For days, Van did his best to ignore Fiona but he knew that it was almost pointless to do so. No matter what Hiltz did, Van still had this longing in his heart for Fiona that only being with her could possible fulfill.
Life was never easy for him. First he had to give up his freedom to be Amy's boyfriend just so that he could protect his family. Then a few months later, the woman of his dreams comes into his life. When he has the woman of his dreams, he then has to give her up to protect her and their two families.
Van could tell that Fiona was taking this news just as hard as he was. He couldn't tell her it himself. He had to tell Irvine so that he could tell Fiona. He felt like the least he could do for her would be to be the one to tell Fiona but he wasn't even allowed to even be seen with her anymore. Hiltz had eyes on him so he knew if he did Hiltz would know this time.
'Am I really going to have to propose to Amy after graduation?' Van asked himself sadly. He liked Amy but she wasn't the type of person that he could ever see spending the rest of his life with, Fiona was and now he couldn't even touch her or even be close to her.
He couldn't even find the strength to get up each day. His mother had to force him to get up to take his finals. Even then he found it hard to concentrate with Fiona constantly on his mind. Sometime he wished that he could turn back time and just stop himself from asking Amy out.
Right now he was stuck in his graduation rehearsal and having the worst time of his life. He could see Fiona standing before him in the line which was how it was arranged with the valedictorian and salutatorian leading the lines with the class officers following behind them followed by the rest of the class. Van being the class president, had to follow almost right behind Fiona.
He saw the hurt on her face and knew he was the cause of it. He knew he was the biggest of idiots for allowing things to get as bad as they were. He didn't think there was any chance of him ever being able to be with Fiona again if he was going to be married to Amy.
"Alright class, this is how it's done. The valedictorian salutatorian shall lead the class down the isle and then will separate and head to their places on the stage with the teachers. While the class officers shall lead the rest of the classes down the rows. Van and Irvine shall lead row one, Tommy and Melanie shall lead row three, and so on," Dr. D explained as he tried to get everyone in order.
It seemed like hours after that of being close yet not touching Fiona that Van felt relieved to finally be out of it and headed home. He didn't wait to see if anyone wanted to talk to him before he grabbed his gown, cap, and tassel, which were given out during graduation rehearsals which meant you had to come if you want to graduate, and drove away as quickly as possible.
He walked into his house sadly. He saw his mother on the phone and she smiled and hung up as she walked over to him. "Why have you been so sad lately? You're graduating. I thought you would've been happier about it," she said as she hugged her son. "You're father's going to be home tomorrow to see you graduate," she said with a smile.
"Yippee!" Van said with a high level of sarcasm in his voice. "You get to see the biggest day of my life when I propose," Van said but his mother must've taken it a way that he didn't mean for it to be because a smile broke out on her face.
Julie wrapped her son in a tight hug. "I don't believe it, you're finally going to propose to Fiona?" she asked happily as tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. "Just wait till your father hears about this," she said but she frowned when Van just pushed her way. "Van?"
"I'm not proposing to Fiona, I'm proposing to Amy," he said sadly and he saw the look of confusion in his mother's eyes. "I have no choice in the matter. Hiltz threatened everyone I cared for and I know that he's not bluffing because I've seen what he had," Van said as he felt his own tears starting to fall. One's that he'd been trying to hold in all week.
Julie knew that this too big for Van to handle. She really to call Dan and get him down here immediately. "Van, why don't you go up to your room and get some rest. I'll call your father and talk to him about it," she said finding it hard to see such a defeated look in her son's eyes,
She looked at her son as he walked up the stairs and the picked up the phone and dialed her husband's cell phone number. "Damn it Dan! Pick up the phone!" she yelled when it didn't seem like he was going to answer.
Finally the phone was picked up and Dan's voice was heard. "Hello," a tired voice on the other end of the line picked up. It was clear that he was trying to get some sleep before his drive back to the city the next day.
"Dan! Something serious is about to happen and you need to get down here immediately!" Julie said with urgency in her voice. She could almost hear Dan jumping at the tone of her voice. "Get back here immediately unless you want Van to propose to Amy!" she said before she hung up the phone. The less time talking would mean the faster he could get there.
Moonbay and Tricia both didn't know what to do with Fiona. Ever since Irvine told them what was going on, Fiona had been so closed off with the rest of her friends. Unless it was necessary, she wouldn't even try to come out of her own room. They could often hear her crying as well.
"I just don't know what to do Moonbay. My only child is in pain and I can't do anything about it. Fiona had the special bond with Van that I never had with her father so I can't say I know what she's going through," Tricia said sadly as she drank something to calm her down.
