THIS STORY CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND MATURE THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18
Although this book does contain a couple love scenes this is not a smut filled book, and is instead more of a sweet, emotion filled romance...
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Finally, the day we have been working towards for so long has finally come: graduation day.
Our "class" only consists of thirty-two others but still, I am a nervous wreck thinking of walking on stage and getting my diploma, especially in a place like Westward.
This place truly is one of a kind. I mean, how many people can say they graduated high school and got a legitimate diploma from a proper mental institution?
It is kind of funny if you are on the outside looking in, but for any of us that have actually lived through it, we know that there was a lot of hard work and dedication that went into the thirty-four of us getting our diplomas today. They definitely don't give them out for nothing around here; one hundred percent has to be earned.
We even have real caps and gowns. Both are dark blue, the main color for Westward.
The auditorium is full of everyone's friends and families and other students in the lower grade levels.
It's a proud moment. For all of us, students, faculty, and family, all in a corresponding cumulative effort to bring us to this exact moment where we are now. But now that it's here, it lacks much of the grandeur that I had anticipated it to have. I lean to my right to relay my thoughts to Heather and see her smiling up at the screen which is playing a slideshow of each of our accomplishments, and all those thoughts instantly fade away.
They call us up in order of class rank; Heather is first, and I'm fifth. I have no idea how well my GPA would stack up against a normal graduating class of two hundred or more, but I can't help but feel a small twinge of pride that some of my efforts are finally being acknowledged as they hand me that rolled-up piece of paper.
The after-ceremony celebration can only be accurately described as Westward-worthy, but all too soon it's over and time to leave.
We tell Bart and Ann that there are just a couple more things we need to do before we go. They smile and nod as Heather and I make our rounds, saying our proper goodbyes to the place that we've called home these past several months. We also make sure to stop and say goodbye to all of the people who have had their hand in helping us get to this very point.
As we walk hand in hand out the door of Westward, I stop to take a deep breath. "Is everything okay?" Heather asks, looking at me with concern.
"Are you ready to officially start our future?" I ask, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"More than ready." She laughs, yanking my hand as she rushes us down the steps and towards Bart's waiting car.
I laugh right along with her and happily let her drag me along while, in the back of my mind, I can't help but have the feeling that this isn't the last time we will be here.
I've heard people say that when you spend a long time in prison, you become institutionalized, and it's hard to adjust to life on the outside. Well, Westward was no prison, but damn if the entire world doesn't look different.
