"Congratulations to the class of 2016!"
Cheering and clapping all around the auditorium was heard. The recent graduates were finally done with high school. It was like a weight lifted off of everyone's shoulders, but particularly for one young adult. She was standing next to another girl, about her same height, even with heels, but drastically different features. The girl in question was five foot two at most, but her heels gave her an extra two inches. She had an incredibly nice tan, a natural one, not one of those fake ones some of the other girls had that made them look orange. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders to the middle of her back; it was dark and curled for the day. If you studied her facial features you could make out several freckles popping out, she had deep brown eyes that you could almost feel lost in if you stared too long, and her full lashes and plump lips made all the guys stop and stare. The brunette's friend had much lighter skin than hers, and her hair was so light it almost looked bleached. Her friend's eyes were a hazel color that changed in the sunlight and her smile was as contagious as her calming demeanor.
A group of older individuals ran up and engulfed the brunette girl in hugs and kisses on her cheek, and also gave her friend the same treatment. Both girls laughed and took pictures with just about everyone before stepping out to catch their breath.
"Can you believe it, Court?" The blonde girl started, her voice was full of emotion, "we finally graduated!"
The two gave each other a tight hug that lasted longer than usual. They had been best friends since their sophomore year, and had been inseparable since then. Now that they had finished their high school years it was time for the next big thing, college. What a shame it was for them as they had learned to work so well together, but they were determined to keep their friendship strong no matter what. They were venturing off to different schools, but only a mere ten miles away from each other, nothing a weekend visit or two couldn't solve.
"I know, it's insane. How will we ever survive without each other next fall?" The brunette said with a laugh, but deep down she was actually frightened of the idea of not having her best friend around everyday. Independence was a great thing that college would offer, but nothing would amount to the comfort the two gave each other. They had a strong bond that the universe simply could not break.
"Hey, Courtney and Bridgette!" The two turned around and noticed another girl waving over at them. She was a bit taller than them, had smooth chocolate skin, and her hair was pulled up into a top knot so her signature hoop earrings were on full display.
"You girls are coming to my party tonight, right?" She asked anxiously. Bridgette nodded with enthusiasm and elbowed Courtney on the side. Courtney then nodded her head; she wasn't keen on parties but this was different, it was a graduation party. Adults would definitely be around, so it would not be hard to convince her mother to let her go.
"We wouldn't miss it, Leshawna!" Bridgette chirped. The girl across from them gave them a thumbs up, and walked back to her other friends.
Bridgette then turned to Courtney, "Have you even asked your mom if you could go tonight?" Bridgette knew first hand how intimidating Courtney's mother was. If you didn't ask in advance then there was no point, and even if you did, you needed to bring it up at least once every two days before the actual day, or you might as well have never asked. Courtney looked down at her feet, shuffling slightly.
"No. I haven't gotten around to asking." Courtney finally admitted. She knew she needed to put her foot down on her own life, especially now that she was nineteen and getting ready to live on campus, but it was hard. Growing up in a strict household did not give her much opportunity to voice her own opinion. If her mother asked her to jump, she'd simply ask how high.
"Ask about what, mija?" The two jumped slightly at the figure that was now approaching them, it was Courtney's mother. At first glance you would think Courtney had a twin sister, but that was just how strong her genetics were. Courtney was undoubtedly the spitting image of her mother, and she was glad for it. Her father was rarely in the picture, but she desperately tried to form a relationship with him no matter the circumstance. Courtney was disappointed that he could not make it to her graduation, but he had at least let her know this time. Courtney's mother was not happy about it, but kept her comments to herself as she knew it was a touchy subject for her daughter.
"Our friend, Leshawna, is having a small graduation party tonight. She invited us both." Courtney was hoping this was enough information to get an approval. Courtney found out long ago if she asked for something the answer was more than likely no. But, if she framed it into a statement it gave her mother room to analyze the situation. In a way, it masked Courtney's emotions, giving her the upper hand in acting like she was okay if her mother said it was a bad idea.
