoke up, hugging her best friend. "And of all the robes I saw, yours is definitely making the Times. If it weren't for the material, I'd wear that."
Spencer stepped forward for her hug. "Aria's right. Seeing that robe gives me total comfort that my wedding dress is going to be beyond what I even expect."
Emily hugged Hanna next. "Hanna Marin, our little fashion designer extraordinaire."
Hanna looked to her parents and hugged Ashley first. "Thank you, Mom, for everything."
"Like I've always said, you're my baby girl," Ashley told her as she fought back tears. "Be nice to Caleb; your dad was a little rough on him."
"Hi, Dad," Hanna greeted her father formerly. "Thanks for coming."
Tom smiled proudly. "Where else would I be?"
"Almost anywhere," Hanna mumbled under her breath. "I see you met Caleb."
"I did," Tom responded coolly.
Hanna smiled at Caleb as he took her into his arms. "His opinion of you has zero effect on me."
"Good to know," Caleb laughed.
Spencer turned to her three best friends and raised an eyebrow mischievously. "Think Rosewood is ready for us to be back for an entire summer together?"
Aria linked her arms through Spencer's and Emily's as they all walked towards the doors. "Not a chance."
"Ladies, let's raise a little hell," Hanna suggested. "That place could probably use it after all these years we've been away."
