Secrets, Lies, and Summer Skies

Epilogue

The moment I'd received my graduation date, I'd known that Jenny wouldn't settle for a quiet celebration.

It wasn't a real graduation unless I woke up the next morning with a hangover; she said.

Apparently, being adults didn't mean we should practise responsible drinking.

It was spring and a perfect day for the event. Large clouds drifted idly across a pale blue sky, the sun's rays streaming through and bathing the shoulders of graduates who hugged each other with tearful declarations of friendship. They promised to stay in touch. That graduation wouldn't mark the end of their journey together. I lingered with my classmates, smiled, and made vague promises about seeing them over the summer, but my mind was elsewhere. It wasn't on the feelings of my lecturers, who would have other ceremonies to organize and attend for other graduating classes over the next several days. Nor was it on the lingering sadness I felt at leaving the university I'd called home for the past few years of my life.

It was set firmly on the future.

Some would say that it was only right that a new graduate should think about what came next. I'd made contacts in my final year and knew that I could intern at a few establishments if I wanted. Maybe even take up an introductory post at a museum, gallery, or even a university and work my way up through a prestigious career ladder. I'd once thought that my degree was useless and that I'd never find a job in my field of study. I was glad to be wrong, yet simultaneously overwhelmed by all the options laid before me.

Even so, this wasn't what I'd thought about since the moment I put on my gown and cap that morning.

Only one thing had been on my mind.

Only one person.

I reached down and closed my fingers around my wrist where a silver bracelet sat heavy and cold. It was a reassuring weight, and far heavier than it'd once been with the new charms which adorned it. A reminder of a promise which had given me hope in a time when I thought I had none. A shining light at the end of a tunnel that I'd taken steps toward every day since. Now, I was ready to finally leave the tunnel behind me and bask in a glow that I'd earned through patience, trust, dedication, and love.

However, there were still a couple of minor obstacles on the path to said light, and they came in the form of more well-wishers and hand-shakers than I could realistically handle. Thankfully, Trey and Anna weren't among them. Not that I expected either to wish me well, but I was glad not to see them in the crowd.

Trey had stayed on at the university and tried to be a part of my life again, but after the words police intervention and restraining order had passed my lips, he soon got the message and backed off. Conversely, Anna had dropped out. I didn't know if she still lived in the area but, if she did, then she was probably still enjoying her party lifestyle and hadn't learned her lesson. I didn't care enough to find out. As long as she wasn't in my life, she could do whatever she wanted with hers. Sadly, that would probably involve ruining a lot more relationships, but that was her issue and not mine.

The only friend I needed ran to me and wrapped her arms around my neck with such force that I staggered trying to keep us both upright. Jenny was still a year or so off graduating herself. Her time out travelling across Europe had cost her precious studying time, but we both knew she wouldn't have traded all that excitement and fooling around for the world. It'd been tough to spend a year apart after the summer we'd had, but it had been for the best.

Together, we were chaos.

Apart, we each had a chance to be our own people and figure out what we wanted to do with our lives.

I was loath to admit that Grayson had been right to think that distance could be the best choice for certain people and situations. As such, I had no intention of confessing as much to him. It would only feed his ego and he was already too confident for his own good.