A/N: Graduation day is here, but who's graduating? lol, find out below :) Enjoy xx Mariah

Ages:

Faith - 76
Jim - 46
Delia - 44
Melinda - 42
Ned - 20
Katie - 17
Aaron - 13
Mackenzie - 8

"Here it is dancing girl, just the dress I was looking for," she said as she climbed out of the back of her closet.

The dress had been way back there, in the part of her closet where no one ever seemed to go anywhere. It was where most of her special occasion dresses hung. Her wedding dress was even back there somewhere.

Melinda unzipped the bag and smiled once she saw it hanging there, thankful she'd grabbed the right one.

"You haven't called me that in years!" Katie laughed at her mother.

"Oh, humor me, would you!" She smiled back, stroking her daughter's hair that had fallen over her shoulder. "You're graduating and it's been a long, hard year. I can't believe you're all grown up!" She hugged her daughter then, nearly squeezing the life out of her.

"Just because I'm going to be a grown-up doesn't mean you'll never see me again," Katie sighed, hugging her back. "I will only be three hours away and I am not leaving until August. It's only May mom."

"You've been attached to my hip since the moment I had you, Katiebug," she released her from her arms. "Three hours is like a lifetime away. Even if it isn't until August, it's still going to happen soon."

"Yes, but I still need to get dressed," Katie said, bringing her attention back to the current problem.

Melinda remembered when Katie was little, showing her all of those dresses and she'd said they were the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. Now that she was about to graduate from high school, from the same look on her daughter's face, they still were. She'd used to tell her that she could look, but not touch. Today was different.

"Wow. It's just as beautiful as I remember it," Katie said with awe as her hand smooths down the fabric, feeling the cool cotton under her fingertips. "Dad must have loved this when he saw you in it."

"Did he? I don't remember," she said wistfully, remembering exactly how Jim had reacted and made them late to meeting his mother. What a great impression that had made. She rested her hand on her swollen stomach, pregnant with their fourth child. It certainly had worked out in the end though. "It was sometime right after he proposed. I believe we were going to grandma Faith's Christmas party… why don't you try it on? I can always pull something else out if this isn't your style."

"No. It's perfect," Katie said and took the dress from her carefully, setting it on the bed. "Do you think Ned would like it?"

"I think it would be perfect for under your graduation gown, and he would be stupid not to agree with me," she said, interrupting her daughter from her thoughts when Katie's face told her she had meant to say that out loud. "So Ned? Still?"

Her daughter ignored her questions about her childhood crush. "I can't believe you're letting me wear this mom. Seriously, you're the best," Katie said as she unzipped the dress and slipped it on.

The straps hung off her shoulders and the bodice fit her perfectly as Melinda had known it would, and the skirt clung to her figure before falling short of her daughter's knee. She pulled the zipper closed.

"I wouldn't have grabbed it if I thought different. You're a little taller than me so it's a bit shorter on you, but you're old enough to make that choice," she smiled at Katie, her arms wrapping around her waist. "You look perfect. Will you wear it?"

"Of course. It's beautiful," Katie beamed and hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

Just then, Jim yelled from downstairs. "Katiebug, you've gotta get going! Hannah's here."

Her high school graduation was this evening, and apparently, Hannah was in a hurry to get there, even if it doesn't start for another two hours.

Melinda pulled the two clips that had been holding her daughter's hair out of the way while Katie put the finishing touches on her makeup and reached for her graduation gown laying on the bed, but didn't put it on quite yet before she walked down the stairs, likely because her daughter along with her wanted to see her father's eyes light up.

"Hey, I've seen that dress before," Jim said and grinned at her. "It's been a long time. It was beautiful on your mother, and it's just as darling on you. You look so grown up!"

He seemed to get a bit misty-eyed, pressing a kiss to his daughter's cheek as she slipped her running shoes on, grabbing her heels in her free hand. Katie hugged him next, trying her best not to cry and ruin her makeup.

Melinda came down the stairs next and came up behind him, kissing Jim on the cheek as she grabbed his hand. While it was a big day for their daughter, it was a big day for them too.

"I'll see you both in the audience," Katie said and smiled at her parents, hugging them each separately.

