My parents weren't able to come to my graduation because Dad is on some business trip, and Mom started at a new job a few months ago that doesn't allow any vacation time for the first three months, or something like that. Cara finished up her first year in college last week and she is out here in Maine with Matt for the next month. She is here for my graduation and filming the entire thing for Mom and Dad.
Cara was apparently up all night long decorating my graduation cap. I love it, and it looks amazing. She did an awesome job. She added sparkles and a few words on it, then a yellow bow at the back. We did the same thing for hers last year.
Cole and I end up together in line, because his name comes right after mine. I walk down the right side of the aisle, he walks down the left. We gather in our lines, being sorted out all by our teachers, and the rest of the student council prepares the football field and the stage for our graduation. We watch people take their seats. I see Cara with Matt and Noah.
Cole and I are the third row in. He wears a yellow cap and gown, I wear a purple one. We walk slowly down, and soon, we split to go to our seats.
Our valedictorian, Tori, speaks about our futures, and how every relationship we have had, whether it was a family member, or a romantic partner, it has shaped who we are today. After that, our principal, Dr. Marco, speaks, than the super intendant talks, than the mayor of Bangor.
Finally the principal comes back to announce our names. The first rows on each side of the aisle stand up. I have only 4 people in front of me until I'm called. "Jane Abano.......Aaron Abate....... Josie Abrams....... Ruth Ackerman". I take a deep breath as Dr. Marco calls my name. "Meredith Adams".
A small part of the crowd cheers. I accept my diploma and look over at the small amount of people cheering. Cara, Matt, Noah, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, then four more people. I look down the line. Jonathan and Patrick, then the other two. My parents. They cheer as loudly as I can, before I stop for the photographer to take a quick picture, then I walk down the stairs and back to my seat.
"Cole Anderson", the principal calls. I clap along with the crowd.
337 graduates later, every one has been called and we are just a moment away from moving the tassel on my cap and I am an official high school graduate.
Dr. Marco talks for another moment, I zone out for a second to think about my high school years.
Freshman year: I started high school just outside of Detroit. Luke asked me out and he became ,y first love. Two months later, he came over to my house when he was drunk and tried to kiss me. I refused because he was drunk, and he tried to hit me. I dumped him because he also refused to stop drinking.
Sophomore year: A month into the school year, I moved to Maine. On my first day, I met Cole, who was in my creative literature class. I met Noah at lunch. A few weeks later, Cole's brother attacked me and I had surgery a day later for internal injuries. Luke came out to Maine and tried to win me back. He messed up on his first game on the hockey team, then left when he got expelled.
Junior year: I started playing hockey again here in Maine. Luke came back to one of the hockey games, and things kind of went wrong between him, Cole, and Noah. We won the Ladies hockey Maine Association championship for the first time in almost twenty years.
Senior year: My parents and I moved to Illinois. I was away from Noah and Cole for four months. I saw them every once in a while, but never for long periods of time. My parents allowed me to be emancipated and I moved back to Maine on Thanksgiving break. I finished school here in Maine, and here we are.
"Bangor Township high school. Home of the Bengals. If you would move your tassel to the left", Dr. Marco says into the microphone. "Congratulations, graduates".
Every one takes their caps off and throws them into the air. I catch mine and the crowd roars even more as everyone else catches their own.
We all walk back out of our seats with the same people as we walked with. I kiss Cole quickly as we walk, and he smiles down at me. I wave at my parents when we walk by. The rest of my family and friends make funny faces at Cole and I. I notice people giving the two cheering hockey players odd looks, and I just laugh at it in my head.
I graduated high school. Now for college.
YOU ARE READING
One More Day (Counting on Hockey #2)
Romance*book two of the Counting On Hockey series. Read Just Another Goal prior to this book* Meredith and Cole are going into their Senior year of high school. They are inseparable together. Now both playing hockey, and being together for now more than a...
