The next day and Sunday were spent preparing for the graduation party. Sunday morning, as Joey was finishing some of the hors d'oeuvres, Mr. Peabody came in with some envelopes. "These came in the mail yesterday for you. Here, let me finish that."

Mr. Peabody took over finishing the food while Joey opened her mail. They were mostly graduation cards. There was even one from the President of the United States. Life was interesting sometimes from having a famous father.

The guests started arriving that afternoon. Joey only really got excited when Alessandro and Christy arrived. She hugged them both and spent most of the time talking to them and staying close to them, since out of everyone there beside Mr. Peabody, those two were the ones she felt the most comfortable around.

Everyone at the party ate and played games, and Joey opened some gifts. The party seemed to drag on, but she did her best to be attentive and polite.

As the party died down, Joey took a break from socializing and went outside. She took a deep breath and looked at the city. It was beautiful. It was so alive. Here, she didn't feel like she was cut off from society. She had lived in some rural areas before, and she always felt trapped in those places. She had decided long ago she never wanted to leave the city again.

"Hi."

Joey turned around. Standing behind her was Alessandro.

"Hi sweetie. I needed a breather."

"It's okay. Actually, I've been waiting to get a moment alone with you. We…need to talk."

Joey's heart sank, and she immediately felt sick to her stomach. She knew when people said they wanted to talk, that usually wasn't a good thing.
Joey tried her best not to show fear, but it was written all over her face. Alessandro immediately noticed this and said, "It's nothing bad." He held her hands, which were shaking. "Joey, it's okay. Please relax."

Joey calmed down and tried to steady her voice. "Okay. What is it?"

"Joey, we're out of high school now, and we both got accepted into the same art school." He smiled at her, reassuringly. She tried to smile back, but she still couldn't help feeling scared.

He continued. "We've been together for a long time, and I really love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He got down on one knee and took a small black box out of his pocket. He opened it. Inside was a diamond engagement ring with a silver band. "Josephine Peabody, will you marry me?"

Joey felt like her heart stopped for a brief second. The fear and nausea she had only moments ago were now replaced with relief, love, and joy. She threw her arms around him and exclaimed, "Yes! Yes, I'd love to!"
They kissed each other on the lips, then Alessandro put the ring on Joey's finger. It felt strange, but it looked beautiful. To her, it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry in the world. She didn't mind that the diamond was small; all she cared about was the love behind it.

When Joey looked at Alessandro again, she saw that he looked extremely happy. This was the start of a new chapter in both of their lives.