Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting this latest chapter! Unfortunately my schedule got a bit hectic, but I've been looking forward to continuing the story! As mentioned previously, I won't be able to update next week but hopefully the following week I'll be able to get back into my weekly routine. Enjoy chapter 5!
The music from the school band wafted through the afternoon air, the sun was shining brilliantly down on the graduates of James Polk middle school, and Moze was not happy. Something had been bothering Ned over the final few days of school. He had been awkward around her. That just never happened. The only time he'd been awkward before was while they were figuring out their feelings for each other. Somehow though, this was different.
Moze squinted into the sun as Principal Wright delivered their graduation address. This was supposed to be an exciting day for her. Middle school was officially over. Instead, all she could do was think back to their final few days at Polk and worry. Sure, she and Suzy had patched things up, and the volleyball team had won an end of the year tournament, and she and Ned had been voted class couple, but somehow none of that mattered to her right now.
Moze shifted in her seat and glanced towards Ned. He and Cookie were sitting side by side and whispering to each other. Moze wished she had someone to talk to, but because the class was sitting in alphabetical order, she was sitting between two people she really didn't even know.
Bigby, Cook, Crabgrass Moze thought to herself. The three people she was closest to were all lucky enough to get to sit together. The nearest person to her right now that she knew was Martin Qwerly, but she was grateful he was several people away from her. With his tendency to run at the mouth, she doubted whether she'd even be able to hear the graduation festivities going on. Of course, as distracted as she was, she wasn't really listening all that much anyway.
Suzy noticed Moze looking in her direction and gave a small wave. Moze waved back, wishing she could talk to her friend. Cookie, who was seated between Ned and Suzy, turned to Suzy and whispered something, drawing her attention away from Moze. Moze shifted her gaze back to Ned, who looked uncomfortable with whatever the conversation was going on between Cookie and Suzy.
Moze wished she could trade places with Cookie, not just so she could sit with her boyfriend, but also so she could act as a buffer zone. Suzy had told her she was still furious with Ned for dumping her, and Moze was sure Ned was uncomfortable having only Cookie between him and Suzy right now.
With nothing else to do besides listening to the graduation speech, Moze allowed her mind to wander back to their last couple of days at Polk. A memory from their second to last day entered her mind and added to the unease she'd been feeling. She remembered she'd been heading to one of her classes and Ned had practically walked into her, coming out of a seemingly empty classroom. When she'd asked him what he was doing, he'd tensed up and insisted he'd walked into the wrong room by mistake. Moze had peeked into the classroom to see why he'd gone in, and she could have sworn she'd seen someone exiting out the other door. Ned had denied that anyone else was in the room with him.
Moze bit her lip and forced herself not to look in Ned's direction again. She couldn't even allow the thought to enter her mind that Ned was hiding something. If she did, it would just drive her crazy. Whatever was going on with Ned, she hoped he would just tell her what it was.
Ned was living his worst nightmare. Suzy had been hounding him all week long, trying to steal kisses any chance she could, and pestering him about taking her back. He was so sick of trying to tell her no, but she wouldn't quit. He felt awful hiding it from Moze, but she'd been so relieved when Suzy had forgiven her and they'd become friends again, that he couldn't bear upsetting her and ruining that. So he'd had to bear Suzy's onslaught alone. He couldn't even risk telling Cookie because there was a pretty decent chance he'd blab it to Lisa, or even go straight to Moze.
The current situation wasn't exactly helping Ned either. On the one hand, thanks to the seating arrangements, he was sitting next to Cookie. On the other hand, right next to Cookie was Suzy, who seemed to be enjoying how uncomfortable he was. It didn't help that Cookie was trying to get Suzy to forgive him right in the middle of the graduation ceremonies. Ever since Moze had told Cookie that Suzy was furious with Ned, Cookie had gone out of his way to try to mend fences between them.
It was frustrating to watch, and Suzy made it worse, seemingly getting a twisted pleasure out of watching Cookie waste his time, then throwing it back in Ned's face whenever she managed to get him alone. Usually she'd gloat about how she'd get him back all by herself and then make nasty comments about how pathetic Cookie's attempts were. Worse still, whenever Cookie would plead his case to her, shed pretend to listen and act as though he was making progress. Ned wanted to scream out loud that she was nothing but a liar, but she knew he wouldn't dare.
Right at this moment, Cookie was whispering to Suzy about how good a guy Ned was, and how he'd never knowingly hurt anyone. Ned hated how he felt at this moment. He hated the act Suzy was putting on, and he hated the sick feeling in his stomach. He felt sick because somewhere deep down he felt like maybe he wasn't being such a good guy and that maybe some of the things Cookie was saying weren't quite true anymore.
