The Girlfriend: Fake It Till You Make It

Chapter 24: Graduation Day

Emily

The auditorium buzzed with the energy of excited students, parents, and teachers as we gathered for graduation day. The bright stage lights glinted off the sea of navy caps and gowns, and the room pulsed with the anticipation of something monumental. It was the end of an era and the beginning of something new, something unknown.

I sat among my classmates, my cap perched a little too loosely on my head, but I didn't care. All I could think about was that this was it—we were about to leave high school behind. The sound of the principal's voice droned in the background as he gave the opening speech, but my attention wasn't on the stage. It was on Jordan, sitting a few rows away.

She looked so confident, so calm, like she was exactly where she was meant to be. Her long fingers fiddled absently with the edge of her gown, but her gaze flicked to mine and held. That smirk of hers—the one that always made my heart skip—appeared for just a second, and I couldn't help but grin back.

This moment felt huge, but not just because of graduation. Everything that had led up to this point—the drama, the confessions, Brittany's surprising outburst just days ago—it all hung over me, yet it was as if Jordan and I had carved out our own little bubble of safety amidst the chaos. No matter what had happened or what might come next, we were here together, and that was enough.

As the names started being called, the reality of the day settled in. Each name, each diploma handed out, was one step closer to the end. When they called Jordan's name, I felt a swell of pride rise in my chest. She walked across the stage with her head high, her confidence radiating with every step. I cheered along with everyone else, my voice louder than the others as she shot me a wink before accepting her diploma.

My heart fluttered. She was mine, and I was hers, and that truth anchored me as my own name was called.

Walking across that stage was surreal. The applause, the cameras flashing—it all seemed to blur together, the sound distant and the faces indistinct. But when I glanced back, Jordan was there, her eyes locked on mine. The chaos of the moment faded, replaced with something simpler. We had made it. We were finally here, at the end of this chapter of our lives.

After the ceremony, the courtyard was packed with students and their families. Everyone was hugging, laughing, taking pictures. My parents found me almost immediately, their arms wrapping around me in a tight embrace. I could hear the pride in their voices, and for a moment, the weight of the last year faded. It wasn't perfect—things weren't perfect—but standing here with my diploma in hand, I felt like maybe I could handle whatever came next.

As we posed for photos, my dad's arm around my shoulder, my mom's eyes glistening with happy tears, I felt a tap on my arm. I turned to see Jordan, her usual playful grin softened into something more serious.

"Mind if I steal her for a second?" Jordan asked, glancing at my parents with a charming smile.

They laughed, waving us off. "Of course not! Go on, have your moment," my mom said.

I slipped away with Jordan, and we walked to a quieter corner of the courtyard, away from the crowd. The sounds of laughter and excitement faded into the background, leaving just the two of us. Jordan reached out, her fingers brushing against mine before taking my hand.

"We made it," she said, her voice low and warm. Her smile was softer now, more intimate. "Can you believe it?"

I squeezed her hand, shaking my head. "I don't know if it's really hit me yet."

She stepped closer, her other hand coming up to rest on my waist. "It'll hit when we're not waking up at 6 a.m. for school anymore," she teased, but her tone was serious now, her eyes searching mine.

I laughed, but it felt more like a nervous breath. We were so close, so wrapped up in this moment that I wasn't sure what to say. The world around us felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for something.

"You okay?" she asked, her voice softer now.

I nodded, glancing down at our hands for a second before meeting her gaze again. "I'm just...thinking about everything. This year, us...Brittany," I admitted.

Her jaw clenched slightly at the mention of Brittany, but her fingers tightened around mine. "Yeah, I get that. Everything's been a lot."

"Do you think she'll be okay?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. After Brittany's confession, everything had changed, even if she hadn't said much since. It lingered in the back of my mind like an unfinished sentence.

Jordan sighed, her thumb brushing over the back of my hand. "I don't know. Maybe. She needs to figure herself out first. We can't fix that for her."

"I know," I said, leaning into her warmth. "I just hope she finds peace."

Jordan's lips curled into a small smile. "Me too."

We stood there for a moment, the quiet wrapping around us. I wasn't sure what the future held for Brittany, for any of us, really, but I knew one thing: standing here with Jordan, I wasn't afraid of what came next.

Jordan glanced around the courtyard, her smile turning into a smirk. "Want to sneak out of here for a bit? I think we've done our fair share of the family thing."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Always looking for trouble, aren't you?"

"You know it," she said with a wink, tugging me gently by the hand. "Come on, I've got something to show you."

Curious, I followed her through the back of the courtyard and out towards the edge of campus, where the noise of the celebration faded into the distance. We found ourselves at the hill that overlooked the football field, a spot we'd come to more than once when we needed space to just...be.

Jordan pulled me down onto the grass beside her, her arm wrapped around my shoulders as we sat in the warm afternoon sun. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. We didn't need to. The weight of everything—the past, the present, and the future—settled around us, but it didn't feel overwhelming. It felt like the end of something good, and the beginning of something even better.

"I love you, Emily," Jordan whispered, her breath warm against my ear.

My heart swelled, and I turned to her, my fingers tangling in her hair. "I love you too, Jordan. Always."

The kiss we shared was sweet and tender, a promise of everything to come. As we lay back on the grass, the future didn't feel so scary anymore. We had each other, and that was enough.