Thanks to everyone who is still reading this. Thanks to Future Skulljockey for your review. I hope I don't disappoint.

Chapter 51: Graduation

After dinner, which Portman paid for, and well wishes from the staff both for graduation and the surgery, Lizzy said good night to the Ducks and Fulton drove her up to Stillwater.

When Fulton shut off the car, backed into his driveway, she touched his arm. "Can we just sit here for a minute or two?" she asked. He nodded and turned the radio on low. With the T-Tops out of his Camaro, she cranked the seat back and stared out at the stars as they started to come out. She reached over and took his hand as he too watched the stars. "I want to say something but I don't want to scare you. I also don't really need you to say anything."

"I've been your best friend forever. I will listen to anything you want to say." He didn't look at her but she knew it was because he was respecting her attempt to stay strong.

"I think I learned my lesson about not talking to you honestly."

"Is this about Lex?"

"No. I know you're scared for this surgery. You don't like it that I'm facing something so scary and you can't protect me from it. You also don't like how scared I am. This isn't going to make you feel any better." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. Then she continued. "I am so scared for this surgery and it's not really about the risk of dying. I can't stop thinking: what if it all goes wrong? Not to the extent that I don't survive but to the extent that I can't use it again. My whole life will have to change and I don't know if I can do that. Not just with sports but with everything. I'm not left-handed, but even more than that, how can I do everything with one hand? I can't even begin to imagine it. I don't want to do this. I don't care about the pain, I don't want to lose my arm," she cried. She gasped several times both trying not to cry and trying to steady her breathing. Fulton squeezed her hand. He wanted to say something but knew she didn't want to hear anything. She spoke again. "I know that not doing it is bad too but I'm so scared."

Fulton pulled her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "I—" he started. "I'm here," he said. It felt like all he could say. Or maybe all he thought she'd listen to at the moment.

She pulled her hand back and wiped away a few tears. Fulton reached over and pulled a few tissues from the glove box. Lizzy took the tissues and wiped her face. "Fulton, I … thanks."

"Any time."

Then she wondered about the car. She didn't really want to ride the bus to graduation the next day but if Fulton was going to drive his car down, there wouldn't be a way for him to drive both cars back up. "How are you …"

"Dad's going to drive us down tomorrow and I'll drive your car back up after."

"Good. Guess we should go inside." Fulton nodded and set his seat up. She did the same thing and then followed him inside.

The Ducks congregated in the staging area just off of the auditorium before the ceremony began the next day. For most of their friends, this would be the last time they saw each other on a consistent basis but they would get two more days together before spreading their wings. "This is entirely too somber for me, we should be happy," Russ said.

"Yes, happy. No more school, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks. No more preppies, well ... except Adam but really, he's not that much of a preppy anymore," Lizzy said. She smirked at her best friend.

"We've corrupted his sweet and innocent little mind," Russ told them, throwing an arm around the blond center.

"Oh please, I was corrupted long before I met you all," Adam answered, pushing Russ's arm off his shoulders. "Just don't tell my dad."

The whole team laughed. "What aren't we telling your dad?" Christine asked as several girls approached.

"That he's not a sweet and innocent little boy any more," Portman teased.

"He hasn't been innocent since he met Todd McGill," Emma said.

"I think I'm offended by that," Adam told the brunette artist as Kenny took her hand.

Lizzy looked over at Julie to see another blond approaching. She quickly averted her eyes as to not give it away. She liked seeing the team with their other halves, especially since most of them didn't or rather shouldn't, go together. Julie let out a squeal Lizzy hadn't thought she was capable of making. "I didn't know you could make it," Julie said.

"Everyone deserves to be surprised from time to time," Scooter answered, hugging her.

"Alright, grads, 15 minutes. We need you to start getting ready," the dean's secretary called. Girls began to panic about making sure they were perfect while the Ducks remained the calm in the storm.

"I saw your brother Seth out front, Liz, he told me what happened," Scooter said.