"Unless she gets Van back, I don't think that she'll ever fully get over it. Even if she does try to get on with her life," Moonbay said in just the same tone as she leaned back in her seat. She came over to try and help Fiona but she failed at it.
Suddenly, the two of them heard the sound of footsteps coming towards them. They both turned in that direction and saw Fiona walking towards them. Her head was down and her eyes were dull. She wasn't the normal Fiona that they all knew and loved. This just seemed to be a shell of the woman they once knew.
Fiona didn't seem to look at them. "I'm sorry to worry both of you," she said sadly as she continued. "It's just that it hurts too much," she said as her body shook but then she was wrapped in an embrace by Moonbay and her mother.
"I know it must hurt you Fiona. I don't blame you for feeling this way," Moonbay said as she walked Fiona over to the couch and sat her down. "Like you, I wish that things didn't have to turn out this way. You deserve better than this," she said as she handed Fiona a cup of coffee.
Fiona just sat there with the cup of coffee in her hands. She just stared at it making it look like she wasn't even going to drink it. "Is there anything Van can do?" she asked as her voice shook even more. She wished there was something that she could do but she couldn't even talk to Van anymore.
This time it was Moonbay that couldn't look at Fiona. "It doesn't even look like Van has the energy to do anything either. Irvine's helping him but each time they fail, it just seems to sap more of Van's strength. They're doing what they can though," Moonbay said in a soft tone as she wrapped her arms around Fiona's shoulders.
Fiona just shook even more at this news. "Then that means that it's really over huh?" she asked as more tears escaped from her eyes. "I'll never be with him again, will I?" she asked as she just curled up and sobbed even harder.
"Don't say that Fiona. I'd say it won't be over until they're actually married. A miracle could happen Fiona," she said and she was glad when she saw that Fiona seemed to settle down at these words. "Come on. You really need to get out and relax. It'll be my treat," Moonbay said as she lifted Fiona up and was glad when she saw that Fiona wasn't struggling much.
'Maybe if I can get her mind off of it for a little while, she might get better. I'm afraid she'll get herself sick if she keeps this up. She hasn't eaten or slept much in the past few days. Please let this work,' Moonbay thought leading Fiona out to the car that Irvine leant her for the day. He too wanted to help Fiona and was willing to do anything to help.
Moonbay took Fiona out to get a massage first. She got help from Van's mother with the costs since this place was first rate but the woman didn't care because she was looking after the woman she thought of as a daughter.
It seemed that during most of that time Fiona actually seemed to be relaxing a bit. It warmed Moonbay's heart to see that she didn't seem quite as sad as before. Moonbay always thought a massage was a nice way to be able to relax.
By the end, Fiona at least didn't have the extremely sad look on her face but Moonbay knew that it probably wouldn't last long unless she did something about it. She just hoped that she could at least get a smile out of Fiona before the end of the day but she knew that even she might be aiming high but she didn't care.
Fiona did her best to try and forget everything that day. It seemed to work for a while but it came rushing back to her shortly after they left the building. She did her best not to show the pain still on her face because she knew Moonbay was doing her best to make her happy. Just caring for her like that, made Fiona slightly happier.
Moonbay led Fiona to a small restaurant and Fiona was glad when she saw that Irvine was there waiting for the two of them. She hadn't seen him much for the past few weeks and hardly at all this week. 'Then again, I haven't seen anyone most of the week,' she thought before shaking her head to get rid of the thoughts.
Fiona walked over to Irvine and gave him a sisterly hug. "Hey Irvine," she said before pulling away and taking a seat at the three person table. "We haven't gotten to do this for a while," she said just thinking of the three being together. She was with Van or else she was moping.
"I guess so," Irvine said leaning back in his seat while drinking the coffee that he had ordered while he waited for the two ladies. He wanted to ask Fiona how she was holding up but thought against it. She seemed to be more relaxed than Moonbay had said and he didn't want to ruin it.
"We're finally graduating tomorrow. I thought this day would never come," Moonbay said with a smile on her face at the thought of it. She even thought she saw a hint of a smile flicker on Fiona normally beautiful face.
"I guess," Fiona muttered as she took a coffee that was just brought to the two of them. After adding a bit of salt to it, she took a sip much to Irvine and Moonbay's disgust. "Then I'll be able to get out and forget all my problems here," she said and both Irvine and Moonbay frowned.
"How you doing about it Fiona?" Irvine said figuring that she was the one who brought it up first. "Are you going to be ok?" he asked as he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.
Fiona looked at Irvine with a monotonous face but then she actually managed to get a smile on her face. "I'm sure if I still have friends like you and Moonbay, I'll be able to make it through this," she said although she didn't show them how much it hurt to talk about it.