"Yes, you will. Front and center. We are so proud of you," Melinda said and then pulled her phone out. "Okay, now I just need a couple of pictures before you leave. Call Hannah in. I want some with her too."

Jim and Melinda walked into the school auditorium not long after Katie had left, hand in hand.

Somehow with as small of a class as Grandview High had with a mere hundred people, the auditorium was still packed. Most seats were taken in bulk, family members getting there early to save seats, but a few single seats littered around. How in the hell were they going to find Delia in all of this?

"I can't believe we're here," she whispered to her husband. "I feel like we just had her yesterday."

"Eighteen years, who knew they could fly by so fast." He kissed her cheek. They surveyed the crowd, looking for a familiar face. "We are never going to find Delia."

"I sure as hell didn't." She felt a swift kick to her abdomen and smiled at her stomach, her hands cradling it. "Ooh. Someone is excited to be at their big sister's graduation."

"What about the others?" He continued to look as she pulled Aaron and Mackenzie in front of them.

"Not so much," she said, glancing at their other kids. Aaron was texting and Mackenzie was reading her new comic book and tugged them both over to make sure they didn't get lost in the crowd. "Keep close you two."

Delia stood from the left side of the auditorium, waving at them. Ned began to wave too, eventually grabbing their attention. Jim waved back and corralled Aaron and Mackenzie for her, making sure they followed.

"This is so not fair. Why am I stuck here at this stupid graduation?" Aaron whined, sitting down in his chair by Ned. "I want to be at home watching the game."

"Don't talk to your mother that way," Jim's voice quieted their son as he helped her sit down beside him.

"Because this is your sister's graduation, Aaron. You know she'll be right here watching you at yours." She said and pulled his hat off, tossing it to his lap. Aaron only sunk in the chair more, his arms crossed over his chest as he huffed. "And keep this off. It's disrespectful to wear your hat inside at something like this." She hugged Ned next, having not seen him since Easter. Even though he had been going to Rockland, his schedule was crazy with all of his classes this semester, and she knew Katie would be so happy to see that he had made it. "I'm so glad you could make it, Ned!"

"I'm glad too! I just finished my finals last week, but it took a lot of convincing for my boss to give me this weekend off." Ned was still waiting tables at Lento's, having graduated from college this year. He had a lot of things going for him with his Criminal Justice degree, he just needed to decide on a career now. "With all of the reservations for graduation at Lentos, she was wary, but she gave it to me after enough begging. I would've hated to miss this."

"I know that Katie will be so glad to see you," she said. "Sorry about him. He's a crank today."

"Am not," Aaron muttered.

"I'll talk to him," Ned nodded and Melinda smiled at him, mouthing her thanks to him.

"So… how does Katie look in her cap and gown?" Delia asked. She'd been begging to know all the details of Katie's outfits these past few years. She'd never gotten the fun of having a girl, being that Ned was her only child, so Delia liked to be included. "I'm so glad we saved you guys' seats. It's packed in here."

"She looked all grown up," she sighed. "She's wearing an old dress of mine and she looked beautiful." She leaned forward to talk to her friend, who was sitting next to Ned as they waited for the ceremony to start. "And thank you, Delia. We would have never gotten any if you hadn't. So… how was your getaway with Tim and where is he?"

"It was fabulous and Tim got stuck working the late shift. He sends his regards." Delia explained with a sigh. "I can't wait to talk to you in more detail about how fantastic it was to get out of Grandview. Even if it was for a week."

"Oh I believe it," she said. "Even if we can't do a week anymore, Jim and I's anniversary weekend is always the best. It's so nice to just get away for a little bit."

"I know the feeling," Delia nodded. "I don't think I've left Grandview for anything besides your cabin since before Ned."

"Oh, Delia... enjoy your time with Tim now. You can go anywhere." She said, smiling at her friend. She was so happy for Delia. Her friend deserved to be happy just as much as anyone else. "Especially now that Ned is older nothing is holding you back."

"A lot is holding me back." Delia sighed. "I would miss you all too much."

Melinda couldn't help but smile at her friend. She'd miss her too.

Her best friend stood beside Katie, who was slightly freaking out about her speech. "Stop freaking out," Hannah muttered, taking the note cards from her.

