320NO. 22: All of the Sudden, I Miss Everyone.
Samara's POV.
"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world."
Shifting nervously from one foot to the other, I exhaled shakily, and said, "This is it, Ming. In like, three seconds, we'll be graduates."
Mingmei flashed me an amused grin. "I think you're exaggerating just a tad there, friend. We don't graduate in three seconds. We graduate in two hours."
"Same difference," I murmured, not in the least bit amused. I don't see how she can not be nervous about this.
"There is a difference, hon," Mingmei taunted. "A huge difference," she elaborated.
Opting to ignore my ex-roommate, I turned to look at myself in the mirror, scrutinizing my appearance. My red and white graduation gown fell to my knees and thankfully, it didn't cling to me like the red and white, spaghetti-strapped dress I happened to be wearing underneath did. My hair had grown out after a few months of being cut, so the night before, I had Mingmei cut it again. This time, it was in layers and the color of my hair was much lighter. With some professional help, I had my hair lightened to auburn. Gabriel, the little twit, was upset that I had dyed my hair a much lighter color, but I had told him to get over it and move on with his life. He hasn't spoken to me since, but I know the idiot is only pretending to be angry with me.
I smiled at the thought.
For those of you who think Gabriel and I are the perfect couple, you think wrong. We argue nonstop and more often than not, we're teasing one another. After five months, he still refers to me as the Ice Bitch when I piss him off and when he pisses me off, I throw things at him. Lord knows we aren't the most stable couple in the world, but I think that's what makes our relationship interesting. He doesn't shower me with lame compliments and meaningless words. The way he loves me shows in the way he touches me, in the way he holds me, and in the way he looks at me.
He says 'I love you' best when he says nothing at all, as lame and cliché as that sounds.
As much as I wanted to think about Gabriel and not my impending doom(okay, so that's a bit of an exaggeration), I knew I had to focus on graduation and what I was going to tell Faith about my college decision. I'm sure she'll be disappointed by my decision to not attend the same college as her, but I have to do what I think is best for me... not what I think is best for our friendship.
"Guys, come on, come on," Jayden urged as he rushed into Mingmei and I's dorm room with Brennan by his side - or at least, what used to be our dorm room. We had moved our stuff out of the room a few days ago, so the only things remaining were the beds, the dressers, the lamps, and the mirrors, which obviously come with the room. "We don't want to be late for our own graduation."
Suddenly feeling very anxious, I beamed up at my three very best friends and said, "Jayden's right. We can't be late for our graduation. We wouldn't want to miss the march, right?"
Mingmei smiled wistfully in my direction, and I smiled just as wistfully back. "You're right, we wouldn't."
Mingmei, Jayden, Brennan, and I locked arms as we stalked out of Mingmei and I's ex-dorm room and bounded through the halls of The Knox School. Graduation was being held on the soccer field, but we were all told to meet by the girl's and boy's locker rooms so that we could march onto the soccer field together.
My heart was racing in my chest, pounding against my ribcage in an almost painful way as I took my place behind Gabriel and in front of Landon Judd, another graduate in our senior class.
Gabriel craned his neck to get a better look at me and offered me a reassuring smile as our class song blasted through the speakers.
I smiled back at him, knowing that his smile meant I was forgiven for the lame argument that had taken place between us the night before.
Realizing that it was time for us to start marching, Gabriel turned his head so that he was once again looking in front of him.
You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back.
I smiled as the words to You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins filled my ears, and I took a step forward, mimicking Gabriel's foot movements.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
I wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. Freshman year, I was under the impression that high school was going too slow, and I had wanted nothing more than to leave. Now, in this moment, I wanted nothing more than to stay.
Funny how four years can change everything.
These are some good times, so take a good look around.
I took a good look around as other students took their seats in the chairs that were placed all over the soccer field, and edged closer to my seat, still marching with the others. This would be our final time together as a class(well, except for at the graduation party that was being held at Landon Judd's mansion tonight). After this moment, we'd be moving on with our lives and never looking back.
You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this.
I am going to miss this. I'm going to miss this so freaking much.
As that thought processed in my mind, I took my seat on the soccer field beside Gabriel, who casually rested his hand on my own. I smiled up at him as Headmaster Gregory stepped up to the podium, fixing the microphone so that we could all hear him better when he spoke.
I listened as he gave his heartwarming speech about how much he was going to miss having us as students. I listened as members of our senior class read off the class prophecies and class wills. I listened as students received awards and scholarships for their accomplishments, occasionally receiving an award or scholarship myself. I was pleased, and yet, pleasantly surprised, that I had seemed to accomplish so much, yet so little, in high school. I received at least ten or twelve scholarships, and I got awards from each and every one of my teachers claiming that I was one of their best students.
Once all remaining scholarships and awards had been given, I listened as the two salutatorians in our class gave their eight-to-ten minute speeches. One speech, done by my very best friend, Mingmei Wu, was a speech given on friendships made throughout high school. My most favorite part of the speech was when she said, "'Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.' I'm sure I speak for most of my friends when I say this, one new friend can form a whole different world for you. Many of the things that happened this year for me probably would have never happened had it not been for a very special friend of mine. My life changed this year, as I'm sure many of yours did, and friendship is a huge part of that..."
I was near tears by the time Mingmei's speech had come to a close, and I offered her a huge smile as she walked passed my aisle and headed back to her seat, which was clear in the back.
The second speech was a speech given by Liam - a speech about high school love.
