"are you excited?" london, sierras mother asks from across the table. sierra shrugs as she bites her piece of bacon. it's the day of her graduation, and she doesn't know how to feel. she imagined this day since her first year, but now that it's here it feels surreal. "you should be! it's a big day—my baby's all grown up." she says, a bright smile on her face.
sierra can't help but smile shyly at her mother's words. when she thinks about it too hard, it makes her teary eyed and nostalgic.
"when is rayana gonna be here?" sierra asks her mother.
"she was supposed to be here ten minutes ago to have breakfast, but you know that girl don't understand the concept of clocks," london replies, shaking her head and taking another bite of her food. sierra snorts at her mother's words. rayana would probably be late to her own funeral if it was possible. "let me call this girl." her mom mumbles, grabbing her phone out of her clutch purse.
while she busies herself with calling her other daughter, sierra quickly texts jack.
sierra: when will u be here?
immediately, he calls her and an immense amount of dread and anxiety wash over her. it's never a good sign when you text somebody and they respond by calling you, especially if it's about plans or clarification. and if she knows jack, this is a telling sign that she's not going to like what he's about to say. he'd never miss my graduation, she thinks to herself. but he missed my 21st.
excusing herself from the table, she answers the phone and heads down the hallway, locking herself in her bathroom. "hello?" she says, leaning against the counter
"baby?"
"yes? are you on your way?" she asks, running a hand over her soft, newly installed, hair.
"uh, no," jack says and she lets out a sigh, rolling her eyes. "but i'll be there, sierra. what time you need to be at the school?" he asks.
"eleven," she replies, her voice bored. it was 8:45. she takes a deep breath to calm herself down, but her brain swarms with so many scenarios that involve him missing her graduation that she can't fully concentrate.
"sierra."
"what?"
"i'll be there, baby. i promise," jack says, and she wants to believe him so badly, but she knows him. and she knows that when he promises things, that he never comes through.
sierra bites her bottom lip. "don't tell me, just be there. i have to go. i'll see you later," she says and then hangs up. sierra shakes her head, gently tapping the corner of her phone against her palm. she doesn't even care if she doesn't see him before her graduation—as long as he's in the crowd she'll be happy. all she wants is him there.
she comes out of the bathroom to find her mother waiting in the hallway, her hands on her hips and her head tilted to the side. "mama- what didnt you learn last time?" her mother asks, cutting her off and shaking her head. "you need to see yourself away from him."
sierra rolls her eyes. "mama, stop, please."
"is he even going to be there?"
"yes! and be nice when you see him," sierra says, her tone clipped and annoyed. london mutters to herself and sierra walks down the hallway to her room, shouting, "i'm gonna shower!" over her shoulder. she knows that bringing jack around her family is like walking him into war, but they all need to learn to be cordial with him because he's nothing but nice, and he's always going to be around.
jack looks at his phone screen and considers calling sierra back, but doesn't because it won't change anything. she's not going to fully believe that he'll show up by word of mouth.