Lizzy gently rubbed her shoulder. "Yeah, but I'm going to be fine and after a season off I'll be back and on fire," Lizzy said. Fulton glanced at her but didn't say anything.

"Hey Liz," Aly said.

"Yeah," Lizzy answered, looking at Fulton's girlfriend.

"I'm going to hug you because you look like you could use a hug," she told her.

"Just don't hurt my shoulder."

"Wouldn't even think of it." Aly gently hugged Lizzy and she returned it. Aly pulled away and looked her over before leaning against Fulton.

"You would have punched me for that," Connie said. "Punched most people for that."

"Yes, but I know that as much as my best friend loves me, he would not have appreciated me punching his girlfriend. Probably would have hit me across the back of the head. Besides, she did ask first," Lizzy answered.

"True," Connie said. Lizzy took a deep breath in as pain shot across her shoulder and down her arm. She ran her first two fingers along the base of her neck. She took a short breath in and saw everything came to a halt around her. "Lizzy?" Connie asked gently.

"Mav?" Portman asked.

Lizzy took a deep breath and slowly let it out then did two more times. "The doctor said occasionally it would slip out of place and cause some shooting pain." She reached over her shoulder and pressed on it from the back again.

"Do you mind?" Scooter asked. He approached her. Lizzy shook her head. Scooter put a hand on either side of her shoulder and she grabbed Fulton's wrist. Scooter pressed on the back side of her shoulder and in a moment the pain died away. "Better?"

"Thanks." Lizzy nodded.

Fulton squeezed her hand gently. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, and Aly, that wasn't your fault. I shifted wrong." The other girl nodded but Lizzy could tell she felt bad. "Hug her," she told Fulton. Fulton pulled his girlfriend into a hug. When she pulled back, Aly looked happier. They spent a bit of time talking before they had to line up for the procession.

"Uh, a little help here?" Lizzy asked.

Charlie stepped up and zipped up Lizzy's graduation gown. Christine stepped up and straightened her hat then they lined up.

Dean Buckley started the ceremony followed by Tom Riley and a few other noted locals. Then came the part she wasn't ready for: her speech. "Please help me welcome to the stage a young woman who has excelled in both the classroom and the sports world. She's been not only a friend but a mentor to students from all grades. Put your hands together for your class valedictorian, Elizabeth Jacobs," Dean Buckley said. The crowd applauded and Lizzy climbed onto the stage.

She stood behind the podium and looked out at her fellow graduates and their families. "Thank you, Dean Buckley." She swallowed. "Pep talks," she scoffed. "I'm not great at pep talks. I can tell you what I'd do, but general advice has never quite been my forte despite thinking about this for the last few weeks. I couldn't think of a single thing to say for such a monumental occasion so I decided to take a cue from a few of my favorite TV shows. Any time I needed a pep talk or even just an ear, he was ready. I'm going to ask him for one more favor. So, how about it, Fulton?"

Fulton grumbled under his breath but stood.

"Such a great guy. Give it up for the one and only Fulton Reed." The crowd cheered for him.

He stepped up to the mic and smiled. "That's Lizzy for you. If you asked me five or six years ago where I'd be graduating from, I would not have even considered Eden Hall, but here I am and I—we did it. We made it through all of our high school trials and we're graduating on to other things. My advice—hm, what advice?" He paused as he looked out over the crowd. "Maybe you've got a plan for the future or maybe you're going to take it one day at a time. Either way the thing to remember is no one can plan for every eventuality. Sometimes, you just have to roll with the punches. We've learned a lot here, and forgotten a lot, but I hope the one thing you do take with you is that no matter where you go, help is always one phone call away," he said. "Thank you and congratulations." The audience cheered for him as he made his way back to his seat.

"Thank you for that, Mr. Reed. Now, we'll hear from your class salutatorian, Mr. Adam Banks," Buckley said.

