After Hannah's brother dies in prison while on an undercover mission for the FBI she starts exchanging letters with Santiago, her brother's cellmate. Soon enough her relationship with him grows to so much more than mere penpals.
For the first time ever since I earned my driver's license, I've broken a traffic rule by overspeeding. It's not enough to get me arrested but I've always been the safe driver till now. Reason being that I am late for Diego's high school graduation. I was supposed to be there at ten am like Santiago asked me to but its twenty minutes past and I am still ten minutes away.
Thankfully the gods of traffic lights hear my prayers and I don't hit any red lights. I get to the school thirty minutes past ten and it takes another five to find a parking spot.
"Where have you been? You're late?" Jada scolds as soon as she spots me.
"I'm sorry. Hi guys." I apologize because I can't as well tell her that the reason I am late is because I had a hard time choosing an outfit.
You would think I am going out on a date with Diego but for some reason I want to make a good first impression on him. I ended up settling for the most basic outfit because I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard. A brown t-shirt tucked into a plaid skirt that went below my knees with a button slit to expose a bit of thigh and white sneakers.
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"It's fine, it's not like they've started yet but we've also lost the chance to get some good seats." Jada replies.
"You didn't all have to come you know." I protest looking at all my friends.
Once again I am the fifth wheel because they didn't bring baby Taylor with them.
"You asked Jada to come." Renee argues.
"Yes, just her so I don't know why the rest of you are here." I retort.
It's not that I do not appreciate my friends being there for me. It's just that they can be a rowdy bunch and I don't want to embarrass Diego like I know they will.
"Santiago asked you to come and support his brother but he didn't say you couldn't bring support yourself. It's gonna be great. Now the kid has five people cheering him on. How do we know who he is anyway?" Tom asks as we watch all the students in matching maroon gowns and caps file into the auditorium.
"It's too late to look for him now, let's just go in. We'll know it's him when his name gets called out." I reply.
I know sending them away won't work especially when they are only trying to help so I settle for them staying.
"This reminds me of my high school graduation. I was valedictorian." Renee comments as we walk in with the rest of the crowd.
There are happy parents and graduates all over.
"I remember my graduation. Darius brought party poppers and deployed them when I got on stage. It was a whole mess but one of my most treasured memories with him." I recall with a smile.
Darius was the only constant in my life from the moment I was born. Our birth parent's were killed in a bank heist, right place wrong time kind of situation. We were thrown into the foster care system since we didn't have any other relatives until we got adopted by Mr and Mrs Grandin. They couldn't have kids of their own and when they landed siblings they thought that they had hit the jackpot. That's until they realized that they didn't even want kids in the first place. Sure they fed, clothed, educated and put a roof over our heads but they also used us as trophies to their rich friends. Adopting a couple of black kids made them look like saviours.
