Chapter Twenty-Three

Graduation

Exam week was thankfully coming to an end.

The fact that Leon stayed at Savannah's house the entire week, helped a lot in the perspective that they were each other's study partners and would often build each other's confidences.

Savannah walked out of every exam feeling confident in her performance except for one.

Her math exam, but it's always been a subject she was always unsure about.

She was finally glad to get it over and done with and never how to worry about y=mx+c ever again.

On the last day of both of their exams, Leon and Savannah went to the mall to collect their graduation gowns for the ceremony the following week.

After killing some time afterwards, watching a movie, hanging out at the arcade and having dinner at a local diner, Leon dropped Savannah home and bade her goodnight.

The past month has been nothing but a dream with Leon.

It was as if they were re-living their best moments of the past together.

Savannah couldn't help but feel the daunting aspect of saying goodbye creeping up on her.

The fact that graduation night was the last night Savannah and Leon would see each other for the final time in goodness knows how long, made it an extremely bitter-sweet night.

She kept this in mind and tried not to get emotional as she slipped into her graduation gown.

It was a beige satin gown with creases at the waistline.

Savannah liked it because it gave her an hour-glass figure, she wasn't used to looking like this.

She let out her thick, curly hair, for tonight, she preferred it untamed.

She smiled at herself in the mirror and her mane of afro-y curls.

She brushed her baby hairs and pinned the side of her hair with a pin decorated with daises.

Leon picked it out. He always knew what looked good on her, or rather what she looked good in.

She heard her mother call her down, for the first time, ever, she was the last person they were waiting on.

She walked down the stairs carefully in her laced high-heels.

She was greeted with ah's and ooh's on behalf of her mother, father and little brother Ben.

Mike was unable to come to the ceremony tonight, surprise, surprise.

Nonetheless her father and Ben looked as dapper as ever and her mother looked as elegant as she had ever been.

"You look beautiful," said her father with glistening eyes, "we're so proud of you, Savannah," chimed in her mother.

Savannah stood there smiling at her parents, trying not to make the night more emotional than it already is.

"Shall we?" said Ben swinging the front door open.

Their parents made their way to the front of the car as Ben and savannah hopped into the back.

"You look like a Hollywood movie star, sis," said Ben, who was wearing a black vest matched with black jeans.

"Awe, thanks Benjamin," said Savannah ruffling Ben's hair as he cringed.

They arrived at the waterfront pier in a reception hall where the graduation ceremony was being held.

Savannah and her family walked in and sat on their table after searching for it for a brief time.

She searched for Leon. The table reserved for his family was a few tables away from Savannah's.

From where she was sitting she could see their seats were empty.

She hadn't spoken to him all day.

A little over twenty minutes later, Savannah recognised no other than Leon walked through the door trailing after his parents.

His father was a short man with gelled back brown hair and his mother was a tall, sweet-faced, blonde woman who always wore a warm smile on her face.

Savannah wouldn't see Leon's parents often, they lived very busy lives as a lawyer and a high-school psychology teacher.

Leon spotted Savannah, smiled and approached her, his parents trailing closely behind.

His parents greeted Savannah's parents as Savannah and Leon stared at each other with glistening eyes and content.

Even though neither said a word, Savannah knew they were thinking the same thing.

These were there final moments together, Savannah bit her lip and tried so hard to not get emotional.

"We did it," said Leon in what was barely a whisper,

"I know... we're no longer high-school students," added Savannah.

They stared at each other like it was both the first and last time they'd lock eyes.

She took in every detail of Leon.

She knew she'd never forget him, but she wanted to make sure she always remembered him.

"You look beautiful, Savannah... Wild-haired and calmed-faced... like always."

Leon was wearing an off-white button-down, collared top and navy blue trousers that cuffed around his ankles.

His top was buttoned down, revealing the black sea-shell necklace Mitchell and herself had given him for his birthday.

The sides of his tattoo that was as black as ever on his tan chest.

His hair was neatly trimmed on the sides as his golden brown curls fell down his forehead from the top of his head.

Like it always did.

"So do you mate, as curly haired and chestnut-eyed as ever," smiled Savannah, reaching in for a cuddle.

