The Vampire Prince graduates High School (Book 3)

Graduation

"All set, what do you think?"

I opened my eyes and looked at a completely different person. Jayla had outdone herself this time. She had curled my hair and styled it into a messy bun. She even added a floral hairclip.

"Isn't it too fancy?" I asked.

Jayla clicked her tongue. "Nothing is too fancy for a princess."

I glanced at the time. I had three hours before I needed to show up to school. It had been a miracle that I had finished all my classes in time for graduation. If it hadn't been for Alexander - and the fact that I didn't need to sleep as much - I would have received my diploma in a less ceremonial way in the summer.

It was also why I hadn't bought a dress or scheduled an appointment with a hairdresser. Luckily, Alexander had planned ahead.

"Thanks for doing this," I told Jayla.

"I'm glad I could be of service," she said. "When Prince Alexander called, I knew what I had to do. I'm your official hairdresser after all."

Jayla helped me get dressed. The sage-colored dress stopped at my knees. The halter top was a little snug but not uncomfortable.

"We'll use this dress for pictures," Jayla explained. "Then we'll get you into your graduation dress. It's more formal."

"Pictures?" I echoed.

"Oh yes. The studio isn't far."

My parents tagged along with us.

I knew I should be excited, sad even, but I wanted this day to be over.

"Smile Rin," Mom said.

And so for the next hour or so, I forced a smile on my face, trying to look natural.

At one point, Mom pulled me aside. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong," I told her. "I want to leave."

She frowned. "You're the one who planned this," she said.

I sighed. "Alexander planned it," I told her. "I went along with it."

"Rin, what's wrong?" Mom repeated. "You act like this is all a hassle."

I crossed my arms. "Mom, what's the point? For all we know, someone is going to attack us at graduation and the whole night is going to be ruined for everyone. This should be a happy moment."

Mom didn't speak for a long time. "So, you want to hide, is that it? Never doing anything because you're afraid?"

I turned away. "I'm not afraid," I began. "I just don't want to be the cause of everyone's misery."

"You can't control what people will do or say," she told me. "You have a right to be happy. So, enjoy today. It's not every day you graduate high school."

She was right. And yet, this anxious feeling wouldn't go away. Was it always going to be like this?

I took a deep breath. I needed to calm down. If I worried about everyone else, I wouldn't be able to enjoy anything. So, I had to put my trust in my bodyguards.

A few hours later, we were on the way to school. Before going, I'd changed my dress to a royal blue one which was much longer than the one before. The halter top remained the same except this one had rhinestones around the collar and waist. But at a closer look, they might be actual jewels. Jayla adjusted my hair, taking the bun out and letting my hair down.

My parents took a separate car while I went with Jayla.

"You look beautiful," she said. "Don't worry about anything and have fun."