Adam stepped up onto the stage and podium. "Thank you, Dean Buckley. Honored guests, esteemed teachers, members of the school board and Alumni association, families, friends, and attendants, thank you all for coming. Fellow grads, you're here today hopefully filled with knowledge that will get you through the rest of your life. Right now though, you need some fun so I'm going to read you this book." Adam held up a children's book and showed it off to the crowd. Lizzy was certain this was just a joke until he cracked open the book and read the entire thing to the crowd, showing them the pictures before turning the page. "I, lovable, furry, old Grover, am the monster at the end of this book. And you were so scared. I told you and told you there was nothing to be afraid of. The end. Remember, don't take yourself too seriously. Growing old is required, growing up isn't." Most of the crowd sat in shock with only a few applauding. The whole thing had been entirely out of character for the normally docile Duck but Lizzy knew he had had it in him. Despite the pain it put her arm in, she lifted her hands to her mouth and let out a very loud duck call. The rest of the auditorium cheered with that.

"Yes, yes, thank you for that riveting story, Mr. Banks. At this time, the choir will perform a tribute to our graduates and then we will hand out the diplomas." They had run through this rehearsal Friday where the graduates would file on stage in alphabetical order, meet Dean Buckley halfway, pose for a quick photo of receiving their diploma with their left hand, shake the Dean's hand with their right, then back to their seat. Only they had to make a sight accommodation for Lizzy who would shake the dean's hand with her left since she couldn't do much of anything with her right. There were only three pairs of Ducks who would go after one another: Lester Averman and Adam Banks, Julie Gaffney and Guy Germaine, and Luis Mendoza and Connie Moreau. It would have been four pairs but one of Lizzy's art friends, Ellie Roberts came between Fulton Reed and Dwane Robertson by virtue of two less letters in her last name.

As she waited her turn behind Jenny Inman, she found it hard not to think of the conversation she'd had with Adam a few days prior. When they had found out he would be graduating second, she had wondered if he had been angry to find out she had a higher GPA. His exact quote had been: "From failing the first grade to graduating first, I'm really proud of how far you've come. Besides, it's not like you bribed anyone for those extra points." And if he had really wanted her to lose a few points all he would've had to do was change a few answers on her tests. She probably wouldn't have even noticed.

"Elizabeth R. Jacobs!" the dean called, breaking her out of her thoughts. She put on a happy face as she crossed the stage to get her diploma.

After graduation, Lex found her and pulled her away from the Ducks. "Promise me you'll come visit me in Cali this summer," he said.

"Lex, I—" she hesitated. It wasn't that she didn't want to. She loved her boyfriend and the last thing she wanted to do was make him angry or make him feel like she didn't but with everything with her shoulder, she didn't want to overpromise and underdeliver. He deserved more than that.

"Come on, Liz. Even just for a couple of days."

"It's just with the surgery and P.T. ..."

He sighed heavily and glared at her. "I don't think it's too much to ask. You spent what should have been our last night together with those Ducks and now you don't want to even come out and see me? San Jose may not be the greatest place in Cali, but it does its best. Don't you think you owe it to me? To us? You dropped everything and flew to Chicago for a wedding with Portman when he asked two years ago and I bet if Tyler or Mendoza asked you to come out to Cali, you would in a heartbeat." He was angry. There was no hiding that, but he had one of his facts wrong.

"Luis is from Miami, Florida. Kenny is from Cali," she stated.

"Not the point," he snapped. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. She swallowed when he pressed hard on the middle of her back. "I don't like where I stand in your eyes compared to those Ducks. I am your boyfriend, the least you can do is give me a little more consideration than the Ducks."

She opened her mouth to respond and then shut it again at the fire in his eyes. She back down a little, hoping to pacify him for a little bit. "I know you're right; it just seems like too much, too soon."

"Come on, Lizzy," Alex demanded.

She looked down and away from him. If she looked around, she knew she'd see some of the Ducks watching them and some of her brothers as well, but right now she had to keep him from making a scene in front of over three hundred graduates and their assorted family members and faculty. "I'm not going to promise but if I am feeling better, you will be my first call. That I promise," she said softly.

"So the best you can do is try?"

"I apologize but Lex, I'm struggling with everything I'm going through; I just can't look that far ahead."