"For girls," Liam started, "I'm sure their love followed true to this quote: 'Love is when you can't pay attention in class because you're forever writing your first name with his last,' and for us teenage guys, love is finding a girl that can take us as boys and somehow shape us into men." At that, he looked in the direction of Mingmei and then he looked at everyone else. "We've all experienced first loves, first heartbreaks, and even first times," - at the mention of first times, everyone snickered, and the girls giggled(I'm not so sure he meant it like that, but give us a break, we're hormonal teenagers) - "and those things are not easily forgotten, not even for us guys. I'm not ashamed to admit that I still remember my first heartbreak, and I know I will always remember when I fell in love this year with a girl that has shaped me into a better human being - into a better man."
The rest of Liam's speech made my heart feel all fluttery, and I felt giddy and gleeful. I was feeling every word that he was saying - I had experienced each of those things(minus the whole first time thing, but that's about to change very soon... I'm sure of it), and I was still experiencing one of them. I had experienced heartbreak and I am still experiencing my first love.
As Liam's speech ended, he stepped down from the podium and headed back to his seat, whereas Headmaster Gregory stepped up to the podium and said, "Now, give a warm welcome to your class valedictorian, Gabriel Eli James."
I placed a chaste kiss on Gabriel's lips before he stood up and headed for the podium, joining in as everyone clapped and whistled, yelling out words of encouragement.
I honestly hadn't been surprised when Headmaster Gregory called Gabriel and me into his office at the end of May, saying that the both of us had earned spots as valedictorians. Turns out, we were tied as number one in our senior class, and therefore, it wasn't easy for Headmaster Gregory to choose between the two of us. Thankfully, he didn't have to make that decision, because I made the decision for him.
Though it may come as a shock to some, I've never been very good at public speaking - in fact, I absolutely hate public speaking. I get all nervous and sweaty and I start to ramble, and it's not such a pretty sight. After telling Headmaster Gregory this, he said he'd let me off the hook so long as I wrote half of the valedictory speech and allowed him to put me down as one of the valedictorians in the yearbook. I kindly agreed, deciding that doing as much would be worth not having to speak in front of the entire senior class and their friends and families.
For six days, Gabriel and I spent day and night going over ideas for the speech and writing those ideas down. If we thought of something better for the speech, we erased some of our previous words and wrote down our new thoughts. After pulling an all-niter last night, I finished my half of the speech and I think Gabriel finished his. Seeing as how we hadn't been talking at the time, Mingmei delivered my half of the speech to Gabriel's room, and I assume that this morning, he put together his half of the speech with mine and turned it into one helluva speech.
I shoved all those thoughts to the back of my mind as Gabriel stepped up to the podium and winked in my direction before adjusting the microphone to his benefit.
"'Good evening, ladies and gentleman,'" Gabriel started, flashing the occupants of the soccer field his mega-watt smile. The beginning of the speech is a bit cliché, but what can I say? I was at a loss for my very own unique beginning(and yes, the first half of the speech is mine, I guess, seeing as how he didn't necessarily want me to open up the damn speech so lamely). "Most of you should know that for the most part, what I'm about to say is not in my own words. So, if I start to sound like a girl, you should know that Samara Johnson wrote some of the speech. I'm sure it'll be easy to tell when the feminine side of the speech is being given." All the students, faculty staff, friends of my classmates, and families laughed at his words. Despite myself, I laughed, too. "'This year has been hectic, and crazily insane as a dear friend of mine would say.'" I assumed he emphasized mine so that everyone knew he was speaking about me and not himself. Smart move. "I'm not even sure most of you, if any at all, will remember what I am about to say on this very night, our high school graduation.
""But, that tiny detail does not deter me, and therefore, I shall share my knowledge with the world... er, well, my classmates. These past four years have been amazing for some of us, and terrible for others. And though I was not with you until this year, that does not mean anything was any different back in San Diego. High school students experience similar things all over the world. Each and every one of us has had to deal with bullies, jocks with egos the size of Mars, teachers that dance to the beat of their own drums, relationships that went terribly wrong, break-ups that destroyed more than just one heart, arguments that in fifty years will most likely seem like the most petty things you ever went through, failing classes and having to make-up work, skipping school, eating alone during lunch, being shunned by your classmates for something that wasn't entirely your fault, and having to deal with the every day struggles that life, our families, and teachers throw at us.
"'Take that. Take all of that, and remember it forever, because one day, when you're faced with similar problems, you'll remember that in the end, it turns out okay. Sure, we're going to struggle, and out of high school, we'll all meet bullies that will hurt us more than any bully in high school ever did. We'll have bosses that will blow up in our face if we do even the tiniest thing wrong. Some of us will fall in love again and get our hearts broken again, and we might even break a few hearts of our own, but that's part of life. We're always going to meet someone who thinks that they're better than we are, and they'll remind us of the jocks and cheerleaders in high school - the ones that put others down to make themselves feel better. But we've all had insecurities, and we'll most likely feel insecure again at some point in our life, and it'll be our job to fight through it.
"'If you can't remember anything I wrote tonight, at least remember this, 'The world will tell you who you are until you tell the world.' So, got out there, make a name for yourself, and tell the world who you are. Keep your heads held high, and remember that high school is an experience that, although short-lived, will remain forever in our hearts.'' Gabriel quit speaking then, namely because that was the end of my half of the speech. Now it was his turn to read his half of the speech.
