Loving Raven

11. Senior Class Celebrations

For Seniors the end of the year is filled with more than just end of the year projects and exams, there's many festivities we find ourselves looking forward to. Each year the Senior class is promised an end of the year picnic filled with food, water, a slipping slide, and loads of fun in the California sunshine to ring off the calling of Summer. During the first week of Summer we are treated to an entire day at the beach, a beach that's closed off entirely to the public and only open to school faculty and the Senior class. To top it off, the most anticipated event of the entire year, is the end of the year Senior trip. This is an entire weekend filled with an amusement park and waterpark trip, along with a concert. This is the highlight of the year, and the sound off to those who're graduating. Students save up their allowances and make payments every other month just to ensure their place and tickets to go, myself included.

The night before the kickoff to the Senior trip I found myself up late packing and talking on the phone with Raven, who had been fortunate enough to be allowed an open spot on the Senior trip if she could come up with the money on time. "Are you packing light? You're going away for a weekend, please don't be like other girls and pack like a million suitcases," I gawked at her as I began piling my weekend's worth of clothes into my suitcase.

She let out a huge sigh, "We've gone over this so many times, I'm not like other girls. No high maintenance females here." I had laid the down on my bed just before she had replied, and her laughter rang out more than loud enough for me to hear. "Let's talk about something else," she said as her laughter faded away, "Let's talk about Prom. Do we go matching? Is there a specific color you want to wear, any colors you want to avoid?"

My heart sank as she brought up the conversation about Prom, it had been on my mind from the moment I had asked her. "To be honest, Raven, I hadn't given it much thought. This is something I've never done before, I'm not even sure why I asked you," I paused for a brief moment, "Please don't take that the wrong way, I wanted to ask you. I want to go with you, but I didn't want to ask you the way I had to ask you. Marcy had destroyed so much between you and I, there was nothing else I could think of in the moment that would've made you believe the things I was trying to tell you." 

"If you don't want to go Cullen, we don't have to. I don't want to force you to do something you're not comfortable with. I've never been to a Prom either, I've never been asked to a dance. I was elated when you had asked me, thrilled even," I could sense the disappointment in her voice, she was heartbroken.

"Pick out whatever dress you want, in any color," I quickly replied, "You can even wear one of those princess ballgowns, those huge ones you see on T.V all the time! It doesn't matter what yo wear, you'll still be the most beautiful girl in that gymnasium."

"So does that mean we're still going?" her voice chimed with reassurance and pride, I could hear in her voice that she was smiling from ear to ear. A sight I wish I could see, a sight I never got tired of seeing. 

"We're going," I chuckled, "Get some rest baby, we have an early day ahead of us tomorrow. Did you ever find out if your mother would be up and willing to drive you to the school. The offer still stands, you can ride with me."

"She's taking me," she replied, "But thank you for the offer. Goodnight Cullen, I'll see you in the morning." 

"Goodnight," just as quickly as I had replied, we clicked both of our lines drawing an end to the conversation. I had always hated having to hang up the phone on the nights Raven would call, and often found myself hoping she'd call back for a brief moment wanting to continue our conversations until the sun would come up.

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The alarm clock on my nightstand read 5:45 in the morning when it rang it's way throughout the room signaling it was time for me to retreat from the warmth of my covers. I made my way throughout the house like a sloth that morning; my body beaming with excitement, while my brain was screaming for me to venture back to bed.