"Ms. Rosales," Bridgette began, Courtney bit the inside of her cheek, it always sounded odd to hear her mother still carried her fathers last name, even after all these years. "Courtney is more than welcome to spend the night at my house. My older sister said she would take us and pick us up."
Courtney's mother looked between the two and sighed. "I have to remind myself you aren't a little girl anymore. Of course, you can go with Bridgette." Bridgette let out a small squeal but quickly contained herself. Courtney just looked shocked but accepted her mother's decision without question. Maybe she was starting to let go? "I will just check with your sister, to be sure it's alright with her." Nope, no letting go just yet. The two watched as Courtney's mother made her way to the crowd and disappeared.
"Wow. I thought we had made a breakthrough for a second." Bridgette said in almost a whisper. Courtney just shrugged, she was used to this. The only thing keeping her up was knowing she would be on her own in a few months. She had all but begged her mother to let her live on campus for college. It wasn't a pretty memory, as her mother caused a scene at her abuela's house and called her tios to come over. Of course, they arrived ready to defend their niece, it was ridiculous of her mother to keep babying her. Once she was convinced it was settled and Courtney hid the sheer excitement for what would come.
After Courtney's mother relayed the information with Bridgette's sister she left. Courtney and Bridgette were now heading to Courtney's car to head back to Bridgette's house. It wasn't a long drive, the graduation ceremony took place in the local college just across the street from their actual high school, which happened to be a few blocks away from Bridgette's house.
"Sheryl texted me, she asked when is your mom going to let up on you." Bridgette said with a snort.
"Tell her I'm sorry my mother is so overbearing."
The girls pulled into the driveway. Courtney cut her car off, and they walked in through the basement. Bridgette's parents were very lenient with her. Bridgette practically had her own mini apartment in her own home, as the basement was constructed with a full bathroom, open kitchen, and plenty of room for a bedroom set and living room set. Since Bridgette was the youngest of her siblings, and the only one still living at home, she was gifted this area on her sixteenth birthday.
Courtney stripped her gown off and hung it up in the guest closet. Ever since her mother approved for her to spend some nights at Bridgette's house Courtney had slowly brought over some clothes and left them there. This way, she would have a mini wardrobe in case of an emergency.
"So what time are we going?"
Courtney was shifting through the various outfits she had hanging up as she spoke. She pulled out a pastel pink colored mini sundress that had lace across the top. This would be perfect. The color made her skin pop and it wasn't too dressy or too showy.
"I say we head out around eight P.M. Sheryl isn't taking us by the way."
"What? Why not?"
"She never was. I made it up, and she went along with it. You're welcome."
Courtney just stood there letting her friends' words sink in. She had never lied to her mother before, well technically she wasn't the one lying, but she knew now, which was just as bad. Bridgette seemed to notice the change in Courtney's demeanor.
"Hey, it's okay. You're nineteen, you need to live your own life. Just, go wash up and relax. It'll be fun tonight."
"You make a good point."
Courtney turned and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. If she was going to be out of her house for the night she was going to have fun. She needed to get used to the fact that her mother did not need to know everything going on, especially if she was going to be living on campus soon. What type of person would she be if she still needed to reach out to her mother for every little thing? Courtney would always respect her no matter what, but she needed to be an adult now.
~
Once showered and ready to go, the girls left in Courtney's car. The graduation party was in Center City, so leaving a little early was necessary to find parking. A spot relatively close was found, and the two walked down the block until they made it to the address listed. It was a three story club that was divided into sections; their party was on the top floor. When they made it upstairs they noticed the room was quite spacious. There was a DJ on the far left by the windows, an open bar serving nonalcoholic drinks, tables lined up with catering, a small lounge area, and a huge dance floor with stroding lights.
Most of the 2016 class was there, including some new faces, but no adults. Courtney felt somewhat ashamed for being out in town with no adults, but quickly shoved the idea aside. Bridgette was right, she was nineteen and needed to make her own memories. She stepped into the crowd and was slowly falling into peace of mind and dancing to the music. It wasn't until the lights were turned down that everything started to escalate.
