Chapter 3
I pulled up to the school in my new car, my heart pounding wildly. I didn't know if I was ready for this tonight. It would be my graduation, something I would have to remember the rest of my life. I parked and got out of the car, scaring myself to see Cassie and Lilly standing next to the car.
"Where'd you get this?" Lilly cried as she ran her hands down the hood.
"A present," I announced and Cassie gasped.
"Some present," Cassie muttered and started walking toward the school building. I walked with Lilly and Cassandra and hurried into the auditorium.
Racks of gowns and caps lined the stage, and I picked the one that had my name scribbled on it. Lilly and Cassandra grabbed theirs and went into the back of the auditorium to put them on.
"Have you talked to Andrew yet?" Cassie asked, stepping into her gown. I froze, and instantly they saw the look of terror on my face.
"What happened?" Lilly asked excitedly.
"Nothing," I lied quickly and zipped up my gown.
"You're lying, I can tell," Cassie said. "What happened?"
"We got into a fight," I explained. Cassie sighed dramatically.
"You have to go and mess everything up with boys, don't you?" She yelled.
"Hey! It's not my fault that most men these days are complete idiots," I shot back.
"He wasn't an idiot!" Lilly exclaimed. "He was a nice guy. Let me guess, your 'Martha Stewart' personality came out and you rejected the guy, didn't you?"
"I had to! He was a pig!" I retorted. "We got into an argument because he thought that I was just another notch on his belt." Cassie rolled her eyes.
"Sure," she muttered and put her cap on so that it wouldn't mess up her hair. I grunted angrily and put my cap on and fished for my speech. Just where I had left it. I smiled and scanned it over and over again, sitting down in one of the auditorium chairs and reading it to myself.
"Need someone to listen to?" I looked up. Andrew.
"Andrew, I don't want to talk right now-"
"Then we can talk later."
"Andrew, I don't want anything to make me any more nervous than I already am. Please, I promise, we'll talk later." I pleaded. His eyes darkened, and he walked away obediently. I tucked the speech into my pocket of my gown and stood up and followed the other's outside. Miss Durham was walking around like a chicken with her head cut off. She ran up to me and seized my shoulders.
"June, oh goodness. Please tell me you're speech is with you. The last thing I need right now is to worry. Do you have it?" I nodded and showed it to her. She sighed.
"Wonderful. Now go with your class and get ready." I ran back into my line and marched out to the football field.
People were packed into the rows of bleachers, dressed very formally, yelling and screaming. That made my heart leap into my throat. I frantically looked around for my parents, but we were still too far away to make out anyone distinctly. We stopped in the middle of the football field, and suddenly scattered to our seats. I inched toward mine, shaking beneath my graduation robe. Mrs. Alchester, the school principle, walked up to the poduim, made sure the microphones were in check and cleared his throat.
"Welcome ladies and gentleman, to the graduating class of 2004." There was a loud wave of applauding and cheering. "It is a time for one and all to realize that their child has finally grown up. Now, I would like to introduce the Valedictorian this year, June Parker." The crowd screamed, and I waited for a second before standing up and walking over to the poduim and pulling out my speech. I sighed nervously and began. The crowd was dead silent as I performed, looking up at the audience to see that they had their full attention on me. I fiddled with my fingers during the speech, twisting and turning them around underneath the podium. Finally, I finished, and then there was a deafening applause. People leaped up and started screaming, yelling, cheering. I hurried back to my seat, and purposely slouched. Cassie nudged my side to signal for me to sit up. I sat up and placed my hands in my lap. The procession seemed to go slowly after that, and finally, it was time for my class to stand up to walk up to the podium.
My heart pounded and a sweat threatened to break out on my brow. I walked as proudly as I could, but inside, my organs were moving inside and out around my stomach. I felt sick, but I didn't complain. I waited patiently for my name to be called, and with it, my titles, like student council president, valedictorian, and others. I closed my eyes and walked up, fearing that I would trip over my own feet, but I made it up there and was handed my diploma.
It was a golden moment. Flash bulbs on cameras were blinking rapidly and people were yelling and clapping. The principal hugged me and shook my hand, and I proceeded over to a long line of teachers and staff who I had to thank. I walked back to my seat, and sat down, sighing. Luckily, we were the last class to be called, and the principle stood back up at the podium.
"I present to you the class of 2004!" As expected, we threw our caps up in the air and cheered. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that Andrew was standing next to me.
"How did you get here?" I hissed, but we were to be quickly ushered back into the school so we could take off our gowns and caps and put them away. I walked quietly, staring at the back of Andrew's head angrily. As we walked back into the auditorium, I ran past him and over to where my things were. I carefully took off my gown and placed it back in the box, along with my cap. I grabbed my purse and hurried to the patio. There was a reception with food and drink after the ceremony. Mom and Dad were already there, waiting for me. Once they had seen me, Mom ran toward me and Dad pulled out his digital camera and started clicking. Brian was standing at Daddy's feet.
"Oh, honey I'm so proud of you!" Mom cried, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you Mommy," I said. Daddy took hold of my diploma and ordered for me to stand next to Mom for Pictures. I smiled brightly as I could as he took 3 or 4 pictures. Andrew came up behind Daddy, and I pulled away from Mommy.
"Um, Mom, I'll be right back," I said to her and walked over to Andrew, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away. I stood by the cafeteria and leaned against the wall.
"You wanted to talk?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.
"June, please don't be like this," he pleaded.
"You made me like this, Andrew. If you weren't so stubborn-" He grabbed my face and brought my lips to his. I pulled away.
"My parents are watching!" I shrieked.
"June, please, I can't get enough of you," he groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in the crook of my neck.
"Andrew," I pleaded softly. I couldn't help but like him. He was the only boy that had ever taken any interest in me.
"Why don't we go out tonight? There's this spectacular party tonight at my friend Alex's. Come with me."
"I can't. It's too late, and besides, I have to be up early, for my hair appointment, for you," I snapped. His eyes slightly brightened.
"So you are going to prom with me?"
"I didn't say that I was going to with you. I might go with Cassie and Lilly." I had done that the past 3 years in a row, and I was somewhat sick of it. He fixed his posture.
"So you're not going to go with me?" His eyes got sad and big. I looked away.
"Andrew stop," I commanded.
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry!" He wailed, loudly enough to attract attention.
"Stop being like this!" I hissed, pulling him into the shadows. "I've come very close to slapping you and walking away, and I know you wouldn't like that." His eyes got wide.
"I will go with you to this party, and I will be monitoring your behavior. If I find it acceptable, you have yourself a date for Prom. If not. . . " I trailed. He pressed his fingers to my lips.
"That's all I needed to here. June, oh, thank you!" he cried and kissed me. My heart fluttered.
"Should I introduce you to my parents?" I muttered.
"That would be great!" He yelled. "I want to meet the two people that created this beautiful girl," he said.
"Actually, I don't think that they are ready to meet you yet, since you pulled what you did earlier," I muttered. His smiled drooped.
"Well, I guess that's OK," he murmured.
"So, I'll go tell my parents, and then we're leaving?"
"Yes. I'm so happy June. You've made me the happiest man on the earth!" He spun around, and I strutted away to talk to my parents. They were waiting patiently with Brian running circles around them.
"Um, tonight, there's a party, at one of my friends house, and he wanted me to attend." I didn't realize how stupid I sounded until then. They both smile.
"Sure darling, have fun. It's your graduation night," Mommy said. I looked at them both strangely for a minute. Didn't they want to warn me about drugs and alcohol and sex? Didn't that run through their mind? Just then, I noticed that they had trusted me. They didn't need to tell me about that stuff. They know I would never do it. I smiled.
"I'm going to go change and head over. Thank you for coming," I said and hugged the both of them very tightly.
"Congratulations, honey. You earned it," Daddy said in my ear. I smiled, waved at them, and walked to Andrew.
