Chapter Fifty The End of High School
Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own Twilight. My writing is purely a hobby that lets my creativity flow.
A/N. If you like my story or notice I made a mistake feel free to tell me. Thanks to those who review it helps me improve as a writer and encourages me to keep writing. Also thanks to those who have put my story on their favorites list. It makes me smile when I get a notification. Knowing that people like my story enough to favorite it makes me want to continue to write. So thank you to everyone who has reviewed or put my story on a favorites list. Thanks to anyone who has read even a chapter of my story.".."= character dialogue '...'= character thoughts. *…*=text message.
Jake looked around watching everyone move around as they got in lines preparing for graduation. Embry was next to him texting Natalie who was out in the crowd waiting for the ceremony to start. Quil was at the front of the line being fussed over by one of the teachers. Renesmee stood behind Embry and Seth along with a few more people bored. She stared at her phone watching the time tick by slowly glad that she was finally graduating from high school and moving on to the next stage of her life. Lana stood in a different line towards the entrance of the basketball gym where graduation was being held observing people as they walked by for once listening to the various thoughts of those around her.
Jake sighed softly "I can't believe we are about to be finished with high school. It seems like not that long ago we were just beginning and now we are about to finish and move on to the next chapter of our lives."
Embry looked up from his phone "in a weird way I'm glad that our school in La Push got flooded and torn down because otherwise you wouldn't have met Lana and Seth wouldn't have met Renesmee. Lana wouldn't have helped me see why having an imprint is important and made me want to change my ways and find someone for me. She made a difference in our lives for the better and if you didn't meet her who knows what life would be like. I'm glad that we are finishing high school and moving on to bigger, better things and I'm glad we got to have this high school experience."
Seth moved back a few spaces in line to be next to Renesmee smiling "well it is finally here. The day that ends our high school career and gives us the summer to get ready to start our future whether it is going to college, vocational school, or just joining the work force. I'm glad that you and I get to graduate together instead of you being a year ahead of me."
Renesmee looked up at him "yep we've finally made it this far and I'm glad that your mom allowed you to skip a grade so you can be with me. I'm pretty sure our future is bright with our plans." she leaned up and kissed his cheek.
Lana glanced at the teacher at the front of the lines letting out a small sigh of relief as the teacher announced that it was time for the ceremony to start. She waited a few moments before walking after the people in front of her a little sad that her name put her towards the back of the line of graduates. 'If only the administration saw me as a Cullen so I could be up in line with Renesmee and the others.' She filed in the gym behind the others taking a seat once she had reached her row.
Esme was dabbing a tissue at her eyes as she watched her daughter and granddaughter walk into the gym "I can't believe my daughter and granddaughter are graduating today. It feels like it hasn't been that long since Lana came into our home and now she's all grown up."
Carlisle took his wife's hand "it will be okay darling. We knew it was going to happen and now we have to accept that she is now an adult who can make her own decisions about life."
Lana watched as the principal addressed the crowd boring her with the long winded speech that was no doubt going to continue until everyone was asleep or until she finished her remarks about why they were all there. She closed her eyes listening as she tried not to fall asleep bored within five minutes of the principal starting her speech.
Jake worked on staying awake clenching and then opening his fists before whispering softly to Embry "why do we have to listen to her long winded speech? I mean can't she just let us go through and get our diplomas and then let us go and if anyone wants to listen to her talk they can stay later."
Embry nodded agreeing with him "this is her one chance to make us sit and listen to her talk for as long as she wants and we can't do anything about it unless we don't want our diplomas."
Quil quickly shushed the two "she's watching you two and if you don't shut up we are going to have to suffer even longer." he said out of the corner of his mouth watching the principal and making sure it didn't look like he was talking.
Jake groaned quietly before he shut his mouth not wanting to provoke the principal but ready to finish the ceremony. The principal finished her speech and introduced some members of the school board as she went to go prepare the diplomas. One of the school board members said a few words before he took the names of the graduates and had the first row stand up. Jake followed his fellow graduates up towards the stage doing his best not to bump into the person in front of him. Lana watched the first row get up wishing she could be a part of the first line of graduates sighing softly as she counted four more rows in front of hers. Jake walked across the stage taking his diploma and standing still long enough to get a photo with the principal before he returned to his seat glad he had finished high school.
Carlisle clapped as members of the pack walked across the stage keeping an eye out for Renesmee then turned his attention back to Lana waiting for it to be her turn. He waited finally standing up with his wife as Lana walked across the stage cheering as loudly as he could for her. Esme cheered with proud of her family and the pack members.
