"All A's," Ronald said as he sat in his armchair and read over Persephone's grades. She stood behind him, resisting the urge to tap her foot. The question was coming at some point this weekend, but she didn't know exactly when. He fixed his glasses, studying her over them and making her sweat. He continued, "Very good marks in Physics. I expected nothing less. And I see that you've been offered scholarships to a couple of medical schools in the area. Which will you be going to?"

This was it: the time she had to give Ronald the truth. She took a deep breath.

"I'm going to Dulvey Community College."
The grimace in his expression said it all, but that didn't stop him from using his words. "No, you're not."
"But that's what I want."
"I will not see my daughter going to some rinky-dink community college."
"It's not rinky-dink, it has a perfectly valid medical program."
"This is all because of that boy isn't it?" He carefully stood from his chair, calm and menacing presence towering over her. "He's not smart enough to get a scholarship of his own, so he's dragging you down with him."
Persephone was ready for this reaction and shot back. "That's a completely baseless assumption. The fact of the matter is that we both decided to go to community college together."
"Absolutely not."
"You can't force me to go to a certain college."

Her phone's unique notification went off.

"That boy's texting you, I see," Ronald sneered.
She glared at him. "His name is Lucas and we're making plans—"
"My daughter will not be dragged down by a hillbilly!"

She bit her tongue, wanting only to scream in his face, defend Lucas, tell Ronald to fuck off. But it would cause a huge argument when all she wanted to do was make her point and answer the message.

She turned on her heel to leave. "I'm going to DCC. You can try to change my mind when I come back."
"I do not think so, young lady!" He shouted.

Rarely did Ronald ever raise his voice but Persephone refused to be shaken. Even as he stepped in front of the front door to block her exit, she kept her cool.

He continued shouting. "You've been completely out of line ever since you met this boy and I'm tired of it!"
"Maybe I'm just growing up, did y'all ever think of that?"

It took her a moment to comprehend why Ronald held such a shocked expression on his normally cold face: y'all. She tried not to smirk. He seemed utterly speechless at first, but he eventually blurted out his next thoughts.

"I can't believe you just said that to me. That—that redneck slang. That boy's going to take you down with him, just you wait."
"Noted. Now, if you'll excuse me."

She slipped underneath his arm and out the door, slamming it behind her before he could react. Then she checked her phone. Lucas had good timing.

'How'd it go with your dad?'
She laughed through her nose. 'Horribly'
'Figured as much. You all right?'
'Better than ever, I can't wait for our first semester'
'Hell yeah. Never thought I'd be happy to start college'

Persephone giggled at his message, cruising along the sidewalk. How could she even put into words that she felt the same way, that she was excited to start what felt like the rest of their lives together? Before she could text him anything, though, a message popped up. From Oliver.

'hope ur bf isn't planning on coming to school monday'
She responded fast. 'What are you talking about?'
'he'll regret it'

She held her tongue (rather, her fingers), mulling it over. She hoped to have high school end peacefully. The year had been going great and she wanted it to stay that way. All she could think to do to prevent total disaster was dial Oliver's number and call him.

Oliver's home seemed relatively normal: an average-sized house, right in the middle of the section of houses, with a perfectly square postage stamp yard. Persephone anxiously surveyed the area, trying to calm down. The neighborhood was a bit woodsy. Oliver had a nice porch, well-decorated with wicker chairs and a glass-top table, a fancy black railing, and a small crack up the middle of the stone stairs. Overall, unimpressive and bland. A tree hung over the top of his small awning, no fence in the front yard — though the backyard had a battered, weather-worn privacy fence.

She breathed easy. This probably wasn't going to go very well, but she had no choice. She reread her last texts. One of them was to Lucas 'gtg, talk to you in a bit', with his response being a simple 'ok'. The other was Oliver's address, prior message was her asking for it, and before that… Their call. He'd sounded like he wanted to kick her ass during that call but had graciously accepted her request for a chat. And, by graciously, he'd told her that she was "a dumb cunt" who could try to change his mind even though she "has no idea". He seemed pretty hellbent on fighting Lucas but she was going to put a stop to that.