"I'm going to go home real quick and change."
"Why, you look beautiful as it is," he said, and smiled. I beamed.
"Well, I don't want to walk around in this dress. It's expensive," I explained.
"OK, I'll follow you home, you can change real quick, and we'll head over." I nodded and started walking over to the parking lot, crawled into my car, and drove home. Andrew kept honking at me, because later on when we arrived at my house, he told me that I drove to slow.
"What are you doing, going the speed limit?" I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. I don't want to get into any tickets."
"Yeah, those suck, I've gotten like. . . " he started counting on his fingers. "15 maybe."
"15!" I cried, entering my house. I hung my keys on the rack and put my purse on the counter. Andrew whistled.
"Gorgeous house," he whispered, looking around in awe. I shrugged and walked up the stairs. Andrew continued to follow me.
"Hey, you go wait downstairs," I commanded and waited for him to turn around. He whimpered and turned around and waited in the parlor. I went up to my room quickly and shut and locked my door. I couldn't trust Andrew enough to leave my door unlocked. I searched through my closet and found a new pair of jeans that I hadn't worn yet and an off-the-shoulder blouse, which was red. I pulled my hair back and put on a little cover up. Andrew pounded on the door.
"C'mon! Let's go!" He cried. I rolled my eyes, slipped into a pair of red sandals and opened the door. He smiled.
"You're beautiful. Let's go," He commanded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me downstairs.
"Andrew! I'm going to fall!" I cried, just as I had tripped over a step and landed on him. He fell forward and tried to turn around so that I wouldn't fall. I landed on top of him and he put his arms around my waist. I looked at him.
"You did that on purpose," I said softly. He grinned and lunged toward me for a kiss. I was surprised. I had never had a boy kiss me like that, actually, I had never had a boy kiss me at all before Andrew. I pulled away and stood up.
"We have to go," I said and grabbed my purse as I walked to the door. He brushed off his clothing and walked toward me.
We took my car to the party. A few houses before we got there, we could hear the music and the laughter and the screaming. We parked, and I was afraid that someone would vandalize my car, but I saw other expensive cars like mine, so I didn't worry as much. We got out of the car and walked inside the house.
The lights were off, and black lights and strobe lights illuminated the room. Andrew grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where a tall, young man stood with dark hair and was wearing a red polo shirt with the collar popped and khaki shorts.
"Hey," Alex said and they both did their little handshake.
"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, June," he said, nodding over to me. My eyes widened. I didn't know that he was calling me his girlfriend. Alex took my extended hand and shook it.
"Real pretty," he said, looking me up and down. I blushed and turned my head to the side. "Welcome."
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"Want a beer?" Alex asked Andrew. I looked up expectantly.
"No, I'm good," Andrew refused. I sighed with relief.
"All right man. Well, I'm gonna go find myself a hot lady to talk to. Later." He nodded and walked away. I turned to Andrew.
"There's beer here?" I asked.
"Yeah, hell yea. And there's some ecstasy going around, I'm sure," he replied. That made my stomach turn. "Want something to drink?" I shook my head. I was afraid that it would be poisoned or something. He smiled and went over to the kitchen. I was tapped on the shoulder, and I turned around.
"Hey!" Cassie cried. I groaned.
"I didn't know that you went to parties," Lilly giggled. She was apparently drunk. Both of them had red cups in their hand.
"Yeah. So, did you come alone?" Cassie inquired, looking behind me.
"No, I came with Andrew," I replied. Both of them smiled sheepishly.
"I see. Has he taken you upstairs yet to show you the house?" Lilly asked, then giggled. I shook my head. Andrew walked up to us and smiled.
"We'll see you later," Cassie said and pulled Lilly away. I looked over at Andrew.
"I didn't expect them to be here," I told him. The music got louder and I had to yell it.
"Hey, why don't I take you on the tour of the house? He's got a really nice house," Andrew screamed loud enough for me to here. I paused. How did Cassandra and Lilly predict that? I nodded anyway, my body feeling hollow. He smiled and grabbed my hand pulling me to the back of the house.
"There's the laundry room . . . the pool, backyard, volleyball pit. . . " He rattled off. "Now let me show you the upstairs." I chewed on my lip and followed him up. He showed me Alex's room and his parent's room and then the guest rooms. The last one we came to had a grand balcony on it, and we stood outside for a while. My heart was racing at an extreme speed. I thought I was going to fall off the balcony.
"You OK?" Andrew asked me, slipping his arm around my waist. I nodded.
"Just a little dizzy, afraid of heights," I lied. He raised his eyebrows.
"I didn't know that you were afraid of heights."
"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," I muttered and leaned against the railing, looking down into the pool.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I took you up here."
"Somewhat," I replied honestly. He sighed.
"I didn't bring you up here to sleep with you. I just wanted to hang out alone." I looked at him. Either he was a really good actor, or he was truly being honest. I softened. "I really like being around you. I'm sure my friends have filled you in on some of the stuff that I do." I shook my head. "I'm trying to change my ways. I graduated with a 2.8. GPA with close to failing grades. All I cared about was partying and sports." I had just remembered that Andrew was on most of the varsity sports teams.
"But I really care about you," he continued. He took my breath away and tears came to my eyes. No one had truly cared about me besides my parents. I couldn't help but throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. He rubbed my back.
"I hope you care about me," he said. I looked up at him.
"Of course I do. I mean, I've only known you for a while, but I still care about you," I explained. He lifted my chin and kissed me. Explosions of fireworks and stars literally filled my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and trailed his finger down my spine. I shivered as his lips traveled down to my neck and shoulders. The door suddenly flew open, and in stepped Cassie and Lilly. Cassie's smile was the biggest I had ever seen on her.
"I figured as much," Cassie said, looking over at Lilly. She nodded.
"Shut up Cassandra," Andrew snapped. Cassie snickered.
"What did I tell you June? You have to watch out for him," Cassie slurred. I walked over to her.
"Shut up! He wasn't doing anything!" I yelled. She only smiled cruelly.
"Sure, you just want someone that loves you and who is really who they say they are." I looked at her.
"What?"
"Cassie, you're drunk, you don't even know what you're talking about," Andrew roared.
"I know what I'm talking about. Your parents adopted you." I froze and then rolled my eyes.
"Sure Cassie."
"It's true!" Lilly cried. "I know about it. A lot of people know about it." Andrew stepped toward Cassandra and Lilly.
"You're both drunk. She wasn't adopted. There's too close of a resemblance. Now get the hell out of here," he announced and pointed to the door. Cassie snickered, Lilly giggled and together they walked out of the room. Andrew slammed the door and I took a seat on the bed. I didn't even realize that I was shivering until I looked at my hand.
"Are you OK?" Andrew asked. I shook my head and started to tremble.
"Come on, I'm going to take you home," he decided and helped me up. I threw my arm around his shoulder and tried to walk by myself but my legs were wobbly. He helped me downstairs and out the front door. Others around us assumed that we were drunk and didn't pay us any attention. Alex walked up to us.
"Hey, leaving so soon?" He asked.
"Yeah, we're going to head out," Andrew said. He didn't explain what had happened.
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said and walked away. We got to the car and I sat in the drivers seat. Andrew shook his head.
"I'm going to drive. You're too upset," he explained. I slid over in the seat and he started the car and sped off. He reached over and grabbed my hand once we got onto the main road.
"You OK?" Andrew asked. I nodded.
"I don't know why I was so shaken up about it thought. I mean, I know that they are my real parents, but something about the way Cassie said it make me have the chills," I explained. He shrugged.
"You know it's not true. So forget about it," he said. We pulled up to the house quicker than I had expected. He got out of the car and came over to kiss me goodnight.
"Get some sleep," he said and kissed my cheek. I nodded and ran into the house. Mommy and Daddy were already asleep, and I was grateful for that. I ran up to my room, changed my clothes, and dove into my bed to go to sleep.