Eventually the ceremony ended and everyone stood outside. Some talking to each other while others were taking group pictures. Lana stood with her arms wrapped around Jake looking up at him as Renesmee snapped a few pictures for her. Jake kissed her forehead unable to keep from grinning as he held her. Seth made faces at the two not surprised when they ignored him as they kept their gazes locked on each other. Embry was with Natalie taking pictures and talking to her family. Quil stood by Seth glancing around at the various activities going on.
Lana glanced at Seth noticing he was making faces "really Seth? We are trying to capture the moment that we graduated and you are making faces at us." She took the camera from Renesmee giving the other girl an opportunity to pose for pictures with Seth.
Seth put on an innocent face "I don't know what you are talking about Lana. I was simply watching you and Jake stare at each other as Renesmee took pictures of you two." He put his arm around Renesmee smiling and trying not to look goofy as he stood still for the picture.
Renesmee rolled her eyes before wrapping an arm around Seth's waist as she grinned for Lana "I'm sure both of you are just being silly today since we finally have a reason to celebrate."
Jake glanced at Quil once he had let go of Lana before nudging him "do you want to go find Embry and make fun of him?"
Quil turned his attention to Jake "yeah we should. He deserves it after all the crap he has given us over the past few years. It's time for him to get a taste of his own medicine and this way we can say hi to Natalie." He headed in the direction he had seen Embry go.
Embry looked up as Quil and Jake walked over before hiding his face in Natalie's hair groaning quietly having an idea of what the two were about to do. "Please don't let them try and embarrass me. Wait I forgot they are my best friends and I gave them crap once they imprinted and now it is my turn. Great just great." he mumbled into her hair ignoring the protests of Natalie's parents as they were trying to get more pictures of him and Natalie.
Jake looked at Natalie "hi Natalie it is great that you were able to be here to celebrate Embry's graduation." He turned towards Embry smiling "come on now Embry I didn't hide behind Lana while you commented on how whipped I was. I took your comments without hiding and I don't really think it is fair that you are hiding behind Natalie when it is your turn to get the comments."
Quil grinned "who is whipped now Embry? Who talks all day about their girlfriend and how much they miss her? Oh right that would be you. Now you understand how Jake and I feel which means you don't get to give us crap anymore and you have to be more understanding of what we dealt with. How does it feel to get a taste of your own medicine?"
Embry looked up from his hiding place frowning at the two "we just graduated high school and you couldn't give me a day or two before you started with the comments? I mean I gave you two a few days to get used to being in relationships and being whipped before I commented. I guess I do deserve this though since I did the same to you. Honestly I don't mind being whipped at all though if it means I get to call this beautiful girl my girlfriend and my other half." He kissed the top of Natalie's head before turning towards her parents and smiling so they could take more pictures.
Quil pouted "well I was expecting a different reaction so I guess I'll just have to settle for what you said and leave you alone in your happiness bubble with Natalie. Natalie it was good to see you and I hope to see you later at the Cullen house." He headed back over to Lana, Renesmee, and Seth.
Jake went after Quil scooping Lana up into his arms once he reached her before giving her a smacking kiss "I love you beautiful girlfriend of mine."
Lana rolled her eyes wrapping her arms around his neck "I love you as well sexy boyfriend of mine. We are finally done with high school. Now it is time to party and have fun until college starts."
Esme walked over with Carlisle hiding under a tree to keep from being exposed to sunlight "well I hope you two don't party too hard. It wouldn't do to waste your summer just partying. You can have your graduation party tonight and maybe attend a few other parties but I hope you plan to do other things before you start college in the fall."
Jake held Lana in his arms smiling "we won't party too much. I'm sure the pack will host a party or two to celebrate but otherwise most of us are working until school starts or visiting family who live out of state. I was hoping to take Lana to Hawaii to visit my sister Rebecca and her husband Solomon."
Carlisle glanced at Jake then at Lana "if you two would like to travel over the summer we will not have a problem purchasing tickets. We would like to know where you are going and any plans you have while going there but other than that we have no problems with you traveling. As for you Renesmee you will have to convince your parents if you wish to travel."
Renesmee pouted at the thought of having to convince her father "I doubt dad would let me go anywhere without him. He barely lets me spend any time alone with Seth. I wish he would realize that I am an adult now and I can make my own decisions. If I make a bad one then I have to live with the consequences but he just wants to keep me sheltered from the real world."
Carlisle smiled softly "he is only trying to protect you Renesmee. You and Lana are special and we are not sure what could happen to you two and we are only trying to keep you safe. He is your father so he is the one who does have the right to make decisions for you until you are eighteen which you are not yet."
Renesmee shrugged turning towards Seth "let's head back to the house and help Grandma Esme set up for the party this afternoon."
