Through the Finish

Chapter 9: Rowan

     Twenty hours?

     "We were all really worried and your mom told us to just let you rest," Liam calmly explained. "The reason you were out for so long must have had something to do with the fact that you hadn't gotten any sleep since Thursday and then you also hit your head on that rock really hard."

      "You were also really dehydrated," Lacey added.

       "Wait." I sat up in my bed and looked at everyone. "Why are you all in my room?"

       "Your mom didn't want to leave you alone," Rylee piped up. "So now we are all at your command!" She exclaimed with a smile.

       "But I have to go to practice," I said with a frown. "I have trials in less than a month!"

      "We know," Paris sighed. "Just please cooperate with us, Rowan."

      Defeated, I sat against my headboard with a sour look and my arms folded across my chest. While I was upset my mother didn't trust me to be left alone, I was also relieved that I had friends who cared so much, even if they were weird.

     "Well thank you for being here for me," I said with a sigh. "It means a lot to me, that you all care so much." As I said that, Melissa sat on my bed and pulled me in for a hug.

      "Since you're awake, we have to get to graduation practice," she informed and pulled away. Standing up, Melissa exited the room with Liam following close behind. The others also began to move out.

     I got up and shoved the stragglers  out, so I could get dressed. I was still in the clothes I originally went hiking in. That made me feel dirty but there wasn't enough time to take a shower and  look somewhat decent in society's eyes. Removing my shirt, I noticed some bruises on my shoulder blades, that were most likely from when I collapsed. My shorts weren't as dusty as my shirt though and I decided to just keep my sports bra on as I didn't have any clean ones.

     Note to self: do laundry after graduation practice. I threw my clothes on as quickly as possible and I didn't brush my hair either. I rushed down the stairs in an incautious manner, which was probably the least intelligent thing to do as seen by the previous day's events.

     "To the car!" I exclaimed and dashed out the door.

     "Rowan, wait," Melissa called out, "Rowan, stop!" She reiterated louder and with different words. I stopped and turned to her.

     "I wasn't going to my car, silly," I teased a little but could see the wariness in all of their eyes. They just didn't want me to get hurt, again.

     All of us piled into Melissa's parent's minivan and there was some conversation but I wasn't involved in it. I tuned out of everything the entire ride there.

      I replayed the memories in my head over and over. The scents, sights, sounds, all that I could remember from this weekend. It was terrifying, thinking that those moments in the darkness may have been my last. Alec was a point of light in that darkness as whenever I remember what he did, my mind eased a little. His hair, freckles, and smiling face were calming to me, but I'm still unsure why. Could it have been because he saved me or because he was the last friendly face I saw before I was taken? I feel all fuzzy inside when I think of him and it feels welcomed.

     Oh no. I've caught the feelings. 

     Why oh why must I begin to crush on him just before graduation? He's probably going to some Ivey League private school like Stanford or Yale. I mean, I'm going to UCLA aka my dream school but Stanford. I applied there and got accepted but they refused to give me an affordable scholarship, despite me being the national record holder. The school must use it all on stupid football players. I probably shouldn't complain about getting accepted, though.

     Out of every guy, that I could catch feelings for, it had to be the one that called me in the middle of the night and claimed he was the superhero that had gone missing nearly a year ago. As if I didn't have enough to worry about, but then he also sits in front of me at graduation! Oh god. He'll be here today and I'll be looking at the back of his beautiful red hair- STOP.

     Melissa parked the car and we all spilled out in an unorderly fashion but oh well!

     "Ah," Paris said in a somewhat relaxed tone, "After Wednesday, I'll never have to set foot here ever again."

     "Amen to that!" Liam exclaimed with a chuckle.

     "Paris speaks the truth," I added in agreement. We all filed down to where the ceremony would be and got all nice and alphabetized.

     The principal made us practice entering about ten times until it was perfect. When we finally got to sit back down, Alec turned to me. His green eyes were so mesmerizing, that I got lost and heard absolutely nothing of what he said.

      "...and that's what happened Friday," he finished but I heard nothing. I didn't even see his lips move. Oops.

      "Wait," I held my hands up for him to pause, "what were you talking about?"

      "I was explaining slash apologizing for Friday?" he said as though it were a question. His eyebrow was raised in a quizzical manner; I was still completely lost as to what was happening when the principal called up Alec. He looked at me once more and walked up to practice accepting his diploma.

       Soon after, I was called up to accept mine and everyone else was soon finished with the graduation practice because we students did not feel like rehearsing all the speeches and performances today. Alec approached me once again when we had been dismissed from the practice.

     "I'm sorry about earlier," I said softly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He simply smiled and nodded.

     "It's alright, you're still digesting what happened and the news I gave you," he said with surprising understanding.

      "Thank you for understanding." I nodded back, a bit embarrassed. "Hey, do you maybe want to go out together sometime?"

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I'm back, oh yeah.

So I apologize for not updating this sooner but I am updating about a week after my last chapter so that's good! What did you think of the chapter? Let me know in the comments!

-Hannah

Published 18 September, 2016