"Those words were written by a very wise classmate of ours, and I happen to agree with the things she mentioned, and I have a few things to add to that," he started, gazing out into the crowd of people before him. The aura of confidence that surrounded him made me even prouder to know that he's my boyfriend and not some other girls. His confidence made me proud to know him, as a person. "As Samara wrote, high school will remain in our hearts forever, no matter how much we wish that it wouldn't. We're always going to remember that teacher that pushed us that extra mile when we felt like giving up. If you're a jock, you'll always remember the first high school game you won as a freshman. If you're a cheerleader, you'll always remember that first time you won the state cheerleading competition. If you're some other cliché stereotype, like a geek, a nerd, or even a bad boy, you'll always remember the first mathlete competition you won, or the first time a girl looked passed your tough guy exterior and found the heart that was hidden underneath." I found myself smiling at his words - that sounded close to what I had done.
Actually, that's exactly what I had done. I had taken the bad boy, befriended him, and found something underneath that had been hidden from the world.
Definitely sounds like a typical cliché to me, but hey, I'm not complaining. It was all worth it in the end.
"Everything you learn in high school will be with you forever, whether you know it or not. Those chemistry equations Mrs. Albright taught us may seem stupid and pointless to some of us now, but in a few years, those equations will get us through college and will help us in every day tasks, such as shopping for groceries or mixing drinks. All the literature we read this year and the years prier to this year have helped to prepare us for the real world. Most of the things we have read have been based on true events that take place in every day life. The works may be fiction, but in a way, they could not be more real. Some of us are going to get our hearts broken. Some of us are going to have the weight of the world forced onto our shoulders the minute we leave this place. Some of us will fail because we've been told that we're going to fail, and those words have led us to believe that we will fail. Some of us are going to have to fight for our lives. Some of us are going to live happy, healthy, and rich lives.
"Everything we've learned in this place is going to help us. 'Knowledge is power.' These teachers have taught us all that they know, and we take it all for granted every day. In the end, these teachers have made a bigger impact on our lives than anyone we know, because a lot of things just disappear, but what you learn in school stays with you forever. Everything you learned these past four years will stay with you your entire life. The things you have learned haven't only come from teachers, though - they've come from parents, the people you've met, the people you love, and random people that you meet on the street or in a grocery store. The things we've learned from our teachers, our parents, our guardians, and from other people can never be taken from us.
"For as long as you live, those things will never be lost, because those are things that no one has the power to tear from our hands, our hearts, or our minds." Gabriel paused to take a breath, most likely preparing himself for the end of the speech. "My advice to each and every one of you, is to never give up. No matter how many times someone spits in your face and tells you that you can't, look them straight in the eyes and tell them that you can. No matter how many times life gets you down, pick yourself up and keep trying. Never stop loving, never stop learning, because for those of us that are under the impression that we know everything, the truth is, we really don't. There is so much more of the world we have yet to see, and therefore, there is so much more we have yet to learn.
"I leave you with this quote from The Wonder Years: 'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.' None of us will ever forget that each and every one of us has changed each other in one way or another," he said. I was in awe of his entire speech. It was simply... amazing, to put it mildly.
"Congratulations, class of 2010!" Gabriel exclaimed. Everyone screamed, whistled, and clapped as Gabriel stepped down from the podium and returned to his seat.
"That was amazing," I whispered as Gabriel stood up along with the rest of us.
I watched as my classmates received their diplomas, screamed when Jayden and Gabriel received theirs before me, and flushed from embarrassment as I received mine and my family and friends shouted my name and took pictures of me. I hooted as Liam, Brennan, and Mingmei received their diplomas, in that order, and tears welled in my eyes as Headmaster Gregory congratulated us and each of us threw our caps up in the air like the graduates in cliché movies do at the end of their graduation.
Once I had retreived my red cap, I placed it on the top of my head and searched the soccer field for my mother and other family members from back home.
The first person I spotted was my Aunt Janine, a tall woman with brown hair, a creamy pallor, and curly brown locks.
"Congratulations, baby girl!" Aunt Janine shouted, wrapping me up in one of her warm embraces. Gosh, I had missed that woman.
"Thanks!" I shouted, hoping that she heard me over the chatter of other families congratulating their graduate, and/or graduates.
Aunt Janine pulled away and flashed me a bright smile. "I am so proud of you, darling. I have to get going, but I left your present with your mom and I'll see you at the country house near the end of the summer, okay?"
I smiled and nodded my head out of understanding. "See you this summer. Love you."
"Love you, too, darling," she replied before kissing the top of my head and maneuvering her way through the crowd.
Not too long after, I spotted Gabriel standing with some man and by the opaque expression on his face, I knew that man must be his father. Wanting to be there for my boyfriend, I pushed my way through the crowds of people and their families and stood beside Gabriel, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Gabriel's 'father' immediately took notice of my presence and raised his eyebrow in Gabriel's direction, silently questioning him.
"Father," Gabriel seethed venomously, "this is my girlfriend, Samara. Samara, this is my father."
"Girlfriend?" Gabriel's father piqued as he turned his head to look at me. He appraised me and I felt very small under his intense and unforgiving eyes. Honestly, the guy creeped me out a bit. No wonder Gabriel wasn't too fond of his father. "Pretty girl, son," Gabriel's father said as he once again turned to face his disgruntled son. His approval of me did nothing to make me feel any less threatened by the guy. I don't know... he just gave me the creeps. I feel bad for ever suggesting Gabriel make amends with his father. It's obvious his father is past the point of no return. "Us James men know how to pick women, don't we?"
