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SUN RAYS BEAMED DOWN like God was pointing a spotlight at Valentina, and she wasn't even the one on stage. Droplets of sweat slithered down her skin, a patchwork of glistening that she liked to called a glow following in their path, running down her back to her legs until they pooled in the soles of her brown boots. Valentina tugged on the hem of her white, lace, knee-high tights, perfecting the slouched height to coordinate with her boots. She huffed, earning the attention of the blonde woman next to her who slapped the young girl's hand.
"Quit it," Alicia scolded her daughter. "You look fine."
"Fine?" Valentina repeated, eyes widening as they met the look of her mother's absurdly calm look. It was a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside Valentina, despite the day being clear and sunny as can be.
"You look great," the mother corrected herself, knowing her daughter was having doubts about the dress she chose. What she didn't know was that Valentina didn't choose the dress—Steve did.
It was the dress from the beach photos. Blues and browns patched together, forming neat squares into the plaid pattern. Pale lace lined the hemming on her chest, graciously greeting all's eyes to the small amount of cleavage Valentina allowed. There was even a little bow tied at the center of her chest, pulling the waist of the dress inward like a tight hug. Valentina re-tied it three times before she called Tina over, asking the girl to confirm she looked good enough to see Steve.
The blonde told the other blonde that she sounded like she was getting ready for a date, not to watch her best friend graduate.
Valentina sighed, sulking her shoulders and letting her hands fall to her lap, finally quitting her relentless outfit-readjusting. Alicia smacked her on the shoulder. "Oh, they're on G!"
Valentina looked up at the stage. She was sitting in the front row of the bleachers with her mom, just like she promised Steve all those months ago, and she was planning on fulfilling the rest of that promise by screaming at the top of her lungs when they got to the next letter of the alphabet and Steve walked across the stage.
Valentina spent the first five minutes after sitting down trying to locate Steve in the sea of graduates. She found him in the middle of the right side of the grid of chairs. Of course, to his left was none other than Billy Hargrove. The blonde's mood simmered as she looked at the back of the man's curly mullet, but a smile replaced her frown when she noticed Steve turned around and looked for her. They made eyes, and Billy was immediately forgotten.
"Peter Hall," the principal called out to the crowd.
Claps emerged, a few adults standing up nearby Valentina and Alicia with hands cupped around their mouths. The boy sitting on the other side of Billy stood up and walked down the aisle to the stage. He shook the principal's hand, a few other adults' on the stage, then grabbed his diploma with a bow. He returned to his seat.