Chapter 3
I pulled up to the school in my new car, my heart pounding wildly. I didn't know if I was ready for this tonight. It would be my graduation, something I would have to remember the rest of my life. I parked and got out of the car, scaring myself to see Cassie and Lilly standing next to the car.
"Where'd you get this?" Lilly cried as she ran her hands down the hood.
"A present," I announced and Cassie gasped.
"Some present," Cassie muttered and started walking toward the school building. I walked with Lilly and Cassandra and hurried into the auditorium.
Racks of gowns and caps lined the stage, and I picked the one that had my name scribbled on it. Lilly and Cassandra grabbed theirs and went into the back of the auditorium to put them on.
"Have you talked to Andrew yet?" Cassie asked, stepping into her gown. I froze, and instantly they saw the look of terror on my face.
"What happened?" Lilly asked excitedly.
"Nothing," I lied quickly and zipped up my gown.
"You're lying, I can tell," Cassie said. "What happened?"
"We got into a fight," I explained. Cassie sighed dramatically.
"You have to go and mess everything up with boys, don't you?" She yelled.
"Hey! It's not my fault that most men these days are complete idiots," I shot back.
"He wasn't an idiot!" Lilly exclaimed. "He was a nice guy. Let me guess, your 'Martha Stewart' personality came out and you rejected the guy, didn't you?"
"I had to! He was a pig!" I retorted. "We got into an argument because he thought that I was just another notch on his belt." Cassie rolled her eyes.
"Sure," she muttered and put her cap on so that it wouldn't mess up her hair. I grunted angrily and put my cap on and fished for my speech. Just where I had left it. I smiled and scanned it over and over again, sitting down in one of the auditorium chairs and reading it to myself.
"Need someone to listen to?" I looked up. Andrew.
"Andrew, I don't want to talk right now-"
"Then we can talk later."
"Andrew, I don't want anything to make me any more nervous than I already am. Please, I promise, we'll talk later." I pleaded. His eyes darkened, and he walked away obediently. I tucked the speech into my pocket of my gown and stood up and followed the other's outside. Miss Durham was walking around like a chicken with her head cut off. She ran up to me and seized my shoulders.
"June, oh goodness. Please tell me you're speech is with you. The last thing I need right now is to worry. Do you have it?" I nodded and showed it to her. She sighed.
"Wonderful. Now go with your class and get ready." I ran back into my line and marched out to the football field.
People were packed into the rows of bleachers, dressed very formally, yelling and screaming. That made my heart leap into my throat. I frantically looked around for my parents, but we were still too far away to make out anyone distinctly. We stopped in the middle of the football field, and suddenly scattered to our seats. I inched toward mine, shaking beneath my graduation robe. Mrs. Alchester, the school principle, walked up to the poduim, made sure the microphones were in check and cleared his throat.
"Welcome ladies and gentleman, to the graduating class of 2004." There was a loud wave of applauding and cheering. "It is a time for one and all to realize that their child has finally grown up. Now, I would like to introduce the Valedictorian this year, June Parker." The crowd screamed, and I waited for a second before standing up and walking over to the poduim and pulling out my speech. I sighed nervously and began. The crowd was dead silent as I performed, looking up at the audience to see that they had their full attention on me. I fiddled with my fingers during the speech, twisting and turning them around underneath the podium. Finally, I finished, and then there was a deafening applause. People leaped up and started screaming, yelling, cheering. I hurried back to my seat, and purposely slouched. Cassie nudged my side to signal for me to sit up. I sat up and placed my hands in my lap. The procession seemed to go slowly after that, and finally, it was time for my class to stand up to walk up to the podium.
My heart pounded and a sweat threatened to break out on my brow. I walked as proudly as I could, but inside, my organs were moving inside and out around my stomach. I felt sick, but I didn't complain. I waited patiently for my name to be called, and with it, my titles, like student council president, valedictorian, and others. I closed my eyes and walked up, fearing that I would trip over my own feet, but I made it up there and was handed my diploma.
It was a golden moment. Flash bulbs on cameras were blinking rapidly and people were yelling and clapping. The principal hugged me and shook my hand, and I proceeded over to a long line of teachers and staff who I had to thank. I walked back to my seat, and sat down, sighing. Luckily, we were the last class to be called, and the principle stood back up at the podium.
"I present to you the class of 2004!" As expected, we threw our caps up in the air and cheered. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that Andrew was standing next to me.
"How did you get here?" I hissed, but we were to be quickly ushered back into the school so we could take off our gowns and caps and put them away. I walked quietly, staring at the back of Andrew's head angrily. As we walked back into the auditorium, I ran past him and over to where my things were. I carefully took off my gown and placed it back in the box, along with my cap. I grabbed my purse and hurried to the patio. There was a reception with food and drink after the ceremony. Mom and Dad were already there, waiting for me. Once they had seen me, Mom ran toward me and Dad pulled out his digital camera and started clicking. Brian was standing at Daddy's feet.
"Oh, honey I'm so proud of you!" Mom cried, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you Mommy," I said. Daddy took hold of my diploma and ordered for me to stand next to Mom for Pictures. I smiled brightly as I could as he took 3 or 4 pictures. Andrew came up behind Daddy, and I pulled away from Mommy.
"Um, Mom, I'll be right back," I said to her and walked over to Andrew, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away. I stood by the cafeteria and leaned against the wall.
"You wanted to talk?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.
"June, please don't be like this," he pleaded.
"You made me like this, Andrew. If you weren't so stubborn-" He grabbed my face and brought my lips to his. I pulled away.
"My parents are watching!" I shrieked.
"June, please, I can't get enough of you," he groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in the crook of my neck.
"Andrew," I pleaded softly. I couldn't help but like him. He was the only boy that had ever taken any interest in me.
"Why don't we go out tonight? There's this spectacular party tonight at my friend Alex's. Come with me."
"I can't. It's too late, and besides, I have to be up early, for my hair appointment, for you," I snapped. His eyes slightly brightened.
"So you are going to prom with me?"
"I didn't say that I was going to with you. I might go with Cassie and Lilly." I had done that the past 3 years in a row, and I was somewhat sick of it. He fixed his posture.
"So you're not going to go with me?" His eyes got sad and big. I looked away.
"Andrew stop," I commanded.
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry!" He wailed, loudly enough to attract attention.
"Stop being like this!" I hissed, pulling him into the shadows. "I've come very close to slapping you and walking away, and I know you wouldn't like that." His eyes got wide.
"I will go with you to this party, and I will be monitoring your behavior. If I find it acceptable, you have yourself a date for Prom. If not. . . " I trailed. He pressed his fingers to my lips.
"That's all I needed to here. June, oh, thank you!" he cried and kissed me. My heart fluttered.
"Should I introduce you to my parents?" I muttered.
"That would be great!" He yelled. "I want to meet the two people that created this beautiful girl," he said.
"Actually, I don't think that they are ready to meet you yet, since you pulled what you did earlier," I muttered. His smiled drooped.
"Well, I guess that's OK," he murmured.
"So, I'll go tell my parents, and then we're leaving?"
"Yes. I'm so happy June. You've made me the happiest man on the earth!" He spun around, and I strutted away to talk to my parents. They were waiting patiently with Brian running circles around them.
"Um, tonight, there's a party, at one of my friends house, and he wanted me to attend." I didn't realize how stupid I sounded until then. They both smile.
"Sure darling, have fun. It's your graduation night," Mommy said. I looked at them both strangely for a minute. Didn't they want to warn me about drugs and alcohol and sex? Didn't that run through their mind? Just then, I noticed that they had trusted me. They didn't need to tell me about that stuff. They know I would never do it. I smiled.
"I'm going to go change and head over. Thank you for coming," I said and hugged the both of them very tightly.
"Congratulations, honey. You earned it," Daddy said in my ear. I smiled, waved at them, and walked to Andrew.
