AN:Sorry for the wait. University took over all of my free time.
Forgive my lack of knowledge about US High school exams/graduations/timeline stuff. I believe you have something called SAT's, but even after reading about it - I am still completely incompetent in that field. In my country, we have to wait ~month till we get the exam results. I assume it's the same in USA, just not that long...I honestly don't know, shit about USA school system :D Sorry in advance...
Hope you enjoy :)
Callie POV
June 5th – 13 days before graduation
"The answer is A!"I think to myself as I put my pencil to the little check-box next to the answer A
"Wait...no...B starts to sound good as well!" my brain said, when I looked at the answer below
"No, no...don't do this to me BRAIN! Not right now! I can't doubt myself now!" I close my eyes for few seconds as I try to clear my head of the doubt. When I open my eyes, I move my pencil down to the C choice.
"Oh come on!" I scold myself as all three answers seemed like the right answers. Looking up to the clock on the wall in front of the class, I can see I have maybe 8 seconds to make a choice. Teachers was already standing up, his left wrist up, counting the last seconds.
I tapped my pencil at the paper that was in front of me. This was the last question on the exam sheet. It was the only question that I haven't answered yet. And it was taunting me!
"Pencils down!" the teacher says out loud
"Make a choice, brain!" I think to myself and tick the answer in the A. I place my pencil down and close the exam sheet, handing it to teacher, when she walks pass gathering everyone's exams.
These were very stressful 120 minutes. I look over the classroom, to where Brandon was sitting. He glances to me as well, we exchange smiles.
"Congratulations, on taking your last exam!" The teacher announces, once he had gathered everyone exams "I'm positive you all did great!" He waved the tests in the air a little before he set them down on the table "I will see you all in your graduation! Enjoy your summer!"
All the students moved to the front of the class, to get their bags and then we all exited the classroom, exhausted but happy that it's finally over. I felt relieved once I left the classroom. It was like this huge burden was finally off my shoulders and I could breath easily.
"Wanna go celebrate?" Brandon asked when he run up to me
"Duke is waiting at home..."
"We can go take Duke out for a walk and stop at the ice cream shop by the park!" he suggested as we walked down the hall "We just wrote the last exam, Callie. This is it! We are done. Graduation is in few days and then we are officially done with school. We have to go celebrate Callie!"
"Ice cream sounds good!" I smiled back at him. We had almost reached the exit, when we saw Lena walk towards us from her office. Brandon and I both stopped.
"Well...how did it go?" Lena asked curious and excited at the same time
Brandon and I share a look, we both sigh at the same time "Rough!" Brandon replied "The questions were tricky!"
"This one was real hard!" I chime in "I don't think I did so good,"
"You are both so hard on yourselves!" Lena smiled at us "I'm sure you both did great!"
"We are going out for ice cream to celebrate," Brandon informs his mom
"Oh! Come with me. I will give you some money,"
"I have money, mom!"
"She's giving you free money! Are you seriously saying no to that?!" I punch Brandon lightly in his arm "If he won't take it – I will!" I turn to Lena with a huge glee on my face
"Come on you two!" Lena waves at us, to follow her
When we walk in Lena's office, she goes straight to her purse, that was on the desk.
"Did you have any plans for your graduations, Callie?" Lena asks me, when she reaches in her bag for her wallet
"No, not really. I haven't thought that far, yet," I glance to Brandon, who stood there like he already know what Lena was going to say to me
"We were all thinking, that maybe we could all celebrate you two graduating together," Lena suggested, when she opened her wallet. She took out few bucks and handed them to Brandon and told him sternly "Buy ice cream for Callie!"
"Yes, mom!" Brandon said taking the money
Lena turned to me "So, what do you think?"
"Um...well," I scratched the back of my neck "Won't that be a lot of people?"
"What are you saying?" Lena tilted her head to one side, without taking her eyes of me
"Moms parents are flying in for my graduation. Cooper is going to be there too. As will Gavin. That's -" I counted on my fingers "6 of us and then 7 of you. That's 13 people!"
"Dana, Stuart and Sharon will be there as well," Brandon added "And my dad! So that's 4 more!"
"And Duke!" Lena pointed to me "17 people and a dog!"
"17 people and a dog...that's...that's a lot!" I stuttered a little at that large number
"Callie, we had a DIY wedding at our backyard. A small graduation celebration is nothing compared to it!" Lena reassured me "Our yard is big enough!"
"Are you sure?" I ask still not fully convinced, I shifted in my stance a little
"Absolutely!" Lena said without missing a beat
"Okay," I agreed, surprising myself a little
"Okay!" Lena smiled looking between Brandon and I "That's settled then. Party at our house after your gradation! Now go!" she pushed us both out of her office the next moment "Go have some fun. You both deserved it! Love you both!"
