"Ready to go, John?" Ricky asked his son as he laced up his own shoes.

"Uh huh," John replied happily, thinking more about the hot dog he would get to eat more than celebrating his father's high school graduation. Ricky grabbed his keys and opened the door, letting John walk out first. Once the door was locked the two made their way down the stairs and out to Ricky's car so they could pick up his mom.

When he arrived at his mother's apartment building she was already waiting in the parking lot for him, carrying a large Tupperware bowl. When he stopped next to her Nora climbed in with a smile. She quickly buckled her seat belt and then turned her body to look at her grandson.

"Hi, John," she greeted him cheerfully. John smiled back.

"Hi, granma." The drive to the Juergens home was completed in comfortable silence. When Ricky pulled up he parked on the street a little ways down from Amy's house, the curb in front of the house and the driveway already filled with other cars. The little trio got out and John ran ahead to the back door and knocked on it. Hearing the sound, Lauren opened it and smiled when she saw John. She stepped to the side as he practically barreled past her towards the back yard. "Hi Miss Lauren!" he called out as he dashed past her and headed towards the smell of grilling food. "Is my hot dog ready yet, granpa?" he asked, his voiced laced with the adorable excitement and impatience of a two year old. Lauren chuckled as she made her way back to the fridge to grab herself a soda.

"Where'd little man run off to?" Nora asked as she made her way inside. Lauren gestured out the back door and Nora went in search of her grandson.

"Hey, Ricky," Lauren greeted him.

"Hey."

"She's out back," Lauren stated, knowing he wanted to see Amy. Ricky gave her a small smile as thanks and followed her out back. In the backyard a canvas covering had been set up and there were two long picnic tables underneath its shade. On the back patio was the grill with George and the other menfolk gathered around it, sodas in their hands. The mothers were sitting at the picnic tables with Robbie and John playing in the shade nearby and the rest of the teens were sitting in the grass and chatting. Amy looked up from her conversation with Madison when she noticed Lauren approaching and she smiled brightly when she noticed Ricky not far behind her. Ricky smiled back as he lowered himself to sit just behind her, giving her a kiss to the temple as a greeting.

"So the gang's all here," Jesse said matter-of-factly. "And just in time too." He looked over at the grill. "I had a light breakfast today and I'm starving!" Lauren playfully nudged him in the stomach.

"Don't be so dramatic," she said with a chuckle. Jesse didn't have to wait long as George called to get the teens' attention.

"Meat's done!" The teens looked in his direction and saw him carrying a platter of meat to one of the picnic tables. The teens quickly got to their feet, the boys helping their girlfriends stand, and made their way over. John spotted a hot dog and attempted to grab it but Amy saw him and pulled him towards her, and away from the food. Margaret chuckled when she saw John pout. George saw John's face as well and playfully ruffled his hair, causing his grandson to giggle and attempt to brush off his grandfather.

"Just a minute kiddo. I have something to say." George looked at the assembled group with a smile. "Today we're celebrating the fact Jason, Jesse and Ricky are soon to be high school graduates. We're all proud of you and you boys should be proud of yourselves."

"Hear, hear!" Jesse's mom called out with a smile.

"And with that, let's eat!" There were cheers of agreement as everyone formed a line to fix themselves plates of food. Amy made sure to help John fix his plate because when it came to hot dogs she knew that's all he'd eat if she didn't 'suggest' anything else. The teens all ended up at one table with their parents at the other, John sitting between Amy and Ricky. The chatter was lively as everyone discussed their day and talked about Jesse's after graduation party.

The happy chatter caught the attention of Adrian. She'd gotten off work early so she could attend the graduation ceremony, deciding that even if she wasn't walking she wanted to be a part of her classmates' graduation. She noticed the street lined with cars and concluded the Juergens' were having a party for Ricky. Once inside her house she made a pit stop at the bathroom and then headed upstairs to her room. Hearing a lot of laughter she curiously made her way over to her bedroom window and peered through the curtains, not wanting to be caught 'spying' on her neighbors but wanting to see what was going on since it sounded like quite a few people were over. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment when she spotted the little gathering. While Adrian had expected to see Amy's family and Ricky's parents, he was surprised to see Amy's two best friends and their boyfriends along with who must've been their families. When did they all get so chummy she wondered with a mix of surprise and bitterness. She realized she was starting to feel bitter and closed her eyes so she could take several deep breaths. Once she felt in control of her emotions again she continued watching the little party. Everyone seemed so happy and carefree. She felt her chest tighten for a moment when she saw Ricky reach over to wipe some mustard off of John's face. Even she had to admit that with Amy sitting on the other side of John they looked like a happy little family. She sighed and forced herself to walk away from the window. If only I'd done things differently. Adrian internally sighed as she plugged her phone into its charger and then headed downstairs to fix herself something to eat before getting ready to head out to the graduation.

