Six months later….
A jolt of excitement flows through me as I stare at the cap and gown hanging on my closet door.
In just two more hours, I’ll officially be a high school graduate.
My heart sinks. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Oakley.
Two days ago the school informed him he was ineligible to graduate and would have to repeat his senior year.
To say my uncle is pissed would be putting it mildly.
However, as bad as I feel for him…I can’t say I’m surprised.
Oakley’s been on a downward spiral the last few months…one that resulted in him skipping more classes than he attended.
I wanted to confront my aunt for screwing with his head and fucking up his life, but Oakley begged me not to and swore it was over between them for good.
Given my aunt announced she was three months pregnant during my celebratory graduation dinner last night …I hope for his sake he was telling the truth.
My chest feels heavy as I walk out of my room and knock on his door.
He doesn’t answer, but I can hear him moving around in there.
“It’s me. Can we talk for a few?”
“Yeah. Come in.”
He’s tossing some clothes into a duffle bag when I open the door.
“Planning on going somewhere?” I try to keep my voice light, but I fail miserably.
“Cole asked his dad if I could stay in their guesthouse for the summer and he agreed.”
Oh. That’s news to me. “You’re leaving?”
He smirks. “Don’t act like you won’t still see me every day while visiting your boyfriend.”
He makes a valid point.
Jace and I are pretty much attached at the hip these days. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t loving every minute of it.
Especially all those minutes he spends with his head between my…
Dammit. Focus, Dylan.
“I know…but it’s gonna suck living here without you.”
Especially with my aunt being knocked up.
I want to be happy for her, however I’m still finding it hard to separate the amazing aunt I love from the two-timing, cheating whore I despise.
It’s a juggling act most days.
But at least she’s attending my graduation…which is more than I can say for my father who was released from jail a week ago and has yet to make any contact.
I’m starting to realize that family isn’t always blood…it’s the people who are there for you when no one else is.
And for me, those people are Jace, Sawyer, and Oakley.
He opens the suitcase on his bed and starts filling it with more clothes. “I can’t stay here, Dylan.”
I can’t say I don’t understand. My uncle can be…difficult sometimes.
In his mind, he’s right about everything, and everyone who disagrees with him or thinks a different way is dead wrong.
You can’t even have a conversation with the man for more than five minutes without your blood pressure rising.
It’s why I opted to dorm at Duke’s Heart University in the fall—which is only a fifteen-minute drive away—rather than stay here.
I fidget with my fingers, trying to figure out how to ask the question that’s been burning on my tongue since last night.
I decide to just come out with it. “Is there a chance the baby is yours?”
Please say no.
He blows out a breath. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. The last time we screwed was the night you found out.” There’s no mistaking the pain in his eyes. “She doesn’t love me…she loves him.”
“I’m sorry.”
He snorts. “No, you’re not.”
He’s right, I’m not. My aunt had no business fooling around with her stepson.
That said, I am sorry he’s hurting. “You’re better off without her.”
He rubs his chest. “Doesn’t feel like it.” He pulls a joint out from behind his ear and lights it. “I’ve been hoping she’d come to her senses and choose me over him, but it’s safe to say that’s never gonna happen now.”
I’ve always sucked at this sort of thing, but I tell him what I know to be true.
“There’s someone out there for you, Oak. And when you find her, I can guarantee you won’t be her second choice. You’ll be her first and only choice.”
“Nah. Fuck that. I got burned once and it was enough for me to learn my lesson.” He blows out a puff of smoke. “But enough about my shit, this is your big day.”
I wince. I don’t know how I’m supposed to be happy about graduating when he isn’t. “Sawyer told me to tell you she’d tutor you this year.”
He gives me a curt nod. “I should probably take her up on that.”
“I can tutor you too, you know. Just say the word.”
Another curt nod. “Yup.”
I can feel the band around him start to snap.
“Oakley?”
“Yeah?”
I walk over and throw my arms around him. “It’s gonna be okay.”
His breathing goes staticky and he buries his face in my neck. “I fucked up, Dylan.”
“But you can fix it.”
“I’m not sure about that,” he chokes out. “I did it to get back at him and now…everything’s so screwed up.”
Oh. He’s referring to that fuck up.
“It takes two to tango, remember?” I frame his face with my hands. “She was the adult. Therefore, she was in the wrong.”
“Trust me, I’m a grown man. I can be very convincing when I want to be.” He scrubs a hand down his face. “I don’t know…I just need to get away from him…from her…from everything.”
I poke him in the ribs. “Well, you can’t get away from me. I’ll be stopping by the guesthouse every day this summer to bug you.”
He laughs. “Is that a promise or a threat?”
Rising on my tiptoes, I kiss his cheek. “A promise.”
He looks me up and down. “You should probably get ready.”
Crap, he’s right. I’m still in my pajamas. “Text me later?”
“Sure, but I’ll see you at the ceremony.”
I blink. “You’re going?”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Last I checked you and Jace were still graduating. So fuck yeah, I’m going.”
I wrap my arms around him for the second time. “You’re the best cousin in the world, you know that?”
He snorts. “At least I’m good at something.”
“You’re good at a lot of things, Oak. Have some faith in yourself.”
Jace: Have I told you how sexy you look in that cap and gown?
I can’t see him since he’s sitting a bazillion rows up from me and has already gotten his diploma, but I shake my head and laugh.
Dylan: You know you’re wearing one too, right?
Jace: Looks better on you.
A second text immediately follows that one.
Jace: Bet it looks even better off. 😉
Dylan: Perv.
Jace: You love it.
I do. I really, really do.
Dylan: So…how does it feel to be a high school graduate?
Jace: You tell me. They’re calling your name, baby.
Panic shoots up my spine when I realize my row went up, and I never went with them. Crap.
That’s what I get for making out with Jace during graduation rehearsal instead of paying attention.
The announcer clears her throat and scans the audience. “Dylan Taylor.”
“I’m here!”
Laughter breaks out as I run up to the podium as fast as my legs can carry me.
“Whoop. Whoop. Yo, that’s my cousin!” I hear Oakley yell as I accept my diploma.
But over all the clapping—and Oakley’s shouting—there’s still one person I can hear cheering the loudest for me.
Jace.
He’s standing on his chair, clapping and shouting my name so loud he probably won’t have a voice when he’s done.
There’s nothing but pure pride in his eyes when our gazes clash and he mouths, ‘I love you.’
My throat locks up. I never knew I could feel so happy…so complete.
But that’s what falling in love with your best friend does.
It makes everything so much better.
The world could end right now, and I know I’d be fine…as long as Jace was standing next to me when it happened.
I smile so hard my cheeks hurt. “I love you.”
Breaking all the rules, I run off the stage and kiss him.
Because he’s mine and I’m his.
And I want to spend the rest of my life making unforgettable memories with him.