She then turned her attention back towards the cup of coffee before her. 'I hope that I'll be able to get over this. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget Van even if I wanted to,' she thought as she stirred the coffee around a bit.
Dan sighed as he stepped out of the car of his office building. It was a long drive that took all night but he knew that this was more important than anything else. 'How could things have gotten as bad as they did just after I left?' he asked himself as he walked into the building.
Dan had set out to find anything that would help him but everyone that he went to didn't seem to have a clue as to what happened then. He was at square one except for that information of the meetings. It wasn't enough though.
He saw his wife's car was there and smiled knowing that he didn't have to wait to get started. He wanted more than anything to just get this over with. He wanted his son's freedom again and the safety of his family to be ensured. Without knowing who did it, he wouldn't be able to end it though.
He walked into the building and saw that his wife was waiting in the lobby on the bottom floor for him. The place was empty since it was earlier than most to even come in. There were just a few security guards walking around but they didn't pay much attention to Dan or his wife since they knew them.
"Hey honey," Dan said as he walked up and gave his wife a hug and a kiss before they headed towards the elevator. Rosso and Viola were there also so they might get some answers with any luck. "What happened?" Dan asked as he held his wife close to him.
Julie took a deep breath before she spoke. "Since last Saturday, I've seen Van walking around like that of a zombie. He avoided Fiona whenever possible and also kept to his room unless he was forced to leave. Then yesterday he just came home from his graduation rehearsal and when I said you would be back for his graduation, he just said, 'Yippee! You get to see the biggest day of my life when I propose.' I asked him about it being Fiona and then he just said, 'I'm not proposing to Fiona, I'm proposing to Amy.' I don't know what to do Dan," she said looking like she was on the verge of crying.
Dan growled at what he was hearing. "Hiltz must've pulled something big to get Van to leave Fiona to propose to Amy," he said not really even trying to hide the malice that was very clear in his voice.
"That's what I figured too. Van was gone for a short time last night and I went into his room and found these," she said and handed Dan a manila fouler that looked and weighed like it had quite a few papers in it. "Van really did have no choice in the matter," she said sadly as Dan grabbed the folder.
Dan opened it up and read the stuff and knew that what he predicted had happened. He suddenly smiled because he just knew that the spy must've struck again. "It may not be over yet honey," he said as the elevator came to a stop on the top floor.
Rosso and Viola were already there waiting for him. He didn't say a word but just motioned them towards his office. He did hand the Folder to Rosso to look over though. The four of them walked in and Dan opened the window to the black night. He could see the sun just starting to rise in the horizon.
"Do you have the surveillance tapes Rosso?" Dan asked at the red haired man nodded his head and pulled out a small stack of tapes from a bag he had around his shoulders. "This may just give us a few answers," Dan said taking the tape of the last Friday night. He knew it had to happen then because he kept a close eye on things before then.
He walked over to a TV that was on the other side of the room and placed the tape in. He turned the TV on and pressed play and they watched the tape for a while without anything happening. Dan fast forwarded it when needed until they finally saw what they were looking for.
On the tape was the man that Dan suspected the most. "Look what we found," he said as he watched Derek walking through the room before stopping at a cabinet and opened it. He looked through the files before finding what he was looking for and pulling it out.
Dan stopped the tape right there and had a pondering look on his face. "We did a research of the files in that cabinet," Rosso said looking over the folder Dan handed to him when they walked in. "This does look like something that would fit into it," he finished placing the folder back on the desk.
"This is very serious. All of this has been happening behind my back for years and I'll more than likely be the one to be blamed for it," Dan said rubbing his chin which looked like it hadn't been shaved in a while. "Get Derek in here immediately!" Dan growled out showing anger on his face.
"Yes sir!" Rosso said before leaving the room. It was silent until he came back a few minutes later. "He didn't sound happy about it but he's on his way down here now," Rosso said as everyone got comfortable while waiting for his arrival. They would have answers from him.
Julie looked at her husband with a worried expression. "Would you really be arrested if these got out?" she asked and just saw him shrug. "Is there anyway that you can possibly get out of it?" she asked sadly. She didn't want to lose her husband like Van lost Fiona.
"Maybe with some time but I don't have that time right now. I need answers before Van's graduation. It'll be a lot easier without Hiltz in the way though so I have to take care of that first," he said with an intense look of focus on his face.
It was silent in the room after that. After almost two hours, the doors finally opened and Derek came walking into the room looking both confused and tired since it was only seven in the morning. He normally didn't come in for another hour. "You wanted to see me?" he asked looking at the four people in the room. "Oh hello Mrs. Flyheight, nice to see you again," he said but she just nodded in return.