Once everyone was finished eating George stood up and cleared his throat. The chatter quieted down and everyone gave him their attention.

"Now I know it's customary to give graduation presents after the graduation, but most of us here do things unconventionally anyway so whatever." The teens all chuckled lightly while Anne, Nora, and Margaret just smiled with amusement. "So we," he paused to gesture to the other parents, "have decided to give you guys your gifts now so we don't have to track you all down afterwards and drag you away from your friends and other festivities." George headed over to the side of the patio where a small pile of gifts had been gathered and he was followed by Jason, Jesse, and Ricky's dads. They quickly moved the little pile to the table the teens were sitting at and began checking nametags and gift messages and handed the boys their respective gifts. Once they were all dispersed the boys began opening their gifts. John got on his knees so he could peer over his father's shoulder.

"What'd you get, daddy?" John asked curiously. Ricky chuckled.

"I don't know yet." Jason was the first to get one of his gifts unwrapped. He squealed when he saw what it was and practically jumped up to hug his parents.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you guys!"

"What is it?" Madison asked curiously. Jason proudly held it out so everyone could see.

"It's only the best stethoscope around and complete set of medical spark sheets!" he proclaimed with excitement. Ashley's brows knit in confusion.

"I thought you had to go to school for like a decade before you get to use one of those," she remarked. Jason just shook his head.

"There'll be practical lessons before I do my residency so I'll have plenty of opportunity to break in this bad boy," he said with a grin, gazing down at his gifts with awe. Debra chuckled.

"Glad you like it." Jason kissed his mother's cheek and then sat back down at the picnic table to see what else he'd gotten, not caring if all the others were just cards or gift cards. Jesse was next to get his first gift unwrapped and just stared at it with awe.

"What'd you get?" Griffin asked curiously, not able to clearly see from his end of the picnic table. Jesse continued staring at it as he answered.

"It's basically the marine biology Bible," he explained. He glanced up at his parents with wide eyes. "Do you guys know how expensive this book is!? I've been saving up for it all year!" His dad chuckled.

"We know. And now you can put that money towards something else you want," he explained with a smile as he put his arm around his wife. Jesse grinned back at his smiling parents.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, honey," his mom replied.

"What'd you get, daddy?" John asked again, now more curious than ever since other people had opened their presents. Ricky chuckled as he pulled off the last piece of wrapping paper and revealed his gift. Ricky stared at in with wonder. It was a laptop bag, with a brand new laptop inside! There was an envelope taped to the laptop lid and Ricky removed it. It was a graduation card and inside Nora had written: I know you'll go far and hopefully this helps you get there. Ricky looked up at his mother with surprise on his face and found her smiling at him.

"It's supposed to be top of the line and I noticed your old one was a little banged up," she explained with a shrug. Ricky's surprise turned into a grin.

"Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome," she replied, a smile still on her face.

"What else'd you get, daddy?" John asked impatiently, reaching for a gift bag. Ricky gently pulled it out of his son's grasps as everyone chuckled at his antics.