She approached the discolored door and knocked. He didn't make her wait for very long — the door opened and Oliver stood before her, wispy blonde hair bright in the sun. He stepped aside, tone of his next words deadly serious.

"Get in."
She did so, hand in her pocket, grasping her phone.

She stepped into a very cluttered living room; a dirty couch, a rocking chair, a table lined with cigarettes, soda cans, ash and ashtrays, television across the way surrounded by boxes and plastic tubs of crap. It all hit her at once just how messy and unmaintained the house was. Her nose crinkled from the smells of grime and cigarettes as her burning eyes scanned everything they could. Pathways seemed to be the only way around the house, leading to the kitchen, the seats, and the staircase for the upper-story.

"Sit," he said curtly, disrupting her overwhelmed senses.

She followed a path to the rocking chair and sat on its layer of dust. He chose the couch near her, plopping his socked feet up on the table. Oliver pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it.

"So, go on, gimme one good reason why I shouldn't kick Baker's ass."
Persephone took a deep breath, smelling the must, and tried to focus on her task at hand. She spoke calmly. "Because he's not interested in fucking with you."
"Don't care." Oliver took a drag off his cigarette. When he spoke, he let the smoke unfurl from his lips. "He shouldn't 'a started it."
"Isn't that a little childish? He's been trying to let it go, why can't you?"
Oliver's feet stomped onto the ground as he leaned toward her, voice low but ferocious. "An' who are you ta tell me ta let it go? Callin' me childish. You're just some stupid bitch, ya don't even know what happened. Even if that autistic jerk-off told ya, he sure as hell wouldn't give ya the full story."

She wondered indeed what the full story was. Lucas said he'd planned on killing Oliver when they were children, but what did that entail? She hadn't asked about it since then, knowing the subject upset him. For now, however, her entire mission was to talk Oliver out of doing something stupid, so she returned to the present.

"You know, you'll be free of Lucas after graduation. If you fuck with him now, you're just making more work for yourself down the line — court hearings, possible incarceration."
"Look," he said, chin lifted as he observed her through narrowing eyes. "I ain't gonna let that little shithead get away with what he did to me. This is my last chance—"
"For what, prison? If you haven't noticed by now, idiot, you both can be tried as adults—"
"Kiss my ass!" He shouted, shooting up from his seat. "Always defendin' him an' shit! Yer just as fuckin' crazy!"

Another voice rang from upstairs. "OLIVER! Quit all that yellin'! And don'chu dare curse in my house!" Then there was a loud stomp on the ground.
"Sorry, Gramma," Oliver called, with an eye-roll that could give Persephone's a run for its money.
The elderly woman's shrill voice yelled, "Do I need ta babysit you like yer a toddler?!"
"No," he said to her shortly.
"I swear, if ya can't act like an adult, then how could ya think yer ready ta graduate!?"
"Christ…" He swore under his breath.

Well then… Persephone didn't know how to respond to that, so she stayed quiet. Oliver motioned for Persephone to follow him, with his grandmother shouting the entire time ("yer so immature!" was tossed around, ironically enough). Persephone tread behind him and he led her back to the front door, stepping onto the porch with her. He shut the door behind them, thankfully muffling his grandmother's incessant yelling.

They sat at the wicker table, Oliver taking a few deep breaths of fresh air.

She tried to bring the conversation back after… Whatever just happened there. "You said I don't know the full story. Why don't you tell me?"
He interjected with a sharp, brusque laugh. "Suck my dick, then I'll consider it."
She'd rather rip it off. "C'mon, Oliver, don't do this. Do you really wanna risk getting expelled right before graduation?"

He paused, leaning back into his seat with his fingers steepled, observing her. The smoke from his still-lit cigarette made her head ache.

"Ya wanna know what happened?" He asked, the cold look in his eye reminding her quite a bit of Ronald. "Wanna know how fucked up yer boyfriend really is? That bastard almost killed me an' yer askin' me to just move on. Dumb bitch, ya don't know shit."

Her retaliation rose in her throat but she swallowed it back. "Then tell me."