People around her were dancing closer together and the idea made her uncomfortable. Normally, it would have been fine, if she had someone to dance with, but she did not. Courtney had ended things with her long term boyfriend, Trent, just six months ago. The feelings had gone away, but the sting of finding out someone could easily lose interest in you lingered and caused her to analyze every relationship she had, family and all.
Now, Courtney had known her classmates for four long years, but she never looked at any of them as more than an acquaintance. So when a hand wrapped around her waist she froze. It was like everything went in slow motion. She looked down at the contact, then moved her head to see one of her classmates, Justin, trying hard to get her to move to the best of the music. The blood rushed to her head, and she stomped on his foot causing him to yelp and back away.
That was enough dancing for her night. Courtney scanned the room, and found Bridgette sitting in one of the longue sofas with a few of their friends. She walked over and took the only empty seat left.
"What are you guys talking about?" Courtney asked, trying to keep herself occupied. She really did not want to go back into the dancing crowd as they were all but grinding on each other now.
"Katie was just telling us about her awful prom date." Bridgette said.
Courtney was aware that something had gone down during prom night a few weeks ago. She didn't know much, but a rumor about two guys being escorted out to an ambulance was circulating.
"Oh my gosh. It was awful!" Katie gasped, "Sadie's date ate some weed brownies, and was totally off the walls!" Sadie nodded along and added, "Yeah! Then Katie's date was tripping him out on purpose, and an ambulance was called." Wow, so the rumors did hold truth to them, who knew?
"Well, at least you don't have to worry about seeing them again."
What an awful experience to go through at your own prom. Courtney was glad she had asked her childhood friend to come along with her, rather than asking random people who she barely knew. In all honesty, if it was up to her, she would not have gone to prom. She had dreamt of that night, of course, but after Trent was out of the picture she did not care. Bridgette convinced her she was being over dramatic, and that she would regret it if she didn't go, so she followed her best friend's advice and ended up having a nice time.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. They're both here, somewhere." Katie said, bringing Courtney back into the conversation.
As if on cue a pair of guys walked over, one stood next to Sadie as the other stayed behind Courtney.
"Hey, everyone. I want to apologize for prom night. I swear, I had no idea those brownies were laced."
Sadie just shook her head and smiled, "No worries DJ! We knew it wasn't your fault." She darted her eyes above Courtney, and Courtney could have sworn she saw malice behind the girl's eyes. That was new.
So DJ was the name of one of the guys, she thought to herself. He seemed like a nice guy, judging by his apology. DJ was very tall and buff. He had a buzz cut and a warm smile. Everyone seemed to be at ease around him. A voice behind Courtney broke whatever happy demeanor everyone had.
"DJ, how many times do I have to tell you. You didn't have to eat my brownies."
"Dude, you practically shoved them in my mouth!"
"Nobody told you to chew!"
Courtney turned around as everyone's gaze was now focused on whoever it was behind her. She had to look up to see him clearly. He was tall, but not as tall as DJ. The muscles on his arms, that were covered in tattoos, indicated he worked out some. His facial features were hard to read as he wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. One thing was for sure, he had way too many piercings and his hair was a whole other thing. Why did he have a green Mohawk? He glanced down at her, and the side of his lip quirked up slightly.
"Hey, I remember seeing you."
Courtney lifted her eyebrow, he remembered seeing me? She thought. He seemed to read her mind because he continued.
"You had that red dress on. It was really nice, and made you look like a real Princess."
Courtney just turned her head to look at Katie, he was her date after all, shouldn't he be giving her the compliments? Katie just glared at him. It was honestly quite amusing to see her mad, she was usually so bubbly.
Katie opened her mouth, "You ruined my prom, Duncan! Do you know how many questions I was asked once you were dragged out?"
"My bad. I needed to have fun somehow." He said, holding his hands up in defense.
Duncan, so that was his name. It seemed fitting. The group jumped into another conversation after a few minutes and things seemed to go back to normal. Bridgette was laughing with some other people who had popped up, so Courtney decided to head over to the bar.
She sat on one of the stools and ordered a shirley temple. Even though there weren't any adults they made sure no alcohol was present for the party. She ignored the clear of a throat next to her, but after hearing it once more she looked over. Duncan had made himself comfortable in the seat beside her.