June 11th - 7 days before graduation
It has been 6 days since I wrote my last exam. The stress is finally over. Finally, after few weeks of stressing I can relax, I can sleep in, not worry about anything, walk in PJ around the house and literally do nothing with life. At least till I get the results back and can start sending out applications to the universities. But that won't be for another few weeks.
Right now, I was sitting in the living room in my PJ, with a bowl of cereal in my hands. Duke was sitting right next to me, looking up at me, hoping I would give him a piece of my food as well.
"I don't have anything to give you, Duke!" I say, looking down to his big brown eyes "I'm eating a cereal. There's nothing for dogs here!" he only pressed his nuzzle closer to my leg, not understanding what I was saying
"Have you talked to Lena?" Mom asked, when she walked in the living room dressed in her uniform
"No, not yet," I reply looking to her
"I'm not going to ask her for you, Callie. You need to do it on your own," mom remind me
"Yes, I know. I will ask her today. Why are you so fixated on it. There is still over a month left!"
"You said the same thing about your graduation dress a month ago, but here we are. 7 days till your gradation, but you still don't have a dress!" Mom pointed it out to me
"I will buy a dress!" I said slightly annoyed. She has reminded me about the dress for weeks now.
"Oh, yeah? When?" Mom pressed her hands on her hips "At this point, I won't be surprised if you go to your graduations in slippers and a potato bag!"
"I would make it work!" I said with a little shoulder shrug "I will buy it this Saturday, don't worry!"
"My parents will fly in this Saturday. Linda will probably want to tag along then as well!"
"Fine! The more the merrier!" I threw my arms up
Mom chuckled back, shaking her head "I need to go to work. Don't forget to take him out for a walk! Love you!"
"Love you too," Mom waits till I say it back, before she walks out
Lena's car was up front, meaning she has had a shortened day at work. Without stopping to think about my entrance plan, I make my way towards the front doors. I don't get to turn the door nub, it was turned for me.
Brandon almost ran into me. We both tried to evade one another, but in the end Brandon tripped over Duke's leash and almost flew down the porch steps. Thankfully he managed to hold on to the banister and not fall down to his face.
"Oh my gosh-Are you okay?"
"Mm-hmm...yeah, I'm good!" Brandon straightened his shirt as he got his stability back
"That was a close one!" I breathed out relieved that he turned out to be okay
"It really was!" Brandon replies looking down to the few steps
"Where you running of to so quickly?"
"Hairdresser. Need to look nice for the graduation," He explained and shook his head a little, showing just how long and messy his hair was
"Don't cut off to much...this messy look suits you!"
"Noted!" Brandon grinned back before he turned and walked towards Lena's car
I walk in the house. The TV was running in the living room. By the channel I could tell that Frankie must have been watching some cartoon. I heard voices coming from the kitchen, so that is where I walked off to.
When I walked in the kitchen, I saw how Lena was standing by the stove, mixing something that was in a pot, while talking on the phone with someone. I look down to Duke and show him the sign to sit down. He obliges and sits down right next to me.
"-Day earlier is fine, mom!" Lena said before she moved her phone to her other ear and then changed the hand with which she was mixing the stuff in the huge pot "11 AM sounds good. Either me or Stef will pick you two up from air-" Lena's sentence was suddenly cut short "We can pick you up! No, you don't have to get a cab-Mom -mom..." Lean sighted in defeat "...Fine!"
"You don't need to get everyone gifts, mom. Everyone will be simply happy to see the two of you. You haven't been here here in a while," Lean shifted in her stance "I wasn't implying anything, mom. I know you and daddy had a lot of conferences you needed to go. Everyone knows you two are busy with work,"
Lena threw her head back a bit and sighted as she listened to her mom spoke "Well, with that logic of yours - of course you have to buy something for everyone! Who am I to stop you, right?" Lena said with chuckling
"Okay, I will talk to you later. Tell daddy I said hi. Love you too!" when the conversation ended, Lena placed the phone on the counter and then rubber her forehead. Seemed like that conversation took a lot out of her. Lena stirred the pot for another second and then turned around.
The moment she turned, she let out a little scream and jumped. Duke and I both got startled from her being startled from us!
"Oh my gosh!" Lena placed her hand over her chest as she breathed out, she now looked pale as a a white sheet. As she kept one hand over her heart, she moved other up to her face as she tried to get her normal composure back.