That comment seemed to set off the ticking time bomb that had been metaphorically growing inside of Gabriel for some time now.
I'm just glad I was there when it went off.
"Don't you ever compare me to you," Gabriel hissed, narrowing his eyes into slits as he glared menacingly in his father's direction. "You picked a woman that cheated on you, and abandoned us, and then you turned into a drunk because of her. Instead of defending me and being there for me, you turned your back on me, and for lack of better words, you abandoned me, too." Gabriel's father didn't seem all that surprised by his son words, and his expression showed no remorse whatsoever.
Fucking asshole. I wanted to punch him now.
"So, take your approval of my girlfriend and shove it up your ass, because I don't need your approval. From this day forth, I don't need anything from you," Gabriel growled. "Goodbye, dad," Gabriel seethed, glaring once more at his father before taking my hand and walking away from his father for what I assumed to be forever.
"I'm sorry you had to deal with someone like him," I whispered as I noticed the rest of my family and friends heading towards the both of us. "No one should have to deal with a father like that."
Gabriel offered me a watery smile. "It's fine, honest." He didn't sound fine, but I opted not to lecture him on it. He was hurting enough already as it is. "I don't need him in my life. I've got you."
A silly grin adorned my face at his words. "That's the cheesiest thing you've said thus far," I teased, though his words did make me blush.
Just as Gabriel leaned in to kiss me, my annoying pest of a cousin stepped in between us, and said, "Uh-uh, we'll be having none of that with the parentals here."
Gabriel snorted. "Parentals?" he questioned, glancing at me. "Did she really just say that?"
Faith yanked Gabriel's shirt and forced him to look down at her. He did just that, seemingly alarmed by the feral expression on her face.
Yes, Faith can be very scary when she chooses to be. "Yes, she just said that," Faith snapped. "If you ever hurt her, I'll kill you."
Gabriel scoffed as he pried Faith's tiny fingers off his shirt. "We already had this conversation over the phone five months ago, Faith," Gabriel complained, groaning outwardly.
"Yeah, well, now we're having it again," Faith retorted.
My mother, Zev, and Link watched in amusement as Faith and Gabriel went at it(not it it, you pervs - he's my boyfriend, after all).
"I'm just saying, if you ever break her heart, as her cousin, I have the authority and legal right to pummel you to a pulp," she stated menacingly.
Gabriel wasn't fazed, which he proved with a roll of his eyes. "You may have the so-called 'authority' to pummel me, but you do not have the legal right to pummel me," Gabriel stated matter-of-factly. "But just so you know, I have no intention of breaking Samara's heart. I'd sooner stab myself in the heart a zillion times over before even thinking about doing something as stupid as that."
I beamed at his words, but I wasn't surprised by them. I knew Gabriel would never hurt me... at least, not intentionally, and that was more than enough for me.
Faith, seemingly pleased with his words, said, "Good. Now that we've got that taken care of, congratulations on the whole being a graduate thing, you two."
"Yeah, congratulations!" Zev and Link sing-songed in unison. "As you know, we have been graduates for like, a week now," Zev chimed in, sounding pleased that he had graduated before me. Little competitive twit. Even graduating before someone is a prize to my oh-so-lovely, and totally gay(one out of four) best friend.
"Oh, shut up," Link drawled, glaring teasingly in his boyfriend's direction. "Are you ever going to let that go?"
Zev huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. "Nope, I'm not," he half-whined, grinning whilst doing so.
Gosh, he is such a theatre nut. It's as though all that acting has gone to his brain.
Lame insult, I know, but give me a break, I just graduated, so my mind happens to be elsewhere at the moment. Hmm... maybe it'd be more effective if I spoke aloud, but uh, I don't want to.
"Link, Zev, Faith," an instantly recognizable female voice greeted, nodding her head in the direction of my friends from back in San Diego. They smiled at Mrs. Mayer, who was obviously the only teacher aside from Mr. Lanes that could possibly know them, "pleasure meeting you three dolls again."
"Mrs. Mayer, it's nice to see you again," Faith replied, beaming up at my ex-Studio Art teacher.
"Did Samara tell you that she got accepted into the most prestigious art program at NYU?" Mrs. Mayer questioned, sounding all the more like a proud parent. I blushed, namely because all eyes had turned to look at me, and I don't really enjoy the spotlight. It's fun and all, but for the most part, I absolutely hate it.
"You did?" Faith questioned, looking slightly upset, probably because I had neglected to tell her that I applied to New York University. "I mean, congratulations," she added, quickly covering up the fact that she was a tad ticked off at me.
Trust me, she's fuming inwardly - she just doesn't like to show her anger on the outside. Faith's always been like that.
"I'm proud of this girl," Mrs. Mayer chimed in, patting my shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I will most definitely be telling all my future students about you," Mrs. Mayer said as she turned to face me. I desperately fought to hide my blush, but it worked to no avail. I love being praised and all, but sometimes it can be a bit embarrassing. "Oh, before I forget, your mother is looking for you. She wants to congratulate her accomplished graduate."
"Thank you, Mrs. Mayer," I thanked, smiling down at her(she's shorter than me, just so you know). "I appreciate everything you've done for me this year."
Mrs. Mayer was beaming as she said, "You're welcome, darling. Besides, I was simply doing my job."
