Fallin' Into You

2

Kiara's POV

The day had finally come...prom. But honestly, my head wasn't fully there. As I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my dress, I kept glancing over at the envelope on my bed. The one from the University of Houston. It had arrived just an hour before, and I hadn't even had the nerve to open it. Not with everything going on.

Trenton was down for a nap, and for a moment, I just stood there, taking in how my life had changed. I loved my baby boy, but sometimes I wondered what things would've been like if Damon and I had been more careful. Maybe I'd be getting ready for college in the fall with Kayla and T.J. instead of trying to balance school and being a mom.

With a deep breath, I picked up the envelope, tearing it open. My eyes scanned the words until I found what I was looking for: *Congratulations!*

A wave of relief washed over me. I did it. I was in. The online program would let me stay home with Trenton, but at least I could still move forward. I was about to call Kayla when I heard a honk outside. Damon was here to pick me up for prom. I grabbed my clutch, took one last look at Trenton, and let my mom know I was heading out.

---

Kayla's POV

I was still buzzing from helping Kiara get ready when T.J. came to pick me up. Prom was something I hadn't been too excited about at first, but now that I was all dressed up and ready to go, I figured it couldn't be that bad. Plus, T.J. had been on his best behavior lately—flirty as ever, but he knew where to draw the line. Honestly, he was more like a brother at this point, which made everything easy.

As we took some pictures in front of my house, my family gathered around to crack jokes.

"Look at our baby sister, all grown up!" D'Angelo said, fake wiping a tear from his eye.

Jayce was right behind him, chiming in. "Yeah, Kay, you clean up nice. Might even outshine us for once."

"Y'all are ridiculous," I said, rolling my eyes, but smiling all the same. My parents stood a little back, but I could see my mom's proud smile and my dad's quiet nod of approval.

"Y'all better look out for her," my mom, Kimberly, called out to T.J. with a grin. "That's our star right there!"

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kimberly. I got her!" T.J. responded, throwing a wink my way.

Prom was fun. T.J. and I spent most of the night laughing and dancing, though he still couldn't resist slipping in a few flirty jokes. "You sure we're just friends, Kay?" he teased as we slow-danced at one point.

"Positive," I shot back, laughing. "You better not get any ideas, T.J."

The night ended with us all taking pictures—me, T.J., Kiara, and Damon. Kiara looked like she was having fun, but I knew her mind was elsewhere, especially after everything with her parents and Trenton. Still, it felt good to be with everyone for one last big event before graduation.

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Graduation Day

Graduation day was surreal. I stood there in my cap and gown, waiting for my name to be called, and all I could think about was how quickly time had flown by. T.J. was right behind me in line, cracking jokes to calm the nerves.

As I walked across the stage, I caught sight of my family in the audience. My mom was clapping the loudest, and my dad had this proud smile on his face that made me feel like I had really done something. D'Angelo and Jayce were right there too, of course, being their goofy selves and pretending to shed tears.

"Y'all are embarrassing," I mouthed at them when I sat back down, but inside, I was glad they were there. They had always been my biggest supporters, even if they loved teasing me about growing up.