"Alright, alright, I'm opening it." Anne and George had gotten Jason a miniature anatomy model he could use as a study aid; Jesse a gift card to Big 5 sporting goods store; and Ricky a new digital camera, since John had accidentally knocked his old one into the kitchen sink. Not knowing Ricky too well, Jason and Jesse's parents each gave Ricky an iTunes gift card. Since Jesse and Jason were on the football team together and their parents were a little closer, Jason's parents got Jesse a water sampling kit, knowing how much he liked marine biology, and Jesse's parents got Jason a set of college level anatomy flashcards. Margaret and Shakur got Ricky a set of golf clubs, knowing how much he enjoyed visiting the driving range and not wanting him to have to rent golf equipment any more. Ashley got Ricky a graduation card and she and Griffin both signed it. She didn't bother getting the other two guys gifts as she didn't know them that well. Madison got cards and iTunes gift cards for all three boys, figuring it was always a safe bet and knowing their parents and girlfriends would be getting them gifts they really wanted. Lauren had the same thought as Madison and got Ricky and her brother cards and iTunes gift cards. However, she got Jesse a silver plated watch with his initials inscribed in it. The boys thanked everyone for their gifts and then, as though there had been some unspoken signal, everyone rose to help get the wrappings and food picked up and secured. Shakur kept an eye on Robbie and John while the little party started to disperse and several minutes later found the leftover food secure and Anne carrying out a cake. Robbie spotted the cake first and made a beeline for his mother, instantly becoming her little shadow. Ashley chuckled at her little brother and walked over to him to pick him up.

"Hey!" Robbie whined indignantly as he squirmed in his sister's arms. "No fair!" Ashley smiled at his reaction.

"I know you want cake, Robster, but if you get any closer to mom you'll make her trip then no one'll get cake." Upon hearing he wouldn't get cake Robbie became still and decided to wait patiently. Nora come out of the kitchen a moment later carrying a tub of ice cream and an ice cream scoop.

"Ice cream!" John squealed happily, rushing over to his grandmother. Upon hearing his happy squeal Moose lifted his head and let out a happy bark, getting caught up in the moment of excitement. Amy chuckled at her son and grabbed him around his waist before he could latch himself to Nora's legs.

"Yes, John, ice cream," Amy agreed with a chuckle as she knelt down so she was at John's eye level. "But let's wait until Grandma Nora puts it down so you don't knock her over either." Amy kept one arm around his waist and Ricky stood just behind her, smiling down at the two of them. Anne set the cake down and began to cut it while Nora opened the tub of ice cream. Jesse's dad began unstacking little paper bowls and setting them out for Nora to scoop ice cream into while Jason's mom began unstacking small paper plates for Anne to place cake slices onto. John grasped the edge of the picnic table and stood on his tippy toes while he eagerly watched Nora scooping ice cream. Nora chuckled and plopped a scoop in a bowl, handing it to John with a smile.

"Thank you, granma!" he said with a grin before heading over to Robbie, who was sitting in the shade of a tree and happily shoveling cake into his mouth. Amy shook her head and laughed as she picked up a plate and bowl and made her way over to Ricky.

"Let's hope he's not too hyper to sit through the ceremony." Ricky glanced over at his son, who was happily tapping his feet together as he ate his ice cream, and chuckled. The chatter was once again happy and light as everyone enjoyed their dessert. Amy had finished her cake and was half way through her ice cream when John came up to her.

"Can I have more please, mommy?" he asked, holding out his empty ice cream bowl.

"You may one more little scoop." John didn't wait for further instructions and ran over to Nora. He also held out his empty bowl towards her.

"Mommy said I can have more," he explained, still unaware that sound travels and that Nora had heard what Amy just said. Nora rose from her seat and placed a small scoop of ice cream in John's bowl while his other grandparents chuckled. John may not have come into their lives how they expected him to but at the end of the day none of them regretted his unexpected arrival.

Once dessert was finished everyone once again silently agreed to work together to clean up. Once the backyard was cleared and the food put away, the boys were directed to the bathrooms to get dressed for the graduation while everyone else hung out in the living room, the mothers all getting prepared to wear out their cameras. Amy and Anne took the boys upstairs to get them cleaned and changed as well.

Once the graduates were ready and dressed in their gowns, picture mania ensued. The boys took pictures by themselves, with their families, with their girlfriends, and with just the three graduates. After several minutes Lauren and Jason's stepdad glanced at his watch and then spoke to his wife.

"Honey, if we don't leave soon parking will be a nightmare and the boys will miss the whole thing." His statement got everyone moving. There was a flurry of purses and jackets being shuffled as everyone made their way to the door. George did one last check to make sure all the doors were secure and Moose's water bowl was filled before following the group out the front door and locking it behind him. Everyone piled into their cars and the little caravan was off to Grant High.

When they arrived they saw that the parking lot was quickly filling but there were thankfully still plenty of spots left for them all to be able to park in the school parking lot. Amy had ridden with Ricky and they waited at the gym entrance with John for their parents to arrive. When Ricky spotted their parents he knelt down to John's level.

