Our Beloved Summer | A TSITP Story

Chapter 28

Adam had called my mother last week, informing her that he and the boys wouldn't be able to make it to mine and Stevens graduation. He said the two of them were busy, but I knew Conrad didn't want to see me, and Jere would go along with his brother. I hadn't talked to Jere since the funeral but I could hear Belly talking to him through the walls. I knew it wasn't Taylor because Belly spoke much softer to Jere, especially now.

"Dani, I told you that dress is too small for you." I heard my mother say. Turning around from my blank stare into the mirror, I could see her looking disappointed and a little disheveled. She's been a mess for the last five months. No one said anything about it though.

"Susannah bought me this." I said blankly. I couldn't care less about what my mother had to say anyways. The dress was like most other things I wear, she was just in a bitchy mood today. My mother looked taken aback, almost ashamed that she said something like that about something to do with Susannah. Still, she had to have the final word.

"Just... don't bend over. And come downstairs, there's a gift for you."

A gift? From who? I knew it wasn't my mother because she would've made sure I knew it was from her. Saying something like 'I picked this out just for you' or 'don't you want to say thank you?'.

As I came downstairs, I saw Steven at the dining room table with Belly. Our gowns were hanging behind them, decorated in cords and our Valedictorian and Salutatorian banners. Belly was standing over a basket of things - Steven pulled out one of the two laptops.

"Sweet, a laptop? Who sent this?" Steven said as I walked over to the table myself. I grabbed the two small envelopes that each had mine and Stevens name on them, in perfect cursive.

"It's from Susannah." I said, immediately recognizing the handwriting on the small envelope. It was like she had written it just minutes before. Seeing it and knowing this could've been one of the last things she touched sent Steven and I a goody bin for college. Susannah thought of everything. Laptops, gift cards, pens, notebooks, all the things she said we'd need for college.

"She must have planned it before. Classic Beck." Said mom, not sounding surprised.

I handed Steven his card and listened to Belly as she spoke, "I wish she could've been here. Conrad and Jere too."

"They were busy." Mom said, rummaging in her bag for something.

Steven scoffed from my side and I looked at him to see an annoyed look on his face, "Yeah, sure." He said.

Apparently neither Conrad or Jeremiah had spoken to him since the funeral. Maybe I could understand that I had something to do with Conrad, but not Jeremiah. Even then I didn't think I deserve to be on the other end of Stevens passive aggressiveness. I didn't deserve the blame I was receiving. Not from Steven.

"Read yours, Dani." Belly said, looking hopeful.

"I'll read it when we get back."

I didn't think I could handle Susannah's words of wisdom, right now. I just wanted to breeze through this day on a straight line, no bends or curves. I just needed to walk across that stage, and begin the next chapter of my life.

So that's what I did. I sat through Stevens' speech and then walked across the stage, finishing my eighteenth chapter. As I stood outside in the school courtyard I pondered about what that nineteenth chapter would be like. If I would have anything to actually live for. So far, nothing was going according to plan. Just last week, I had been waitlisted for Julliard. My dad told me there was still hope, that I'd been accepted but it just wasn't the right time. I couldn't really see that hope though, or feel it.