"I'm going to go home real quick and change."
"Why, you look beautiful as it is," he said, and smiled. I beamed.
"Well, I don't want to walk around in this dress. It's expensive," I explained.
"OK, I'll follow you home, you can change real quick, and we'll head over." I nodded and started walking over to the parking lot, crawled into my car, and drove home. Andrew kept honking at me, because later on when we arrived at my house, he told me that I drove to slow.
"What are you doing, going the speed limit?" I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. I don't want to get into any tickets."
"Yeah, those suck, I've gotten like. . . " he started counting on his fingers. "15 maybe."
"15!" I cried, entering my house. I hung my keys on the rack and put my purse on the counter. Andrew whistled.
"Gorgeous house," he whispered, looking around in awe. I shrugged and walked up the stairs. Andrew continued to follow me.
"Hey, you go wait downstairs," I commanded and waited for him to turn around. He whimpered and turned around and waited in the parlor. I went up to my room quickly and shut and locked my door. I couldn't trust Andrew enough to leave my door unlocked. I searched through my closet and found a new pair of jeans that I hadn't worn yet and an off-the-shoulder blouse, which was red. I pulled my hair back and put on a little cover up. Andrew pounded on the door.
"C'mon! Let's go!" He cried. I rolled my eyes, slipped into a pair of red sandals and opened the door. He smiled.
"You're beautiful. Let's go," He commanded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me downstairs.
"Andrew! I'm going to fall!" I cried, just as I had tripped over a step and landed on him. He fell forward and tried to turn around so that I wouldn't fall. I landed on top of him and he put his arms around my waist. I looked at him.
"You did that on purpose," I said softly. He grinned and lunged toward me for a kiss. I was surprised. I had never had a boy kiss me like that, actually, I had never had a boy kiss me at all before Andrew. I pulled away and stood up.
"We have to go," I said and grabbed my purse as I walked to the door. He brushed off his clothing and walked toward me.
We took my car to the party. A few houses before we got there, we could hear the music and the laughter and the screaming. We parked, and I was afraid that someone would vandalize my car, but I saw other expensive cars like mine, so I didn't worry as much. We got out of the car and walked inside the house.
The lights were off, and black lights and strobe lights illuminated the room. Andrew grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where a tall, young man stood with dark hair and was wearing a red polo shirt with the collar popped and khaki shorts.
"Hey," Alex said and they both did their little handshake.
"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, June," he said, nodding over to me. My eyes widened. I didn't know that he was calling me his girlfriend. Alex took my extended hand and shook it.
"Real pretty," he said, looking me up and down. I blushed and turned my head to the side. "Welcome."
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"Want a beer?" Alex asked Andrew. I looked up expectantly.
"No, I'm good," Andrew refused. I sighed with relief.
"All right man. Well, I'm gonna go find myself a hot lady to talk to. Later." He nodded and walked away. I turned to Andrew.
"There's beer here?" I asked.
"Yeah, hell yea. And there's some ecstasy going around, I'm sure," he replied. That made my stomach turn. "Want something to drink?" I shook my head. I was afraid that it would be poisoned or something. He smiled and went over to the kitchen. I was tapped on the shoulder, and I turned around.
"Hey!" Cassie cried. I groaned.
"I didn't know that you went to parties," Lilly giggled. She was apparently drunk. Both of them had red cups in their hand.
"Yeah. So, did you come alone?" Cassie inquired, looking behind me.
"No, I came with Andrew," I replied. Both of them smiled sheepishly.
"I see. Has he taken you upstairs yet to show you the house?" Lilly asked, then giggled. I shook my head. Andrew walked up to us and smiled.
"We'll see you later," Cassie said and pulled Lilly away. I looked over at Andrew.
"I didn't expect them to be here," I told him. The music got louder and I had to yell it.
"Hey, why don't I take you on the tour of the house? He's got a really nice house," Andrew screamed loud enough for me to here. I paused. How did Cassandra and Lilly predict that? I nodded anyway, my body feeling hollow. He smiled and grabbed my hand pulling me to the back of the house.
"There's the laundry room . . . the pool, backyard, volleyball pit. . . " He rattled off. "Now let me show you the upstairs." I chewed on my lip and followed him up. He showed me Alex's room and his parent's room and then the guest rooms. The last one we came to had a grand balcony on it, and we stood outside for a while. My heart was racing at an extreme speed. I thought I was going to fall off the balcony.
"You OK?" Andrew asked me, slipping his arm around my waist. I nodded.
"Just a little dizzy, afraid of heights," I lied. He raised his eyebrows.
"I didn't know that you were afraid of heights."
"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," I muttered and leaned against the railing, looking down into the pool.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I took you up here."
"Somewhat," I replied honestly. He sighed.
"I didn't bring you up here to sleep with you. I just wanted to hang out alone." I looked at him. Either he was a really good actor, or he was truly being honest. I softened. "I really like being around you. I'm sure my friends have filled you in on some of the stuff that I do." I shook my head. "I'm trying to change my ways. I graduated with a 2.8. GPA with close to failing grades. All I cared about was partying and sports." I had just remembered that Andrew was on most of the varsity sports teams.
"But I really care about you," he continued. He took my breath away and tears came to my eyes. No one had truly cared about me besides my parents. I couldn't help but throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. He rubbed my back.
"I hope you care about me," he said. I looked up at him.
"Of course I do. I mean, I've only known you for a while, but I still care about you," I explained. He lifted my chin and kissed me. Explosions of fireworks and stars literally filled my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and trailed his finger down my spine. I shivered as his lips traveled down to my neck and shoulders. The door suddenly flew open, and in stepped Cassie and Lilly. Cassie's smile was the biggest I had ever seen on her.
"I figured as much," Cassie said, looking over at Lilly. She nodded.
"Shut up Cassandra," Andrew snapped. Cassie snickered.
"What did I tell you June? You have to watch out for him," Cassie slurred. I walked over to her.
"Shut up! He wasn't doing anything!" I yelled. She only smiled cruelly.
"Sure, you just want someone that loves you and who is really who they say they are." I looked at her.
"What?"
"Cassie, you're drunk, you don't even know what you're talking about," Andrew roared.
"I know what I'm talking about. Your parents adopted you." I froze and then rolled my eyes.
"Sure Cassie."
"It's true!" Lilly cried. "I know about it. A lot of people know about it." Andrew stepped toward Cassandra and Lilly.
"You're both drunk. She wasn't adopted. There's too close of a resemblance. Now get the hell out of here," he announced and pointed to the door. Cassie snickered, Lilly giggled and together they walked out of the room. Andrew slammed the door and I took a seat on the bed. I didn't even realize that I was shivering until I looked at my hand.
"Are you OK?" Andrew asked. I shook my head and started to tremble.
"Come on, I'm going to take you home," he decided and helped me up. I threw my arm around his shoulder and tried to walk by myself but my legs were wobbly. He helped me downstairs and out the front door. Others around us assumed that we were drunk and didn't pay us any attention. Alex walked up to us.
"Hey, leaving so soon?" He asked.
"Yeah, we're going to head out," Andrew said. He didn't explain what had happened.
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said and walked away. We got to the car and I sat in the drivers seat. Andrew shook his head.
"I'm going to drive. You're too upset," he explained. I slid over in the seat and he started the car and sped off. He reached over and grabbed my hand once we got onto the main road.
"You OK?" Andrew asked. I nodded.
"I don't know why I was so shaken up about it thought. I mean, I know that they are my real parents, but something about the way Cassie said it make me have the chills," I explained. He shrugged.
"You know it's not true. So forget about it," he said. We pulled up to the house quicker than I had expected. He got out of the car and came over to kiss me goodnight.
"Get some sleep," he said and kissed my cheek. I nodded and ran into the house. Mommy and Daddy were already asleep, and I was grateful for that. I ran up to my room, changed my clothes, and dove into my bed to go to sleep.