"I'll see you in a bit, buddy," he said before kissing John's forehead.

"Where you going?" John asked with confusion.

"It's time for daddy to graduate," Amy explained, looking down at her son. "We'll see him in a little bit." Ricky stood back up and caught her eye.

"See you in a bit," he said with a smile before leaning in to kiss her; he felt Amy smile. Ricky headed to the weight room where the graduates were lining up and Amy headed into the gym with her and Ricky's families.

As the Juergens and Underwood families found a seat, Grace and Grant where walking into the gym. Grace looked around as she decided where she wanted to sit and Grant looked slightly bored.

"Why are we here again?" he asked, wondering to himself how his girlfriend had managed to convince him to come when no one he considered a friend was graduating.

"For support," Grace replied, still looking around. She spotted what appeared to be a good seat and linked her arm with Grant's, half dragging him with her.

"Support for whom exactly?"

"Jason, Jack and Ricky," she answered, now climbing up into the stands. Grant looked at her with surprise and confusion on his face.

"Why are we supporting your ex-boyfriend?"

"Because graduating from high school is a big deal and everyone likes to have a cheering section, she replied, excusing herself with a smile as she made her way down a row towards the seat she had spotted.

"Doesn't he have parents for that?" Grant asked, still unsure what he was doing there in the first place.

"Yep." Grace sat down and, with their arms still linked, half pulled him down with her. Grace unlinked their arms and began reading through her program while Grant just looked at her. You're an odd one Grace Bowman. Grace continued reading and Grant smirked. Odd but oh so loveable. He settled himself into his seat and began looking at the program.

A little while later the lights dimmed slightly, signaling the start of the ceremony. The band began to play pomp and circumstance and the graduates began to make their way into the gym, Ricky leading the way. Parents and loved ones called out to their graduates and cameras flashed repeatedly. On screens off to either side of the stage images of the graduates as babies were projected along with their senior photo and names.

"That's daddy!" John called out excitedly when he saw Ricky's baby and senior photos come up on the screen. Amy chuckled as the picture of Ricky pouting over his outfit was displayed and nodded.

"Yep. That's daddy." Nora's eyes began to mist as she watched her little boy walking into the gym, moments away from being a high school graduate. She felt a wave of gratefulness wash over her that she'd gotten herself together in time to witness this milestone in Ricky's life.

Once all the graduates had taken their seats in front of the stage the principal got up to speak. He waited several minutes for the attendees to retake their seats and for the room to quiet a little more before speaking.

"Family, friends, and honored guests. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the graduation ceremony of the class of 2011." He paused as the room erupted with cheers and clapping. The principal smiled and simply waited for the din to die down. "To begin our ceremony I ask you to help me welcome to the stage the chosen speaker for the class of 2011, Jack Pappas." The principle began clapping and backing away from the podium as Jack rose from his seat and made his way to the stage and everyone else soon followed, a few of the seniors shouting encouragements to Jack and some of his former football teammates whooping. The room quieted down as Jack looked up, ready to begin his speech.

"Parents, family, friends." He paused for a moment as he sought out his mother and they shared a smile. Jack turned his gaze to look at his fellow classmates. "That's who is in the audience for us this evening. You know why? Because that's who helped us get here. Sure we were the ones sitting in class, doing the homework and taking the tests, but we aren't sitting here today because of what we did alone. Even though we've all been going to school together these last four years, I don't everyone's life story so I don't know what your home life was like. What I do know is that someone was there along the way for all of us. It could've been a parent, family member or best friend, a teacher, school counselor, or supervisor at your job. The point is we all had someone in our corner at some point during these last four years and I for one am thankful for that. Wanna know why?" Jack paused for dramatic effect and smirked. "Because teenagers are idiots."

