"Have you practiced your speech?" Charity asked Jonas as they walked in the front door.
"Not much," Jonas admitted. "Do you want to hear it?"
"Sure." Charity dropped her backpack on the floor and flopped down on the couch. "Your wish is my command, oh great Valedictorian!"
"Shut up," Jonas said, grinning. Charity laughed.
"I'm glad Matt's driving down to spend the weekend," she said after him as he climbed the stairs to retrieve his speech.
"Me too," Jonas said. "He's been so busy, we haven't seen him since Christmas!"
"I can't quiet believe we're already graduating," Charity said as he came back downstairs. "After this summer, we'll be going off to different schools, and we won't see each other for months."
"We can do it," Jonas said bracingly. "Besides, some time apart is probably a good thing. 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'."
There was a pause. "Speaking of which," Charity said, clearing her throat, "I know you had another nightmare last night."
"I'm sorry I woke you up."
"It's not that," Charity said quickly. "It's just—you've been having these nightmares about the Community for what, five years now? I'm no psychologist, but there's something you've got to come to terms with."
Jonas said down on the other end of the couch. "I know. It's that—I don't know what happened in the Community. I saved Gabriel, but I'll never know if I saved the rest of them. I dream that they've got back to the way they were before, I dream that they couldn't handle it and they live in misery... but Mostly, I dream that they hate me for what I've done, and they come and take Gabriel away." He didn't mention how they made him stand by and watch as they set the Watson's hose on fire, killing his entire family, including Charity herself. He shuddered. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Okay." Charity nodded. "Let' hear this speech."
Gabriel walked in five seconds after Jonas had finished, while Charity was shouting, "Bravo! Braaavooo!" and Jonas was making sweeping bows to every corner of the invisible crowd. "What are you clapping about?" he asked.
"Jonas finished his speech," Charity said.
"Ooh! I wanna hear it!"
Jonas laughed. "I'm not doing it all over again. You'll hear it on Friday."
"'Kay," Gabriel gave him a hug. "Can I have my snack now?"
"Yeah. Come on, Kiddo." Charity held out her hand to him and led him into the kitchen. "How was your day?"
Jonas followed them into the kitchen. He and Charity listened to Gabriel tell about coloring pictures in school and playing games at recess. Here was the center of his world.

"We've sketched out our futures on the canvas of our lives," Jonas said, gazing out over the faces of his classmates. "Let us fill it in with a vibrant rainbow of experience."
The applause was thunderous. Someone back in the audience blew a short blast on an airhorn—Jonas realized it was Matt. He smiled, watched Charity turn and laugh at her older brother. Gabe, beside Matt on the bleacher, was holding his ears and grinning.

The graduation party lasted until after midnight. After they'd said goodbye to their friends, Jonas drove them home.
"That was great," he said with a sigh.
"Yeah."
"What's the matter?" Jonas asked Charity, glancing at her in the dark.
"My head's spinning," she answered weakly.
Jonas pulled over and looked at her with concern. "Do you feel sick?"
"No, just kind of woozy."
"You need to go see a doctor, Chair. That's the fourth time in the past week!"
"I'm sure it's nothing, Charity answered, sounding stronger. She sat up. "There, it's gone." Jonas raised an eyebrow. "Really!"
Jonas pulled back onto the road. "I know I said I wouldn't tell your parents, but if you don't go to a doctor, I will."
"Oh, alright," Charity sighed. "I'll go to the walk-in tomorrow."
"Good."