Dan just picked up a remote and pointed it towards the TV where the images that they saw earlier started playing. He watched Derek's eyes widen in surprise as he watched the scene. Mind telling me what you were doing taking stuff that late at night? Mind telling me what it was you took?" Dan asked turning off the recording.
Derek pulled at the collar of his shirt nervously. "I was just going over some old documents sir," he said in what would've been a convincing voice had he not been so nervous. "I needed to for a decision I needed to make about a deal offered to us," he continued nervously.
Dan knew that he wouldn't be lying. There was a deal but not one offered to the two of them. It was just to Derek. "Dan stood up and walked towards Derek who watched him carefully. Dan suddenly grabbed him by the fly. "Don't you dare lie about it. Isn't it weird that the document that was taken somehow ended up in Hiltz's hands?" Dan asked with venom dripping from his voice.
Derek struggled to get free but couldn't seem to break out of Dan's grip. "I-I don't know what you're talking about sir!" he said clearly very scared at being caught. He felt Dan's hands tighten around the collar. "i-I never gave him anything!" he squealed out as he struggled more.
"I said not to lie! You gave it to Hiltz in order to take control. He made promises didn't he? He said he'd give you control of the company when he took it over, didn't he?" Dan said as he threw Derek off to the side. "It's because of you that my son has no real future right now!" he said his eyes blazing with hatred for the first time in his life.
Derek was purely terrified. He'd worked for Dan for years and this was the first time that he ever saw him this angry. He didn't even know that the normally kind man was even capable of such animosity. He couldn't say anything in his defense though. He knew it was all true too.
"Answer me damn it!" Dan yelled but calmed down slightly when he felt his wife's hand on his shoulder. "I have a deal for you though," Dan said after taking a deep breath. "You help me fix this mess that you got my son and family in and I won't have you thrown in jail," he said glaring at the cowering man.
Derek looked up at Dan in shock. He hadn't been expecting that. He expected to be hit and then thrown in jail for the rest of his life. He wouldn't put it put it past Dan either while he was in his current state.
Dan was growing frustrated and looked towards Rosso who just nodded. He walked over to Derek and lifted him to his feet none too gently. "Tell me something that'll get my family out of this mess!" he yelled as he grabbed Derek again.
"Fine! Just please don't hurt me!" the cowardly man yelled looking in fear into Dan's dark eyes. "Hiltz has been involved in some secret smuggling operations for years. He's had me in charge of them for years. Afterwards he makes sure that every last trace of it is destroyed so that nothing could be traced back to him!" the man yelled in his fear.
Dan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He just knew that this would be the perfect thing to end all of this. He also knew that Hiltz would have no other choice but to accept his own terms. "Good," Dan said as he started to walk to the door.
Derek couldn't believe that he just got off with nothing but a yelling at after all that he'd done. He smiled as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. He just knew that he wouldn't be as lucky when Hiltz learned that he'd told his biggest secret.
Dan suddenly stopped before he reached the door and turned around to face the man. He walked back towards him and before Derek even realized Dan punched him in the side of the face with all his strength making him fly back and hit a wall hard. "By the way, you're fired!" he said before finally leaving the office.
Him and Julie got into the elevator and pressed the button for the bottom floor. Julie looked up at her husband with hopeful eyes. "Does this mean what I think it means Dan?" she asked him as she clutched onto the front of his shirt. She couldn't help but hope that this meant that her son could be happy again.
Dan looked towards his wife and all of his anger from before suddenly faded and a big smiled crossed his face. "Possibly. I still have to talk to Hiltz though and I expect that he won't go down without a fight. I want you to head to Van's graduation and I'll meet you there when I get done with the meeting. Hopefully, everything will go fine," he said kissing her before heading to his own car.
Van just sat there on his bed long after he woke up. He just stared up at the ceiling of his room without any real thoughts of getting out of his bed. He just didn't seem to see the point. Sure he was going to graduate but he just didn't feel like going.
Suddenly the door to his room opened and Irvine came walking into the room with a broad smile on his face. "What, you're still in bed?" he asked a bit amused although he was just trying to make this dark situation look lighter. "Come on, we have a graduation to get to," he said pulling on Van's arm.
"Just go without me Irvine," Van muttered as he toyed around with something in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked a small velvety case. "I consider this a prison Irvine. One that I'm locked in and the only key was destroyed," Van muttered as he twirled it around in his fingers.
Irvine looked at it and just knew what it was. "That the ring?" he asked and just saw Van nod his head. "Van the least you could do is show Hiltz that you're not as weak as he's making you out to be!" Irvine said getting angry at his friend. Sure he wished that there was something he could do but they tried everything and it failed.