The evening was lively and Savannah and Leon spent every second together, from eating their meals to getting wild on the dance floor.

When they were about an hour-and-a-half into the evening, they found Mitchell, who was ecstatic to see them.

Together they danced and sang their hearts out on the dance-floor, they took so many pictures in the photo booth it ran out of film and went around tables eating untouched desserts (it was Leon's idea.)

It crossed Savannah's mind, many times that these were her last moments with Leon, but instead of crying about it, she made the most of every second.

They slowed danced,

first Savannah and Leon, then Savannah and Mitchell then Leon and Mitchell as Savannah danced with her father, then Savannah and Ben, then it went back to Savannah and Leon again.

Savannah was exhausted and her toes were beginning to feel as if they were about to fall off.

It was fifteen minutes to midnight.

Leon pulled Savannah to the side and sat them both on a deserted table.

"I know that we agreed 'no gifts,' but I couldn't help myself," said Leon as he pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift.

Savannah opened it, fighting back the tears creeping up her eyes.

She opened it.

It was a notebook.

She looked at him,

"I want you to write again, write like you used to... because when you do, a fire starts in your eyes... write poems, songs, heck whatever you want... just please don't be scared of doing something you're so passionate about... do I have a promise?" he said, looking at her endearingly.

Savannah nodded, trying so desperately to keep it together.

She took out her daisy hairpin and placed it on his chest pocket wordlessly.

"God, I'm gonna miss you so much," said Leon his voice breaking,

that was it for Savannah, it was as if those words opened the gates as tears flooded her eyes.

She threw her arms around Leon, tears streaming down her face.

For the last time they were one, they breathed the same air, their hearts beat to the same rhythm and their brains rode the same waves.

A few hours from now, Leon wouldn't even be in the same continent as her.

Savannah felt Leon's body pressed against hers.

Saying goodbye never hurt so much.

"I want you to know that even though this is probably the last time in however many years, that we spend time like this together, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. I love you Lee."

Savannah smiled at him adoringly as she wiped her tears away.

"Savannah... our best years may be behind us, but i enjoyed every single second of it, with you.... Thank you for seeing a light in the little boy with pink nail polish when he couldn't see it in himself."

He sniffled, "okay, okay, enough with the tears, you're gonna see me more often than you think and even if you don't, just know that I'll always be thinking of you," he said as they walked out into the parking lot.

Savannah laughed as she wiped away her tears, as she held her shoes in her hands.

"Just promise me one thing Sav?"

"what's that?"

"take care... and never stop doing what you love for anybody."

"Okay Lee, I want you to promise me something,"

"by all means,"

"Please stay safe," said Savannah covering his palms with hers,

"oh, I always do," he said teary eyed.

Savannah could see her parents waiting for her by their car.

Just then Ethan, Caleb, Mitchell, Heather and Natalie nearly out of nowhere, high-fiving Leon and hugging him, clearly over-the-moon that they graduated.

They weren't dressed in their formal attire, but as if they were going out partying.

"Leon mate, come join us at the after-party at The Underlights.

Savannah guessed it was sometime of club.

"Just a sec," said Leon, he turned to Savannah,

"care to join?"

As much as Savannah want to spend Leon's final moments in Australia together with him, going clubbing with he and his friends wasn't the way she envisioned it would be.

It had been a sweet night and she didn't want to end it any other way than she was doing now.

She wanted Leon to go out and have fun, because she was not his only friend and for once, she was absolutely okay with that.

She made memories with her greatest friend tonight and she didn't want to ruin it with alcohol, loud music and laser lights.

She wanted to leave that to his friends.

She smiled, "No babe, you run along and have fun," and she meant it with everything in her.

She was ready to say goodbye to Leon because this was the moment she wanted to remember him in.

And she knew Leon felt the same.

He approached her and smiled, showing every single one of his teeth, his eyes glistened in the moonlight and his soft skin gleamed.

His smile was the most beautiful she had ever seen it in her life.

She grabbed her and gave her a rib-crushing hug.

It was time to let him go and be the free and wild spirit he is, and Savannah was okay with that.

He let go and joined his clique before turning around again,

"I Love you, Savannah Brown."