"So, are you going to thank me?"
Now she was really confused. Who was this guy coming up and speaking to her as if they'd known each other beforehand? And thank him for what?
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, for that little compliment back there, about your dress."
Oh. It was pretty bold of him to assume she'd need a compliment. Courtney knew she looked nice on prom night, and Duncan blatantly asking for a thank you was making her not want to give one. So she settled for a rather short comeback.
"I think I looked nice too."
Duncan let out a chuckle, causing Courtney to eye him suspiciously. She wasn't trying to be funny. The bartender, who seemed to be having a lousy night, set her drink down for her. Duncan asked for a coke and his drink was poured into a glass cup in front of him. Once the two drinks were picked up the bartender left to the other side. Duncan pulled out a mini flask from his jacket, and poured clear liquid into his cup then handed it to Courtney.
"Want some?"
Courtney shook her head, "No, thank you. I'm driving tonight." That, and she had never really drank before. At most she had tried beer and that was even a stretch as she threw it up instantly in Bridgette's bathroom. After that experience she swore she'd never let her lips taste that again. Duncan shrugged and emptied out the reminding liquid into his cup.
"Haven't you learned your lesson about adding things where they don't belong?"
"Relax, Princess. It's not going to kill me."
"Enough of it will."
It was alarming seeing someone not care about the consequences of their actions. First weed, now alcohol? How did someone their age even get their hands on illegal substances like that?
"Where did you even get that?"
"Fake ID."
"You could get in a lot of trouble for that."
"Exciting isn't it?" Duncan said with a smirk that brought out a dimple on one side of his face. Courtney didn't know why, but it completely took away from the tough guy act he was trying to put on. Who could be big and scary with such a cute dimple? Courtney mentally slapped herself for even thinking about it; she was not ready for this.
"No. It's really stupid." She replied. What would be exciting about a fake ID? If anything it would cause more problems.
Duncan just stared at her. That was the first time anyone, any girl for that matter, had disagreed with him on something. Normally girls would think it was cool that he had a fake, sometimes they asked him where they could also get one. But here she was, calling it stupid with no interest in any of it. Duncan couldn't figure it out, but there was something he liked about that, something he liked about her. Sure, she was stunning, but the way she was able to hold a conversation rather than stammer and fall to her knees like every other girl was electrifying.
"Got an actual name, Princess?"
"My name is Courtney. I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me Princess."
"Why's that? I think it suits you."
"Aren't you here with Katie? It would be inappropriate."
Duncan just about choked on his drink. See, too much liquor, Courtney thought to herself. He laughed and shook his head processing Courtney's question.
"No. It's not like a date, I just did DJ a favor by going to prom with her."
"So then why are you here right now?"
The question came out harsher than Courtney expected. She wasn't trying to be rude, she was just curious. If DJ was the one who was wanting to be around. Why was he there too?
"DJ tends to need a wingman when it comes to Sadie. I'm sure you've noticed."
Duncan was right. Katie and Sadie did tend to be joined at the hip. It was hard to imagine any relationship working out for either of them without it being mutual on both ends, but hey what did she know? Her last relationship left her so heartbroken she could never speak on others intimate affairs. Still, there was a part of her that wanted to open back up, but nobody ever caught her interest. Duncan was okay, he had the looks, but his demeanor gave off that he was hiding something. Like he too, was trying to push something away.
"So, where's your date?"
Courtney shook her head, "I don't date."
"Oh, so we finally agree on something."
Courtney shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't the ideal thing for people to have in common. It was pretty sad actually, at least on her end. She did not know Duncan so she could not speak on his behalf, but maybe his reason was the same as hers.
"Hey, Court! Let's get going."
Bridgette's voice interrupted their conversation. Courtney turned in the stool, and saw Bridgette looked a bit disheveled. Did something happen? She didn't question her friend and simply hopped off the stool, leaving Duncan there. He watched as the two walked down the stairs and out of sight. Before he knew it DJ was also coming up to him.
"Don't tell me you've been sitting here alone this whole time?"
"Hell no. I was talking to Princess."
