The Introvert and the Football Player

Chapter Thirty Five

May
Nova's POV:
The school year was slowly winding down. Everyone in the office was in full panic mode since it was close to the end. Ashton and Bo had even become trapped in the madness. We all had exams to study for, but they had to worry about graduation.

Ashton had already given Valerie a ticket to his graduation. "You're my girl and I want you there." He had told her when she found out he gave it to her instead of someone in his family. I only saw them between classes since my AP class had me up to my ears in exam prep.

"I miss you!" Valerie whined as we walked to first period. "I miss you too Val." I said. I waved at Bo as he walked by and Valerie smirked at me. "Ashton told me Bo still likes you." She told me as we entered our first block class. "And I still like him but we're just friends." I said.

"Who are you just friends with?" Our friend Ricky asked. He and I made up since I'd been ignoring him after my break up with Bo. "Bo and I." I told him. Our college classes were about to end as well. We all made it to the second level of the classes minus a few.

"Y'all still fuck with each other?" He asked. Monty slunk into the class then with a cocky smirk on his face. "Yeah we do." I said. But Ricky was too busy watching Monty to pay attention to what I had said.

"Hey Nova." Monty said loudly. I scowled at him and continued to ignore him. "Hey I'm talking to you." He said even louder. Valerie and Ricky were watching us, and Valerie looked like she was about to punch him in the face. "Well I'm not in the mood to deal with you." I snapped.

Monty walked away, but I could tell he wasn't finished bothering me. Every time I'd get started on my final assignment for the class, he'd say something in an attempt to distract me. Valerie, who was as angry with him as I was, finally snapped. "Monty whatever the hell your middle name is Jacks if you do not stop distracting us from our work I will make you regret signing up for the class in the first place!" She hollered.

Everyone looked up from their assignments to see what all the fuss was about, but Valerie barely noticed. Monty opened his mouth to say something and she cut him off again. "Not a word Monty. I mean it." She said icily.

The rest of the class went by in silence from our group. Nobody wanted to make Valerie any more angry than she already was. I knew she was nervous about Ashton's graduation party where'd she meet all of his family.

"They'll think I'm not good enough." She said to me after class. "Please everyone knows you're perfect for him. He's even said you were." I reassured her.  "What if his granny doesn't like me?" She asked me out of the blue. "I'm telling you that you have nothing to worry about Val." I told her as I walked into my AP class. I waved goodbye to her from the door, and watched as she walked towards the chorus room.

Bo's POV:
"May is the most important part of y'all's senior year. It's the last month y'all have to bring up any failing grades, turn in any missing assignments, and most importantly earn your last credits." The principal said. We had been in the auditorium, listening to him talk for almost 30 minutes now. I already knew where I was going to attend college, and it was far, far away from here.

Applying to Stanford has always been my dad's dream for me. Originally I had been leaning more towards a local school, but seeing his face when I brought home a Stanford application made me fill it out. When I got accepted, I thought it was a mistake. My grades weren't stellar and my SAT scores sucked ass, but I still got accepted.

******
"So you're still going to Stanford? Ashton asked me as he threw the football to me. "It's my dad's alma mater, of course I'm going." I said. He nodded and caught the ball. "Are you still going to Berkeley?" I asked. Ashton nodded; it was a touchy subject for Valerie and him. She was angry because he was going to a school far away, and he felt hopeless because he couldn't do anything about it.

"Have you told Nova about Stanford?" Ashton asked me. "I told her a couple weeks ago when we were eating lunch." I said. "She take it well?" He asked. "She told me she hoped it worked out. I mean we don't date what more could she say?" I told him. "She's practically your best friend man. She probably cares more than you think." Ashton said. I just threw the football back at him rather than answering.

Nova's POV:
"I really don't understand why you're so angry." I said to Valerie. "If he wants to go to Berkeley, let him. He's trying to benefit himself."

Valerie looked over at me as if I was crazy. "I'm not angry because he's going to Berkeley. I'm angry because he's so far away." She cried. She had been emotional like this for months now, and it only got worse as Ashton's graduation day grew closer.

"It's not like he isn't going to come back." I told her. Her eyes welled up with tears and I moved in to hug her. "How are you doing so good with Bo going to Stanford?" She asked. "I'm ignoring it until he comes." I said truthfully.

Valerie looked at me with absolute pity before she put on an Adam Sandler movie. We watched it in silence until my mother burst into my room with a letter from the school. "Nova Bethany Sparks I am so proud of you!" She squealed.

"Why? What did I do now?" I asked. Valerie rolled her eyes and paused the movie so my mother could talk as loud as she pleased. "You didn't do anything smart ass." My mother said as she threw the letter at me. I read the paper to myself before I let Valerie see:

To Nova Sparks
2475 Seacove Lane

Ms. Sparks,
       It is my sincerest honor in which I congratulate you on becoming one of our junior marshals for the graduating class of 2016. Being a junior marshal is a very high honor, that only outstanding students can achieve. With your class rank of 5 out of 256 and a GPA of a 4.0, you are one of Taylor High School's outstanding students. Congratulations and be prepared to rehearse with the graduating class and to fulfill your duties as a Taylor High School Junior Marshal.
                         -Dwight D. Applebottom
                 Taylor High School Principal.

"You're a freaking junior marshal!" Valerie screamed. My mother joined her squeals, and I wanted to scream for a different reason. Bo was leaving for Stanford after graduation, he said he wanted to get adjusted to California before he started college, so I was going to say my goodbyes at the end of exam week in early June.

I wasn't planning on going to his graduation because I knew I would be a mess when they called his name. "Wait why aren't you excited?" My mother asked. Tommy and Radly had walked in by this point and they were looking at us as if we were all idiots.  "I am; I promise." I said, trying to reassure her. She looked at me like she didn't believe me but didn't try to press me further.

"Well let me know what kind of outfit you're gonna need when you find out." She told me as she took the twins out of the room.

"Okay so why aren't you excited?" Valerie asked me as soon as my mother walked out. "I am. I just didn't want to say goodbye to Bo twice." I told her.

"Then don't say it twice. Only say it once. And make it a good one." She told me.