"You almost gave me a heart attack, Callie!" Lena finally managed to get out
"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you,"
"How long have you been standing there?" Lena asked, when she slowly gained the color back to her skin
"Not long. I got here, when Brandon walked out. I didn't want to interrupt your phone conversation with your mom, so I didn't say anything. I thought you had heard me walk in," I explained
"Duke!" I hear Frankie's voice from the hallway. She ran towards the kitchen, got down to her knees and started to play with Duke. I leaned down and opened the leash.
"Hi to you too, Frankie!" I say with a fake hurt look on my face
"Hi!" Frankie quickly brushed me off and turned to her mom "Can I go play with him outside!?"
"It's Callie's dog, you should ask her, boo!" Lena replies to Frankie
"Can I go play with Duke outside?"
"May I!" Lena corrected and added "And be polite, Frankie,"
"May I go play with Duke outside, please?" Third time was the lucky one
"Sure you can," I smiled back at her
"In the backyard only. Don't go to the street!" Lena reminds Frankie before she leaves
"Okay, mommy!" Frankie jumped up to her feet "Thank you, Callie!" She moved towards the back doors "Come on Duke!" Duke looked up to me "Go on. Go play!" He ran out with Frankie
"It's like I barely existed for her," I walk towards the kitchen table and sat down at the end of it
"You really think you have a chance against a dog?" Lena places a soft kiss at the top of my head and then walked towards the shelf to get some ingredients or spices out
"Ouch," I place my hand over my heart "That hurt my feelings, Lena!"
Lena looks over her shoulder to me "Life is harsh that way, love. Get used to it!" she says with a smirk. We both laugh it off.
"So...what brings you here?" Lena asks, when she was back at the stove and big pot
I shrug it off "Official business and unofficial business ," Lena looks to me suspiciously waiting for me to continue "I'm going to turn 18 soon,"
"Are you throwing a party?" Lena makes a guess
"Wasn't quite planning on it at this time. It actually much more official than that,"
"Should I turn the heat down for this and sit down?" I could Lena got nervous
"No," I shook my head "I have a juvenile record. If I want to apply to become EMT and later on a paramedic– I need a clean record. You are the Vice-Principal to the school I go. Mom said that technically, I wouldn't need any references, we could just file in an application, but..."
"But you want to do everything in your power, to make sure your record is sealed by the Judge?" Lena makes an educated guess
I hesitate a little with my answer, but eventually I nod my head and confirm it "Yes," I look down to the table "I was wondering if-" I pause a little and look back up to her "-if you could write a reference for me?"
"When do you need it?"
"Mom said that we can only file in application, when I turn 18, so...technically, in a month or so," I said while picking my fingernails nervously
"You will have it on your desk in 3 days!" Lena smiles back at me
"Really?" I ask still not quite believing what I heard
"Did you seriously thought I wouldn't help you?" Lena questioned right back, looking slightly hurt
"No, I just…" I scratch the back of my head and avert my look down to the table again
"Callie, I will always have your back! Don't ever forget that, love!"
"I guess I knew that. Sometimes I simply forget, my brain simply doesn't want to believe, how luckily I got!"
"You better believe it!" Lena grinned back at me. A moment later, she turned to face me "Have you gotten yourself a dress?"
"Did my mom call you?" I ask back suspiciously
"She did yes!" Lena gave in after an intense stare down "Asked me, to ask you about your dress, if you come around today,"
"Oh my god!" I throw my head back "No, I don't have a dress yet. I have been putting it off all the time-"
"Oh. My. God!" I heard Mariana's voice from the hallway "Did I just heard you right!" She was up to me in matter of few seconds, Jude was behind her
"You don't have a dress!" Mariana demanded an answer from me
"There is only a week left, Callie!" Jude added much to my horror "You need to go look for a dress today! Till there are dresses still left in the mall!" This was an expected reaction form Mariana. But Jude wouldn't really care about me having a dress.
"Seriously," I glance to Jude "She got to you too!"
"Your mom sent me a text this morning," Jude smirked at me as he sat down at the table
"It's a disaster!" Mariana exclaimed out loud "You are graduating in 7 days! What are you thinking Callie?"
"I was thinking, I will go this Saturday and buy the first dress I like and that fits me!"
"No, that's not going to work!" Mariana put her hands on my shoulders "I will go with and help you chose the prefect dress!"
"That's really not necessary. Mom's parents are flying in this Saturday and Linda wanted to come with as well!"
"It's my duty as your almost sister to help you buy your graduation dress!" Mariana stated leaving no room for argument, because once she said that, she simply walked out. My mouth was left partly open as I still a little bit stunned by Mariana. I looked back to Lena, for some help, but she just shrugged her shoulders, smiled at me and then concentrated back on whatever was in the pot. Jude just giggled at me.
I lower my forehead to the table and start to groan out.
"Come on!" Jude grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him "Stop moping around. Let's go take a ride with bikes!"