After Mrs. Mayer disappeared from my sight, I searched the crowds of people on the soccer field and my eyes eventually landed on my mother, who was currently chatting animatedly with Mr. Lanes. Oh, Dear Lordy, I hope they aren't talking about that little kiss Gabriel and I shared in his class.
Little? the voice in my head taunted. I could have sworn I heard it laugh. I must be insane. You two were about to have sex in front of the entire class.
We were not. I would never allow myself to be deflowered in front of an entire class. Sheesh, I'm not that stupid, you know?
Deciding to ignore that stupid voice inside my head, I stalked over to where my mother and Mr. Lanes were talking and eavesdropped on their conversation, attempting not to make my presence known. Seriously, I just wanted to know what they were chatting so animatedly about.
"You tried to pry them off one another with a stick!?" my mother shouted, laughing wholeheartedly.
I gaped at her like a fish out of water. Holy cow, my mother just laughed! That's the first time she has laughed like that since dad passed away over a year ago.
I just realized something. Mr. Lanes is single, meaning he's not married and he and my mom are like, totally hitting it off right now!
She just blushed, for crying out loud! If that isn't a crush, then I don't know what is.
Mr. Lanes grinned cheekily. "I did, and it didn't work. Those two are definitely interesting characters. I wasn't the least bit surprised when I saw the two of them holding hands during the ceremony." Mr. Lanes suddenly cleared his throat awkwardly and shifted from one foot to the other.
Oh, I know that look! He's going to ask her out on a date. I bit down on my bottom lip to keep myself from squealing out of pure and utter delight. Mr. Lanes is an awesome teacher, and he's about my mother's age, so I'm not going to complain if she says yes to him. I mean, come on, the woman needs a date. I loved my father more than anything, and I know that my mother will always love him, but he'd want her to be happy. And Mr. Lanes is definitely making her smile, which means she's happy.
"Uhm, would you like to go to dinner following the ceremony?" Mr. Lanes eventually blurted, grinning like a teenage boy.
Awe, how cute... Yeah, I know, I'm a big mush ball. I can't help it.
"I'd love to," my mother agreed, grinning a cheeky grin. Yay, she said yes! I told you so.
Pretending that I hadn't just heard their previous conversation, I took a few steps back and cleared my throat awkwardly, attempting to remain discreet. I didn't really want them to know that I had been listening in on their conversation. My mother would tell me about their dinner date when she was ready. I wasn't going to push her. That'd make me a bad daughter.
Mr. Lanes and my mother started at the sound of my throat clearing and they turned around so that they were facing me. Mr. Lanes greeted me with a smile and then said something about having to check up on some of his other students. He told my mother he'd see her after the ceremony and then headed in the opposite direction.
"What was that about?" I questioned, feigning stupidity. If I wanted to convince her that I had no idea about the date, I'd have to keep up a false pretense.
My mother beamed up at me. "I hope you don't mind, but uhm, Mr. Lanes asked me to join him for dinner, and I've agreed."
I snorted unattractively as the words 'I've agreed' escaped my mother's mouth.
My mother's expression was bemused. "What's so hilarious, Spunky?" She frowned when all I did was laugh and shake my head.
"You just spoke like one of those stuck-up, formal people in old-fashioned movies," I chortled. "That's why I was laughing. But uh, I don't mind. Besides, it's not like you need my permission to go on a date. You're my mother, not my daughter. You can do whatever you want to do. And I know dad would want you to say yes. He'd want you to be happy, and that's what I want, too. To me, it looked like Mr. Lanes made you happy."
"He's a very nice guy, that Mr. Lanes," my mother stated, sighing dreamily. Awe, my mom has a crush. Funny, if they get married(you know, if they hit it off and have more dates, they might fall in love and all that jazz), Mr. Lanes will be my step-father. Heh, he'll probably force me to read tons of books, not that I would have a problem with that.
Then again, I'm thinking way too far ahead. Tonight will be their first date, not their one-hundredth.
"But he's not important right now, Spunky. You are," she eventually said. I grinned, proud that my mother was proud of me. After all, I wasn't only a daddy's girl whilst growing up. I was a mommy's girl, too, in case that isn't obvious. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart. So proud of you. I mean, you got enough scholarships to pay a full tuition for college!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. It's been a while since I've seen my mother acting so... exuberant. "Now, I want to meet this boyfriend of yours."
I rolled my eyes. "Mom, you've already met him," I groaned, not really wanting her to make such a big deal out of this. When I told her over the phone that Gabriel and I were together, she nearly busted my ear drums. I did not need to go through that again.
Apparently, though, Lady Luck was not on my side, and Gabriel showed up beside me a few seconds later.
My mother grinned like the mushy romantic that she is when Gabriel placed a tender kiss on my forehead and took me by the hand. I visibly blushed, but did my best to hide it, which wasn't that easy. Gabriel flashed me an amused smile - honestly, me blushing is not a reoccurring event in our relationship, so it's a shock when I do blush.
"You better treat her right," my mother scolded, flashing Gabriel a hard stare, though I knew she was only teasing. Well, she was teasing by glaring at him, but not by telling him to treat me right. She'd most definitely hunt him down and have him murdered if he ever hurt me.
Well, to be fair, she wouldn't go that far, but she would make sure he suffered bodily injury of some sort.
"I will, I promise," Gabriel promised, smiling at my mother and then smiling down at me. I smiled back, still feeling extremely embarrassed. Stupid mothers and their stupid over protectiveness. I'm touched she cares so much, but it's not like she has to threaten my boyfriend! "I love your daughter very much."