"Hey I need those," she said and tried to reach for them, but then her friend tossed them over her shoulder. "Hannah!"

"You know this speech Clancy," Hannah sighed. "You recited it to me in the car twice. And that was just on the way here."

Katie nodded, letting Hannah's words calm her. Hannah was right. She knew that speech.

The notecards were just supposed to be there in case she froze, which she never did. Crowds didn't scare her. Failure did.

"You got this," Hannah smiled, hugging her. She pulled back and looked at her in the eye. "Say it."

"I've got this," she said, nodding, trying to convince herself. "I've got this."

"Yes. Now I've gotta get out there and find my seat," Hannah squeezed her hand. "Good luck. Not that you need it."

She hugged her best friend again. She couldn't believe they were graduating.

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling her tears start to escape her eyes. Thank god for waterproof mascara. "Thank you for everything. For being my best friend."

"Don't start thanking me," Hannah sighed. "We're not dying. We're graduating, you big baby."

"Oh shut up," she pushed her back. "Go find your seat."

Hannah scurried off, finding her seat next to Brandon and kissing him. She watched her mom in the audience look for her and ask her dad something. Her mom was likely worried about her already. Her dad stood, kissing her mother on the head and going to the hallway. Most of the graduating class were still out there, conversing with each other, not having been told they had to be in their seats yet.

It was safe to say Katie was nervous about this speech. It wasn't every day when someone was named the valedictorian. She felt a pair of arms touch her shoulders as she was lost in thought.

She turned to see her dad smiling at her. "I thought that I would find you here," Jim said. "Worried about your speech?"

She sighed, shrugging. "A little."

"Hey, bug, just breathe," he whispered and grabbed her hand, soothing the nervous tremor. "And try not to be so nervous."

"I'm not that worried," she answered with a straight face. "I know this speech through and through."

He chuckled and hugged her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Right... and the Pope isn't Catholic," he replied. "Your mom is suspicious. She's onto me."

"Ha, I bet. Just try to keep the secret for another five minutes." She sighed, pulling herself from his embrace just as a few more people walked past them onto the stage. "Your jokes are so not funny."

"That's what they tell me," her dad's hands found her chin and he looked into her eyes. "You're going to be fine, bug. Just go sit out there before your mom starts asking more questions."

"We got this far," she laughed, "I think you can make it another ten minutes without telling her I'm valedictorian."

"I still can't believe we made it a month without her knowing or finding out." He grinned. "It'll be the best surprise."

"I better get out there," she looked to Hannah, who was waving her over. "I'll see you after dad. Thank you for coming back here. I needed someone to."

"I thought that you might be overthinking everything," he sighed. "I was right. You're too much like your mom."

Katie hugged him again, and then turned, walking onto the stage. Her gown shuffled with her feet as she went up the stairs, sitting beside Hannah. She waved to her mom, whose hand was at her heart.

Good, she was relieved.

"Did I see your dad backstage?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah. He thought I was overthinking everything and I was." She sighed. "I am so thankful for him."

"He's the best dad," Hannah grinned. "Even if he isn't mine. I know that."

The ceremony itself was quite boring. There were a lot of long-winded speeches about making the most of our lives from staff members, but when it came time for her speech, she'd watched for her mother's reaction. It had been the best reward for all of her hard work.

She smiled and clapped when she watched a few of her friends walk across the stage, but it was when she stood up with her row and walked towards the principal that she felt her nerves get the best of her.

Why did she choose heels?

Oh, wait, because her mother convinced her after she showed her the dress a few weeks ago. She should've known better.

"Katherine Clancy," she heard her name and she slowly made her walk across the stage to where the principal was standing. He gave her the diploma, shaking her hand as they took a photo for the newspaper. "Go make it count."

"I will," she said and walked off to the side of the stage.

She heard the hoots and howls of her family, her father's and Ned's voice were distinctive, shouting her name. She felt herself blushing as she walked down the aisle, lingering for Hannah, who would walk next.

"Hannah Downs," the principal boomed through the microphone and she cheered for her best friend from the sidelines.

Her family found her before she even had a chance to look for them. She was engulfed in her dad's arms and found herself being lifted off the ground as she began to laugh.