I pulled up to the school in my new car, my heart pounding wildly. I didn't know if I was ready for this tonight. It would be my graduation, something I would have to remember the rest of my life. I parked and got out of the car, scaring myself to see Cassie and Lilly standing next to the car.
"Where'd you get this?" Lilly cried as she ran her hands down the hood.
"A present," I announced and Cassie gasped.
"Some present," Cassie muttered and started walking toward the school building. I walked with Lilly and Cassandra and hurried into the auditorium.
Racks of gowns and caps lined the stage, and I picked the one that had my name scribbled on it. Lilly and Cassandra grabbed theirs and went into the back of the auditorium to put them on.
"Have you talked to Andrew yet?" Cassie asked, stepping into her gown. I froze, and instantly they saw the look of terror on my face.
"What happened?" Lilly asked excitedly.
"Nothing," I lied quickly and zipped up my gown.
"You're lying, I can tell," Cassie said. "What happened?"
"We got into a fight," I explained. Cassie sighed dramatically.
"You have to go and mess everything up with boys, don't you?" She yelled.
"Hey! It's not my fault that most men these days are complete idiots," I shot back.
"He wasn't an idiot!" Lilly exclaimed. "He was a nice guy. Let me guess, your 'Martha Stewart' personality came out and you rejected the guy, didn't you?"
"I had to! He was a pig!" I retorted. "We got into an argument because he thought that I was just another notch on his belt." Cassie rolled her eyes.
"Sure," she muttered and put her cap on so that it wouldn't mess up her hair. I grunted angrily and put my cap on and fished for my speech. Just where I had left it. I smiled and scanned it over and over again, sitting down in one of the auditorium chairs and reading it to myself.
"Need someone to listen to?" I looked up. Andrew.
"Andrew, I don't want to talk right now-"
"Then we can talk later."
"Andrew, I don't want anything to make me any more nervous than I already am. Please, I promise, we'll talk later." I pleaded. His eyes darkened, and he walked away obediently. I tucked the speech into my pocket of my gown and stood up and followed the other's outside. Miss Durham was walking around like a chicken with her head cut off. She ran up to me and seized my shoulders.
"June, oh goodness. Please tell me you're speech is with you. The last thing I need right now is to worry. Do you have it?" I nodded and showed it to her. She sighed.
"Wonderful. Now go with your class and get ready." I ran back into my line and marched out to the football field.
People were packed into the rows of bleachers, dressed very formally, yelling and screaming. That made my heart leap into my throat. I frantically looked around for my parents, but we were still too far away to make out anyone distinctly. We stopped in the middle of the football field, and suddenly scattered to our seats. I inched toward mine, shaking beneath my graduation robe. Mrs. Alchester, the school principle, walked up to the poduim, made sure the microphones were in check and cleared his throat.
"Welcome ladies and gentleman, to the graduating class of 2004." There was a loud wave of applauding and cheering. "It is a time for one and all to realize that their child has finally grown up. Now, I would like to introduce the Valedictorian this year, June Parker." The crowd screamed, and I waited for a second before standing up and walking over to the poduim and pulling out my speech. I sighed nervously and began. The crowd was dead silent as I performed, looking up at the audience to see that they had their full attention on me. I fiddled with my fingers during the speech, twisting and turning them around underneath the podium. Finally, I finished, and then there was a deafening applause. People leaped up and started screaming, yelling, cheering. I hurried back to my seat, and purposely slouched. Cassie nudged my side to signal for me to sit up. I sat up and placed my hands in my lap. The procession seemed to go slowly after that, and finally, it was time for my class to stand up to walk up to the podium.
My heart pounded and a sweat threatened to break out on my brow. I walked as proudly as I could, but inside, my organs were moving inside and out around my stomach. I felt sick, but I didn't complain. I waited patiently for my name to be called, and with it, my titles, like student council president, valedictorian, and others. I closed my eyes and walked up, fearing that I would trip over my own feet, but I made it up there and was handed my diploma.
It was a golden moment. Flash bulbs on cameras were blinking rapidly and people were yelling and clapping. The principal hugged me and shook my hand, and I proceeded over to a long line of teachers and staff who I had to thank. I walked back to my seat, and sat down, sighing. Luckily, we were the last class to be called, and the principle stood back up at the podium.
"I present to you the class of 2004!" As expected, we threw our caps up in the air and cheered. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that Andrew was standing next to me.
"How did you get here?" I hissed, but we were to be quickly ushered back into the school so we could take off our gowns and caps and put them away. I walked quietly, staring at the back of Andrew's head angrily. As we walked back into the auditorium, I ran past him and over to where my things were. I carefully took off my gown and placed it back in the box, along with my cap. I grabbed my purse and hurried to the patio. There was a reception with food and drink after the ceremony. Mom and Dad were already there, waiting for me. Once they had seen me, Mom ran toward me and Dad pulled out his digital camera and started clicking. Brian was standing at Daddy's feet.
"Oh, honey I'm so proud of you!" Mom cried, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you Mommy," I said. Daddy took hold of my diploma and ordered for me to stand next to Mom for Pictures. I smiled brightly as I could as he took 3 or 4 pictures. Andrew came up behind Daddy, and I pulled away from Mommy.
"Um, Mom, I'll be right back," I said to her and walked over to Andrew, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away. I stood by the cafeteria and leaned against the wall.
"You wanted to talk?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.
"June, please don't be like this," he pleaded.
"You made me like this, Andrew. If you weren't so stubborn-" He grabbed my face and brought my lips to his. I pulled away.
"My parents are watching!" I shrieked.
"June, please, I can't get enough of you," he groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in the crook of my neck.
"Andrew," I pleaded softly. I couldn't help but like him. He was the only boy that had ever taken any interest in me.
"Why don't we go out tonight? There's this spectacular party tonight at my friend Alex's. Come with me."
"I can't. It's too late, and besides, I have to be up early, for my hair appointment, for you," I snapped. His eyes slightly brightened.
"So you are going to prom with me?"
"I didn't say that I was going to with you. I might go with Cassie and Lilly." I had done that the past 3 years in a row, and I was somewhat sick of it. He fixed his posture.
"So you're not going to go with me?" His eyes got sad and big. I looked away.
"Andrew stop," I commanded.
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry!" He wailed, loudly enough to attract attention.
"Stop being like this!" I hissed, pulling him into the shadows. "I've come very close to slapping you and walking away, and I know you wouldn't like that." His eyes got wide.
"I will go with you to this party, and I will be monitoring your behavior. If I find it acceptable, you have yourself a date for Prom. If not. . . " I trailed. He pressed his fingers to my lips.
"That's all I needed to here. June, oh, thank you!" he cried and kissed me. My heart fluttered.
"Should I introduce you to my parents?" I muttered.
"That would be great!" He yelled. "I want to meet the two people that created this beautiful girl," he said.
"Actually, I don't think that they are ready to meet you yet, since you pulled what you did earlier," I muttered. His smiled drooped.
"Well, I guess that's OK," he murmured.
"So, I'll go tell my parents, and then we're leaving?"
"Yes. I'm so happy June. You've made me the happiest man on the earth!" He spun around, and I strutted away to talk to my parents. They were waiting patiently with Brian running circles around them.
"Um, tonight, there's a party, at one of my friends house, and he wanted me to attend." I didn't realize how stupid I sounded until then. They both smile.
"Sure darling, have fun. It's your graduation night," Mommy said. I looked at them both strangely for a minute. Didn't they want to warn me about drugs and alcohol and sex? Didn't that run through their mind? Just then, I noticed that they had trusted me. They didn't need to tell me about that stuff. They know I would never do it. I smiled.
"I'm going to go change and head over. Thank you for coming," I said and hugged the both of them very tightly.
"Congratulations, honey. You earned it," Daddy said in my ear. I smiled, waved at them, and walked to Andrew.