Seth wrapped an arm around Renesmee as he waved farewell to the others before walking with her to his vehicle. "is it going to be a big party for you and Lana? Or is it going to be a small gathering for the pack and the Cullens?"
Esme had left moments before with the rest of the Cullens to go finish setting up. Jake glanced around looking for the matriarch of the Cullen family surprised he didn't see her around. Lana kissed his cheek before gently nudging him trying to get him to walk towards her vehicle now that everyone was beginning to leave the high school.
Carlisle looked at Lana and Jake "well I suppose we should head back to the house so that you two along with the rest of your friends can celebrate." He headed in the direction of his vehicle nodding at a few people who stopped to talk to him.
Jake glanced at Lana as he set her down "so shall we head to the house or do you want to spend some time alone before we show up? We also need to talk about possibly visiting my sister in Hawaii."
Lana looked around glancing at the high school reminiscing about the events that occurred in her high school career "we can spend some time alone. They will be working on setting up for a little while so it won't be terrible if we take our time getting there. I do like the idea of visiting your sister in Hawaii and this summer will probably be the last time we really have any spare time while we are in college."
Jake nuzzled her neck "so should we get in the car and drive somewhere or just stay here and talk for a while?"
Lana tilted her head to the side letting him have better access to her neck "let's drive somewhere more private." She moved away from him after a bit heading to the only car left in the parking lot twirling around as she walked.
Jake ran after her smiling as she twirled around. He caught her hand pulling her back towards him before scooping her up and carrying her to the car. He opened the door and gently set her down in the passenger seat before placing a kiss on her forehead "where do you want to go?"
Lana put on her seat belt waiting for Jake to come around to the other door before looking at him "well we could go to the outskirts of town where parties have been held or we could head in the direction of Seattle and find a park to stay at."
Later on the two drove up to the Cullen house not surprised to see a decent amount of cars and decorations surrounding the house and driveway. Lana got out of the car running a hand through her slightly messy hair before glancing at Jake "ready to go join the party?"
Jake nodded taking her hand "one last party with our school mates and then we can focus on other more important things in our lives." He walked inside moving past the bodies dancing and talking as he headed for where Renesmee and Seth stood.
Renesmee waved over at Lana once she caught sight of her before whispering quietly to Seth "looks like Jake and Lana had a little bit of fun before they arrived if her hair and his clothes are any indication."
Seth looked at the two then back at Renesmee "well we did just finish high school and they wanted to celebrate that accomplishment in their own way then so be it. Carlisle isn't as strict as your father is about their activities when they get to be alone. If I wasn't as scared of your father as I am I would have suggested that we go do something similar but I would like to remain alive long enough to finish college and marry you and possibly have children." He kissed the top of her head.
Renesmee pouted slightly "well maybe we can use Lana and Jake as a distraction for my father and go somewhere else later on and be alone. I wish my father would be a little less strict about what we do when we get to be alone."
Lana stood by Renesmee "if you really want me to be a distraction to your dad you and Seth both need to watch your thoughts so he can't figure out why I'm distracting him. I am more than willing to play the part since messing with your dad is one of my favorite hobbies but let's wait until the rest of the high school is gone before we make any more plans."
Esme walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later turning off the music before she placed the huge cake on the table "now it is time to celebrate our graduates. So will Embry, Quil, Jake, Renesmee, Seth, and Lana all come to the table and take a picture with your graduation cake."
Lana walked over to the cake smiling when she noticed there was a picture of all of them on the cake. She glanced at her classmates doing her best to ignore the snide thoughts a few were thinking smiling at the people who seemed to be in really good moods and didn't have any negative thoughts. Jake stood by Lana wrapping an arm around her waist before glancing at the cake and smiling at the picture Esme had chosen to put on the cake. Embry and Quil were joking around as they looking at the cake. Renesmee leaned up and kissed Seth's cheek after seeing the picture. Seth blushed slightly before glancing at the rest of the people staring at them before grinning until he noticed Edward had walked into the house. The rest of the Cullens entered the room some holding cameras ready to take pictures while others simply stood watching the group. The group made the cheesiest faces they could as they posed for pictures smiling before each taking a piece of cake. Esme turned the music back on once the cake had been cut and pictures had been taken smiling. Lana ate her cake before going over to talk to some of her classmates getting involved in conversations about colleges and majors glad she had made a few friends that were not pack members and her own family.
Jake stood with Seth watching Lana and Renesmee mingle not really up for talking to the people gathered "do you know any of these people other than the members of the Cullen family and our pack members?"
