One year later...
It's the day of my graduation, and I've never been more excited to walk down the hall of my school! Donya and me both passed our finals with good grades, and we're both sure what we're going to do after this.
My plan on going to America has failed. I didn't feel like going anymore, mostly because of the distance. The second thing that kept me from going is the contact with Calum. Well, what contact? As I'd expected we stopped talking when the school year began. It hurt. It felt like I had been lying to myself the whole time, that I actually tricked myself into thinking we had something special. Obviously that's not the case. He'd have called if I was wrong. The only thing I know is that he and the band are taking a berak in Australia for a few months, and that he's gotten a lot of new tattoos. Not that he told me, of course, but I've run into information on the internet. I'm not gonna lie to myself, or anyone else again. It hurts. It still hurts a lot that he didn't even bother to send me a message. Of course, he has a busy life. I have a busy life. But it really feels like he has forgotten about me, while I haven't. And I'm not going to wallow in my sadness. I'm not going to let him bother me anymore. That's best for me.
So going to America is off limit to me at last. I've decided to go study Human Resource Management in a town an hour away, just like Donya. The two of us are going to be roommates, so I'm not going to lose her at least. Donya has followed through with her plan and has worked hard to get into one of the best universities in the country. I'm excited to start this next chapter of my life, and it's without Calum, but I'm somewhat over it.
"We look great," Donya says and grabs my hand, "And we're going to rock this!"
"Yes we are." I smile, and it's true. We're wearing the same type of dress, but in another colour. My dress is long and elegant, and a deep shade of blue. I'm wearing heels underneath. My hair is in bouncy curls. Donya's dress is black, and she's wearing blue shoes underneath. She looks great, as usual, and so happy. I can feel myself smiling too. I feel beautiful, and not because someone else says so. Insecurity isn't a part of me anymore, and I'm not going to let anyone bring me down. We walk up to the first floor, where all our classmates are waiting. All of us chat for a while, just as usual, until our mentor calls us. "I'm so proud of you!" She smiles and we walk down the stairs. At least a hundred people are staring at us. Including my parents, who look very proud. I squeeze Donya's arm and then we walk.
Then I'm on the front row of the chairs, next to my best friend and classmates. Now all we have to is wait, until the headmaster calls my name. Then it's signing my diploma, and then I'm officially not a member of this school anymore...
Time goes by way too fast and way after Donya has signed her diploma, they call me. Of course there's an embarrassing picture of my first year on the screen, but I'm not going to let that bother me. It's just a reminder of how much I've changed the past five years, and that's okay.
I sit down on the chair, on the other side of my mentor. She smiles at me, and slides my diploma towards me. "Sign here," She smiles, "I can't tell you how proud I am of you. Really." I smile back, my face getting red at the sign of my parents taking pictures of me. I smile for them while pretending to sign, and then I sign. It's official! I then walk over to all my teachers, who all want to congratulate me. I accept it, along with the bouquet of flowers. At the end of the line at the back of the cafeteria are my parents, along with Donya's parents. They are looking all proud, and Donya and I hug each other. It's not long before we're both crying a little. "You're stupid," I sniff, "For crying. If you weren't crying I wouldn't be crying!" Donya laughs and wipes away her tears. I do the same and grab a drink off of the plate they're offering me. "Shame on them there's no alcohol in this." I grin, and my parents give me a scolding look. "Just kidding." I laugh, and take a sip.
"Oh, we have to sit down again." Donya says, and pulls me back to our seats. I fall back onto it, half stumbling, and I'm only listening to a part of the speech before drifting off into thought again. So has half of my class, I've noticed. But when they call my name I'm pulled out of my thoughts again. "Sara?" Donya nudges me with her shoulder and I raise my hand. "Yes?"
"Can you come up to the stage please?"
I have no other choice but to stand up. My legs are shaking like never before. What is this? I haven't graduated with extremely high grades or something, I've never done anything special for this school, and I certainly haven't done anything bad in the past five years. I walk up to the stage, carefully not to fall, and go stand next to the headmaster.
"I assume you have no idea why you're standing here," the headmaster says, "But I do. Over the past months we've been busy with a lot of things, and one of those things is the following. Of course I didn't plan it, it was an idea of someone special to you."
I immediately look over to Donya, who's grinning like always. She has something up her sleeve. Then she shrugs and I let out a nervous giggle.
"Let's take a look." The headmaster says, and pushes the play-button on the computer. The screen behind me starts getting brighter, and then, on that screen, I see three familiar faces appear.
It's Ashton, Michael and Luke.
"Hey Sara!" They say and then Ashton starts talking. "Congratulations on graduating! Oh how time has flown... But that's not why we made this recording. You're probably wondering, what are we doing? And where's Calum? He's not here at the moment, he's somewhere else. We had to stay behind, but you'll soon find out where he is." Then Michael opens his mouth to speak. "Shut up Ashton! Anyways, I hope to see you again soon, if you're not busy ruling the world or something like that. Just promise you won't forget about your favorite Aussies."
"Oh, and yes, as if you didn't know already, of course Donya set this all up. We love you." Luke grins, and then points towards the cafeteria, and then the screen goes black.
I am shaking by now, and look towards the back of the cafeteria. But I don't see anything, until I hear singing. It's not just a song, it's Wherever You Are.
It's not the original.
It's just Calum's voice, the voice you hear when he's singing live.
Oh my god.
"I wish I didn't have to be gone, maybe you've already moved on, but the truth is I don't want to know..."
At that moment, Calum comes walking out from behind my parents, and then I'm officially an emotional wreck. I just keep looking at him to make sure it's really him. Sometimes I look at Donya. She's crying too, in a way she's never done before. It's the same way as me, a mix of sadness, happiness and disbelief. I take a deep breath and then wipe away my tears. Calum keeps walking towards me, and I can see that he's having a hard time both singing and trying to stay strong. I manage to crack a smile, and then he's stopped singing.
Now he's in front of me, the microphone still close to him. The whole crowd is dead silent by now, and he starts speaking. God, how I've missed that voice.
"Sara, I have so many things I have to tell you. I can't tell you how sorry I am for not staying in touch with you. At first I thought that it didn't really matter, but then it was too late. I figured you were over me, and I can't blame you for that. It's completely my fault. And I just came to say sorry, and offer you something. I heard from Donya that you aren't going to America anymore, and one of those reasons is me. But now I'm here, and... I love you. I have never said that to you, and I'm an idiot for not saying that earlier. And I would love to have you go on tour with me. Do you accept my apologies? Please, please, say yes."
He then grins like an idiot, and looks at me with those puppy eyes I've missed.
"You're an idiot," I grin, "and yes. I would like to go on tour with you."