Quite a few people chuckled and some of his classmates looked at him like he'd lost his mind, which in turn made him chuckle. "And before you guys get all indignant on me just hear me out. Now I'm gonna need some group participation for a few minutes so please bear with me. Guys, please raise your hand if you are exactly the same person today you were when you walked into Grant High four years ago." Jack waited for a moment and none of his classmates raised their hands. "Please raise your hand if you aren't the same person." Most of the hands went up, Jack's included. "Let's try the next one. Please raise your hand if you are sitting here today and never screwed up at least once during the past four years, whether it was something big or small." One boy's hand shot up instantly as he grinned at Jack. Jack rolled his eyes while most of his classmates scoffed. "Leon, put your hand down. Trying to set a record for screwing up without getting arrested doesn't count." Most of the senior class snickered. "My point with all these questions is that, whether you want to admit it or not, whether you realize it or not, you changed over the past four years and some of those changes are because you screwed up. Some of you may be wondering why I'm pointing out something so obvious and here's why: just because you're eighteen, or nineteen, doesn't mean you're done screwing up. Yeah, we're legally adults and, for a lot of us, we're about to gain a whole new level of freedom when we go off to college. What I want us all to remember is that we still don't have all the answers. We finished high school, so what? I can guarantee that there are graduates in the audience right now who are going off to college and don't know what they wanna major in." Several seniors suddenly found the floor, their shoes or their fingernails very interesting as they tried to hide their embarrassment as Jack's word struck a chord. "And that's okay because we don't have to have all the answers. We'll figure it out eventually, and we'll screw up a little along the way."

"And that's where parents, family and friends come in. These past four years, and probably longer, someone was in your corner giving you sound advice, or guidance, or encouragement. Maybe they even challenged you to do more than just get by in life. Remember those lessons and words of wisdom fellow Lancers. Life can be complicated and hard to navigate. We thought high school as hard? College and the world outside these walls is a whole other ball game and I for one know I'm not fully equipped to deal with it. But thankfully I've got my parents, friends, mentors, and yes, even my faith to help me out, plus I think I've finally learned at least a couple of things from my screw ups these past four years," he said with a chuckle, hearing people chuckle in response and agreement. Jack directed his gaze to the audience. "Parents, family, friends, you of all people know how stubborn and thick head teenagers can be and it takes a few tries for your words to get through. In all honestly it might take us hearing something, like, the twenty-eighth time, before we get it, but we need you to stay in our corner. You're supposed to learn from your mistakes and I'm only just beginning to learn from mine. I truly pray that all of us take with us, from this moment forward, all the academic and life lessons we've learned these past four years and use them to better ourselves and, hopefully, screw up less severely as we navigate this new chapter of our lives. Lancers, make sure you thank the people who've helped you grow over these past four years before you head off onto your next adventure and for my family, friends and mentors celebrating with me here tonight, thank you. For everything." Jack inclined his head and stepped away from the podium as the room erupted with cheers and applause. Jack took his seat with a smile and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be. The applause slowly died down as the principle stepped towards the podium once more.

"And now please help me welcome to the stage our class valedictorian, Richard Underwood." Cheers and applause sounded once more, with Ricky's family and friends cheering the loudest. Ricky tried to hide his embarrassment at being the center of attention as he made his way to the podium. Nora took a little camcorder out of her purse and trained it on her son, not wanting to miss a word. Ricky cleared his throat as he waited for the room to quiet down. He scanned the crowd for a moment in an attempt to calm his nerves. His eyes found Amy and John and relaxed when he saw them smiling at him. John waved and Ricky's tension melted away. He turned his gaze to his classmates.

"First of all I assure you Jack and I didn't compare notes before we wrote our speeches and yet they're gonna sound kinda similar and for that I apologize," he said with an embarrassed smirk, causing several chuckles to be heard throughout the room. "With that out of the way. .." Ricky paused to clear his throat. "High school can best be described as a cocoon. The person who walks into these halls their freshman year isn't the person who emerges four years later. But there's something I realized as I thought back over my past four years here and it's this: the person who walks out four years later isn't set in stone. I don't know about the rest of you but my life had some major changes over these past four years," he states with a smirk. Chuckles and amused expressions spread throughout the seniors as Ricky turns his focus to the audience. "And while I'll spare you all the details, if you don't' already know, I became a father and that caused me to reevaluate my priorities and figure out what kind of man I wanna be." Ricky returned his gaze to his classmates. Some of the senior girls gave Ricky their undivided attention, curious to see if Ricky would reveal just what made Amy so special to him. "A lot of the changes I've had to deal with were the result of bad decisions and not learning my lessons when I should've." Ricky looked into the audience and smiled at his parents.

