Shattered ✓

F O R T Y - O N E

Alexa

I sighed.

I stood next to Elliot and Andrew, looking around for Zach.

Cameron, Justin and Jason had their own ceremonies to go to, Cameron having graduated high school and the twins going to the next grade—eleventh, I think.

Michael and Jackson had both left, before I could stop them. I wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but I had a pretty good guess.

We made plans to hang out tonight, after hanging out with our families, but I wasn't so sure if that was still on.

Andrew nudged me with his elbow, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You think Michael's still coming later?" he asked, his tone casual, though there was an undercurrent of concern.

"I'm not sure," I admitted, crossing my arms. "Maybe. If he's feeling up to it."

"And Jackson?" Elliot asked quietly, surprising me. "You think he's coming?"

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. "I don't know. I mean... after whatever happened between them, it's hard to say. Do you think he'd want to be around Michael right now?"

Elliot shrugged, but his expression wasn't as dismissive as usual. "Probably not. But Jackson's not the type to just disappear, either. He might show up just to keep things from getting more awkward."

Andrew frowned, running a hand through his hair. "I feel bad for both of them. Michael's obviously upset, but Jackson... I don't know..  Whatever happened, it's hitting them both hard."

"Yeah," Elliot agreed, his voice quieter now. "I think they both need time. This... whatever it is... it's not something they can just brush off."

I sighed, glancing between them. "So what do we do? If they both show up, do we just pretend everything's normal?"

Andrew shook his head. "No way. We don't ignore it, but we also don't push them. If they want to talk, we're here. If not, we just... hang out and try to keep things light. They're our friends, both of them."

Elliot nodded. "Yeah. We'll figure it out."

I looked back toward the schoolyard, half-hoping to catch a glimpse of Michael or Jackson lingering in the crowd. But they were gone, and I couldn't shake the feeling that tonight might be more complicated than any of us expected.

Elliot glanced around the packed gymnasium, his brows furrowed. Families milled about, snapping pictures, hugging, and laughing. It was a chaotic sea of people, and finding anyone was nearly impossible.

"I should go find Mom before she loses her mind," Elliot said, shifting uncomfortably. "She's probably somewhere in here, waving her arms like a lunatic."

Andrew smirked. "Classic. If you don't find her soon, she's going to storm the stage with a megaphone."

Elliot rolled his eyes but didn't disagree. "You staying here?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No, I'll catch up later. I need to check on Michael and figure out if everyone's still coming tonight."

"Alright," he said, scanning the crowd one more time before muttering, "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," I said with a faint smile as he disappeared into the throng of parents and balloons, his determined expression almost comical.

Andrew leaned against the back wall of the gym, watching Elliot maneuver through the crowd. "You know, for a guy who acts like he doesn't care about anything, he sure moves fast when it means avoiding Mom Trouble."