She remained in her seat, just… Waiting. He said nothing. Not a single damn word. Her mind screamed at her to force the information out of him somehow, but that would get her nowhere. She needed to wait, be patient, figure out how to make him comfortable enough to spill the beans without making things worse. Oliver smoked his cigarette painfully slow as he looked across the way at nothing in particular. Persephone glanced to be sure there wasn't something important going on over there that would distract him and make her waste her goddamned time.

"If yer that fuckin' interested," he said abruptly, still not looking at her, "strap in, 'cuz this story's wild."

He tossed his cigarette near the ashtray on the glass-top table, then he went into his story. "Started a long time ago. We were seven, I think. April som'in', whenever his birthday is. Invited me over for his party — said he had some hidden presents in the attic an' we went off to check it out. He made me climb up first, then shut the attic behind me." Oliver lit a fresh cigarette. He took a long drag off it, hands trembling somewhat, then said, "Hate thinkin' about it. Swear I was up there for hours, bangin' on the floor, hopin' someone could hear me screamin'. Obviously they did. Cops got involved an' everythin' — sick fuck was gonna leave me up there to die, he told the cops the whole story. Wrote about it in his creepy little journals, too. Even wrote about how I died an' decomposed up there — seriously fuckin' disturbed shit. 'S why the whole school can't stand him, we all know he's fucked in the head. 'Cept you, 'pparently."

Well, that was certainly a story she'd never have gotten from Lucas's mouth. In a way, she was glad to have satiated her curiosity, but in another more rational way, the story put a pit in her stomach. Lucas hadn't been lying when he accidentally let slip that he planned on killing Oliver. His journals apparently outlined it. She would've given anything to read some of the entries right then and there. Would he have gone through with it? He'd told the cops everything, seemingly without much or any hesitation.

"Nothin' ta say, I see," Oliver said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Just taking it all in."
Oliver shook his head. "Yer outta yer damn mind."
"So I've heard," she mumbled, laughing through her nose.
"Yer playin' with fire, stickin' with Crazy. He's bad news, an' he belongs locked up in juvie, or prison better yet. Safer for everyone that way."

It was difficult to argue that Lucas was unhinged. She knew it, the whole school knew it — she could've surmised that from the first week at Dulvey High. She knew about the fantasies, of course, but to have them so specified… She tried to look for any sign that Oliver was lying. He had good reason to exaggerate and demonize Lucas, but given his smoking, his shaking hands, and the thousand-yard stare present on his pale face as he'd explained what had happened so long ago, it was all a chilling reminder of what Persephone was getting herself into. Lucas really was one twisted little fuck. Sadistic. The thought of him caused a sneaking warmth to rise in her groin that she had to will away. Maybe she, too, was one twisted little fuck.

"I think that's it," Oliver said, standing.
She stood, too. "Not really. I'm still trying to talk you out of being a moron."
He shook his head, though it seemed more out of disbelief than anything else as he said, "All right. Tell ya what. Keep Baker outta my sight and I won't kick his ass. But I see him? It's fuckin' over. Got it?"

He made his way to the front door and she trotted closely behind.

She questioned, "You expect me to trust that?"
"I'm gonna pretend that twisted fuck doesn't exist." He opened his front door and stepped inside, facing her the entire time. "That's it."
"That's not convinc—"
"Keep 'im away from me. Take it or leave it, bitch."

The door slammed shut in her face. She took a deep breath; 3 days where she'd have to keep Lucas away from him. She could manage that, right?

Persephone didn't tell Lucas about her conversation with Oliver. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be but didn't want him to worry or get upset. So she kept it a secret in hopes that he wouldn't have to find out, that they could move on and be done with it. Throughout Monday, Persephone would see Oliver coming around the corner on occasion and would tear Lucas into the nearest exit — a closet, a corner, even the boy's room once. She played it off as a bout of excitement; yanking him into her, pressing their bodies together, attacking him with rough kisses.

This time, he'd been ripped into a broom closet and her tongue was in his mouth before the door fully shut. He kissed her back at first but broke their kiss soon after.