My mother grinned. "Oh, I know you do, boy," she assured him. "Well, you two better run along. You have a party to get to, and I have a date," she said before turning on her heel and stalking off in the direction of the parking lot.
I rolled my eyes as Gabriel led me towards Mingmei, Liam, Brennan, and Jayden. Everyone else had already disappeared and were heading for the party.
"Hey, guys, whatcha staring at?" I sing-songed as Gabriel and I came to a stop beside the other four.
"It's going to be really complicated to say goodbye," Mingmei breathed as she turned her head to look at me. Her cheeks were tear-stained and her eyes were puffy and red, which caused the beginning of tears to form in my eyes. Ah, great. Here comes the emotional part of graduation.
"Hey, it's not like we're going to be away from one another forever. We're spending the summer in Spain, remember?" I was attempting to make everyone feel better, but for some reason, my words seemed to make everything worse.
Well, darn.
"I'm really glad I met you guys," I blurted after a moment of silence passed between us. "I don't think any of you realize how much you've changed my life."
That was about the point where I lost it and let the waterfall escape my eyes.
Each and every one of us hooked arms with one another and gazed up into the sky.
"I think I'm going to miss this place," Liam admitted. "But I promise, none of us will ever lose contact."
I laughed, though the sound was broken. "I'd never let that happen."
"Me either," Jayden seconded. "I love you guys."
"Awe, we love you, too, Jayden," the rest of us cooed in unison, grinning at the now crying male.
Even Gabriel was on the verge of tears. "I'll never say this again," Gabriel started, attempting to sound all bad ass - I knew it was merely an act, "but I'm going to miss this place more than anyone could ever possibly know. I'm even going to miss you annoying brats."
Mingmei snorted. "Oh, shut up, Gabriel," Mingmei drawled. "Like Samara said, you'll have to deal with us for most of the summer."
"See, I knew she was going to say that," Brennan teased. Mingmei reached over and smacked him upside the head... hard. Brennan winced. "Ouch, be nice," he mock-scolded.
"I love you guys," I chimed in, albeit randomly, before enveloping each and every one of them into a death grip, forming just about the biggest group hug I'd ever been in.
It's true. I am definitely going to miss them.
And I am most definitely going to miss this boarding school.
Landon Judd's mansion was a huge mansion located in St. James, New York. The outside of the mansion was an off-white color that resembled one of those mansions in old-fashioned black-and-white movies. Inside, the mansion was just as, or maybe more so, impressive than it was on the outside.
The floors were made of marble and the carpets were velvety and soft against my bare feet(my feet are bare because the theme of the party is a beach theme). The foyér was decorated with beach balls and the railings of the spiral staircase were decorated with bright-colored streamers and paper maché suns with smiling faces on them.
I beamed up at Gabriel and gave his hand a tight squeeze, directing his attention away from the decorations and towards me. I took in his appearance, and I must say he was definitely not wearing normal Gabriel attire. By that, I mean, he was wearing tan khakis that were a little loose and showed off the waistband of his swim trunks, and a semi-tight, white t-shirt that showed off his biceps and toned body. His jet-black locks were down, but they no longer fell to mid-back. Instead, his hair was tousled, messy, disheveled, and fell to his shoulders. He kind of looked like a sexy, younger version of Johnny Depp.
Apparently, immediately after leaving the graduation ceremony, Mingmei dragged Gabriel back to Mrs. Mayer's room and gave him a haircut.
"Are you going to tell Faith?" Gabriel asked, looking down at me through his bangs.
I nodded, albeit reluctantly. I was going to tell Faith - I'm just not sure how to tell her.
"Of course I am," I replied. "I should probably go find her now, actually. You know, so I can give her some time to process it and all..."
Gabriel placed a tender kiss on the tip of my nose and then rested his forehead ever-so-gently against my own.
I breathed a sigh of contentment as he said, "She'll understand. I know she will. I love you."
"I love you, too," I said with a smile as I removed my hand from his and pushed myself through the crowd of people and into the kitchen, where I knew Faith would be.
Just as expected, Faith was in the kitchen and she was drinking a fresh cup of coffee whilst sitting on the marble counter and swinging her legs back and forth.
"Hey, Sam, something on your mind?" was the first thing she asked when she spotted me.
"That obvious, huh?" I teased as I hopped up onto the counter and dangled one of my bare feet in the air.
Faith nodded and sat her mug down beside her. "Yeah, it is obvious. I've known you since forever, so I read you well."
I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and blurted, "I'm not going to Julliard."
Faith expression fell as she gaped at me. "Y-you're what!?" she shouted, as if unsure of what she had just heard.
Trust me, I had been shocked by my own decision, but as it turns out, Julliard isn't the place for me.
"I'm not going to Julliard," I repeated, slower this time so that I was sure she heard me. The last thing I wanted to do was repeat myself for a third time. "I know that when we were little, we wanted to attend CalArts, because we were positive that was the place for us, but as we grew older, we were sure Julliard was the place for us... now, I'm not so sure that Julliard is the place for me. New York is the place for me, and that being said, I'm going to attend NYU at the Tisch School of Arts."
After what seemed like hours rather than a few measly minutes, Faith smiled and said, "Congrats, cuz."
I furrowed my eyebrows, obviously confused. "Wait, you aren't angry?"
