Graduation day, a day I thought would never arrive, I am finally done with Buckingham High, I cleared out my locker, handed my textbooks back to the office and have my cape and gown ready, I am so excited.
Tess and I arrive at school at 11, I take my seat next to Cassie, the best part about seating being done in alphabetical order is that Goth comes just before Green. Tess takes her place on stage next to Declan, her final duty as School Captain is to run the ceremony alongside Mr Landgaarb.
We do a practice run of the ceremony before the parents and special guests arrive.
"They are going to drag this out aunt they?" Cassie complains and I nod, I just want to get my diploma and drink champagne and dance around my basement with my friends.
The ceremony begins at 1pm, we've been sitting in the school hall for hours and everyones restless so when Tess finally steps up to the microphone to commence we all cheer.
"I like to welcome our parents and guests and congratulate my fellow classmates on completing not only the hardest year of our lives, so far, but also 13 years of schooling. The memories that we've made here will stay with us forever and no matter where you are going next year you will always have a part of Buckingham with you. On behalf of Declan and myself we want to say that we have been honoured to be your school captains and we would like to thank Mr Landgaarb and all our teachers for all their guidance and support this year." Tess announces to the crowd and we all cheer again.
Mr Landgaarb approaches the microphone and begins handing out our diplomas, Declan is first, followed by Tess and then the rest of the class in alphabetical order. When it comes to my turn to accept my diploma Mr Landgaarb smiles warmly at me
"Congratulations Miss Green" he says, shaking my hand, Tess breaks protocol to run up and hug me, to share this moment together.
After the ceremony we find all set out to find our parents and guests. I spot Mum and Don, standing at the back of the room talking to Imogen, I'm surprised to see her here. I approach them and Mum pulls Tess and I in for a hug together.
"Im so proud of my babies" She cries.
Don is next to grab us and tell us that he is proud and happy, I've never seen Don cry before today. We move down the line to Imogen, who looks as beautiful as ever.
"Congratulations Zoey and Tess" She says hugging us
"Thank you" I reply, "Is Angus here?" I ask her and she points behind me, he was filming the ceremony and Tess and I with our parents. He runs up to us, wraps me up in his arms, picks me up and spins me.
"You're free Princess, congratulations" He exclaims, that big, bright smile on his face but his face drops when he sees Mr Landgaarb coming over to us, "Fuck" he whispers to me.
"Congratulations again Zoey" Mr Landgaarb says
"Thank you" I reply through gritted teeth, I hate this guy.
"Angus I wanted to come over and clear the air, after Tuesday evening. Zoey was right, I was out of line with how I spoke to you, it's been 5 years and you've grown into a good man. I also want to apologise to you for destroying your education, it's not excuse but my son was a drug addict who is now serving a life sentence in a foreign prison for attempting to smuggle drugs, when I caught you with drugs I took the anger I have for my son out on you. You were a bright student and could have gone far" Mr Landgaarb explains
"Thank you for the apology but it doesn't really change what happened, what I lost" Angus says coldly
"Which is why I have an offer for you. I looked over your records, saw what subjects you took and have spoken to our teachers here, I want to give you back your year, it would mean you would have to start year 12 again but I want to get you your high school certificate and you could go to university" Mr Landgaarb offers him
"I'll be 23 sitting in a classroom with 17 and 18 year olds?" Angus asks
"No, you can do your subjects at home, at your own pace, we will be on hand to provide you with as much tutoring and support you need to get you up to speed and your girlfriend here would be happy to help too" He says, pointing to me, I'm about to correct him when Angus jumps in
"I accept your offer" Angus says, shaking Landgaarb's hand.
"I'm having a small graduation party at my house, would you come to it?" I invite Angus one Landgaarb has left us
"Of course sweetie, as long as you don't mind a high schooler coming along to your party" He laughs
"Oh yeah, we don't hang out with high school kids" I tease him
"I can't believe I'm going to put myself through all that stress again" He sighs
"At least this time you know whats coming, you know the material, you've read all the books on the reading list and you can have my notes. Plus I'll help you through, so will the others and we can go to university together" I tell him, I'm so happy he gets a second chance.
