Whoever says boys and girls can't just be friends is lying, and Lexi Hamilton is living proof of that.
Spending the majority of her adolescence surrounded by only boys, Lexi is accustomed to maintaining strictly platonic relationships with the men...
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Alexis Isobel Hamilton
having completed in a satisfactory manner the regular Course of Study as prescribed by the administration and therefore is entitled to receive this Diploma.
Lexi closed the diploma cover, tracing the embossed words printed on the face of it with her finger. She smiled weakly, trying desperately to hold back the tears that threatened to stream down her face.
She was officially a high school graduate. This was the last day she would see the majority of her peers that she had grown up with, and the thought made her chest feel tight. She had spent her entire life thus far with them. Lexi knew, despite the few people she may have disliked, she would miss all of them. The routine she had perfected in the four years since she began high school would now be obsolete. She wasn't quite sure that she was ready to face that reality.
She shook her head, deciding that she needed to live in the moment for just this once. She had a tendency to get lost in reflections of the past or worries for the future. But this day was important. She wanted to absorb her surroundings so that she wouldn't miss a thing. Looking up, she marveled at the gymnasium that was practically bursting at the seams with graduates and family members alike. They were making it difficult for Lexi to spot anyone in particular. She searched for her family or her friends and their respective families, but it seemed a lost cause.
"Lexi!"
She turned, only to be engulfed in a tight hug. Lexi laughed, hugging her assailant back. Despite her efforts, she felt a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Sarah, God, I can't breathe!" Lexi groaned, though she didn't truly mind it. Her friend chuckled, pulling away to wipe tears of her own. She had flowers resting in the crook of her elbow and her diploma in hand.
"Can you believe we're graduates now?" Sarah gushed, her free hand over her heart. "I swear yesterday we were playing in the sandbox."
Lexi smiled tenderly, allowing herself to reminisce for a brief instant. Those days as children, had they truly passed by so fast? "I know, I can't believe that we -"
Before she could complete her sentence, a familiar voice interrupted. Lexi grinned broadly as Matthew sidled up to Sarah's side, wrapping his arms around her waist. Sarah squealed in delight as she placed her hands on top of her boyfriends. He placed a quick kiss on her temple before returning Lexi's smile.
"Long time no see, Lex." He teased. His graduation gown was unzipped, revealing the ironed slacks and crisp white shirt beneath. He had shaved his head, Lexi noticed. A stark contrast to the shaggy hair he'd had only a week before. It was unusual to her, as he'd maintained the long locks for so many years.
"I saw you every day in Economics," Lexi rolled her eyes as Sarah giggled. "But your head was always in a book, so I'm not surprised that you didn't know."