He risked a quick glance in Moze's direction. She looked a bit distressed. He couldn't blame her. He'd been basically avoiding her all week because he had no idea what to say to her. He was afraid he'd blurt out everything that was going on. It didn't help that she'd come very close to finding out the other day. Suzy had grabbed him while he was walking to class and dragged him into an empty classroom. Before he'd been able to react, shed pressed him up against the wall and planted a deep kiss on his lips. He pulled free after a moment, but when he dashed out of the room he'd nearly bowled Moze over. After making an excuse about getting lost, he'd tried to direct her towards her next class. Instead, to his horror, she'd decided to peek in the classroom to see what had caused him to mistakenly enter it. He was sure she'd see Suzy and discover the truth, but somehow Suzy had ducked out the other door just in time. Moze had acted suspicious but he believed she'd bought his cover story.
Cookie finally finished whispering to Suzy and turned back to Ned. As Ned's gaze left Moze and he turned back to Cookie he happened to quickly lock eyes with Suzy. She gave him a lusty wink and quickly blew a kiss with her lips. Ned looked away as fast as he could. He couldn't wait to get as far away from her as possible. He was grateful that after today, it would be summer vacation and with any luck he wouldn't see Suzy again for quite a while.
Principal Wright finished his speech and announced it was time for the diplomas to be handed out. Moze couldn't believe her time at Polk was over. Soon she and many of her classmates would be starting school at John Adams high school. As the class began to line up to get their diplomas, Moze's worries about Ned momentarily took a back seat to the bittersweet feeling welling up inside of her. She felt her eyes grow moist as she realized she wouldn't see all the same faces every day anymore. Sure, most of the people she knew were going to the same high school, but a few weren't. Seth for example was going to play basketball at a private high school that had a strong hoops program. Evelyn was going to the same high school. She claimed it was for a high quality education but Moze had a feeling it was to be with Seth. Then there was Coconut Head. Apparently his father had been promoted to some new cushy job and the family was moving out of state. They'd be moving in less than a week.
Moze was so caught up in her emotions she hadn't even heard Ned, Cookie, and Suzy get their diplomas. She suddenly realized there were only a few people left in front of her. She looked out into the audience of family members and spotted her mom and dad. They were beaming with pride. Her mom had a camera out and was snapping pictures as fast as she could. After a few more moments, Principal Wright called out her name. Moze walked across the stage that had been set up for graduation and received her diploma. Principal Wright gave her a huge smile.
"Congratulations Jennifer" he said warmly. "I'm really going to miss you around here. Please come back and visit any time. You'll always be one of my favorite students." His face suddenly became serious. "But please don't tell anyone else I said that. I'm technically not allowed to have favorites." Then he broke back into a wide grin as he shook her hand.
Moze wasn't prepared for the surge of emotion that came. Her voice cracked as she responded.
"Thank you Mr. Wright" she managed. "I'm gonna miss Polk a whole lot. You were the best teacher and principal ever."
She couldn't manage any more words and dashed off stage so no one would see the tears streaming down her face. She had never expected it to be this hard to say goodbye to middle school.
For Ned the rest of graduation went by in a blur. Pictures with his family, saying farewell to most of his teachers, and saying goodbye to those who wouldn't be going on to the same high school all blended together. He was surprised to find out that Mr. Kwest would be transferring to the high school to teach the computer classes there and stunned to find out Gordy had put in a transfer request and would also be working at John Adams high school. He hadn't seen Moze since she got her diploma.
When things finally died down, Ned found himself alone outside Polk. He wandered around outside for a while, walking amongst the tables where he'd so often had lunch with Moze and Cookie. He made his way inside to pay one last visit to his locker. He lingered by it for a few minutes, memories flooding through his mind. He remembered his short-lived time as "The Revenger" and all the crazy traps he'd set up, he recalled Martin, Coconut Head, and a few others doing an anti-rain dance to get out of dodgeball, and he thought about all the times he'd stood right where he was standing now, with Cookie and Moze, planning out crazy schemes or trying to help solve a problem. Suddenly his thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted.
"Mr. Bigby! I'm surprised to see you here. Seems to me like you were always trying to find ways to get OUT of here, and now I find you here when you could be outside with your friends enjoying the start of your summer break!"
Ned smiled at the familiar voice and turned to see Mr. Sweeney standing outside his classroom, a bemused look on his face.
"Hi Mr. Sweeney" he responded. "Just taking one last walk down memory lane."
Mr. Sweeney raised an eyebrow.
"Sometimes you surprise me Mr. Bigby. I wouldn't have expected you of all people to give leaving here a second thought."
Ned smiled.
"This school had a pretty big influence on me Mr. Sweeney. It's where I spent three years learning everything from better study habits, to running school stores and talent shows, being in plays, dealing with bullies, getting schoolwork done on time, understanding relationships, and…"
"And becoming a fine young man" Mr. Sweeney interrupted, giving Ned a smile.
"Thanks Mr. Sweeney. You know, I'm actually going to miss your Science classes. I still remember when you kept the class from going to lunch on time so you could get us to understand more about spiders."