"If it weren't for people in my life who loved me and were smarter than me, I'm not sure what kind of person I'd be right now and for that, I'm truly thankful." Ricky looked out over his classmates again. "I don't know what lessons you all have learned these past four years but I'd like to share some of the ones I learned." Ricky scanned the audience of faculty for Mr. Sidlack and smiled. "Mr. Sidlack is the band instructor and our marching band director, for those who don't know. He recognized that I had talent as a drummer and encouraged me to join the band. He also encouraged me to join the marching band, teaching me that it's okay to be talented at something and it's okay to allow yourself to be part of something bigger than yourself." Mr. Sidlack smiled back at him. Ricky looked up into the stands and thought of Grace, Madison, Lauren, Ashley, Justin, Jesse and Jack. "I've made some friends along the way, as I'm sure most of us have, who taught me that not everyone sees the world the same way I do, and sometimes a different perspective can shed light on something you're struggling with." Ricky smiled as he located his parents in the audience once more. "My parents taught me that it's never too late to try to better yourself, my past mistakes don't have to define my future and, if you're open to it, love will always find its way in." Ricky smiled as his eyes fell on John. "My son has helped me regain a little bit of my innocence." Ricky noticed the look of skepticism and disbelief on his classmates' faces, particularly of some of the girls he'd slept with, and he chuckled. "While I wanna be clear that I'm not advocating becoming a teenaged parent, I do recommend that you all spend some time with little kids. They're still discovering and figuring out the world and they see it with complete innocence. In fact, occasionally a little kid can figure something out that we can't simply because we're overthinking it." The parents in the audience smiled and George chuckled. Ricky lifted his eyes to the stands once again and gazed at Amy.

As Ricky gazed at her it was obvious to the seniors who he was looking at because of the love-struck expression on his face. "Amy Juergens taught me something I didn't learn in any classroom, couldn't learn from any book, and simply couldn't seem to grasp on my own and that's this: being yourself is enough." Ricky looked at his classmates with an amused smirk. "In high school, most days, the majority of us show up with our game face on, wearing the right outfit and having the right attitude that'll make us stand out from everybody else, that'll help us leave our mark when we graduate. We build ourselves a reputation for this or that so we'll fit in with that crowd or this one and for what? So we can feel accepted by people we know nothing about? By people that, deep down, we don't even truly like? Just so we can one-up somebody whose name we probably won't even remember ten years from now?" He noticed a small portion of the senior class squirm in their seats while some others looked thoughtful, mentally reviewing the games they'd played over the past four years. "We're teenagers so we've all heard it time and time again: just be yourself." Ricky chuckled. "The problem is most of us have no clue who we are to begin with because we're too busy tryna find somewhere to fit in in the high school pecking order, so to speak." He lifted his gaze back to Amy for a brief moment. "It's okay not to be perfect, to not have all the answers or have yourself together." He gave his classmates a genuine smile. "The biggest and most lasting lesson I learned over these past four years is that if you're willing to take a leap of faith and just get to know somebody, without wanting or expecting anything in return, to the people who matter, you will be enough. And if you cross paths with people who don't agree, they're not worth your time. We've made it to one milestone in our lives and we can be proud of that. We also need to remember that life goes on after high school. Figure out who you are, without all the games, drama and hyped up reputations, and keep striving to be a better you. Everything else will fall into place when it's supposed to and the people who are supposed to be in your life will be there. I wish you all the best of luck in your next life adventure and I hope when our class reunion rolls around we're all better men and women than we are right now. Congrats fellow Lancers," he finished with a smile and headed towards his seat. As the room erupted in cheers and claps his classmates decided to give him a standing ovation, their family and friends doing likewise. Nora dug into her purse for a tissue as she stood up. Of all the lessons she had unknowingly taught her son, she never imagined that the one he would bother sharing with a room full of complete strangers was that it's never too late to try and better yourself. She had no illusions that Margaret and Shakur taught Ricky his past didn't define him and he should be open to love. At that moment she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that her little boy had learned something worthwhile from her.

