Nerd Squared [COMPLETE]

8 || Graduation

By the time my senior year of highschool came to an end, the ending of my junior year had been all but erased. Ellie helped me though my near failure, Riley was around to help her, and Collin had apologized.

We weren't back together in an instant like it seems to go. The first day of senior year he caught me in the halls and apologized profusely. I had given him the middle finger and continued on with my day.

That continued nearly daily for a few months, until I finally gave in and told him I would forgive him, but that didn't mean I was forgetting it, because at that point, it was my first and only heart break, and I wasn't sure I would ever recover.

Once he started eating lunch with us again, I couldn't help it. He was sweet and charming like those months we were together, it was like nothing had happened.

But I struggled to actually forgive him like I said I had. I still heard myself yelling in my drive way that night. I wasn't ever going to fully let that go.

But as time progressed, we both grew up.

One night he called me at 2am.

"Have I told you why I broke up with you?" I cringed at his words.

"No, but I'm not sure I want to know.."

"I was scared. Scared of you realizing how much of a loser I was, am, scared of you seeing that and leaving me."

I shook my head, and hung up the phone. I didn't feel a need for a confession, anyone could think of something like that at 2am, but by the morning I had forgotten about it.

But it happened again, and again, and on Christmas day, he showed up to my house at 1am, with a small box. I opened the door hesitantly, and rolled my eyes.

"It's way to early for this." He laughed and smiled at me, before taking my hand and pulling me outside.

"And it's too cold for this." I hugged myself and he chuckled again. Before I could complain anymore, he got down on his knee and I raised an eyebrow.

"Charlotte McDougall, I broke your heart once, and I will forever regret it. Let me do the honor of trying to fix it," he opened the box, and inside was a silver piano charm.

"This is really sweet, but I'm not sure what you want from me..." I looked into his goofy brown eyes, sparkling like they had when I agreed to go out with him that first date.

"I want, I'm asking you, for a second chance. To hold your hand again, to earn your trust again, to call you at one to tell you I love you and laugh at your groggy voice. I want to turn the six months we had into something longer." I giggled, and as he started at me expecting a response, I continued to laugh.

"You're such a dork. It's one in the morning, and you look like you're proposing to me on my front porch, on Christmas." I managed to calm down my laughter as much as I could.

"Collin Mark you're a real idiot. But you're my idiot." His face lit up.

"Does this mean-"

"I'll probably regret it later, but why not."

"This is it." I muttered, the graduation ceremony had ended, my time at Burns High was over, and I was standing next to Ellie, Riley and Collin.

We were ready to take our final photo together before heading away to college. Riley and El were heading off together, they were going to get married in the future, and we all knew it. But Collin and me were going our separate ways, which meant that we had to break up, again.

"Ahh I love you guys so much!" Ellie interrupted my thoughts, and she pulled us into a group hug.

"I have so much left to do before I leave," she yelled as she released me and Collin, Riley was still in her grasp.

"It's not like I won't see you tonight for one more binge El, you can go home, it'll be fine." I laughed. She frowned at me, then joined me in laughing.

"I love you more than you know Char, you're really freaking great." She hugged me one more time, our graduation hats hitting and falling off. "See you in a while."

Ellie and Riley walked off, leaving me with Collin, and a deed I didn't really want to do.

"Well, I guess this is it." We looked at each other, his eyes were sad, but I couldn't do this later.

"You're going off to Arizona, I'm off to Minnesota in two weeks, it's a whole new world Collin Mark. It's not going to work." I felt my voice, and my heart, breaking.

"I love you." I smiled at him sadly, but it had to be done. He pulled me into a hug, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but I'm breaking up with you."

He laughed a little, and pushed me out to arms length, studying my face he nodded.

"I would've never been able to do that again." I smiled at him stupidly, I hated doing this, but I nodded. We hugged again, and I turned to find my family, and left Burns Highschool Campus for the last time.