Seth danced around to the music hopping from foot to foot as he watched the party "no I didn't really try to make any friends outside of the pack and Renesmee's family. I didn't really see the point as we were only supposed to be at Forks High for a few months not a few years like we ended up. If I talked to anyone other than pack or Cullen it was to work on a group assignment but no one really expressed any interest in hanging out besides to work on group projects."
Jake nodded understanding "yeah I didn't really go out of my way to try and make any friends other than the ones I had since like you I figured we wouldn't be at Forks High for all that long. I also didn't see the point since I had you guys and Lana and Renesmee to hang out with and have fun with. The people I worked with in groups besides Lana and Renesmee weren't exactly friend material and therefore I never tried to make friends."
Renesmee talked with a few people from her music classes smiling before excusing herself when she found her dad's attention on her. She walked over to her dad "hi dad. Are you enjoying the party?"
Edward looked down at his daughter "not really but it is nice to have something to celebrate again. It hasn't been that long since I graduated for the billionth time." He said the last part quietly not wanting to attract attention. "I think your mother and I will head back to the house. You and Seth can enjoy your party and maybe tonight I'll let you have a bit more freedom since you are finished with high school." He found his wife and escorted her out of the house heading back to their cabin in the woods.
Renesmee walked back over to Seth and Jake "so dad is apparently going to let Seth and I have more freedom tonight since we finished high school without any unplanned consequences. Now if only I could convince him that it would be okay for Seth and I to travel over the summer."
Later on the party had died down with most of the kids heading to their own graduation parties and others just leaving now that they had talked to Renesmee and Lana. Lana sat down on the porch swinging her legs over the edge before taking in the sunset. Jake sat down next to her setting the blanket Esme had given him down on the porch before setting his head on Lana's. Renesmee and Seth had headed out to a quiet spot in the woods to take advantage of their alone time and to celebrate.
Lana smiled setting her head on Jake's shoulder "it is so beautiful tonight. We had a great party and an awesome cake. I don't think we will ever be able to forget the memories we made tonight."
Embry walked out with Natalie "hey Jake do you mind if I take the Ferrari so I can take Natalie home? Her parents called and want her to come home as soon as possible."
Jake reached into his pocket and tossed the keys to Embry "no speeding and take it easy. I know her parents want her home but we don't need you doing anything dangerous on the way home. We will see you later."
Embry nodded for an okay "bye for now Lana. Be sure to thank Esme for hosting this party for us and for that wonderful cake."
Natalie smiled "thank you for inviting me to your party and to celebrate your graduation. I hope to see you two at my graduation next weekend if you can make it." She walked with Embry over to the Ferrari waving at the two.
Lana waved back before looking up at Jake "she's good for him. I'm glad he found her even if it took him longer than he wanted."
Jake nodded "he's become a better person because of her and I'm glad he met her as well even if it is only because I enjoyed giving him a taste of his own medicine today. Now he doesn't have to worry about looking for his other half because he has found her. I feel old today now that we are done with high school."
Lana kissed him before smoothing down his hair "you shouldn't feel old now that we are done with school. You probably feel old because you have taken over as alpha of your pack and have more responsibility on your shoulders than the normal seventeen/ eighteen year old kid does at this age. You have me though so if you need someone to lean on or support you I will always be here for you. Now let's talk about Hawaii and your sister. I'd like to go in prepared before I meet her."
Jake set his forehead against hers "well Rebecca is Rachel's twin sister. She married Solomon Finau, who is a professional surfer, when she turned eighteen. She hasn't come back since our mother died because she wanted to escape the memories that remain here. She likes to paint like our mother did but she isn't aware of vampires or shifters as far as I am aware of. She travels with her husband for his competitions so I'll have to call her to make sure she will be in Hawaii when we come visit. Other than that there isn't much to say about my sister. When we go out there I figured we would stay for a week and just relax and you could meet my sister. Just give us a break right before we start college."
Lana nodded absorbing the information he had provided "it sounds like an excellent idea to give us a break right before we start college. I know you said you wanted to work over the summer to get a bit of money saved up to help pay for college so a break sounds good. I look forward to meeting your sister and taking our break." She got up when Embry pulled into the driveway now that it was dark outside before heading into the house and up to her room ready to go to sleep for the night.
Jake took the keys back from Embry before heading up the stairs after Lana yawning ready to go to sleep for the night as well. Seth and Renesmee had said goodnight before heading to their separate houses for the night. Quil was asleep on the couch pretty much living at the Cullen house with Jake, Embry, and Seth. Embry walked into the house and laid down on the other couch covering himself with a small blanket before closing his eyes happy with how his day had gone.
Song Choice: Saying Goodbye- Every Avenue
