The Sophomore

Chapter Seventeen - Bitter Sweet Symphony

Emily's POV

On the morning of James's graduation, I met Reyna in the ballroom where the ceremony would be held. "This is so exciting! James must be so proud of himself," Reyna said,

"I hope so. But knowing him, he was probably up late last night working on an article," I said.

We both laughed, and then I heard someone clear their throat behind me. "Emily, what a pleasure to see you," Olivia said.

I turned around to see George and Olivia Ashton. "Mr. and Mrs. Ashton, I'm so glad you were able to make it."

"I wouldn't miss my son's graduation for the world."

"This is one of those moments all parents look forward to. And now that we get to experience it ourselves..." George said. "Well, I won't pretend I'm not feeling rather giddy."

"Emily, I'd like to thank you and your friends for supporting James over the past year." Olivia turned toward Reyna. "And you must be the Reyna Mercado we've heard so much about."

She held out her hand, and Reyna took it, looking surprised. "Oh no, I hope it's only been good things," Reyna said.

George laughed heartily and shook her hand as well. "Oh, I'd say good is an understatement. You've really charmed him," George said.

He grinned broadly, and Reyna blushed. "Reyna is totally James's type," I said. "Hard-working, passionate, thoughtful, and super nice!"

"Well, I can understand why he brings you up so often."

"He... He does?" Reyna asked.

"Surely you're not surprised, dear. After all, it sounds like you two have been fairly close lately," Olivia said.

"Understatement of the year!" I exclaimed.

There was the screech of a microphone as someone cleared their throat into it, the sound traveling over the ballroom. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The ceremony will begin shortly, so if you could please find your seats if you haven't already," Dean Stafford said.

"Emily, Reyna, please sit with George and me," Olivia said.

Reyna and I followed James's parents to a table on the other side of the ballroom, near the stage. As people seated themselves, Reyna leaned in to quietly talk to me. "This is so exciting! I can't wait to see James walk," Reyna said.

"Oh, I just remembered! I read your article about the development projects," I said. "'DD' stands for Delacroix Developments. That's very interesting..."

"Yes, I've been researching the company a bit more during my free time. It seems that they specialize in moving into rundown neighborhoods and putting up apartment complexes and commercial businesses."

"I know a Delacroix. Sebastian... It's not a common family name. I wonder if this is a relative of his."

Just then, Dean Stafford approached the podium, and the room fell quiet. "Thank you, family and friends of Hartfeld, for joining us today. Before our graduates take to this stage one last time..." Dean Stafford said. "I'd like to welcome our salutatorian, James Ashton, to say a few words."

"Did you know about this?" Reyna asked.

"I had no idea," I said.

James walked onstage and shook Dean Stafford's hand. Then, he stepped up to the podium and smiled. "First off, I want to say... Hi, Mom and Dad," James said. He grinned and his parents chuckled beside me. "It's an honor to speak at graduation... especially considering I almost dropped out a year ago. I was anxious to start a career, so I chased an opportunity that was too good to be true. It turned out the best thing I could've done was stay here, finish college, and grow wiser. I learned a lot in my time here. In classes, from my professors... I... I was Professor Vasquez's TA for a while..."