"Princess?"
"I meant Courtney."
Katie and Sadie popped up behind DJ in time to hear the last bit of their conversation.
"Don't even think about it, Duncan. She's my friend and she's already been through enough shit." Katie said sternly. She knew Courtney had gone through a pretty rough breakup, and she definitely wasn't looking for a new one.
"Who said I was interested? Can't a guy talk to an attractive girl without having ulterior motives?" Duncan said, trying to defend himself; it wasn't working. The trio in front of him gave him blank stairs and only DJ seemed to give a hint of a smile toward him. Katie and Sadie's eyes met, and Katie turned back to stare at Duncan.
"I'm not giving you her number."
Duncan shrugged. He didn't need any of them to find a way to talk to Courtney. He was determined to see her again, one way or another. DJ said goodbye to the girls and the two left, DJ driving Duncan home.
~
Once Duncan was finally home he pulled his phone out and went straight to the first place he could think of, Instagram. He knew he'd be able to find her there.
After scrolling through DJ's followers he was able to get to Sadie's page, where it looked like she and Katie shared the account. Figures. On the top row he noticed a line of graduation photos, if he was lucky she'd be tagged. He clicked on the most recent one and scrolled through the collage of photos. On the second to last was a small group photo with Katie, Sadie, Bridgette, and none other than Courtney. He clicked the tagged button and her name popped up.
Duncan was now scrolling through Courtney's profile. She had a variety of posts, but one that stuck out the most was a picture from prom. She was standing alone in the picture, her shoulders back and her hair was in loose curls that reached past her shoulders. She was smiling, and the red color in her dress made her skin look even more beautiful. The dress looked like it was made for her. It had a small train that flowed out, there was light beading throughout the fabric, and a slit that stopped just by her thigh. He wasn't lying when he said she looked like a Princess, all she was missing was a crown.
Without thinking he liked the picture.
Fuck.
He hadn't even followed her yet, and he was liking her picture? He couldn't undo it now. He followed her and waited for any type of notification now.
As he laid in bed he thought about her. It was starting to get on his nerves, he never let his mind wonder about anyone for long periods of time. Duncan wasn't the type to actually care for another person, but something about Courtney made him want to get to know her more.
Maybe it was the way she questioned him? Or maybe it was the way her eyes scanned him when she turned to look at him. It wasn't like other girls who were obviously checking him out. When she looked at him it was almost like she was studying him, trying to figure him out. If she figured that out he'd have to ask her because he too was lost in that state. The more he thought about her the more he realized he enjoyed more features on her that he'd never taken time to notice on anyone else. She had a cute nose, it was lined up with freckles that stretched out onto her cheekbones. Her hair was thick and the color was absolutely gorgeous. Man, if anyone was able to hear his thoughts he would surely have to pummel them.
The screen on his phone lit up and he looked to see what it was. His heart seemed to skip a beat when he realized it was a notification from Instagram, from her. She had followed him back! Now he had to play it cool, or nothing would come of it. He opened the app and sent her a message, and within a few minutes the two were having a conversation.
Duncan: Princess!
Courtney: I asked you not to call me that.
Duncan: I know.
Courtney: Can I help you?
Duncan: Yeah, let me get your number.
Courtney: I barely know you.
Duncan: How can you get to know me if I don't have it?
Courtney: You're assuming I even want to.
Duncan: Why not? I don't bite… much.
Courtney: You aren't helping yourself right now.
Duncan: Come on. Live a little.
Courtney: I don't think so.
Duncan: Fine, then I'll just have to talk to you here.
Courtney: Don't be ridiculous.
Duncan: You leave me no choice.
Duncan waited as Courtney was typing her response. He just needed the smallest indication that she might be interested to seal the deal. Duncan wasn't going to push her into anything. He genuinely wanted to know more about her, it scared him but something about it felt right. Of course he couldn't let anyone know, what would that mean for his reputation? But it was summer, who would he really be around enough to have to prove he didn't have the slightest of feelings? This could actually work to his advantage.
Courtney responded, and the smile on his face could not be contained even if he tried. She had sent him her phone number.