STATE OF GRACE. beta squad

030. big dumb mistakes

THE NIGHT OF GRADUATION

IT WAS THE NIGHT of graduation and 18-year-old mikey howard was making her way through the big house party, her long brown hair flowing down her back and a soda in her palm, saying high to everyone and smiling at people who smiled at her.

one person was on her mind, sharky. the sentence she so badly needed to tell him before the party ended but he seemed to be occupied somewhere unknown.

"sharky!" she screamed over the loud music trying to find his head through the crowd, "sharks!" another loud chant from the girl.

squinting her eyes to focus more when suddenly she caught him leaning on the wall talking it up with a blonde girl she knew as lacy cole.

she sighed with relief running up to him, her smile not evident keeping the news to herself with fear. "hi mikes." he smiled lacing his arm around her waist, "hi sharky, hi lacy." michelle waved to the both of them.

"sharky can i talk to you for a second," she asked shakily and he could tell the nerves she was having, he quickly nodded and excused himself from lacy.

the two silently walked out to the garden and into a quiet corner.

"what's wrong blue."

ah yes, blue. the nickname sharky gave her when they first met, since she had a bright blue tongue at the lollipop she had in her mouth. by the time your reading this the pair had grown out of that nickname and this night was the last time he called her by that name.

"i need to tell you something." she fiddled with the ends of her hair a huge lump already growing in her throat.

"what is it?" his hand touches her shoulder in comfort but she gently shuffles away from it.

sharkys eyes grow confused and suddenly he too was filled with fear at what would come out of her mouth.

"are you gonna tell me you're moving across the world." he laughed making the joke but the girl just looked up taking a huge gulp.

his eyes softened and he stood up straighter "come on mikey you're scaring me."

she pushed the hair behind her ears and finally made eye contact with him.

"there's no easy way to say this." she sucks in her bottom lip trying to stop her crying.

to say sharky was now shaking with fear would be correct, he was filled with the fear of any word that would be said in just a second.

it was a painfully long silence until mikey cleared her throat.

"i got.. i got into duke." she huffed out almost inaudible.

sharkys eyes widen with happiness a loud noise comes from his mouth and like that michelle was lifted from the floor being twirled around with his big arms wrapping around her.

mikey's eyes watered as most of the news was still in her mind.

she patted his shoulder softly as he set her down she looked right into his big brown eyes that held so much pride and excitement for her, and she broke knowing what's gonna happen now.

"no sharky.." she trails off.

"i got into duke university.... in america."

with her words sharkys world had come undone, every wall he built had been demolished, every friendship he earned was broken apart, and every smile he'd had in his 18 years of living was soon covered with frowns.