"Dad, you're drawing attention to us! Plus I don't think I'm liking this being in the air thing," she laughed when he finally put her down on the floor.

"You didn't fall, Katie. I was sure you were going to trip on the stage..." Aaron said as she leaned over to punch his arm, just as she was pulled into a hug by her Grandma Faith. She had arrived in the middle of her speech, having gotten delayed by traffic.

"I'm so proud of you!" Faith said into her hair. "So proud."

"Thanks, grandma," she smiled, and when she pulled away it was a beat before Delia pulled her in for a hug.

She was going to be smothered today.

"You were so great up there!" Delia said, hugging her tightly. "Such a great speech."

"Thank you," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. Ned was next, he smiled at her. "Hey, you! I'm so happy you made it."

"Me too," Ned hugged her tightly, feeling her arms wrap around him. "Congrats Katie."

"Thank you," she pulled back from him, and there was something different about it. Something about the way he looked at her just felt different. He'd never looked at her like this before, there was something in the way their eyes met that made her heart skip a beat. Her cheeks flushed red and she stepped back, turning to her mother. "Can we go home?"

"Yes, but first, let's take some pictures," Melinda said as she hugged her last. "Why didn't you tell me about being valedictorian?"

Mackenzie snuck herself into this hug, and Katie swung her up into her arms, squeezing her before putting her back down. Her little sister was only eight after all.

"I wanted to surprise you," she laughed. "Did it work?"

"I nearly had a heart attack," Melinda squeezed her daughter in for another hug, her belly however butted in and Katie felt her sibling's strong kick. "Now where is my other graduating daughter?"

"Right here!" Hannah was next to Katie in an instant.

"Oh you look beautiful," Melinda hugged her tightly, likely whispering something to her about wishing her parents could be here. Hannah hugged her tighter, and Katie knew she wished they were here too.

"It doesn't matter. They've never been here for anything but thank you, mom," Hannah whispered and went to hug her dad next.

"Proud of you kiddo," Jim said.

After taking a few dozen different pictures with everyone, she realized that she had to pee. The rehearsal and too-long ceremony caught up with her. "I'll be right back. I'm going to the bathroom quick before we head out for dinner," Katie excused herself, sidestepping out of many people's ways.

The hallway beside the auditorium was packed. The entire class had made its way out here, their families following to take pictures. Many students were taking pictures with their favorite teachers for the last time, bidding their goodbyes to people they may not see again for many many years, if at all.

Katie made her way to the bathroom and did her business before going to the sinks in the middle of two designated areas. She washed her hands and then began to reapply her lipstick, taking her time as she traced around her lips.

She bent over the sink, up and close to the mirror as she freshened up her makeup. She moved back, pleased with herself before going to dig in the small makeup bag that she'd brought with her, pulling out her mascara, then tossing it back in and zipping it closed.

"Damn Clancy… I didn't know you had such a hot little body on you." Someone said, walking up behind her and she turned around in their grasp, coming face to face with him. "I've always wondered what you looked like under all of those short skirts and tights…"

"Nice to see you graduated, Caleb." She muttered and furrowed her brow, shoving him away with a quick push of her arm. "I have somewhere to be so... excuse me."

"Not so fast darling," Caleb laughed, circling back. "It was a nice picture, seeing you bent over like that."

"What?" She moved to push him off her and he only pushed her back against the sink. "C'mon Caleb. My family is waiting for me. Can I please get past?"

"You know, I have enough with girls like you..." Caleb chuckled.

"Girls like me?" She was confused. What the hell was Caleb talking about? What had she ever done to him? "I hardly know you."

"Yeah. Pretty, nice girls like fucking you that think they can do and wear whatever they want." He said to her and pushed her toward the men's side before she could say or do anything, and her back slammed into the brick wall as he stepped closer.

Katie grabbed for his hands, scratching him as he tried to cover her mouth. He only chuckled, pinning her wrists to her side, his knees had her legs pinned as his mouth attacked her neck. She fought against him, but his grip on her was strong and held her in place, but she was able to wiggle her hand free to push his face off her. She tried to move enough to get her shoe off and conk him in the head, but it went flying, landing over near the sink.

God, please. Her silent prayers left her head as she cried, Caleb's hands yanked the fabric of her skirt up.