In another section of the stands Adrian was clapping and trying to fight back tears as well. As she stood there clapping along with everyone else she felt really glad that she'd come tonight. She needed to hear what Ricky, and Jack for that matter, had had to say. Grace had been telling her that she didn't have to be defined by her past mistakes and choices but those mistakes and choices kept popping up, like tonight and the fact she was part of the audience instead of the graduating class. And yet, being reminded by an old friend that just being herself was enough, to the people who mattered anyway, somehow finally got through to her. Hearing Jack remind her that at the end of the day she was still a teenager and teens don't have all the answers or have life figured out somehow made here feel a little better about her current situation. So I have to go to summer school. It's not the end of the world. And it won't stop me from becoming the kind of woman Mercy would be proud of she thought to herself with a smile. The applause died down and the rest of the ceremony continued. The staff selected speaker gave a brief speech and then the students began to walk across the stage to get their diploma holders and shake the principal and district administrators' hands, pausing for an official photo. When Ricky walked across, his and Amy families and friends cheered loudly for him, snapping their own pictures as he waved to them.

Finally the principle presented the graduating class and with cheers and the tossing of caps, the ceremony was over. The audience waited for the seniors to file out and then a mass of loved ones filtered out of the stands to find their graduate. For a solid half hour there were hugs, pictures with family and classmates, pictures with favorite teachers and general celebrating. Jesse found his way over to Ricky and his posse, his arm around Lauren.

"If you change your mind about tonight, come on by," Jesse told Ricky with a smile. Ricky shrugged noncommittally and Jesse and Lauren meandered off.

"You can go if you want, sweetheart," Margaret assured him, bouncing John in her arms and causing him to giggle. "We don't mind watching John tonight.

"It's graduation night, son," Shakur added. "This is something to celebrate!" Ricky looked thoughtful for a moment and then looked at Amy, silently asking her what she wanted to do. They had already gotten her parents' permission for her to spend the night with him and John at his apartment. He'd celebrated with his friends and extended family and all he really wanted to do to celebrate this moment was be with Amy and John. Amy knew all this already and simply gave him an encouraging smile.

"We can go celebrate for a bit if you want and then leave once you're bored," she suggested. It seemed like a good idea to him and he turned back towards his mom with a smile.

"Thanks." Margaret beamed; she loved spending time with her grandson. Amy and Ricky kissed John and, after a few more pictures, headed towards his car and drove to his apartment so he could change into something more comfortable.

When they arrived Amy grabbed her overnight bag and brought it with her when they headed upstairs, a mischievous smirk on her face. As Ricky headed to the bedroom to change Amy sat on the couch and opened her overnight bag to remove Ricky's graduation gift. When he emerged a few moments later he found his girlfriend sitting on the couch wearing a mischievous grin and holding a small wrapped gift. Ricky arched an eyebrow as he walked over to her and lowered himself to the couch. He didn't say anything but his expression clearly asked for an explanation.

"I know you noticed I didn't get you a graduation present," she stated, the grin still on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

"The barbeque was my present." Amy shook her head slowly. Ricky looked at her warily, not sure why she had that expression on her face, or a twinkle in her eye. Amy calmly set the gift on the table and walked over to the front door. She turned and leaned against it.

"Why don't you open it so we can head out," she said calmly. Ricky's curiosity caused him to quickly grab it and unwrap it. The little box was taped but he was able to get it open quickly. He saw lavender tissue paper and quickly tossed it aside. Amy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at Ricky's stunned expression as she watched his body go rigid.

"Is it…" His voice cracked and then suddenly left him. In the little box in his hands sat baby blue bra with baby blue lace making up the top third of the cup and a matching pair of baby blue underwear with lace along the edges. Ricky lifted his stunned eyes to Amy and saw her smiling back at him smugly.

"I figured such an important milestone deserved a very special gift," she replied with a giggle. He continued to stare at her and she answered his next question before he could ask it. "And yes, I've worn them. But don't worry, they're clean." Ricky's mind suddenly started working again and he grinned. His girlfriend had not only let him see another pair of her lacey underwear but she was giving him a pair of said underwear as a gift. Oh the dreams he would be having tonight. Ricky set the box down and walked over to her. She giggled when he pulled her against him and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck and returned the kiss wholeheartedly. Ricky pulled back and smiled down at her with a look of awe in his eyes. "Congratulation, Ricky. I'm so proud of you." They shared a smile and another brief kiss. "Ready?"

"You have no idea," he said cheekily. Amy rolled her eyes but a smile remained on her lips. She squirmed out of his arms and took his hand in hers as she opened the door.

"For the party, Mr. Smarty Pants." Ricky locked the door behind them and they headed out to drive to Jesse's party.