Van just ignored Irvine's statement and opened the case to see a really expensive and fancy looking diamond ring. "Hiltz gave it to me to use. After graduation, he wants me to propose to Amy in front of the entire school. Everyone will know that we're getting married," Van said snapping the case shut and turned on his side away from Irvine.
Van sighed finding that he really couldn't blame Van for how he was reacting. "Be strong for Fiona. She's just as torn up about this as you are. Maybe if she sees you being strong, then she might get the strength to be strong as well," Irvine said and was glad when he saw Van finally sit up.
Van felt so bad for putting Fiona through this. If he had known that Fiona would be hurt in this way, then he would've never tried to get involved with her the way that he did. "How can I actually go through with this Irvine? Proposing to Amy while the one I really love has to watch," Van said as he stood up and walked to his closet.
Irvine really didn't know how to answer Van without making things worse. "Maybe the two of you can just run away together. Go somewhere where no one has ever heard of you," Irvine suggested with a chuckle.
Van just sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror of his bathroom. "It wouldn't stop Hiltz from ruining her family as well as mine. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that was to ever happen to either. Especially since it would be my fault that it happened," he said before he slammed his fist down on the sink.
Irvine really didn't know how to answer that. He looked down at his watch and saw that they really needed to leave if they were planning to get down there on time. "We should really get going Van," Irvine said before turning around and walking out of the room.
Van sighed once again knowing that there wasn't any way he was going to escape his fate. "If a miracle was to happen, I sure hope that this is the time," he said to himself before following after Irvine.
Hiltz found himself in his office running a bit late. He suddenly had important business to finish before he would be able to head to his daughter's graduation and his ultimate victory. He would soon have all that he wanted for the past several years.
He just finished the papers he needed to do and was about to leave when there was a sudden call in from his secretary. "Sir, there a visitor here to see you and he says that it's urgent," the woman said over a speaker on the desk.
Hiltz growled in annoyance at yet another setback to getting there. He wanted to be there to witness his victory. "Fine then, send him in but tell him that I'm in a really big hurry," Hiltz said once again taking a seat behind his desk and watching the door as he heard footsteps approaching.
The next moment he was highly surprised when he saw that it was Dan Flyheight that walked through the door. "Dan Flyheight, what a pleasure it is to see you. I was just about to head down to the graduation," Hiltz said with a smile on his face as he started to walk to the door.
Dan looked over at Hiltz and managed a fake smile of his own. "As was I but there was something very important that I wished to discuss with you if you have the time," Dan said although he planned to talk about this whether he had the time to talk or not.
"Fine then but we really need to be quick. The graduation is in an hour and I also heard from your son that he was planning something for my daughter. Can't wait to see what it is," Hiltz said with that cruel smile still on his face as he started to pack away his things inside his briefcase.
Suddenly Dan was the one with the smirk. "Oh I already know that you know exactly what it is that Van is going to do, propose," Dan said and he saw Hiltz's head snap up in slight surprise. "I must admit that I was highly surprised when I heard this because it came so suddenly," Dan said as he waited in front of the desk.
Hiltz sighed a breath of relief because he thought that Dan might've known his plan for a second. "How is it such a surprise? They have been going out for more than four years. They're adults now and are free to get married if they want," he said closing his briefcase.
Dan suddenly grew serious but Hiltz didn't notice since his back was turned on Dan. "It was a surprise because both you and I knew that he had no intention of proposing to Amy until you forced it upon him!" Dan said sternly which caused Hiltz to suddenly freeze up.
Hiltz was beyond pissed. He told Van that his father wasn't supposed to know anything. 'He has the gall to betray me,' he thought angrily before turning towards Dan with a smile plastered on his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about Dan. Is Van telling stories or something?" he asked in a very good display of acting.
Dan wasn't even the least bit fooled by Hiltz's acting. "On the contrary. He's only been with Amy for years because you've threatened my family. Yes I know all about that. It wasn't Van who told me though," he said with a smirk on his face. He was pushing Hiltz into a corner and Hiltz knew that.
'I still don't know what you're talking about Flyheight. Van has stayed with my daughter all these years because he loves her. I haven't even tried to interfere with it. So don't go throwing around accusations without any proof," Hiltz said with a rather harsh bite to his voice.
"I have plenty, including all the information that you've been holding over Van all these years. I'm not stupid Hiltz. Both you and I know that Van loves someone else. I'm sure that Derek has already told you that. He told me everything about what you've been doing as well as Van filling in all the gaps," Dan said to his surprise, Hiltz just laughed. "May I ask what's so funny?" Dan said eyeing Hiltz suspiciously.
