Chapter 9: We'll Be Unstoppable

Summary: Joey faces a last-minute crisis on Graduation Day, and Kenny has a revelation about his future.


June 16, 1991

Graduation day dawned bright and clear. Kenny awoke in Jonathan's bed, and rolled over to find it empty. He sat up and glanced around the room, then shrugged and laid back down. Jonathan sometimes went over to the student center in the early mornings to get breakfast for the two of them. He would be back any minute.

In the meantime, Kenny took the opportunity to appreciate the silence and solitude before the chaos of the day began in earnest. He clasped his hands behind his head and kicked off the sheets, letting the early morning sun warm his bare skin. Closing his eyes again, he smiled and thought about the day ahead.

The doorknob rattled, and Kenny opened his eyes and looked toward the door just as Jonathan came in, carrying two Styrofoam cups and a brown paper bag.

"Morning," he said with a grin.

"Hey," Kenny said sleepily. He eyed the cups in his boyfriend's hands. "I might have to pass on the coffee today. I think I'm gonna be jittery enough already."

"Which is why I got you tea," Jonathan said. He brought one of the cups up to his face and sniffed near the lid to make sure it was the right one, then held it out for Kenny.

Yawning, Kenny sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. He took the offered drink and looked up at Jonathan with a smile. "You know me so well."

"I do, don't I?" Jonathan said, sitting down in the wooden office chair by his desk. He dug in the paper bag and produced two blueberry muffins, one of which he gave to Kenny, and started in on the other one himself.

They ate together in silence, and Kenny noticed his boyfriend fidgeting in his seat, like he was on edge, which was unusual for Jonathan.

When he finished eating, Jonathan leaned forward and ran a hand through his tousled black hair. "Kenny, there's uh...there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Kenny regarded him with curiosity, wondering if he should be concerned. "Sure, what is it?"

Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck nervously and swiveled back and forth in his chair a couple of times. "I've been thinking a lot about what comes next. Y'know, what's next for us, after we graduate. This...what we have here, I don't want it to end. I love waking up next to you, and getting ready for the day together. I love coming back here after a long day and just...being with you. I love seeing your smile and knowing that tomorrow is another day I get to spend with you. And...I want to keep doing all of that."

Kenny sat up a little straighter. "Jonathan, are you asking me to move in with you?"

Jonathan smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I am. Is that something you would want to do?"

Kenny set his tea on the bedside table and stood up. Crossing the room, he took Jonathan's hands and pulled him to his feet.

"I would love nothing more than to wake up next to you every morning," he whispered, "and fall asleep in your arms every night. Yes, Jonathan, I'll move in with you."

He brushed his hand against the crisp white collar of his boyfriend's dress shirt and trailed slowly upward to caress his cheek, before sliding his hand behind Jonathan's neck to pull him in for a kiss. Jonathan leaned in and wrapped his arms around Kenny's waist, holding him close. They stayed that way for a while, standing in the middle of the room, basking in the stillness, clinging to the moment and to each other.

"We need to get ready," Jonathan murmured at last. "The ceremony is starting soon."

"Mm, yeah," Kenny agreed reluctantly, lifting his head off Jonathan's shoulder. He smiled into his boyfriend's eyes and gave him another quick kiss before pulling away.

He picked up his boxer shorts from off the floor and tugged them on, then started looking around for his pants. While Kenny got dressed, Jonathan crossed the room and took their graduation gowns off the coat hook where he had hung them the night before. He held them up, and the boys looked at each other and grinned. This was it. Today was the day everything would change.

Fifteen minutes later, they were making their way across campus to join their fellow seniors for the commencement ceremony. It was an outdoor event, and when they reached the field where the stage and chairs were set up, they were met by a sea of black caps and gowns identical to their own. Everyone was milling around, talking excitedly, and Kenny felt a buzz of anticipation in the air.

The graduates were assigned seats in alphabetical order, by last name. Jonathan found his seat in the A section, and Kenny was just about to head for the T's further back when he spotted Joey near the base of the stage, engaged in what looked like a very tense conversation with the dean. Kenny hung back, waiting, and a moment later Joey came over to him. She looked upset.

"What was that about?" Kenny asked, nodding toward the professor.

"She just got a call from Nelson," Joey said. "I guess he has a cell phone, because he called from his car. He's stuck on the freeway. There was some kind of accident this morning. Traffic is really backed up."

"I thought he was supposed to get here early," Kenny said, frowning. "To avoid this exact problem."

"He was trying to get here early," Joey said. "He's been stuck in traffic for three hours already. It's not his fault. It's not anyone's fault. It just...happened."

"What are you going to do?" Kenny asked.

Joey was beginning to look panicked. "I don't know. I don't speak clearly enough to do this without an interpreter. The speech is in fifteen minutes. There's no way Nelson can get here in time—I don't know," she repeated.

She ran a hand through her hair and looked around anxiously, at a loss for what to do. It was deeply unsettling to see her like this. Joey always knew what to do. More than that, Joey prided herself on her independence, and Kenny could only imagine how frustrating it must be for her in this moment, to be faced with a situation that left her feeling so utterly helpless.

An idea struck him like a flash of lightning, and he lit up.

"Joey, let me do it," he said. "Let me interpret for you."

Joey looked at him like he was crazy. "Your signing is good, especially for someone who was out of practice until last year, but you're not ready for this."

"I've interpreted for you before," Kenny argued.

"Sure, in informal settings," Joey said. "In our study group, with our friends..."