Faith snorted, as if that were the most ridiculous assumption she'd ever heard. "Why would I be angry with you for following your dreams? Sure, I'm going to miss you and all that jazz, but it's your choice. I can't force you to attend Julliard just because we dreamed of going to the same school ever since we were kids. That'd be wrong of me, and I'm not the type of person to guilt someone into doing something they don't want. You should know me better than that by now," she mock-scolded. "After all, you are my cousin."
I grinned. "Thanks, Faith."
"No prob," she quipped. "Besides, no matter where life takes us, we'll always be cousins by blood, best friends by choice, and sisters by heart."
"Always," I promised, hooking my pinky finger together with hers. "I never break my pinky-swears."
"Except for that one time," Faith taunted. I laughed good-naturedly as I pulled my pinky back.
"Sheesh, you're never going to let that go, are you?" I muttered, not in the least bit amused. "I was eleven, for crying out loud! It's not like I knew any better."
"You lied, and you're the one who hates liars," Faith responded, amusement lacing her tone.
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I do hate liars, but your mom quilted me into it. She can be very convincing when she wants to be."
Faith rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, whatever," she drawled. "Now, we should get back to the party before everyone starts to miss us."
I snorted and nodded my head in agreement before jumping down from the counter and meeting up with the others outside in the backyard, which was decorated with sand to make it resemble a beach.
Once outside, I spotted Gabriel standing with Liam and Mingmei by the bonfire. Mingmei and Gabriel were laughing in response to something Liam had said. A few seconds later, I spotted Brennan and Jayden sitting on a log, holding hands and looking at one another as though they were the only two people in the entire universe. I hope I can be like that with Gabriel some day - I don't want to be like one of those couples that stare all googly-eyed at one another all the time, but I do want him to know that I believe he's the only one in the world for me.
"Whatcha doing!?" Link sing-songed as he danced over to me, coming to a halt in front of me.
I grinned up at him. "Nothing, really," I replied nonchalantly. "I was just admiring my boyfriend from afar."
"In some places, they call that stalking," Link teased, smirking wildly in my direction.
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, so when you used to hide outside of Zev's window, that wasn't stocking?"
No, seriously, he used to do that. Link isn't some creepy stalker or something, and he wasn't back then, either, but back when Zev wasn't aware that Link was crushing on him, Link would go to Zev's house and stare up at his window for like, thirty to forty-five minutes before leaving.
"I only ever did that because I wanted to talk to him, and his parents were asleep, so they never would have let me through the front door," Link defended, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest.
I snorted. "You could have just told him that you liked him instead of admiring him from afar."
Link scoffed. "Yeah, well, you should go tell your boyfriend 'hi' instead of admiring him from afar," he bit back. Touché, best friend. Touché.
"Who are we admiring from afar?" Zev blurted as he appeared out of nowhere.
"Oh, we aren't admiring anyone from afar," Link answered as he hooked arms with his boyfriend. "Samara is."
"Awe, how is Gabriel going to feel about that?" Zev taunted, flashing me an accusing glance.
"Oh, shut up," I hissed as I trudged towards the bonfire, where Mingmei, Liam, and Gabriel were still standing.
I snuck up behind my lovely boyfriend and pressed the front of my body against his back, covering his eyes with my hands.
"Guess who?" I piqued as I stood on my tiptoes, pressing my lips against Gabriel's ear.
I felt Gabriel shiver against me, and when he spoke his voice came out sounding husky and strained.
Gee, I was unaware I had this much power over him. Makes me feel good, let me tell you.
"Get a room, you two," Liam and Mingmei teased before heading off to go find a room of their own(wink, wink), or so I assume that's what they went to do.
"Samara," Gabriel choked out before turning us both around. I squeaked as he whirled around, taking me with him, and I squeaked again as he pried me off his back and maneuvered me to the front of his body, somehow managing to keep my arms wrapped around his neck the entire time.
"Gee, since when did you turn into Superman?" I teased, not in the least bit shocked that he was able to maneuver my body so easily.
Hmm, I wonder what he's like in the sheets...
... erm, okay, awkward.
Gabriel arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow, and said, "I can be your Superman."
My heart lept into my threat and I gulped, suddenly feeling very anxious. "Uh, we should go talk," I suggested, but the way I said it insinuated that we would be doing a hell of a lot more than talking. Gabriel seemed to catch onto what I was suggesting and immediately grabbed onto my hand and dragged me through the crowds of people, causing me to laugh whilst he was doing so.
He is such a hormonal teenage boy, and I love him for that(yeah, yeah, I'm corny - I know).
He stopped to ask Landon if it was all right for us to use one of the rooms. Landon nodded and handed Gabriel a key that apparently belonged to one of the rooms on the third floor. They did that weird handshake thing that only guys and tomboys know how to do(and maybe a few girly girls), Landon made a joke that apparently ticked Gabriel off(I know this because Gabriel smacked the idiot upside the head), and then he led me up the spiral staircase.
The closer we got to the third floor, the harder my heart started to beat against my ribcage. Anxiousness, nervousness, excitement, love, lust, and so many other emotions coursed through my body as Gabriel unlocked the second room on the left. Once we were inside, Gabriel locked the door and threw the key on one of the dressers on the far side of the room. I vaguely noticed that lavish, expensive furniture was haphazardly placed throughout the room and their was a huge King-sized bed with red cotton sheets and black silk sheets adorning it.