"I owe you so much Zoey, if you hadn't defended me then this would never of happened. Thank you" He hugs me tightly
Angus and I walk to his car which he parked in the school parking lot and he hands me the his keys.
"You're driving home" He announces to me
"I can't drive your car. What if I crash it?" I panic
"I'm insured and you won't crash. Just remember though, I love my car so you've gotta treat her right, take it slow, ease yourself into it" He reminds me
"You love her more than me?" I ask him
"She never left me" He teases.
I drive slowly out of the car park, making sure I'm cautious and head out of Forgotten Hollow.
"I could get used to driving this" I tell him as we come into Willow Creek, I'm staying just under 60km
"You can go faster if you want, it's 70 along this road" He tells me and I put my foot down slightly on the accelerator, bringing it up to 67, "You're doing good Zo" He praises me.
"I told you I could drive" I remind him
"Yeah but you also told me you felt nervous driving outside of Brindleton Bay so I'm a little surprised with how calm you are" He exclaims
"I couldn't drive to San Myshuno during the day, I'd have a panic attack with the amount of traffic and all the lane changes" I tell him
"Zoey there was a time, not too long ago, when you couldn't even talk to me without having a panic attack and now you're telling off school principals, you're not that shy, timid girl I first met, you've pushed yourself outside of your own comfort zone and I love seeing it" He says, placing a hand on my knee
"And I credit a lot of that too you Angus, you brought me out of my shell, you made me feel special" I look over at him and smile
"Eyes on the road Zoey" He panics slightly
My basement has been transformed with balloons and streamers, theres food everywhere and Don is mixing drinks at the bar. Tess, Cassie, Sam and Declan are already here.
"I just messaged Steph, she said her and Annabelle will be here soon" Tess says running up to me
"I drove Angus' car" I blurt out to her, it's a big, exciting achievement for me and I want to tell everyone
"You let her drive it? Her?" Tess yells at Angus
"She earned it, she got me a second chance at completing Year 12" Angus boasts
"What? That's awesome news" Tess says hugging Angus and then me, "Let's drink and dance", she grabs my hand and leads me to where Cassie, Sam and Declan are dancing, Angus goes to the bar and gets us drinks and talk to Don, I look over and see them laughing together, my mother walks up to Angus and hugs him warmly, I didn't even know him when I started the year and now he is so intertwined into my life, even when we didn't talk he was still in my life through Tess, Cassie and Declan.
I leave my group to join Angus, I hear the end of their conversation as I approach, something about Christmas is being discussed.
"It's only October and you're already planning Christmas?" I ask them and they exchange looks
"Zoey you know me, always making plans" Angus laughs
"Can I borrow you for a moment, I have something for you" I ask him, he hands me a drink and follows me upstairs, to my bedroom, I realise this is the first time he's been in here too.
"I love your mural, did Tess paint that?" He marvels at the beautiful beach scene.
"She did, she's pretty good. Did you ever get her to paint one in your office?" I enquire
"Yep, I'll show it to you tomorrow afternoon, she did an amazing job and now I have something beautiful to look at every day" He tells me and I hand him his copy of 'Seduction by the Sea'
"Sorry, I've had this sitting here since July, I thought about mailing it back to you but I didn't want to let it go, it reminded me of you" I say
"You didn't finish it?" He exclaims
"I tried to, I love the story but after we broke up I couldn't read about the captain without thinking of you, so I would sleep with it beside me every night" I tell him
"Keep it Zo, finish it" He urges, putting it back down on my bedside table, "I like your room, it's very Zoey"
"I don't even know what that means Angus" I laugh
"You've got this giant movie collection which is almost matched by your book collection, you have posters of horses and little shinny trinkets, it's cute like you" He smiles at me
"You like cute, I remember" I smile back at him
"I like you" He exclaims, stroking my cheek
"We should probably get back to the party" I suggest because I know his flirting won't go anywhere and I'll just end up sad that it will never be what I want it to be.
