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Rowan
The sun is shining high in the sky on graduation day, something we all hoped for but didn’t expect. The university’s outdoor stadium is filled to the brim with people; families and children, moms and dads, all here to wish their college graduates well. It’s warmer than I like on account of the sun, and sweat forms under my graduation robe, my skin glowing red. I’m sure I look like an absolute disaster, but it doesn’t matter, not now.
“Hey,” Jamie says, elbowing me in the ribs. “Earth to Rowan. You look like you’re going to be sick.”
“Hopefully not,” I murmur, looking around. “There’s just a whole hell of a lot of people I have to walk in front of. I’m going to trip, or something, and face plant it in front of a thousand people. It will be recorded on someone’s phone and uploaded to YouTube with a smartass title and I’ll never be able to go anywhere in this city again without someone recognizing me.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” someone says behind me. It’s Matt, handsome as ever in his graduation gown and hat. He comes up behind me and kisses my neck, pulling me into his strong arms. I sigh and let myself melt into him, catching the subtle whiff of engine oil and old burned ash on the jeans under his robe. Ever my handsome firefighter.
“I’m not being dramatic, I’m telling the truth,” I insist. “That would be just my luck, wouldn’t it?”
“What’s happening? Is she panicking again?” asks Dereck, approaching from the left. He hands me a bottle of water which I take gratefully and then leans in for a kiss, which I’m more than happy to give him. God, he looks so damn good with his hair slicked back and a Seattle Police Department badge pinned to his graduation hat. He’ll make a great cop, I know he will. The person I used to know is no longer the same person, and it’s for the best.
“I’m not panicking,” I insist again, straightening Dereck’s hat. “Not as much as Bryce had been, anyway. Have you guys seen him?”
“I’m here,” Bryce calls, right on cue. He’s carrying his graduation hat in his hand, and his face is pale and chalky, but he looks damn adorable just the same. Following his dream, Bryce got accepted to one of the best art schools in the city. He intends to keep working as a medic at the station while he studies art, and I’m so proud of him for following his true passion, regardless of what anyone else says.
“Oh, honey.” I wrap my arms around Bryce’s midsection and squeeze gently, and he hugs me back, resting his warm lips on the top of my head. “Don’t be so nervous. We all have so much to be proud of.”
I take a step back and my eyes catch sight of all three men, standing beside my best friend, and I’m suddenly so overwhelmed with love and compassion for each of them that I can feel real, hot tears pressing against the back of my eyeballs.
“No crying allowed,” Jamie says, her brow furrowing. “This is a happy day, remember? Besides, if you cry, you’re going to make me cry.”
“I remember,” I assure her, and glance over my shoulder into the crowd where I can see my parents sitting in the row, waiting for me. Mom is positively beaming, and even my dad looks like he could admit to a decent time if asked. Next to my mom is Matt’s mother. She looks good; better than she had been. The chemo has been working.
Carly and Jason are nowhere to be found, which is honestly not something I can truly bring myself to care about. I heard that Jason dropped his final semester because he didn’t want to face us, and Carly ended up transferring her credits to the online campus just before moving out of our house. None of us are the least bit sorry about it.
“Rowan Elizabeth Bates, please come forward,” the college president says, and my heart flutters. Matt and Dereck nod at me, then plant a kiss on each cheek. Bryce hugs me, tight, and Jamie does, too. As she leans in to wrap her arms around me, she whispers something.
“I love that you’re so happy, Rowan. You deserve it.”
“Thanks, James.” I take a step back from my best friend, and once more admire the people that mean the very most to me.
“Here’s to new beginnings,” I say. “And new friendships, and new loves.”
“Here, here!” Bryce says with a smile. I pull my shoulders back and walk out onto the stage to accept my nursing diploma. To the front of me, my parents stand to cheer, and to the back of me, the men I love and my best friend hoot and holler in excitement, chanting my name. I grin, so wide I think my face might crack, and accept my diploma.
What a beautiful day.
- The End -