"I'm going to go home real quick and change."
"Why, you look beautiful as it is," he said, and smiled. I beamed.
"Well, I don't want to walk around in this dress. It's expensive," I explained.
"OK, I'll follow you home, you can change real quick, and we'll head over." I nodded and started walking over to the parking lot, crawled into my car, and drove home. Andrew kept honking at me, because later on when we arrived at my house, he told me that I drove to slow.
"What are you doing, going the speed limit?" I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. I don't want to get into any tickets."
"Yeah, those suck, I've gotten like. . . " he started counting on his fingers. "15 maybe."
"15!" I cried, entering my house. I hung my keys on the rack and put my purse on the counter. Andrew whistled.
"Gorgeous house," he whispered, looking around in awe. I shrugged and walked up the stairs. Andrew continued to follow me.
"Hey, you go wait downstairs," I commanded and waited for him to turn around. He whimpered and turned around and waited in the parlor. I went up to my room quickly and shut and locked my door. I couldn't trust Andrew enough to leave my door unlocked. I searched through my closet and found a new pair of jeans that I hadn't worn yet and an off-the-shoulder blouse, which was red. I pulled my hair back and put on a little cover up. Andrew pounded on the door.
"C'mon! Let's go!" He cried. I rolled my eyes, slipped into a pair of red sandals and opened the door. He smiled.
"You're beautiful. Let's go," He commanded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me downstairs.
"Andrew! I'm going to fall!" I cried, just as I had tripped over a step and landed on him. He fell forward and tried to turn around so that I wouldn't fall. I landed on top of him and he put his arms around my waist. I looked at him.
"You did that on purpose," I said softly. He grinned and lunged toward me for a kiss. I was surprised. I had never had a boy kiss me like that, actually, I had never had a boy kiss me at all before Andrew. I pulled away and stood up.
"We have to go," I said and grabbed my purse as I walked to the door. He brushed off his clothing and walked toward me.
We took my car to the party. A few houses before we got there, we could hear the music and the laughter and the screaming. We parked, and I was afraid that someone would vandalize my car, but I saw other expensive cars like mine, so I didn't worry as much. We got out of the car and walked inside the house.
The lights were off, and black lights and strobe lights illuminated the room. Andrew grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where a tall, young man stood with dark hair and was wearing a red polo shirt with the collar popped and khaki shorts.
"Hey," Alex said and they both did their little handshake.
"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, June," he said, nodding over to me. My eyes widened. I didn't know that he was calling me his girlfriend. Alex took my extended hand and shook it.
"Real pretty," he said, looking me up and down. I blushed and turned my head to the side. "Welcome."
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"Want a beer?" Alex asked Andrew. I looked up expectantly.
"No, I'm good," Andrew refused. I sighed with relief.
"All right man. Well, I'm gonna go find myself a hot lady to talk to. Later." He nodded and walked away. I turned to Andrew.
"There's beer here?" I asked.
"Yeah, hell yea. And there's some ecstasy going around, I'm sure," he replied. That made my stomach turn. "Want something to drink?" I shook my head. I was afraid that it would be poisoned or something. He smiled and went over to the kitchen. I was tapped on the shoulder, and I turned around.
"Hey!" Cassie cried. I groaned.
"I didn't know that you went to parties," Lilly giggled. She was apparently drunk. Both of them had red cups in their hand.
"Yeah. So, did you come alone?" Cassie inquired, looking behind me.
"No, I came with Andrew," I replied. Both of them smiled sheepishly.
"I see. Has he taken you upstairs yet to show you the house?" Lilly asked, then giggled. I shook my head. Andrew walked up to us and smiled.
"We'll see you later," Cassie said and pulled Lilly away. I looked over at Andrew.
"I didn't expect them to be here," I told him. The music got louder and I had to yell it.
"Hey, why don't I take you on the tour of the house? He's got a really nice house," Andrew screamed loud enough for me to here. I paused. How did Cassandra and Lilly predict that? I nodded anyway, my body feeling hollow. He smiled and grabbed my hand pulling me to the back of the house.
"There's the laundry room . . . the pool, backyard, volleyball pit. . . " He rattled off. "Now let me show you the upstairs." I chewed on my lip and followed him up. He showed me Alex's room and his parent's room and then the guest rooms. The last one we came to had a grand balcony on it, and we stood outside for a while. My heart was racing at an extreme speed. I thought I was going to fall off the balcony.
"You OK?" Andrew asked me, slipping his arm around my waist. I nodded.
"Just a little dizzy, afraid of heights," I lied. He raised his eyebrows.
"I didn't know that you were afraid of heights."
"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," I muttered and leaned against the railing, looking down into the pool.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I took you up here."
"Somewhat," I replied honestly. He sighed.
"I didn't bring you up here to sleep with you. I just wanted to hang out alone." I looked at him. Either he was a really good actor, or he was truly being honest. I softened. "I really like being around you. I'm sure my friends have filled you in on some of the stuff that I do." I shook my head. "I'm trying to change my ways. I graduated with a 2.8. GPA with close to failing grades. All I cared about was partying and sports." I had just remembered that Andrew was on most of the varsity sports teams.
"But I really care about you," he continued. He took my breath away and tears came to my eyes. No one had truly cared about me besides my parents. I couldn't help but throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. He rubbed my back.
"I hope you care about me," he said. I looked up at him.
"Of course I do. I mean, I've only known you for a while, but I still care about you," I explained. He lifted my chin and kissed me. Explosions of fireworks and stars literally filled my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and trailed his finger down my spine. I shivered as his lips traveled down to my neck and shoulders. The door suddenly flew open, and in stepped Cassie and Lilly. Cassie's smile was the biggest I had ever seen on her.
"I figured as much," Cassie said, looking over at Lilly. She nodded.
"Shut up Cassandra," Andrew snapped. Cassie snickered.
"What did I tell you June? You have to watch out for him," Cassie slurred. I walked over to her.
"Shut up! He wasn't doing anything!" I yelled. She only smiled cruelly.
"Sure, you just want someone that loves you and who is really who they say they are." I looked at her.
"What?"
"Cassie, you're drunk, you don't even know what you're talking about," Andrew roared.
"I know what I'm talking about. Your parents adopted you." I froze and then rolled my eyes.
"Sure Cassie."
"It's true!" Lilly cried. "I know about it. A lot of people know about it." Andrew stepped toward Cassandra and Lilly.
"You're both drunk. She wasn't adopted. There's too close of a resemblance. Now get the hell out of here," he announced and pointed to the door. Cassie snickered, Lilly giggled and together they walked out of the room. Andrew slammed the door and I took a seat on the bed. I didn't even realize that I was shivering until I looked at my hand.
"Are you OK?" Andrew asked. I shook my head and started to tremble.
"Come on, I'm going to take you home," he decided and helped me up. I threw my arm around his shoulder and tried to walk by myself but my legs were wobbly. He helped me downstairs and out the front door. Others around us assumed that we were drunk and didn't pay us any attention. Alex walked up to us.
"Hey, leaving so soon?" He asked.
"Yeah, we're going to head out," Andrew said. He didn't explain what had happened.
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said and walked away. We got to the car and I sat in the drivers seat. Andrew shook his head.
"I'm going to drive. You're too upset," he explained. I slid over in the seat and he started the car and sped off. He reached over and grabbed my hand once we got onto the main road.
"You OK?" Andrew asked. I nodded.
"I don't know why I was so shaken up about it thought. I mean, I know that they are my real parents, but something about the way Cassie said it make me have the chills," I explained. He shrugged.
"You know it's not true. So forget about it," he said. We pulled up to the house quicker than I had expected. He got out of the car and came over to kiss me goodnight.
"Get some sleep," he said and kissed my cheek. I nodded and ran into the house. Mommy and Daddy were already asleep, and I was grateful for that. I ran up to my room, changed my clothes, and dove into my bed to go to sleep.