Hiltz just continued to laugh at Dan. "So you figured it out did you? What exactly are you going to do about it? I'm sure you don't want your family to lose everything. You can't do anything about it Dan. We both know that," he said as he continued to laugh. He dug the whole family into a hole and there was no escape.
Dan just smirked at his statement. "On the contrary. I know all about the smuggling operations that have been going on for years in your company that you willingly participated in," Dan said and he saw Hiltz go extremely pale extremely fast. "Sure you can live without ours since you have plenty of money yourself but you wouldn't put your daughter through losing everything of yours."
Hiltz glared angrily at Dan. "You have absolutely no proof about any of this. Where do you get the gall to interfere like this?" he asked glaring angrily at the man before him. This was why he didn't want Dan to know, he was too smart for his own good. He would definitely find a way to get Van out of his scheme.
"I have a participant who is more than willing to vouch for my claims. It's over Hiltz. I want you to stay away from my family. My son is not going to marry your daughter like you wanted. Should you try to interfere with his life or my family again, I'll make sure that you're ruined," Dan said before leaving the room.
Dan knew that what he was doing was nothing different from what Hiltz did to Van in the first place but he was protecting his family and Hiltz was just trying to satisfy his greedy ends. 'You better appreciate what I just did for you Van,' Dan thought with a big smile.
Back in the office, Hiltz collapse in his chair. All of his plans had failed. 'How dare he interfere!' he thought angrily in his mind as a fist slammed down onto the desk. "I was so close. I would've had everything but Van decided to betray our deal and now I have nothing to gain!' he thought as he watched the door close in front of him.
Fiona watched as all the students and teachers scrambled around to crowded cafeteria trying to get all last minute preparations finished. The students were trying to get on their robed and the teachers were trying to make sure that everyone was there and presentable.
"So is your speech all prepared Fiona?" Dr. D asked as he walked up to Fiona. He was dressed in the teacher's robes and he looked kind of sad. He wouldn't say it but he enjoyed teaching all of the students over the past four years and he would really miss some of them.
Fiona looked down at several cards in her hand. "I guess so. I worked hard on the speech but it doesn't seem like it's enough anymore. I wrote it when everything was going good in my life but now that bad things have been happening, it just doesn't seem quite like the right thing to say anymore. There's much now that I wished I could've said but can't with this speech," she said sadly as her eyes drooped.
"Bad things happen to good people. That's what I've seen in all of my years as a teacher. If the speech doesn't seem good enough, then you don't have to use it. What you need to do is speak from your heart," he said with a smile before he walked away to check on the rest of the student.
Fiona looked over and saw Van sitting in a corner looking as bad as she was. He also looked like he was trying his best to be invisible. He obviously didn't really want to talk to anyone since when Amy approached, he immediately walked away.
She saw him suddenly stop and reached into his robed and pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like his cell phone. He opened it and put it up to his ear and walked to a quieter place in the room.
"Mr. Flyheight! Will you please turn off that phone and get in line with the rest of the class!" Fiona heard a teacher yell when she noticed that Van was starting to walk out of the room. Van just ignored her and continued to talk into it.
Fiona wasn't sure but for a second, Van almost looked rather excited about something. It was the type of smile that she hadn't seen in such a long time. 'I wonder what could've possibly happened to make him smile like that again,' Fiona thought as she took her place at the front of the lines.
Fiona saw Van come back into the room a minute later. Irvine had approached him and Van said something. The next thing Fiona knew, Irvine had this really shocked look on his face. Yet it was almost a pleased look. Fiona felt like she'd have to remember to ask him about it later. Not like she could talk to Van to find out.
Fiona watched Van walk towards her and take his place at the front of the line almost right behind her. She could feel his eyes on her but didn't respond knowing that it would be no good to either of them if her feelings got the better of her at a time like this. It would only hurt worse in the end.
"Alright everyone, it's time to head out there," the principal said as everyone straightened up quickly for the moment they had been waiting for ever since they started high school. "Straight lines? Alright then let's go," he said leading them out the doors of the cafeteria and down to the football field which was where it was held because of the amount of people it could hold.
The long line of students for the senior class walked down to the football field which was crowded with their families. They went down the middle of the rows of the chairs and when they reached the front, Van turned and walked down the first row while Irvine went the opposite way.
Fiona being the valedictorian went up to the stage where they were expected to sit and was followed by the salutatorian. Fiona felt like laughing. Amy, with all her bragging, wasn't even in the top ten percentile of their class. Fiona didn't understand how she could've thought she'd be made valedictorian.