Mr. Sweeney chuckled.
"Well Mr. Bigby, if the class had been paying attention that day, I wouldn't have had to do that, but you also taught me something that day. I used to think daydreaming was simply a waste of time, but you showed me that sometimes it can be used as a way to help with problem solving, as long as you don't do it in the middle of one of my lectures."
Ned nodded in agreement.
"Well Mr. Sweeney I should probably finish my last walk around the school. I don't want to take so long that my parents start to worry about where I am."
"Very good Mr. Bigby. Oh, and one more thing: You may not believe this but I am actually going to miss having you in my class. Good luck in high school Mr. Bigby. Remember what you learned here and you will do just fine."
Ned smiled and shook Mr. Sweeney's hand. Mr. Sweeney turned and walked back into his classroom. Ned lingered for a moment, then turned and started walking down the hall.
A few minutes later, Ned had passed by his life science classroom when he heard a noise. At first he wasn't sure what it was. He slowly moved in the direction the noise seemed to be coming from. As he got closer to the source of the sound, he could tell it was someone softly crying. He reached Mr. Chopsaw's classroom, and could tell whoever was crying was inside. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should leave whoever it was alone, but after debating for a few seconds, he decided to at least check on them to see if he could help in some way. As he entered the classroom, he was surprised by who he saw.
"Moze?" he asked, surprised and immediately concerned.
Moze looked up, startled. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had clearly been crying for a while. Ned had never seen her like this and it shocked him. He wasn't quite sure how to respond.
"N-Ned" she stammered. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just taking a final walkthrough the halls of Polk. I even ran into Mr. Sweeney. What's….. what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Moze took a moment to gather some of her composure before responding.
"It just really hit me" she said slowly, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "It's over. Our time here. It's never gonna be the same. I guess I've gotten used to seeing the same people every day. I don't know if I'm really ready to say goodbye yet. I came in to see if Mr. Chopsaw was here, and to maybe do a last woodshop project. When I got in here and the classroom had been cleaned up for the summer, it just really hit me that this was it and I don't know, I just kind of broke down."
Ned walked over and put a comforting arm around her.
"Moze you're one of the strongest people I know. You never let anything bother you that much, and you pretty much never cry, but you're allowed to be upset. This is a big change. High school is gonna be great but it's also gonna be different. I get it. I get why you're hurting and why it sucks to say goodbye to Polk. I had a nice moment with Sweeney and it reminded me that even though I hated school here, I also loved it. I'm gonna miss it here too. A lot more than I thought I would."
Moze put her head on his shoulder.
"It just sucks you know?" she said with a sad sigh.
Ned turned his face towards her and kissed her on top of her head.
"We'll get through it" he said matter-of-factly.
After a few moments of silence, Moze picked her head up and looked Ned in the eyes.
"Ned, these last few days have been really weird. This is the first time we've been alone together since that messy day with Suzy. I need to ask you something. You've been acting really weird since then. Is there something you haven't told me? If there is, you can trust me. Just tell me whatever it is ok?"
Ned stared silently at her for a moment, then cracked his lopsided grin.
"Moze, nothing is going on. It's just been a crazy final few days of school. You know how it is. Speaking of which, I didn't get a chance to tell you how pretty you looked today at graduation."
Moze looked intently into his eyes. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she spoke.
"Thank you Ned. I appreciate honesty"
Ned's smile became uneasy but he kept it up. Her choice of words was not lost on him. He knew now she suspected something. The urge to tell her the truth about Suzy was strong, but he resisted it. Instead he opted to change the subject.
"Claire Sawyer is hosting that end of the year graduation pool party at her house. We're supposed to be there in about half an hour. We told her we'd go so we should probably head home so we have time to get ready, don't you think?"
Moze's eyes bored into his. It seemed as though she hadn't blinked in ages. It was almost as if she was trying to see inside him to study his soul. He swallowed, hoping she'd switch her focus to the pool party. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally turned her gaze from him.
"Fine. Let's go back home and get our swimsuits. If you meet me at my front door when you're ready, my mom can drive us."
Even though her voice was calm, Ned detected an edge to it. He hoped the pool party would help her focus on something else. As she stood up and they turned to leave, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at the screen. It was a text message from Suzy!
"Who's texting you?" Moze asked, the suspicion still very much in her voice.
"Just Cookie" he lied. "He's wondering if we'll be on time to the party."
Ned glanced back down at the message: Can't wait to see you at the pool party cutie. We're gonna have a GREAT time -Suzy
So I know this sort of glosses over their graduation and last days at Polk but the Field Trip episode covered a lot of it and I didn't feel the need to re-hash all of it. The next chapter is gonna be a crucial one and will help speed the story up towards the start of high school for them (finally!) Unfortunately it'll be at least 2 weeks until I can get it up but hopefully it'll be worth the wait for everyone! As always questions/comments/suggestions are always welcome! I hope you've enjoyed it so far!