"Pers," he said, softly pushing her back. "Not that I'm not really excited 'bout all this, but… What is goin' on?"
"What d'you mean?" She asked, fists grabbing his hoodie. "You just turn me on."
"That's really hot n' all, but I think yer givin' me whiplash…" He rubbed the back of his neck.
She laughed softly. "Can't handle me, big guy?"

They skipped Physics that day in favor of a cramped, but fun, lovemaking session in the closet. When they came out, a few of their schoolmates saw them. The rumor that 'Crazy Lucas' was no longer a virgin had been spread so far that even the teachers had to know he and Persephone were fucking. But rumors had slowed with graduation upon them, and seniors at least had more important things to worry about. Conversations became more self-centered, all abuzz over graduation.

Persephone didn't see a reason to care about the actual ceremony, just the fact that now she'd be able to get into medical school and actually have a legitimate, practical education. Even as she stood in her room on graduation day, looking at herself in that dorky-ass cap and gown, it didn't excite her. She'd be happy when it was over.

Persephone made her way down the steps and past her dead-asleep mother with a roll of her eyes — at least Terry wasn't coming to embarrass her. Arms crossed, Ronald tapped his foot by the front door. Mr. Patience, she could've called him. He opened the door for her, took her to the car, and drove her to the graduation ceremony in silence. Why in the hell Ronald wanted to come to graduation was beyond her. To keep up appearances? No. Probably to ensure that she and Lucas didn't get into any trouble. Given his hatred of poor Lucas, she wouldn't be surprised.

At least everyone arrived wearing the same blue dorky cap and gown, with parents having dressed formally, mothers and fathers with cameras and a few with teary eyes. Ronald, by comparison, remained stone-faced and cold. Ugh. Just… Ugh. She couldn't wait to see Lucas and have an actually pleasant conversation, or simply be in the presence of someone less oppressively grumpy.

Just as she thought of him, the family SUV pulled up and parked across the way. Lucas, Jack, Marguerite, and a plainly dressed Zoe exited the vehicle. Persephone plodded toward them, stomach sinking, knowing that Ronald was coming with her in spite of his last interaction with the family.

Marguerite insisted on snapping pictures of Lucas.

"Ma, all right," Lucas said, putting his palm on the lens. "That's enough."
"I'm sorry, hon." She put the camera away. "You were strugglin' so much at the beginning a' this year and— Well… That's neither here nor there."
"Yeah, let's just enjoy the party," Persephone scowled.

Marguerite instantly got her camera back out and captured pictures of Persephone as well, gushing about how 'beautiful' she looked in her cap and gown. She kept an eye on Ronald who came up beside her, noticing him and Jack exchanging very cold, unneighborly glances.

"Good to see ya, Ronald," said Jack.
"Jack."

Marguerite shoved her and Lucas together to take pictures of them. Zoe laughed behind her hand.

"Keep laughin', Zoe," said Lucas. "You'll be next, just give it two years."
"Yeah, but I bet I'll look way cuter than y'all in my gown."
Persephone couldn't help but chuckle — being around the family lifted her spirits, even just a little. "I know, I know, I look like a dork."
"Nonsense!" Marguerite dismissed. "You two look so lovely in your li'l gowns n' caps n'— Oh, I can't wait to see you get your diplomas!"
"Ma," Lucas groaned. "Can we just get t' the field, please?"

Persephone headed there with the group. The field — which was the back of the schoolyard where she remembered aiming her and Lucas's giant slingshot into the woods — was stuffed full of seniors, parents, and teachers all mingling together on the freshly cut lawn. Folding chairs lined the roll-out carpets of blue Dulvey High colors, leading to the old, well-worn, white stage propped up in front of everything.

The chorus of the crowd proved already too much for Persephone; all the talking and chatter would give her a headache for sure. She needed a drink, something to quell her thirst-filled throat and ease her tension. Glancing about, she found tables of food and drink had been set-up, blue tablecloths of several different hues making up the school colors; salvation from Ronald, at least she hoped.

