Four Months Later February
Pony
I knock once before opening the door to Soda and Lindsay's apartment, now that all of that crap with Kate is behind us, the two of us are closer than ever and I try and get over to their apartment about twice a month for dinner. All of our schedules are hectic so it's hard, "Hey. I'm here." I call, I can hear water running so I figure Soda must be in the shower,
"In the kitchen." Lindsay yells back, I walk down the hall and into the kitchen, "Hey. Sorry dinner is going to be late class ended up running late." She says, out of all the many, many girls Soda has brought home, Lindsay is by far my favorite. She's a genuinely sweet person, and she's really good for Soda, even convincing him to do the online classes to get his GED.
"No worries. Did you need help?" I ask dropping into a chair, she shakes her head, "How's school going?" Currently Lindsay is working part-time at the dealership with Steve and Soda doing some receptionist work and then going to school to be a RN.
"I'll be glad when this semester is done." She puts the spoon down and turns around, "No Payton?" I shake my head,
"She's in Hartford this weekend with her parents. They wanted to see what options there are for her to live off campus." Lindsay nods,
"I really thought you two were going to end up going to BC together." She puts a lid on the pot and takes the seat across from me, after weeks of Payton going back and forth between schools and becoming increasingly frustrated, she had agreed to go to Hartford for a weekend to visit Yale. She had fallen in love with it, I knew that's where she was going to end up as soon as she got home that weekend. It was like a weight had been lifted.
"We talked about it for a bit," I pause, "But we both agreed that some space while we figure out this whole college thing wouldn't be a bad idea." Lindsay looks at me,
"Wait, are you two…..." She asks,
"Breaking up?" I supply, she nods, "No not at all." After Payton had gotten home that weekend we had sat down and talked and talked about what we both wanted. It had been pretty clear from the start that what we both wanted was each other, and we both agreed that a two-hour distance wasn't going to break us up. Truth is things between us have never been better, I look up as Soda comes into the kitchen. He leans over giving Linds a kiss,
"I was able to get my shift covered for next Saturday so Linds and I will be at the game." He tells me taking the other empty seat, "How many games you got left?" He asks,
"As far as we get in the playoffs." We had come up short last year for the state title, Robbie had gotten hurt in one of the last playoff games and Coach had no other choice but to put in a freshman and while he has potential, he is no Robbie. This year the team is at full strength, and I know the expectations are we win the state championship. Soda nods,
"You and Payton are still coming this summer, right?" He asks, Darry and Liz had gone to the courthouse and gotten married during the summer and had come to a compromise with her parents. They would come back this August for a reception so everyone could celebrate. The scheduling had been tight, we are going the week before I have to move into the hockey dorms at BC and start with the team, and about two weeks before Payton has to be at Yale.
"As far as I know." I tell him. "So, I have a favor to ask you." Soda nods,
"Shoot whatever you need." He tells me, I smile at him, "Pony I don't like that look, what did you do now?"
"Nothing. Yet." I reply, "I need to borrow your ID." Lindsay turns around with a questioning look,
"For what? I'm sure if you want beer Two-Bit would buy it for you." Soda replies,
"I don't want beer." I tell him, "I need it to get a tattoo." Soda about falls out of his chair, "All the seniors on the hockey team are going out and getting one, to celebrate our two undefeated seasons." I look at him, "Tyler from the team his brother owns his own shop, and he's going to do it for the team, but everyone has to show him an ID for legal reasons." Soda nods slowly,
"You need my ID to get a tattoo." He gets up and grabs his wallet off the counter taking his ID out, he slides it across the table to me, "If you end up getting anything stupid, I will kick your ass, you know you can't wash that shit off." I put his ID in my wallet, "And if Darry finds out I am playing dumb." He adds,
"Speaking of Darry, did he tell you about the sleeping situation when we are in Tulsa?" Soda rolls his eyes,
"You mean how Liz's parents won't allow co-ed sleeping?" He asks. I nod, Liz's parents had insisted that we stay with them, that they had plenty of room but then they had dropped that on Darry and Liz last time they spoke. "I mean to be honest putting Linds in a different room isn't going to stop me." He says with a smirk, "Right babe?" Lindsay sets two plates down,
"Cool it horn dog." She tells him with a grin, as the three of us start eating dinner.
June-Four Months Later-Graduation
"Liz please stop fussing, I'm good." I tell her as she straightens my tie for the fifth time in the last two minutes, she drops her hand and wipes a tear, she's been super emotional all morning.