Chapter 3
I pulled up to the school in my new car, my heart pounding wildly. I didn't know if I was ready for this tonight. It would be my graduation, something I would have to remember the rest of my life. I parked and got out of the car, scaring myself to see Cassie and Lilly standing next to the car.
"Where'd you get this?" Lilly cried as she ran her hands down the hood.
"A present," I announced and Cassie gasped.
"Some present," Cassie muttered and started walking toward the school building. I walked with Lilly and Cassandra and hurried into the auditorium.
Racks of gowns and caps lined the stage, and I picked the one that had my name scribbled on it. Lilly and Cassandra grabbed theirs and went into the back of the auditorium to put them on.
"Have you talked to Andrew yet?" Cassie asked, stepping into her gown. I froze, and instantly they saw the look of terror on my face.
"What happened?" Lilly asked excitedly.
"Nothing," I lied quickly and zipped up my gown.
"You're lying, I can tell," Cassie said. "What happened?"
"We got into a fight," I explained. Cassie sighed dramatically.
"You have to go and mess everything up with boys, don't you?" She yelled.
"Hey! It's not my fault that most men these days are complete idiots," I shot back.
"He wasn't an idiot!" Lilly exclaimed. "He was a nice guy. Let me guess, your 'Martha Stewart' personality came out and you rejected the guy, didn't you?"
"I had to! He was a pig!" I retorted. "We got into an argument because he thought that I was just another notch on his belt." Cassie rolled her eyes.
"Sure," she muttered and put her cap on so that it wouldn't mess up her hair. I grunted angrily and put my cap on and fished for my speech. Just where I had left it. I smiled and scanned it over and over again, sitting down in one of the auditorium chairs and reading it to myself.
"Need someone to listen to?" I looked up. Andrew.
"Andrew, I don't want to talk right now-"
"Then we can talk later."
"Andrew, I don't want anything to make me any more nervous than I already am. Please, I promise, we'll talk later." I pleaded. His eyes darkened, and he walked away obediently. I tucked the speech into my pocket of my gown and stood up and followed the other's outside. Miss Durham was walking around like a chicken with her head cut off. She ran up to me and seized my shoulders.
"June, oh goodness. Please tell me you're speech is with you. The last thing I need right now is to worry. Do you have it?" I nodded and showed it to her. She sighed.
"Wonderful. Now go with your class and get ready." I ran back into my line and marched out to the football field.
People were packed into the rows of bleachers, dressed very formally, yelling and screaming. That made my heart leap into my throat. I frantically looked around for my parents, but we were still too far away to make out anyone distinctly. We stopped in the middle of the football field, and suddenly scattered to our seats. I inched toward mine, shaking beneath my graduation robe. Mrs. Alchester, the school principle, walked up to the poduim, made sure the microphones were in check and cleared his throat.
"Welcome ladies and gentleman, to the graduating class of 2004." There was a loud wave of applauding and cheering. "It is a time for one and all to realize that their child has finally grown up. Now, I would like to introduce the Valedictorian this year, June Parker." The crowd screamed, and I waited for a second before standing up and walking over to the poduim and pulling out my speech. I sighed nervously and began. The crowd was dead silent as I performed, looking up at the audience to see that they had their full attention on me. I fiddled with my fingers during the speech, twisting and turning them around underneath the podium. Finally, I finished, and then there was a deafening applause. People leaped up and started screaming, yelling, cheering. I hurried back to my seat, and purposely slouched. Cassie nudged my side to signal for me to sit up. I sat up and placed my hands in my lap. The procession seemed to go slowly after that, and finally, it was time for my class to stand up to walk up to the podium.
My heart pounded and a sweat threatened to break out on my brow. I walked as proudly as I could, but inside, my organs were moving inside and out around my stomach. I felt sick, but I didn't complain. I waited patiently for my name to be called, and with it, my titles, like student council president, valedictorian, and others. I closed my eyes and walked up, fearing that I would trip over my own feet, but I made it up there and was handed my diploma.
It was a golden moment. Flash bulbs on cameras were blinking rapidly and people were yelling and clapping. The principal hugged me and shook my hand, and I proceeded over to a long line of teachers and staff who I had to thank. I walked back to my seat, and sat down, sighing. Luckily, we were the last class to be called, and the principle stood back up at the podium.
"I present to you the class of 2004!" As expected, we threw our caps up in the air and cheered. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that Andrew was standing next to me.
"How did you get here?" I hissed, but we were to be quickly ushered back into the school so we could take off our gowns and caps and put them away. I walked quietly, staring at the back of Andrew's head angrily. As we walked back into the auditorium, I ran past him and over to where my things were. I carefully took off my gown and placed it back in the box, along with my cap. I grabbed my purse and hurried to the patio. There was a reception with food and drink after the ceremony. Mom and Dad were already there, waiting for me. Once they had seen me, Mom ran toward me and Dad pulled out his digital camera and started clicking. Brian was standing at Daddy's feet.
"Oh, honey I'm so proud of you!" Mom cried, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you Mommy," I said. Daddy took hold of my diploma and ordered for me to stand next to Mom for Pictures. I smiled brightly as I could as he took 3 or 4 pictures. Andrew came up behind Daddy, and I pulled away from Mommy.
"Um, Mom, I'll be right back," I said to her and walked over to Andrew, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away. I stood by the cafeteria and leaned against the wall.
"You wanted to talk?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.
"June, please don't be like this," he pleaded.
"You made me like this, Andrew. If you weren't so stubborn-" He grabbed my face and brought my lips to his. I pulled away.
"My parents are watching!" I shrieked.
"June, please, I can't get enough of you," he groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in the crook of my neck.
"Andrew," I pleaded softly. I couldn't help but like him. He was the only boy that had ever taken any interest in me.
"Why don't we go out tonight? There's this spectacular party tonight at my friend Alex's. Come with me."
"I can't. It's too late, and besides, I have to be up early, for my hair appointment, for you," I snapped. His eyes slightly brightened.
"So you are going to prom with me?"
"I didn't say that I was going to with you. I might go with Cassie and Lilly." I had done that the past 3 years in a row, and I was somewhat sick of it. He fixed his posture.
"So you're not going to go with me?" His eyes got sad and big. I looked away.
"Andrew stop," I commanded.
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry!" He wailed, loudly enough to attract attention.
"Stop being like this!" I hissed, pulling him into the shadows. "I've come very close to slapping you and walking away, and I know you wouldn't like that." His eyes got wide.
"I will go with you to this party, and I will be monitoring your behavior. If I find it acceptable, you have yourself a date for Prom. If not. . . " I trailed. He pressed his fingers to my lips.
"That's all I needed to here. June, oh, thank you!" he cried and kissed me. My heart fluttered.
"Should I introduce you to my parents?" I muttered.
"That would be great!" He yelled. "I want to meet the two people that created this beautiful girl," he said.
"Actually, I don't think that they are ready to meet you yet, since you pulled what you did earlier," I muttered. His smiled drooped.
"Well, I guess that's OK," he murmured.
"So, I'll go tell my parents, and then we're leaving?"
"Yes. I'm so happy June. You've made me the happiest man on the earth!" He spun around, and I strutted away to talk to my parents. They were waiting patiently with Brian running circles around them.
"Um, tonight, there's a party, at one of my friends house, and he wanted me to attend." I didn't realize how stupid I sounded until then. They both smile.
"Sure darling, have fun. It's your graduation night," Mommy said. I looked at them both strangely for a minute. Didn't they want to warn me about drugs and alcohol and sex? Didn't that run through their mind? Just then, I noticed that they had trusted me. They didn't need to tell me about that stuff. They know I would never do it. I smiled.
"I'm going to go change and head over. Thank you for coming," I said and hugged the both of them very tightly.
"Congratulations, honey. You earned it," Daddy said in my ear. I smiled, waved at them, and walked to Andrew.