Their parents were ushered off by staff, leaving her, Lucas, and Zoe to go to the snack tables (thank god for that, Persephone couldn't imagine spending the whole day with Ronald breathing down her neck). The tables had all kinds of crap Persephone didn't care for, so she got a plastic cup and filled it with the least offensive soda. While they stood at the table, a girl came up to them, hugged Zoe tightly, then smiled at Lucas and Persephone.

"Hey guys," she said casually.
"Hey Judith," Lucas replied, soda in hand.

Persephone hadn't seen Judith before and had been unaware she would be graduating this year, too. She was much girlier than Zoe — her nails painted pink and baby blue, her strawberry blonde hair long and deliberately curled; she wore natural-looking makeup with bright red lips. Lucas, Zoe, and Judith launched into small-talk, Judith asking about the family and Lucas answering plainly while Zoe took the piss. Persephone couldn't find words for them, busy thinking about the conversation she'd had with Ronald the weekend prior.

Ever since her admission that she was going to a community college, Ronald had been… Standoffish, colder, quieter, and chose more to glare and grunt than actually use his words. He'd been staying at work more and more. Perhaps he was considering his options. Controlling her now that she was older proved near impossible and she knew it had to be driving him mad. She figured he was going to go off on her that evening after graduation, but she didn't plan on giving him that opportunity. Her plan — really less of a plan and more of a goal — was to hop in Jack and Marguerite's SUV and pray that they pulled off without question. She wished herself luck in that endeavor.

For the time, however, graduation was upon them. The late afternoon air filled the schoolyard as preparations went underway for the ceremony. Seats filled fast and Persephone stayed by Lucas, wading through the sea of graduates. Their classmates chatted eagerly around her as she and Lucas made their way to their seats.

However, one stood out from the rest. Trouble drew near in the form of Oliver, encroaching on them from the crowd. Unwavering, fierce gazes met as he marched up to Lucas, chest puffed.

"Baker."
"Jones."

They stared each other down. Was Oliver looking for a fight? Here? Or maybe he was hoping Lucas would start one. Persephone put her hand on Lucas's shoulder, waiting for a clash but hoping it wouldn't happen. It felt like they sized one another up for ages, oddly calm for all the hatred and malice between them. Then, Oliver simply walked away to be seated in the crowd.

"The fuck was that about?" Lucas muttered to her.
"No idea."

Long after the ceremony had ended, Lucas and Persephone laid out atop a crocheted blanket. They'd forgone their gowns and formal attire for more everyday clothes, comfortable and alone along the dirt road leading to the Baker home. Parties surely roared all around, but neither had interest in partying. Persephone was just happy she'd been able to sneak past Ronald and hurry into the SUV with Jack and Marguerite. Now she got to spend the rest of her night with Lucas. Laying side-by-side, they looked up at the blanket of stars.

"Chicago never had stars like this," Persephone mused, trying not to think of how pissed Ronald was going to be.
"Guess I never really noticed how starry it is 'round here. Didn' have much reason ta care before now." He reached over and laced his fingers with hers.
Persephone chuckled, thinking back to graduation. "Marguerite was bawling when they announced you were one of the students to graduate with all A's."
"She's so dramatic."
"She's just proud."

She turned her head to look at Lucas; at his profile looking up to the night sky, aglow with its beautiful sparkling luster, bringing out his amazing blue eyes.

"Lucas."
He looked to her, grunting out a soft, "Hm?"
"Thanks for making graduation not shitty."

Lucas gazed at her, slowly leaning onto his side so he could kiss her lips. He put his hand along the side of her neck and jawline — goddamn was he gorgeous; so fucking handsome. She wanted to look up at him, with the sky illuminating behind him like a masterful painting, for the rest of her fucking life. When he opened his lips to speak, she hung on every word.

"Pers, I love you."

Her heart fluttered. She heard his voice, his alluring accented voice, say that to her again and again in her mind. It was all she could think about in that instant, all she wanted to think about; him, saying "Pers, I love you", over and over and over. She shot forward onto her elbows, letting their lips meet in a deep kiss. His hand caressed her jaw during their brief but impassioned, fiery lip-lock. When it finished, she placed her forehead against his.

"I love you, too, Lucas. So fucking much."

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