"That one time at the museum," Kenny added, smiling at the memory.

"Yeah, this is completely different," Joey told him.

"Joey, I've watched you practice this speech more times than I can count," Kenny said. "I practically have the whole thing memorized. I can do this."

Joey sighed and looked around at the assembled students. "I guess I don't have a choice. Yeah, you can do it."

Kenny grinned, elated, but his excitement was almost immediately quelled by a nagging sensation in the back of his mind. Something felt wrong about this.

"Wait," he said. "No."

Joey looked confused, then annoyed. "What the hell, Kenny? You just said—"

"I know, but..." Kenny frowned. "It should be your choice. If this isn't what you want, then...I won't do it."

"I'm kind of desperate here," Joey said.

"I know," Kenny nodded. "But you shouldn't have to agree out of desperation."

Joey let out an exasperated sigh and looked at her watch. "It's fifteen minutes. What other option do we have?"

"We'll figure something out," Kenny insisted.

Joey looked skeptical.

"Come on," Kenny pressed. "You've seen me do homework. You know I always get my best ideas when it's down to the wire. And if anybody can come up with creative solutions to tough problems, it's you. If we work together, we can absolutely think of something in the next fifteen minutes. But I'm not going up on that stage with you unless it's what you want."

He moved in close, put his hand on her shoulder, and looked into her eyes.

"Joey, you have been in my corner since day one," he said. "Let me show you that I'm in yours."

Joey stared at him for a moment, her brows knitted together in contemplation. After a long silence, a smile spread across her face. "You know what? You just did."

Kenny looked at her curiously.

"You can interpret for me," Joey said. "I want you to do it."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

Kenny returned the smile. "Okay. Let's do this."

They made their way to the front row, where the dean was sitting with a few of the professors, and told her about the change of plans. She agreed to it, and got one of the sound techs to fix Kenny up with a lapel microphone. Then she motioned for them to sit down, as the ceremony was about to begin. Joey sat in the chair reserved for the commencement speaker, and Kenny took the empty seat beside her, which he assumed was originally meant for Nelson.

The dean got up and made the welcoming remarks, and then it was time for Joey to take the stage. She exchanged an excited look with Kenny, and they went up together. Joey took her place behind the podium, and Kenny stood a few feet away, poised and waiting.

In the last three weeks, Kenny had seen Joey practice this speech dozens of times; he had listened to Nelson interpret it dozens of times, so much in fact that he had grown accustomed to the cadence and rhythms of the interpreter's speaking style. Now as he stood opposite Joey on the stage, Kenny was a little concerned that he might find himself mimicking Nelson's delivery.

Joey opened with a funny anecdote about her freshman year, then went on to talk about the ways she had grown and changed since then. From there, she segued into talking about the future, and the opportunities opening up to all of them as they went out into the world to begin putting what they had learned into practice.

It was a beautiful speech. Kenny had loved it since the first time he watched Joey practice it. He loved it more every time he heard it after that. And in this moment, as he interpreted the speech he knew and loved so well, Kenny was struck by how effortless it felt. There was something indescribably organic in the words and tone he used to convey the passion and brilliance of Joey's speech. It wasn't Nelson's style. It wasn't even Kenny's style. It was Joey, through and through—her thoughts, her ideas, her emotions, expressed through Kenny as if he wasn't even there. It was the most incredible feeling in the world.

Joey concluded with an imperative for her fellow graduates to go out and make the world a better place, and the crowd erupted into a standing ovation.

Joey looked over and beamed at him as the cheering continued, and all at once, Kenny felt a sense of clarity so strong and so compelling that it nearly took his breath away.

They returned to their seats amid more applause, then the students were called up on stage one by one to receive their diplomas. Kenny barely listened to the endless list of names; his mind was racing with possibilities. He almost missed when his own name was called, and he went up and accepted his diploma as if in a haze, then he spent the remainder of the ceremony waiting impatiently for it to be over so he could talk to Joey.

Finally the ceremony came to an end, and Kenny made his way through the sea of graduates all surrounded by their friends and families, looking for Joey.

He met her halfway, and he knew from the look on her face that she had been trying to find him too. She laughed and caught him in a tight hug, then pulled back and took his hand, leading him away from the crowd.

They went around to the far side of the stage, and Joey released his hand. She looked like she was about to say something, but Kenny couldn't contain his excitement any longer.

"Joey, I've figured it out!" he exclaimed. "I know what I want to do!"

Joey's eyebrows went up. "You do?"

"I want to be your interpreter!" Kenny said. "I mean... from now on. Full-time. I asked Nelson once, just out of curiosity, and he said the RID doesn't do long-term placements—"

"Kenny," Joey started to say.

"So I won't be able to officially register as an interpreter," Kenny rambled on. "But I don't have to be registered. It can be an informal arrangement. I can work directly for you—"

"Kenny."

"And I know my signing needs a lot of improvement, but I can work on that—"

"Kenny!" Joey exclaimed out loud.

Kenny stopped rambling and grimaced sheepishly. "Sorry."

"I brought you over here," Joey said,"to ask you to be my interpreter."

Kenny drew back in surprise, staring at her in open-mouthed astonishment. "Really?"

"Yes."

He laughed, shakily, like he couldn't quite believe it. "We had the same idea."

"Great minds think alike," Joey said, taking a step toward him. "And great teams change the world. That's what we're going to be—a great team."

Their eyes met, shining with excitement, and Joey grasped his arm.

"The two of us working together...we'll be unstoppable, Kenny."