"We're just all so proud of you." She sniffles before she returns to the living room, I run my fingers through my hair, before pulling my shoes on and going into the living room, taking the seat next to Two-Bit.
"We, all of us want you to know how proud we are of you." She starts before she dissolves into tears, Darry pats her knee.
"We are." He starts, "You've come a long way since Tulsa, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we're all proud of the man you've become." I look around the room, at all of them, truth is I owe all five of them more than I will ever be able to repay, and more than any of them will ever know.
"You're much better than the punk you were then." Two-Bit tells me cheerfully messing up my hair.
"I can't take the credit." I say, "I owe everything to you guys, especially you Darry." Darry looks at me surprised, I know him, and I know he'll never give himself any credit for what he did after mom and dad died. God only knows where Soda and I both would be if he hadn't stepped up. I am positive I wouldn't be graduating top ten in my class with a full ride hockey scholarship to BC if Darry hadn't been there, and as much as he was sometimes a pain in my ass, I know he only wanted what was best for me, even if it took me years to realize it. "If you hadn't found a way to get us out of Tulsa, I don't know where I'd be right now."
"Jail." Two-Bit supplies, Steve who is on his other-side chuckles,
"I'll never be able to thank any of you enough for everything." I pause, "For putting up with me, and pushing me." I look at Liz, "I can't thank you enough for being there when I can honestly say I needed you the most." Liz is as bad if not worse as Darry about taking any credit, but she stepped in when both Soda and I needed a mother in our lives. While she made it clear that she didn't want to replace mom, she filled a much-needed role.
"Now you did it." Soda says as Liz's tears start flowing again.
"I'm good." She tells us, she looks at her watch, "We do need to get going before you're late." She adds shooing us all out of the apartment. The actual graduation ceremony is a blur and before I know it, I'm smashed between Darry and Liz in a hug.
"Mom and Dad would be so proud." Darry says, I'm surprised to see that he's choked up, he messes up my hair before giving me another hug. I smile as Robbie smacks me on the back as he walks by with his parents,
"I wanted to see Payton before we headed out for dinner." Liz tells me as she looks around, I scan the crowd before I spot her standing with her family.
"I'll go grab her." I tell Liz, before weaving my way through the crowd, I stop next to Payton, putting my hand on her lower back. She turns and smiles at me; I'm not going to lie, she looks stunning. More so than usual if I'm being honest. The school had requested that all the girls wear white dresses, and the guys wore something dark, either black or navy blue. Payton is wearing a short sleeveless white dress that hits right above her knees, the front is in a v, and the back is tied with a bow. Her blonde hair is down in loose curls, and she must have swapped out the heels she had been wearing for a pair of navy-blue Yale converse.
"Hey baby." She greets,
"Don't you look handsome." Liv says reaching over to give me a hug, Greg gives me a one arm hug and smacks me on the back with his other hand. "You're all still coming tomorrow, right?" Liv asks. Payton's parents had taken it upon themselves to throw a graduation party for both Payton and Sawyer and all of their friends.
"We'll be there." I tell her, "Liz wanted to see you before we headed out." I say to Pay, she nods,
"Mom I'll be right back." She tells Liv,
"Ok gum drop, don't be too long or grandma will come looking for you." Liv tells her, Payton slips her hand through mine as we head back over to Liz.
"Congratulations." Liz says pulling Pay into a hug as soon as she sees her, "You look beautiful." She adds dabbing her eyes again, "And your speech, well I don't think there was a dry eye in the place." No surprise that Payton had been the Valedictorian, and her speech had been pretty incredible, I have zero doubt that when she starts to write actual books, she's going to be a best-seller. I think it still sort of shocks people that she's not going the doctor or lawyer career path everyone expected her to, instead deciding that being an author is what she really wanted. I've read some of the stuff she's written and maybe I'm biased but she's one hell of a writer.
"Thank you, I appreciate that." Payton replies with a smile. I think she's as surprised as I am when Darry steps forward and hugs her just as tight as Liz did. "I hate to cut this short, but I should be getting back, or else grandma will come looking for me." Her grandparents and great grandma had flown in from Georgia two nights ago, I still haven't met them yet, and I am sort of nervous about it, Sawyer had warned that they can be super standoffish, and they are incredibly protective over Payton. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Liz nods,
"Are you sure you don't need us to bring anything?" Payton shakes her head,
"Nope just you." She replies, she looks up at me, "I love you." I lean down until I can kiss her,
"I love you too." I reply before giving her another kiss, I watch her until she disappears into the crowd.
"Alright Mr. Graduate where do you want to go for dinner?" Liz asks, winding her arm through mine, as we head for the car.