When they got home, Joey immediately dressed in her pajamas. It had been an exhausting day, and all she wanted to do was unwind. She sat on her bed and picked up her diploma off her nightstand and looked at it. It was proof that she had gotten through some of the toughest years of her life.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she said.
Mr. Peabody opened the door and came inside her room. He smiled. "You did very well tonight. I'm extremely proud of you, Josephine."
"Thank you, Daddy."
Joey looked at the diploma again. Suddenly, tears filled her eyes, and she set the document back on the nightstand before it could get wet.
Mr. Peabody saw her expression and sat on the bed next to her. She hugged him and cried. She was overwhelmed with so many different emotions. The canine was quiet. He held his daughter in his arms and let her sob.
"I'm so sad, Daddy. Sad, happy, and…scared."
"Scared of what?" he asked, softly.
"What the future holds. I mean, everything is going to be so different now. I'm scared of change."
"I know, sweetie. Graduating from high school is a big change, but it isn't as bad as it seems. Your life will be a lot different, but not everything will be. You still have Alessandro and Christy, and of course, myself. You still have your memories, and those are things no one can take away. Think of this as a new chapter in your story. You're writing your own book."
Joey stopped crying. "Thank you, Daddy."
"You're welcome, Josephine. Get some rest. You've had a big day, and we've got to get ready for Sunday."
Sunday. The graduation party. She almost forgot about that. She and Mr. Peabody were hosting it at the penthouse, and quite a few people were coming. She couldn't say she was terribly excited, but it was a special occasion, so she couldn't complain too much.
Mr. Peabody kissed her on the cheek good night, and he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Joey didn't immediately go to sleep after that. She was plagued by millions of different thoughts, some good, some bad. Finally, sometime during the early morning, she was able to fall asleep.