Tess and I arrive at school at 11, I take my seat next to Cassie, the best part about seating being done in alphabetical order is that Goth comes just before Green. Tess takes her place on stage next to Declan, her final duty as School Captain is to run the ceremony alongside Mr Landgaarb.
We do a practice run of the ceremony before the parents and special guests arrive.
"They are going to drag this out aunt they?" Cassie complains and I nod, I just want to get my diploma and drink champagne and dance around my basement with my friends.
The ceremony begins at 1pm, we've been sitting in the school hall for hours and everyones restless so when Tess finally steps up to the microphone to commence we all cheer.
"I like to welcome our parents and guests and congratulate my fellow classmates on completing not only the hardest year of our lives, so far, but also 13 years of schooling. The memories that we've made here will stay with us forever and no matter where you are going next year you will always have a part of Buckingham with you. On behalf of Declan and myself we want to say that we have been honoured to be your school captains and we would like to thank Mr Landgaarb and all our teachers for all their guidance and support this year." Tess announces to the crowd and we all cheer again.
Mr Landgaarb approaches the microphone and begins handing out our diplomas, Declan is first, followed by Tess and then the rest of the class in alphabetical order. When it comes to my turn to accept my diploma Mr Landgaarb smiles warmly at me
"Congratulations Miss Green" he says, shaking my hand, Tess breaks protocol to run up and hug me, to share this moment together.
After the ceremony we find all set out to find our parents and guests. I spot Mum and Don, standing at the back of the room talking to Imogen, I'm surprised to see her here. I approach them and Mum pulls Tess and I in for a hug together.
"Im so proud of my babies" She cries.
Don is next to grab us and tell us that he is proud and happy, I've never seen Don cry before today. We move down the line to Imogen, who looks as beautiful as ever.
"Congratulations Zoey and Tess" She says hugging us
"Thank you" I reply, "Is Angus here?" I ask her and she points behind me, he was filming the ceremony and Tess and I with our parents. He runs up to us, wraps me up in his arms, picks me up and spins me.
"You're free Princess, congratulations" He exclaims, that big, bright smile on his face but his face drops when he sees Mr Landgaarb coming over to us, "Fuck" he whispers to me.
"Congratulations again Zoey" Mr Landgaarb says
"Thank you" I reply through gritted teeth, I hate this guy.
"Angus I wanted to come over and clear the air, after Tuesday evening. Zoey was right, I was out of line with how I spoke to you, it's been 5 years and you've grown into a good man. I also want to apologise to you for destroying your education, it's not excuse but my son was a drug addict who is now serving a life sentence in a foreign prison for attempting to smuggle drugs, when I caught you with drugs I took the anger I have for my son out on you. You were a bright student and could have gone far" Mr Landgaarb explains
"Thank you for the apology but it doesn't really change what happened, what I lost" Angus says coldly
"Which is why I have an offer for you. I looked over your records, saw what subjects you took and have spoken to our teachers here, I want to give you back your year, it would mean you would have to start year 12 again but I want to get you your high school certificate and you could go to university" Mr Landgaarb offers him
"I'll be 23 sitting in a classroom with 17 and 18 year olds?" Angus asks
"No, you can do your subjects at home, at your own pace, we will be on hand to provide you with as much tutoring and support you need to get you up to speed and your girlfriend here would be happy to help too" He says, pointing to me, I'm about to correct him when Angus jumps in
"I accept your offer" Angus says, shaking Landgaarb's hand.
"I'm having a small graduation party at my house, would you come to it?" I invite Angus one Landgaarb has left us
"Of course sweetie, as long as you don't mind a high schooler coming along to your party" He laughs
"Oh yeah, we don't hang out with high school kids" I tease him
"I can't believe I'm going to put myself through all that stress again" He sighs
"At least this time you know whats coming, you know the material, you've read all the books on the reading list and you can have my notes. Plus I'll help you through, so will the others and we can go to university together" I tell him, I'm so happy he gets a second chance.