The principal walked up to the podium and started to speak a few words but Fiona found herself not being able to pay attention. She thought she kept seeing Van look in her direction. 'Maybe it's just my imagination. Why would he when he still has to propose to Amy afterwards? Yeah, it has to be my imagination,' she thought to herself as she tried to look anywhere but in his direction.
As the people seemed to speak. A beach ball suddenly found it's way into the students hands and they were bouncing it all over the place as several speakers tried to speak. It only stopped when a teacher grabbed it and took it from them much to the student's dismay. Van was laughing though. Every senior class had a tendency to do this during graduation every year up till them.
After what seemed like an hour, it was finally her turn to speak. She didn't realize how nervous she was up until that point. Her nervous twisted her hands and walked up to the podium and looked down at the cards in her hand.
"Up until this point, I've had this speech all written out and just waiting to be read. I'm not going to do that though," she said as she set the cards off to the side and then stared at the audience in front of her. She didn't realize how many people there were that came.
Van watched Fiona as she spoke. He noticed how nervous she was but admired how she still managed to speak so calmly all the same. 'She'll be mine soon,' he thought remember the call he got from his father. He couldn't believe that his father actually managed to pull something off like that. Van had just about given up all hope at that point.
He then looked over towards the seats and saw that his father was just getting there and taking his seat next to his mother. His sister was also there to see this moment. Van felt glad that he had a family like that to give him help when he needed it. He saw his father give him the thumbs up and he laughed under his breath.
"So much has happened since all of us have set foot on this school we have been in for the past four years. Many would say that we suffered but I guess they won't anymore," Fiona said and many of the parents and students couldn't help but laugh.
"There are some who would try to forget and then there are the others who just won't be able to forget all the things that have happened to us," she said and took a quick glance in Van's direction before turning her head back quickly and looking at the rest of the students and the teacher.
"We're all here because we never gave up even when the worst could happen. There were many times that I felt like just giving up but I know I must continue no matter what happens. It is something that we should all do. Work hard, have hope, and never regret your actions. We made it all this way and we shouldn't give up now. Live for the future because we are the future," she finished and then there was a huge applause form the students, the teachers, and the parents all around the area.
"She always thinks she's so good. I would've had a much better speech than that," Van heard Amy mutter from two rows behind him. He rolled his eyes and just watched as Fiona bowed her head to them before she walked back to her seat.
'That was great Fiona,' Van thought. He was amazed at how well it fit her situation as well as that of the entire school's. 'We both almost gave up. We never did and you'll finally get what you deserve,' Van thought with a smile as he continued to hear Amy complaining from behind him.
For the next hour, they had one other speech that came from the mayor and then there was the giving out of the diplomas. Then when they were done, they all took their seats once again. It was then that the principal took the stage once again.
He smiled as he looked over all the students before him. "Congratulations all you seniors. You have worked hard for this moment and as stated, never given up to make it where you are today. With that said, I announce you as the class of two thousand and five!" he yelled and several hats went flying up into the air.
The students burst into cheers. And many got up and went to go talk to their families and friends. Van sat for a few seconds and watched Fiona's movements carefully before he too got up. He wanted to talk to his parents first before he confronted Amy and Fiona.
"Congratulations Van," his mother said hugging Van tightly. She seemed to be on a picture taking spree after that. She had to of at least taken fifty pictures with Van and many of his friends. She made sure to save some though for what she knew was about to come. She wanted the rest of them to be for Van and Fiona.
"Yeah, congratulations Van," Dan said when his wife was finally done with him. He couldn't even get a chance to do it up till then. "I think that there's something you need to do first," he said pointing in Fiona's direction.
Van turned and saw Fiona and a soft smile crossed his face. 'Maybe there are such things as miracles,' Van thought as he started to walk in that direction. He felt better than he had in a while. Fiona would get what she's always wanted since they first became friends. They would finally let everyone know that they loved each other.
Unfortunately he didn't get more than a few steps before he was wrapped into a tight embrace by a hyper Amy. 'So close,' Van thought but then thought over that and thought that it was a good time to talk to her. "Hey, Amy there's something I wanted to talk to you about. Can we go someplace else?" Van asked her as calmly as he could. He felt bad for doing it but he couldn't live this lie any longer.
Amy smirked in victory. She just knew that in a few moments time Van would propose to her. "Why do you want to go someplace else? Can't we just talk about it right here?" she asked since she wanted to make sure that everyone could see the day of her ultimate victory.
Van frowned as he looked around at all the people. "I would really like to talk about this someplace else. So let's just go someplace a little more private," he said because he knew that Amy would freak at it and he didn't want all the attention that it was sure to freak.