I didn't waste much time before attacking Gabriel with deep, passionate kisses and throwing my arms around his neck, kicking the door shut behind me before mustering up all the strength I could and shoving Gabriel onto the bed so that he was lying on his back. Gabriel kissed me roughly as he rolled the both of us over so that I was on my back and he was hovering above me. I didn't have a problem with him being the dominant one, seeing as how I was most definitely inexperienced in this department.
It didn't take very long for Gabriel and I to begin tearing one another's clothes off, neither of us were even paying attention to where we threw the articles of clothing. I pressed my hands flat against Gabriel's chest, running both hands up the smooth surface of his stomach and over his delicious abs, until eventually I had my hands placed on his back, raking my nails down his back as he suckled on the nape of my neck. I shivered as Gabriel shoved his hand under my dress, caressing my stomach with his cold fingers as he moved upwards. I laughed, though the sound was sort of choked, when I realized he was humming the children's song, Itsy, Bitsy Spider under his breath.
After removing my dress completely, Gabriel placed butterfly kisses up the smooth surface of my stomach, causing me to arch my back and rub against him. Oh yeah, he was most certainly turned on.
As Gabriel unhooked my bra, he stared at me appreciatively, and he started doing things to my breasts that had me floating on cloud nine, reveling in the ecstasy of his touch.
Only two things were separating us from what we both desperately wanted, what we both desperately needed - his boxers and my panties.
Gabriel looked down at me with darkened, almost black eyes and smiled in the most loving way imaginable. "Are you sure?" he questioned, searching my face for some sign that it was all right for him to continue.
I nodded my head enthusiastically, giving him the go. I had never been more sure about anything in my life.
Much to my dismay, after placing a tender, chaste kiss on my lips, Gabriel removed himself from on top of me and stood up from the bed, walking to the other side of the room so that he could retrieve a condom from one of the dressers. I watched as he slipped off his boxers and put the condom on, all the time mesmerized by him.
He was beautiful... you know, in the masculine way.
I made sure to memorize every inch of his body and as he once again hovered above me, I made sure to memorize the way he touched me and the way he looked at me.
Gabriel ravished my mouth whilst hooking his fingers into my panties and pulling them off of me, discarding them onto the floor with the rest of our clothing. His tongue slipped into my mouth and I moaned as our tongues battled for dominance. I knew he was kissing me just to distract me from the pain that I knew was coming, and it most certainly worked.
It was in that moment when I didn't know where he began and I ended.
There was no going back on this moment, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
Gabriel is my everything, and therefore, he deserves my everything, and that's exactly what I gave him.
I woke up a few hours after Gabriel and I had fallen asleep, unable to stop thinking about what had just taken place between us hours before.
Absentmindedly, I began tracing random, spiral patterns on the exposed flesh of his stomach, causing him to stir in his sleep and his eyes to flutter open. Gabriel smiled at me and I continued making spiral patterns with my index finger, making sure to never move my gaze from his beautiful, sapphire irises.
"Morning," he greeted.
"Morning," I greeted, my voice still raspy from the events that took place between us the night before. "You're like a vampire," I teased, causing Gabriel to laugh as he began tracing patterns up my right arm. I shivered at the feel of his fingertips against my exposed flesh and thought back to how those fingers had played me like a piano last night. And trust me, Gabriel plays the piano very, very well.
"Oh, really?" Gabriel teased, smirking that arrogant smirk of his. Damn him for being so fucking adorable. "In that case, you must be one, too."
I scowled, albeit weakly. "Bite me," I seethed halfheartedly, though I was only joking.
Gabriel quirked a brow and winked suggestively with his left eye. "You sure?" he teased as he rolled on top of me. I squeaked as his body pressed against mine. Sheesh, way to knock the air out of me, boyfriend.
I bit down on my bottom lip, attempting to appear seductive.
Hey, I might as well play along, right? Besides, I hear playing vampire can be very pleasurable and fun.
"Positive," Gabriel teased as his eyes darkened, lust taking over. Damn, that's hot.
I sunk my teeth into the side of Gabriel's neck - well, I didn't sink them into his neck, I more or less just bit him, but same difference.
Gabriel hissed at the contact, which resulted in me laughing at him. I don't bite that hard. It's not like I have fangs or anything.
Gabriel tenderly grabbed hold of my chin and smashed his lips against my own, ravishing my mouth much like he did the night before.
Oh, hot damn, I could definitely get used to this.
I swear, I love Gabriel more and more everyday.
Needless to say, one thing led to another and Gabriel and I made love again.
I love my unique Prince.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For starters, I'd like to say that their 'making love' scene at the end was not detailed for simple reasons... I can't write smut, and it makes me uncomfortable when I attempt to do just that. The whole point of the scene wasn't for everyone to read about them 'doing it' - it was for everyone to get just how much they love each other, even though it may not always seem like it.
Some reviewers were complaining about Gabriel's hair length, so I decided to have him get it cut just for kicks. :) He wouldn't look good with uber-short hair, but it's shorter than before, lolz.
This is the last chapter - thank the Lord. I'm working on the epilogue as I write this and wellll... truth be told, this story WILL be completed tonight, whether it kills me or not.
The graduation speech was well... not that great, but I wasn't valedictorian and I don't do speeches very well, but I tried... that's all that matters. Either you like it or you don't... not much I can do to change that. An opinion is an opinion, you know?
So yeah, stick around for the epilogue and longest author's note ever(for me, anyway).
:) Kara.