"Fine." Lex sighed and pressed a kiss to Lizzy's forehead. A woman approached and Lizzy saw her out of the corner of her eye. This woman looked a little like Lex and she was staring at the pair.

"Lex, sweetheart?" Lizzy asked.

"Lizzy, this is my mother. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Lizzy Jacobs," Lex said. He let her go a bit and she turned to face the woman. She could definitely see the resemblance between the two.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Mason."

"It's Manning actually. After my husband passed, I decided to go back to my maiden name." There was something in the woman's eyes when she spoke of her husband but Lizzy couldn't quite put a finger on what it was.

"My apologies," Lizzy said.

"You didn't know."

"Hey, Lizzy, Dad wants a word," Chris interrupted.

Lizzy's jaw dropped in shock. "I … What?" she asked in disbelief. That wasn't like her brother. Though he had the shortest temper of all her brothers, Seth being a close second, he was usually much more polite to people he didn't know. Especially when there was already a conversation going on.

Chris instantly backpedaled. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted. Chris Jacobs. Lex Mason, right?"

"Yeah. This is my mom, Ms. Manning," Lex answered. "I've seen you on TV. You played for U.T. last year, didn't you?"

"Two years ago. Then I started playing for the Memphis Redbirds. This year and last. You also came to my wedding in April. It's a pleasure, dear," Chris said, first to Lex then to Lex's mom.

"Dear? You're from Minnesota," Lizzy said stunned.

"Nice to meet you too," Ms. Manning answered.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, but our dad would like to speak to Lizzy," he said.

"Of course. Fathers are important," Ms. Manning said. There it was again. For a moment, it almost looked like fear but then it was more like resolve. Lizzy shook it off and kissed Lex on the cheek.

Lizzy walked back over to her father who was holding her little brother. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"First, this is Tyler, remember him?" her dad asked.

"Did not forget that. It's only been a month. He's three months, right?"

"Three and a half. Second, we want to take your team to dinner," Rob said.

"That really isn't necessary. Wait, who's we?"

"Your grandparents and I. When's the next time you're going to see your team as a whole? You guys have mostly been together since peewees. You should celebrate that, it's really rare."

"True, but they're all going to be here through Tuesday afternoon. I'm sure I'll see them tomorrow and Tuesday both."

"Oh. I didn't realize … well, your grandparents would like to see you anyway."

"I don't see them." Lizzy looked around. "Or Michelle for that matter."

"Talking to Casey and Matt."

Lizzy looked around again and spotted her mom's parents and her dad's mom talking to her Aunt Casey and Bombay. She nodded and walked over to them. "Afternoon," Lizzy said.

"There she is. Congratulations," Mrs. Johnson said.

"Thank you, Gram," Lizzy said.

"Give Nona a hug," Mrs. Jacobs said. Lizzy swallowed and stepped over to her paternal grandmother. Mrs. Jacobs gently hugged her granddaughter. "I am so proud of you."

"Thanks. I'm trying."

"You need anything, you let me know," Mrs. Jacobs said.

"That goes double for us," Mrs. Johnson added.

"I will. And thank you, Grandpa. I know it means a lot to the out of state Ducks that their families could be here for their graduation."

"I just offered to pay for part of it, it was your dad's idea," Mr. Johnson said. "It was the least I could do after missing your last baseball game."

"It's okay. No one knew it would be my last game," Lizzy said.

"You feeling ok?" Casey asked.

"I'd be feeling better if everyone stopped asking that and bringing up the surgery. Uh … about that though. The Ducks wanted to—"

"Charlie's already told me that they're coming over first thing Tuesday. I have the day off if you want me to …"

"Keep Nat and Dad company? Adam and Fulton will be there too. If you want to come then that's ok too," Lizzy finished for her.

"Liz, can we borrow you?" Charlie asked.

"I feel like I just talked to you," Lizzy answered.

"Families want to go out for dinner but we need one last team photo before we go. Fulton's dad has offered to take it," Charlie said.

"Got it. Be back later." Lizzy waved to her family and followed Charlie.