Upon Keats' return, she was immediately confronted by Ryan. Apparently he'd been waiting for her awhile.
"Keats, where were you?" He asked.
"I could ask you the same thing." Keats replied evenly. She walked past him into the bedroom where she began to change clothes. Ryan followed her.
"We're not finished, here." He muttered, his arms crossed. Keats slipped on one of Ryan's oversize nightshirts and clambered into their bed.
"I heard you were getting a little friendly with your ex. Are we allowed to see other people, or is it a double standard?" She asked, pulling out a book to read.
Ryan seemed angered by the question. He walked back and forth furiously, running his hands through his hair. Keats glanced up at him, wearing a cool smile.
"Not you too, Keats…Yes it is true that I went into Erica's hotel room the other night-"
"You went into her hotel room?" Keats' jaw dropped.
"Cooper…didn't tell you…did he…" Ryan mumbled. Keats sighed, wondering what to say. She was struggling against fact and trust.
Ryan sat on the bed beside her, taking her into his arms. She was mildly resistant.
"Can you tell me why?" She wondered, her big green eyes shining at him imploringly. Ryan sighed, letting go of her.
"Unfortunately…I can't." He said. Keats stared off into space for awhile. C'mon, Keats…you don't have to know everything. He can have his secrets.
"That's okay…I trust you." She said, kissing him on the cheek and settling under the covers. She fell asleep instantly, physically and emotionally exhausted.
Ryan watched her sleep. He'd always known that she was an amazing woman, but tonight she had proved it. Any other girl might have stormed off, or made him sleep on the couch. He wouldn't have blamed her if she had done either of those things.
She was…amazing. More than that. There were no words to describe her.
"I love you, Keats." He whispered, laying his arm over her possessively.
"So…you walk the line, tomorrow. Excited?" Sloane asked, twirling Keats' graduation cap. Keats yawned, sharing a bowl of cereal with her twin.
"Not too much. I have to fly back to Sarasota for the graduation ceremony. Then I'm going to fly back the next day. That's way too much flying for me. I get airsick."
"At least Ryan will be there to support you, right? I'll be there, too. And while we're there, you might as well tell the rest of the folks that you're getting married." Sloane said, her mouth full of cheerios.
"Eh…we're not rushing into things…it can wait."
"Okaaaay…just saying…if they find out you're engaged from someone else, there will be no mercy for you. At all." She pitched her voice dramatically. Keats rolled her eyes.
"I'll deal. It can't be that bad."
She wished she hadn't spoken so soon.
Ryan saw her to the gate, kissing her as she left. He promised to be there in time to see her receive her diploma.
'I'll be late, but I'll be there.' He had said.
She landed in Sarasota to pick up her bags and waited for her grandmother to arrive. Not only did her grandmother show up, so did her brothers, her parents, her step-parents, her step-sibs and her half-sibs.
None of them looked happy to see her.
"Juniper…you've been living with that boyfriend of yours in sin for months now. And you expect to get married without even telling us…what has happened to you since you've moved to Miami? You've become immoral…I'm disappointed in you." Her grandmother murmured.
Keats had never felt more alone in her life. She'd lost her family because of her relationship with Ryan, even though Ryan was keeping things from her.
She sighed and did her best not to cry.
She sat on her old bed for awhile, wanting to call Patty and tell her how crazy her folks were acting. But she suddenly remembered that Patty wasn't there.
It dawned on her like the very first time, leaving her cold and breathless.
Sloane popped in, closing the door behind her carefully. She bounced on the twin bed next to Keats and gave a reassuring laugh.
"Hey, at least they didn't call you a slut. Do you know how many times Grammy has cast her 'stones' at me? It's just 'cause she cares, Kit."
Keats brought her knees up to her chin and nodded.
"She said I disappointed her…that's worse than being called a slut."
"Says you."
The night was filled with tension. Keats was sweating heavily in her polyester graduation gown, constantly shifting the itchy cap. She stood in line behind several other hundred people.
She felt as if she would pass out.
When they finally called her name, she walked out in the middle of the football field, feeling the hot lights of the stadium and the flash of the cameras.
She looked frantically for Ryan, wondering if he had been detained. She thought she saw him, so she walked the line with pride, smiling happily.
She shook the hand of the dean, taking her precious diploma with utmost joy. She waved it excitedly and continued back to her seat.
Nearly twenty minutes later, the entire class was pronounced graduated. Keats threw her cap up in the air, trying to break free of her old, juvenile self.
She was on to bigger and better things, now. She was ready to tackle her responsibilities head-on.
She ran over to Ryan, shedding her graduation gown. She came up behind him and hugged him tightly.
The man turned around. She discovered that he was not Ryan.
Oh, God…he missed my graduation…No. It's not true…
She went to her grandmother's only to pack. The cold glances she received from her family were not enough to make her want to stay the night. She grabbed her things and left with tears in her eyes.
She cancelled her flight and rented a car to drive back to Miami. Only…she wasn't sure she wanted to go back to Miami quite yet. The drive would do her good. It would clear her perceptions and strengthen her resolve.
Ryan must have a good excuse for not being there…oh, who the hell am I kidding? He won't tell me the truth and when I told him I trusted him, he betrayed me by not showing up to my graduation.
She drove furiously into the night, her vision blurred by heavy tears. She had come upon the Blue Daisy Bridge, the bridge that she and Patty had fished from on hot summer mornings when they were young.
The same bridge that had seen Patty for the last time.
She felt reminiscent as she crossed it, barely noticing a man standing in the middle of the road, waving his arms frantically.
Keats hit the breaks and swerved suddenly, her heart stopping for the merest fraction of a second.
She collided into the side of the bridge, the front end of her car dangling precariously over the edge. She managed to crawl into the backseat and out of the rental car.
She collapsed on the ground, scared to death. She shook terribly.
"I set my trap for a little red riding hood a few months ago. And tonight, I finally catch her." D.H. Haney stood above her, his face dripping wet with perspiration. He was apparently quite pleased with himself.