Amy just smirked because she wasn't going anywhere. She didn't know why Van wanted it to be so secretive about their engagement. "I'd rather not so please just tell me now," she asked with a rather eager tone in her voice.
Van groaned because he knew that he wasn't going to be able to break up with her in private. "I…" he started to say when he saw that she looked rather eager. "I… I want… to break up," he managed to get out. He watched her face as she was paled at his words. It was clearly not what she was expecting.
Amy just couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'That isn't right, he was supposed to propose!' she yelled in her mind as tears started to come to her eyes. "What do you mean you want to break up!" she yelled figuring that it had to be some sort of mistake. She knew he father told him to propose, not break up with her.
Van noticed that everyone seemed to take notice of the volume of her voice. They were all watching them. Most of the students looked like they thought that they heard wrong. The two that were together for four years were breaking up? "Yes," Van said just wanting to look away so that he wouldn't have to see that look in her eyes. It was a rather painful sight.
Amy took a few steps away from Van and shook her head as if she still didn't believe it. Tears were running down her face. "Why! Why are you breaking up with me now when we've been together for four years!" she yelled in his face. She hoped that he would take it back and do as he was supposed to do. She would talk to her father about this later no matter what happens.
"I'm sorry ok, I just… I fell in love with someone else!" he blurted out as he looked towards Fiona who was watching them with wide hopeful eyes. He felt bad for doing this but it was Fiona that he loved and Fiona that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
"Y-y-you can't just do this to me!" she yelled before running away in the crowd. Van wished that it could've gone better but he realized that that was as good as he could get it with someone like Amy. He actually expected it to be a lot worse. He just hoped that she would be fine later.
Van saw that everyone was looking at him right then. Some looked a little appalled at what he did while others looked rather sympathetic towards him. 'Now's your chance,' he told himself and looked in Fiona's direction. He could see Irvine and Moonbay just grinning and moving away from Fiona a little.
Fiona was just staring at him with wide eyes. It was obviously hard for her to believe what was actually happening. He couldn't blame her because things were going in every different direction right then.
Van looked several different directions and saw that almost everyone was staring at him. 'You wished that we could just stop hiding and let everyone know, now here's your chance,' Van thought before a grin spread across his face and he turned his attention back to a better direction.
'Is this really happening?' Fiona asked herself as she saw Van turned to stare at her. "D-did he just do what I think he did?" she quietly said and she just saw that Irvine and Moonbay nodded their heads.
Van took a few steps in her direction and he watched as everyone seemed to realize what he was doing. None of them seemed to know what to expect next. Van felt like giving them something that none of them would ever believe.
He walked up to her and stood in front of Fiona. "This is what you wanted wasn't it?" he asked and before she could even answer he leaned down and captured her lips with his own. He just focused on that and not on the hundreds of disbelieving stares that everyone was giving them.
Fiona just couldn't believe it. Van just broke up with Amy and then he just comes up to her and kisses her. It was more than she could've ever dreamed for. She actually let a tear of happiness fall down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around Van's neck and pulled him in.
Irvine and Moonbay just grinned and walked away. They didn't want to interrupt this happy moment of theirs. They laughed a bit when they saw Van's mother taking picture after picture of the scene. "Always good to have memories of moments like these," Moonbay said and Irvine just nodded his head.
It wasn't long before people lost interest in the sight and just went about their own business. Van and Fiona didn't even seem to show any sort of sign that they were planning on letting go of each other. If they had it their way, they would never be more than a few feet from each other ever again.
Van held Fiona around the waist and looked down on her shining face. In all the time that he'd known her, he'd never seen her as happy as she was at that moment. "Looks like you're stuck with me from now on Fiona. Think you can handle that?" Van asked with a huge grin.
Fiona just reached up and caressed Van's face. "I'm than able to. Just one question, how exactly did you get away from what Hiltz did?" she asked as he hands were placed over Van's. She did want to let him go because it was too painful trying to force herself away from him for that one week.
Van smirked and leaned down to kiss Fiona. He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "No idea. My dad called me just before graduation to tell me the good news. Ask him if I ever let you go to do so," he said and the two of them couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey Van, are the two of you coming!" Irvine yelled from over where their parents were waiting for the two of them. "Party time! Hurry up or we'll leave you behind!' he yelled before he started to walk to his car.
Van looked down at Fiona. "Shall we go my dear?" he asked and Fiona nodded and the two of them rushed off to catch up with Fiona. They had so much to make up for that they intended to make use of every moment they had from then on.
I'm putting this out earlier than i thought i would. I have a sequel in the works but I am not going to put it up until i reached 300 reviews. The more you all review, the faster that I'll be able to get it out.