"I'm going to go home real quick and change."
"Why, you look beautiful as it is," he said, and smiled. I beamed.
"Well, I don't want to walk around in this dress. It's expensive," I explained.
"OK, I'll follow you home, you can change real quick, and we'll head over." I nodded and started walking over to the parking lot, crawled into my car, and drove home. Andrew kept honking at me, because later on when we arrived at my house, he told me that I drove to slow.
"What are you doing, going the speed limit?" I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. I don't want to get into any tickets."
"Yeah, those suck, I've gotten like. . . " he started counting on his fingers. "15 maybe."
"15!" I cried, entering my house. I hung my keys on the rack and put my purse on the counter. Andrew whistled.
"Gorgeous house," he whispered, looking around in awe. I shrugged and walked up the stairs. Andrew continued to follow me.
"Hey, you go wait downstairs," I commanded and waited for him to turn around. He whimpered and turned around and waited in the parlor. I went up to my room quickly and shut and locked my door. I couldn't trust Andrew enough to leave my door unlocked. I searched through my closet and found a new pair of jeans that I hadn't worn yet and an off-the-shoulder blouse, which was red. I pulled my hair back and put on a little cover up. Andrew pounded on the door.
"C'mon! Let's go!" He cried. I rolled my eyes, slipped into a pair of red sandals and opened the door. He smiled.
"You're beautiful. Let's go," He commanded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me downstairs.
"Andrew! I'm going to fall!" I cried, just as I had tripped over a step and landed on him. He fell forward and tried to turn around so that I wouldn't fall. I landed on top of him and he put his arms around my waist. I looked at him.
"You did that on purpose," I said softly. He grinned and lunged toward me for a kiss. I was surprised. I had never had a boy kiss me like that, actually, I had never had a boy kiss me at all before Andrew. I pulled away and stood up.
"We have to go," I said and grabbed my purse as I walked to the door. He brushed off his clothing and walked toward me.
We took my car to the party. A few houses before we got there, we could hear the music and the laughter and the screaming. We parked, and I was afraid that someone would vandalize my car, but I saw other expensive cars like mine, so I didn't worry as much. We got out of the car and walked inside the house.
The lights were off, and black lights and strobe lights illuminated the room. Andrew grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where a tall, young man stood with dark hair and was wearing a red polo shirt with the collar popped and khaki shorts.
"Hey," Alex said and they both did their little handshake.
"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, June," he said, nodding over to me. My eyes widened. I didn't know that he was calling me his girlfriend. Alex took my extended hand and shook it.
"Real pretty," he said, looking me up and down. I blushed and turned my head to the side. "Welcome."
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"Want a beer?" Alex asked Andrew. I looked up expectantly.
"No, I'm good," Andrew refused. I sighed with relief.
"All right man. Well, I'm gonna go find myself a hot lady to talk to. Later." He nodded and walked away. I turned to Andrew.
"There's beer here?" I asked.
"Yeah, hell yea. And there's some ecstasy going around, I'm sure," he replied. That made my stomach turn. "Want something to drink?" I shook my head. I was afraid that it would be poisoned or something. He smiled and went over to the kitchen. I was tapped on the shoulder, and I turned around.
"Hey!" Cassie cried. I groaned.
"I didn't know that you went to parties," Lilly giggled. She was apparently drunk. Both of them had red cups in their hand.
"Yeah. So, did you come alone?" Cassie inquired, looking behind me.
"No, I came with Andrew," I replied. Both of them smiled sheepishly.
"I see. Has he taken you upstairs yet to show you the house?" Lilly asked, then giggled. I shook my head. Andrew walked up to us and smiled.
"We'll see you later," Cassie said and pulled Lilly away. I looked over at Andrew.
"I didn't expect them to be here," I told him. The music got louder and I had to yell it.
"Hey, why don't I take you on the tour of the house? He's got a really nice house," Andrew screamed loud enough for me to here. I paused. How did Cassandra and Lilly predict that? I nodded anyway, my body feeling hollow. He smiled and grabbed my hand pulling me to the back of the house.
"There's the laundry room . . . the pool, backyard, volleyball pit. . . " He rattled off. "Now let me show you the upstairs." I chewed on my lip and followed him up. He showed me Alex's room and his parent's room and then the guest rooms. The last one we came to had a grand balcony on it, and we stood outside for a while. My heart was racing at an extreme speed. I thought I was going to fall off the balcony.
"You OK?" Andrew asked me, slipping his arm around my waist. I nodded.
"Just a little dizzy, afraid of heights," I lied. He raised his eyebrows.
"I didn't know that you were afraid of heights."
"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," I muttered and leaned against the railing, looking down into the pool.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I took you up here."
"Somewhat," I replied honestly. He sighed.
"I didn't bring you up here to sleep with you. I just wanted to hang out alone." I looked at him. Either he was a really good actor, or he was truly being honest. I softened. "I really like being around you. I'm sure my friends have filled you in on some of the stuff that I do." I shook my head. "I'm trying to change my ways. I graduated with a 2.8. GPA with close to failing grades. All I cared about was partying and sports." I had just remembered that Andrew was on most of the varsity sports teams.
"But I really care about you," he continued. He took my breath away and tears came to my eyes. No one had truly cared about me besides my parents. I couldn't help but throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. He rubbed my back.
"I hope you care about me," he said. I looked up at him.
"Of course I do. I mean, I've only known you for a while, but I still care about you," I explained. He lifted my chin and kissed me. Explosions of fireworks and stars literally filled my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and trailed his finger down my spine. I shivered as his lips traveled down to my neck and shoulders. The door suddenly flew open, and in stepped Cassie and Lilly. Cassie's smile was the biggest I had ever seen on her.
"I figured as much," Cassie said, looking over at Lilly. She nodded.
"Shut up Cassandra," Andrew snapped. Cassie snickered.
"What did I tell you June? You have to watch out for him," Cassie slurred. I walked over to her.
"Shut up! He wasn't doing anything!" I yelled. She only smiled cruelly.
"Sure, you just want someone that loves you and who is really who they say they are." I looked at her.
"What?"
"Cassie, you're drunk, you don't even know what you're talking about," Andrew roared.
"I know what I'm talking about. Your parents adopted you." I froze and then rolled my eyes.
"Sure Cassie."
"It's true!" Lilly cried. "I know about it. A lot of people know about it." Andrew stepped toward Cassandra and Lilly.
"You're both drunk. She wasn't adopted. There's too close of a resemblance. Now get the hell out of here," he announced and pointed to the door. Cassie snickered, Lilly giggled and together they walked out of the room. Andrew slammed the door and I took a seat on the bed. I didn't even realize that I was shivering until I looked at my hand.
"Are you OK?" Andrew asked. I shook my head and started to tremble.
"Come on, I'm going to take you home," he decided and helped me up. I threw my arm around his shoulder and tried to walk by myself but my legs were wobbly. He helped me downstairs and out the front door. Others around us assumed that we were drunk and didn't pay us any attention. Alex walked up to us.
"Hey, leaving so soon?" He asked.
"Yeah, we're going to head out," Andrew said. He didn't explain what had happened.
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said and walked away. We got to the car and I sat in the drivers seat. Andrew shook his head.
"I'm going to drive. You're too upset," he explained. I slid over in the seat and he started the car and sped off. He reached over and grabbed my hand once we got onto the main road.
"You OK?" Andrew asked. I nodded.
"I don't know why I was so shaken up about it thought. I mean, I know that they are my real parents, but something about the way Cassie said it make me have the chills," I explained. He shrugged.
"You know it's not true. So forget about it," he said. We pulled up to the house quicker than I had expected. He got out of the car and came over to kiss me goodnight.
"Get some sleep," he said and kissed my cheek. I nodded and ran into the house. Mommy and Daddy were already asleep, and I was grateful for that. I ran up to my room, changed my clothes, and dove into my bed to go to sleep.