Chapter 28

     “Ellie…put your damn cap on right, you look like a fool,” Oliver murmured, straightening out her daughter’s cap.

    “When doesn’t she look like a fool?” I teased under my breath.

    “Hey, I regularly look dashing and we know it,” Ellie retorted. I smirked to myself, fixing up my mascara in Ellie’s car window for this special occasion. We were currently standing in the parking lot, anticipating graduation to commence. It was absolutely bittersweet to leave this place. The highs and lows were so intense, but it was the cause for some of the most memorable moments of my life. We had just gone out with all our friends, gathering a large group of Ellie’s friends and mine, all going to eat as highschoolers one last time, acting like children.

    “Yeah, yeah…get your act straight, it’s graduation,” I laughed gently.

    “Act straight? Man, that’s gonna be hard,” Ellie sighed playfully. I laughed, throwing my head back, my earrings jingling in my ears.

    “Oh, shush, will you?” I giggled.

    “You know she’s incapable of such things,” Oliver snorted, shaking her head fondly at the both of us. A car door slammed behind us and I turned to see Mom climbing out of the car, rounding it to grab Dad’s wheelchair. James, Ellie’s step dad, stood next to the car, chatting with Dad. Ivory clambered out, taming her messy hair, wearing a white tank top, a denim jacket, and some flared jeans with a pair of flip flops on her feet. I didn’t doubt one bit that she had just rolled out of bed. She had gone to her best friend Kristen’s place last night, I could already bet she celebrated harder than any graduate here; and she wasn’t even graduating.

    “Eve!” Someone called, the voice greatly familiar. I turned to see Kaylee running over, throwing her arms around me in her cap and gown as we laughed and smiled at each other. “You look so cute!” She exclaimed. Behind her walked Desii, her new boyfriend who she insisted was not her boyfriend. But cmon now…

    “You as well,” I laughed as I hugged her, squeezing her with a dramatic groan. “We’re getting so old…” I muttered in playful disgust.
    “I can’t believe I’m even older than you,” she groaned. Ivory arrived behind us, pinching the back of my neck as I squealed, my face wrinkling up as I flailed at her.

    “My little sisters…grown and graduating,” she remarked with a shake of her head as she rounded me. “Little Irish twins,” she hummed, grabbing two locs of me and Kaylee’s red hair.
    “And you’re even older,” I cringed teasingly, jabbing a finger at her chest.

    “Yeah,” she chuckled. “Yeah, I am,” she sighed, throwing her arms around me and Kaylee. She glanced back, smiling over in Ellie’s direction and of course the older sister in her couldn’t resist flicking her forehead.

    “Ivory, be polite,” Dad griped, wheeling himself over as Mom followed.

    “Oh, please, I’m as polite as they come,” she scoffed in faux hurt. “Excited?” She asked Ellie with a smile.

    “Nervous more than anything, but yeah, definitely excited to get out of here,” Ellie replied.

    “Me too,” Kaylee and I said in unison, both of us pointing at each other simultaneously and laughing even harder. Desii shook his head from beside Kaylee with a fond smile, dreads shaking under his cap.

    “Alright, cmon, you four have got to get going before you miss the whole thing,” Oliver said, waving her hands forward as she shooed us off. We all gathered our things and headed inside, saying our goodbyes before we walked the stage for the piece of paper we had worked for all these years at this damned school for. Yeah, damned school.

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    All the graduating students sat in their assigned white seats lined up along the football field, waiting patiently while the hot, summer Mississippi sun beamed down. They went through each letter, but thankfully the school was quite small, so it was not terribly miserable. Kaylee and I sat side by side, murmuring to each other and looking to our family in the stands, making remarks as we saw familiar people walk the stage, people we had went to elementary, middle, and high school with in this small town.

    “Ellie Johnson,” They called and I snapped to attention, nudging Kaylee excitedly. I watched eagerly as she walked across the stage, all smug because of course she was, accepting her high school diploma and shaking the principal and superintendents hands. She walked off, casting a look to her mother first with a goofy, eager grin. She then smiled to a few of her basketball teammates, and then to me, blowing a kiss as I laughed, shaking my head at her fondly.

    “Uh…Eve?” Kaylee murmured, holding out something for me.

    “What?” I sniveled, glancing down to see her offering a tissue. “Why?” I murmured as she rolled her eyes in amusement, leaning in and dabbing at my face. I hadn’t even realize I was tearing up.

    “You’d think they’re sending her off to war,” Kaylee teased as I giggled lightly.

    Eventually, they arrived to the W last names, and we all stood up, lining up before the ramp. We waited patiently for our names to be called as I rocked on my heels nervously, Kaylee pinching my side as a reminder to be still. I fiddled with my cords, a few colors adorning my neck for things like music, choir, and academics, my sister wearing similar ones.

    “Evelyn Wells,” They called and I walked along the stage, repeating in my head like a mantra ‘eyes forward, feet forward,’ because of course I was convinced I would do something stupid, like fall. I could hear my mother screaming louder than anyone because dispite the fact she was a calm woman, she went crazy for her children and their acomplishments. I grabbed the diploma, shaking the principal and the superintendents hands with a smile, lightly trembling from the nerves of the graduation experince. Of course I had not had an interaction with either of them in my time here, I think I would pee myself if I did. I stay away from trouble like a disease, and I would say it paid off for the most part. I walked back down the ramp, resuming my seat as I saw Ellie look at me in the crowd with a big smile and a thumbs up as I laughed.

    Kaylee scampered back to me, resuming her chatting as I listened intently, glad to have the distraction. Eventually, the ceremony ceased, and they said the breif ending speech before everyone rose and scampered to family members and out of the school, chattering and giving congratulations. I was at Ellie’s side as we walked, smiling up at her fondly as she talked. I glanced over just in time to see Oliver giving Ellie a look, winking at her daughter playfully. Ellie rolled her eyes and resumed talking as I glanced between them in innocent confusion.

    “What was that about…?” I laughed softly, my arm linked with hers.

    “Nothing, she’s being weird,” Ellie said casually. I raised an eyebrow at her but she said no more, just shook her head and smirked. When we arrived to her car, I ripped the passenger door open and immediately slumped into the seat with a relieved sigh, leaning my head back.

    “I’ve done far too much socializing today…” I murmured tiredly.

    “Ya look like you’re ready to pass out,” Ellie snorted, starting up her car and immediately kicking on the AC, full blast.

    “Yeah, I am. Miserable socializing and then sitting in the hot sun for an hour? I need a nap,” I muttered. She laughed lightly, smiling to herself as she shut her door and shifted gears, waving to some people as we left the school.

    “Officially the last time we have to be here…” I murmured tiredly, glancing around. I looked at the old bricks of the school with a sigh, a slight frown upon my lips.

    “Yeah, God Bless,” Ellie hummed, adjusting the radio volume and turning on American Teenager by Ethel Cain. I looked over at her, shooting an unimpressed look while she acted as if she couldn’t see me.

    “Are you trying to make me cry?” I scoffed, shifting in my seat. “If you werent driving, I woud hit ya,” I muttered. Ellie giggled lightly, flicking on her blinker and looking both ways, officially pulling out from the school. I watched it go, leaving it behind in the distance, sighing softly.

    “I thought it was fitting,” she chuckled, glancing my way. “But I’ll change it to be more to your liking, my Queen,” she joked mockingly.