Please, someone, find her heel and know it's hers.

She stomped as forcefully with her other foot as she possibly could in hopes of injuring him as she dug her elbow roughly into his ribs.

"Arghh," Caleb grunted in pain. His hand went to his side as he leaned on her. "You bitch!"

She jabbed her hands harshly at his eyes and pressed firmly down with her fingers. He yelled in anger before throwing her to the ground. The wind was knocked from her as she lay there, trying to get up, and barely struggled to her knees. His foot pushed on her shoulder and she fell onto her back, and he got on top of her. His hands moved over her thighs, and up her waist. He cupped her breasts and then cupped her face.

She gathered as much spit as she could and spat at him, the spit dripped off his chin as he backhanded her. Her lips were bleeding from when she'd hit the floor, her teeth had bitten down too hard and busted it open. The force of the slap had bruised her cheek.

"I should've known you'd play dirty Clancy," Caleb grunted, rubbing his face clean.

"Somebody help…" She whimpered and covered her mouth next, letting her listen to the hum of people.

"Even if you wanted to yell, Katie... they wouldn't fucking hear you." He muttered in her ear. "You'll be mine before the hour is over. I've always been envious of Henry for deflowering a good little girl like you."

So some people did still think her ex-boyfriend from freshman year got her in his bed. It was funny considering Henry never got near her virginity with a ten-foot pole. They were fourteen. She barely even knew how to do more than kiss someone back then.

Caleb's mouth found her neck again and he was rough, biting at her skin, and she looked at the ceiling, just wanting this to be over.

Twenty minutes passed before everyone started to get antsy and hungry. Most of the graduates were still there, taking photos or chatting with their families. Jim had found Melinda a chair, once her legs got too tired to stand, but Ned couldn't shake this feeling.

Something was wrong.

"I'll go look for her," he said, standing up from the floor. "Where was the last place Katie went?"

"She said she was going to fix her makeup, so check the bathrooms down this hallway," Hannah muttered, her head resting on her boyfriend's shoulder. "There are two. Ones on the left and ones on the right."

Ned nodded, making his way through the crowd. He checked the one on the left first, seeing that it was empty. He called her name, just in case she'd gone to the ladies' side, but there was no answer. He walked further down the hall but stopped short when he spotted a black heel near the entrance of the other bathroom.

Hadn't Katie been wearing heels like this? He tried to remember, but if he was being honest he'd been staring at her ass. Not her shoes.

He picked it up and walked over to the sink. Her makeup bag was still sitting there, zipped closed.

"Katie?" He called out, going to the ladies' side. "Katie, it's Ned. Jim and Melinda are starting to get worried about you and everyone's getting antsy about dinner."

There was no reply, but he heard the shuffle of someone's shoes on the men's side and decided to check it out.

The second he rounded the corner he saw Katie on the floor bleeding and crying, and some dude was on top of her as he pulled her dress up.

"HEY! GET OFF HER!" He shouted, leaping forward to grab him off her.

It was a struggle at first, the boy's strength almost getting the best of him, but it was laughable how quickly Ned shoved him to the ground. The boy tried to get up, but he smashed his fist into his cheek. He shook his hand out after, regretting putting so much power behind the punch.

The boy sat there, holding his face as he stumbled onto his feet. "What's your problem?"

"You're gonna ask me that?" He shouted, taking another step towards him as he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Get the fuck out of here!"

The boy stumbled off as fast as he could on unsteady legs and Ned fought off the urge to race after and beat him into an incoherent, senseless pulp. Taking a breath, he turned around to make sure Katie was okay.

Had she been hurt? Had something more happened before he got here? How far had that stupid boy gotten?

Katie was watching him with wary, guarded eyes, in the corner. He sat next to her, not saying anything, and not touching her. In the dim light from above, he could see that there was blood on her bottom lip and that her left cheek was slightly swollen. Her hair was tangled and wild around her face.

She was still processing and trying to catch her breath.

He grabbed her shoe from the floor where he'd dropped it, putting it on her foot. "Katie," he said, a few minutes after. "Are you okay?"

She didn't know how to answer. The only thing that could come out was tears, her shoulders shaking as she let a few more roll down her cheeks.