"I owe you so much Zoey, if you hadn't defended me then this would never of happened. Thank you" He hugs me tightly
Angus and I walk to his car which he parked in the school parking lot and he hands me the his keys.
"You're driving home" He announces to me
"I can't drive your car. What if I crash it?" I panic
"I'm insured and you won't crash. Just remember though, I love my car so you've gotta treat her right, take it slow, ease yourself into it" He reminds me
"You love her more than me?" I ask him
"She never left me" He teases.
I drive slowly out of the car park, making sure I'm cautious and head out of Forgotten Hollow.
"I could get used to driving this" I tell him as we come into Willow Creek, I'm staying just under 60km
"You can go faster if you want, it's 70 along this road" He tells me and I put my foot down slightly on the accelerator, bringing it up to 67, "You're doing good Zo" He praises me.
"I told you I could drive" I remind him
"Yeah but you also told me you felt nervous driving outside of Brindleton Bay so I'm a little surprised with how calm you are" He exclaims
"I couldn't drive to San Myshuno during the day, I'd have a panic attack with the amount of traffic and all the lane changes" I tell him
"Zoey there was a time, not too long ago, when you couldn't even talk to me without having a panic attack and now you're telling off school principals, you're not that shy, timid girl I first met, you've pushed yourself outside of your own comfort zone and I love seeing it" He says, placing a hand on my knee
"And I credit a lot of that too you Angus, you brought me out of my shell, you made me feel special" I look over at him and smile
"Eyes on the road Zoey" He panics slightly
My basement has been transformed with balloons and streamers, theres food everywhere and Don is mixing drinks at the bar. Tess, Cassie, Sam and Declan are already here.
"I just messaged Steph, she said her and Annabelle will be here soon" Tess says running up to me
"I drove Angus' car" I blurt out to her, it's a big, exciting achievement for me and I want to tell everyone
"You let her drive it? Her?" Tess yells at Angus
"She earned it, she got me a second chance at completing Year 12" Angus boasts
"What? That's awesome news" Tess says hugging Angus and then me, "Let's drink and dance", she grabs my hand and leads me to where Cassie, Sam and Declan are dancing, Angus goes to the bar and gets us drinks and talk to Don, I look over and see them laughing together, my mother walks up to Angus and hugs him warmly, I didn't even know him when I started the year and now he is so intertwined into my life, even when we didn't talk he was still in my life through Tess, Cassie and Declan.
I leave my group to join Angus, I hear the end of their conversation as I approach, something about Christmas is being discussed.
"It's only October and you're already planning Christmas?" I ask them and they exchange looks
"Zoey you know me, always making plans" Angus laughs
"Can I borrow you for a moment, I have something for you" I ask him, he hands me a drink and follows me upstairs, to my bedroom, I realise this is the first time he's been in here too.
"I love your mural, did Tess paint that?" He marvels at the beautiful beach scene.
"She did, she's pretty good. Did you ever get her to paint one in your office?" I enquire
"Yep, I'll show it to you tomorrow afternoon, she did an amazing job and now I have something beautiful to look at every day" He tells me and I hand him his copy of 'Seduction by the Sea'
"Sorry, I've had this sitting here since July, I thought about mailing it back to you but I didn't want to let it go, it reminded me of you" I say
"You didn't finish it?" He exclaims
"I tried to, I love the story but after we broke up I couldn't read about the captain without thinking of you, so I would sleep with it beside me every night" I tell him
"Keep it Zo, finish it" He urges, putting it back down on my bedside table, "I like your room, it's very Zoey"
"I don't even know what that means Angus" I laugh
"You've got this giant movie collection which is almost matched by your book collection, you have posters of horses and little shinny trinkets, it's cute like you" He smiles at me
"You like cute, I remember" I smile back at him
"I like you" He exclaims, stroking my cheek
"We should probably get back to the party" I suggest because I know his flirting won't go anywhere and I'll just end up sad that it will never be what I want it to be.
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