"Are you excited?" My mom asks.

"It's finally happening!" I say with an excited smile.

"We're so proud of you, Sweetheart." My dad says, parking the car.

"All the graduates have to enter on this side of the building. But I'll try to find you guys in the audience." I say, grabbing my cap and exiting the vehicle.

I see where all the seniors are supposed to meet and spot Ella talking to Zane. She notices me walking towards her and shoves Zane out of the way.

"We're graduating!" She shouts, pulling me into a hug.

"I know! It feels so weird that we won't be here in the fall." I say. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"You know I'll never forget about you. You're my main bitch." She says, laughing.

"With all the shit that has happened, we're bonded for life." I joke.

She playfully rolls her eyes and wraps her arm around me. "You know I love you, right?" She asks.

"I love you too. Thanks for not trying to kill me." I say.

"Thanks for not accusing me of working with her. I know you were on edge before the whole thing, so I can't imagine how paranoid you were about every single interaction with everyone was for you. I should have confronted you about that from the beginning instead of letting you deal with that on your own." She says with a frown.

I hug her tight and say, "You did nothing wrong. Ashton was there for me because we agreed to only keep it between us. I don't think I would have shared even if you snooped for information."

"I'm glad you had him there. If he wasn't, I don't know what I would have done if you were gone for good." She says with a shakey voice.

"Hey, I'm still here. This is a happy day for us! I'm just grateful you understand why I didn't immediately share everything with you." I say.

"Someone in our inner circle threatening you is totally understandable. I definitely didn't want to be a suspect, so I tried not to pry too much into the whole Evanescent thing. But they're gone, and we're still here. Fuck that bitch." She says, flipping off the ground.

"As a side note, I'm sorry I wasn't there to get the tea between you and Zane. I really am happy for you, and I'll be here for you, always." I say, squeezing her hand.

"We're even on that. You didn't update me about Ashton because of the whole threat situation. I'd keep my business on the low too. But we're finally in happy, healthy relationships! Life can't get better." She says, bringing us back to Ashton and Zane.

I make eye contact with Ashton, and he lifts his arm for me to slip into. I smile and turn to cup his cheek. He brushes his lips against mine and says, "You look angelic, Lynn. My little angel from hell."

Ella coughs, and Zane says, "Keep in mind we're at a school event." Ashton and I ignore them and flip them off.

"You two were all over each other before I got here. I thought one of you would climax here in the parking lot." I say sarcastically.

Ella snorts and says, "I fake it with him."

Zane fakes a shocked expression and says, "Babe. Am I really that bad?"

"I didn't know how to tell you." She cries dramatically.

Zane pecks her lips teasingly and wraps his arm around her. "Let's head in. This ceremony is going to take forever." Ella complains.

"Are you excited?" I ask Ashton while we trail behind them.

"Very. I'm so sick of high school." He sighs, adjusting his cap.

I bite back a smile and decide to help him. He drops his hands to my waist so I can fix his cap, and I part his hair so the cap can fit. "You have a big ass forehead," I mumble.

He chuckles, and I meet his eye when I finish. I lean forward for one last kiss and say, "Don't trip up the stairs. That'd be embarrassing to see on the screen."

"If I fall, just assume I found you in the audience while grabbing my diploma. I thought we'd be allowed to leave the second we got our diploma in our hands." He says.

"Giving us a blank diploma holder really trapped us," I say, shaking my head. We separate into our alphabetical orders and then file into a line for the procession.

The first hour feels like forever, and I finally hear the principal call, "Adalynn Ryder."

My family and friends start to shout while I walk up the stage. I shake hands with the people on stage and get handed my diploma folder.

"Congratulations." My principal says.

I walk down the steps and sit back in my seat. I glance at Ashton, and he blows me a kiss. I pretend to catch it, and then we continue to watch the other students.

When Ashton gets called up, Ella, Zane, and I start yelling like there's no tomorrow. He comes back with his diploma, and I mouth, "I'm proud of you."

Ella, Zane, Ashton, and I decide to go out for late lunch. We go to a diner that sells burgers and milkshakes and start talking about our plans for the summer.

"I think I'm staying here for the summer," I say.

"I'll be doing an internship starting in July," Zane says.

"I'm visiting family over the summer. But it's only for a week." Ella says, shrugging.

"I think I'm going somewhere this summer, but I'm not sure yet," Ashton says, smiling at me.

Ella and Zane decided to head out early, leaving me with Ashton. We decide to get ice cream and Ashton asks, "Remember our first unofficial date?"

"How could I forget?" I ask, linking my arm around his.

We walk into the shop and get in line. When we finally get to the front, it's the same cashier as last time.

"What would you like?" She asks, only looking at Ashton.

I say, "Mint chocolate chip in a cone, please!"

She rolls her eyes and has the other worker scoop my ice cream.

"I'll have cookies and cream in a large cup," Ashton says, taking out his credit card.

She glares at me when he goes to pay for my food and asks, "You're actually dating her?"

"Yep, she's my girlfriend," Ashton says, wrapping an arm around my waist. She rolls her eyes and hands us our ice cream.

"How do you not get annoyed when people hit on you?" I ask curiously.

"No one ever hit on me until I moved. But I'm only used to having an annoying girlfriend hit on me, so..." He trails, shrugging.

"Annoying? I'm the best thing in your life." I say, laughing.

"Damn right," Ashton says automatically. I smile, and he leans forward to kiss me.

"When we were having lunch, you said you might be going somewhere... Do you know where? Or are your parents keeping it a secret or something?" I ask, tilting my head.

"My parents aren't coming," Ashton says.

"Oh?" I say, confused.

"What if I told you I bought our tickets to France this summer?" He asks, smiling.

"I'd probably stay home," I say, shrugging.

"Oh... Guess I'll have to find someone else to go with." Ashton says, faking a disappointed look.

"You're fucking with me," I say, laughing.

"I bought the tickets," Ashton says seriously.

"What?" I ask, surprised.

"I asked your parents, and they said they're okay with us going." He says, grinning.

I cup his face and kiss him. "I love you," I whisper.

"I love you so much more." He says.

"Are we really doing this?" I ask, still shocked.

"This is going to be the best summer ever." He says, holding my hand.

"And why is that?" I ask teasingly.

"Cause I'll be with you the whole time." He says cheekily.

I happily sigh and say, "Sounds like heaven."

"You are my angel." He says.

I smile at his words and whisper, "I love you so much." I wrap my arms around him and place my head in the crook of his neck.

"This is it for me. You're my future. You're my everything." He says, pulling me in for another kiss.

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