Ned reached down, cautiously picking up her hand. He would sit here all night with her if she needed him to, and squeezed her hand and set it in his lap, staring ahead at the brick wall.

"I'm fine," but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she sagged a little, slipping down the wall and struggling to remain proudly upright.

He could see the color draining from her face. "No, you're not," he told her and without thinking, he stood and scooped her up before she could protest.

In hindsight, this was maybe not the best idea, considering what just happened to her, but she leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. He grabbed her makeup bag from the counter as he walked around the corner and out of the bathroom. Most of the people had cleared out thankfully, but that meant Jim raced over the second he saw Ned carrying his daughter.

There was no turning back now.

The family flooded into their home and Ned entered last, Katie still tight in his arms. She wouldn't let him let go. He'd held her the entire car ride, sitting in the front seat of Melinda's jeep.

Everyone had questions and none had been answered. He didn't know what had happened besides what he saw and Katie didn't want to talk yet. All she'd said was that she didn't want to go to the hospital and she didn't want to report anything. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to shower, change, and eat her father's cooking. Everyone listened.

Ned took Katie up the stairs and to her room. Melinda and Jim followed, even though Katie closed the door, locking herself and Ned inside.

"Do you want to talk?" Ned sat on her bed as she paced around her room.

She shook her head and then went to her connected bathroom, closing the door. She was the only one with a connecting bathroom beside her parents, the perks of being the oldest.

He went to her bedroom door, unlocking it and seeing Melinda and Jim.

"Katie needs some space," he said, closing the door behind him. "She'll talk to you when she's ready. She's showering now."

"Has she said anything to you?" Melinda asked. "I just want to know what happened to my baby."

"She's said all of two words to me," he sighed. "I'm trying, but everyone breathing down her neck isn't going to do anything. All I know is what I saw, and I don't think she'd want me to tell you. You should go get dinner started and keep everyone occupied."

"I'll go get the grill started," Jim itched his head, going toward his and Melinda's room. He was still dressed in his slacks and dress shirt and must want to change.

Melinda soon followed, her hand lingering on his shoulder for a moment before she turned and went into the room too, closing the door.

Ned turned back around, surprised to see Katie walking out of the bathroom as he closed the bedroom door again. She was wrapped tightly in a towel, and his eyes naturally fell to her legs, where the towel neglected to cover anything.

The towel clung to her like a lover, draping itself about her sensuous curves as though in anticipation of an unforgettable night. Her hair was clean and brushed back wet, and her skin was pink as if she'd scrubbed it clean. His eyes followed the water droplets that rolled down her calves until she cleared her throat, his eyes finally reaching hers.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you were still in here," she pressed her lips to a fine line.

"I didn't mean to stare," he said, reaching for the doorknob. "I'll just go. I made you uncomfortable."

"No. You're fine." She sighed, walking past him and toward her closet. She went to open the double doors, her towel slipping, revealing too much upper thigh for his liking before she pulled it snug to her again. "I almost forgot what happened, until I wiped the mirror of the fog and saw my face." She stood in front of a closet full of clothes. "Thank you for what you did. I wouldn't have been able to get away from him. I tried, I did but I couldn't. At that point, I was just praying someone would stop him."

He shook his head. He didn't do it for her thanks. "I'm sorry Katie." He didn't know what else to say.

She pulled out a large pullover sweater, one that would drown her body. She pulled it over her head, letting the towel drop as the sweater fell well past her knees. He tried not to think about what she was wearing underneath, which was nothing, but the sweater was much too big for her.

"Don't be," she told him. "It wasn't your fault. Men suck."

Men do suck. She was traumatized and he was thinking about her fucking naked body. He sucked.

"They do," he agreed. "Am I included in that?"

"Sometimes you can be a jerk," she said, pulling on a pair of yoga pants and catching his wandering gaze against the curve of her ass as she did, but didn't say anything. "I think we should go downstairs before everyone starts to worry more."

Or before either of them did something stupid.

He nodded and opened the door, seeing that Melinda and Jim had both made their way downstairs at their open bedroom door. Katie came to him, hugging him for a moment before she walked past. That had made him feel better.

Ned caught her hand as he followed her, squeezing it. She was going to be just fine.