Take Me Away | ✓

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P H O E N I X

The Blitz was packed when I came for my shift. For the next hour, I was running around with drinks and sandwiches. It was made all the more harder since two employees had quit the other day. My manager was on the verge of pulling all his hairs out.

"You're not going to leave as well, are you?" He asked me once I'd come behind the counter. He was working the coffee machine due to the understaffing. Other than him, Isabel was there but she was engrossed in her phone.

"Yes." I didn't even try to ease the blow but all he did was roll his eyes.

"Lesson learned. Never hire teenagers."

"You know you will." I said under my breath.

"I heard that."

"It was intended."

"Kids these days." He tsked as he finished the latte but before he went out he said, "Good luck with everything."

I let out a small smile. A lot of things had happened these past few days. Like the Blitz, it had been hectic. I'd graduated for one. All of a sudden, I was up on the wooden platform and shaking the principal's hand as she wished me luck for my future. It felt surreal.

Mom and dad were there too, along with Kat and Ethan. For a moment, I forgot that Matt wasn't there but it was different this time. I didn't feel a crushing sense of sadness. Instead, I felt hopeful. It helped to have Kat and Ethan clap just a tiny bit louder as I took my seat again in between Jay and Chloe. Elsa was just one seat over and all of them had huge grins on their faces.

"They grow up so fast." Jay faked a tear rolling down his cheek and soon it was his turn to walk up to the podium.

I looked around me, at the graduates that had tissues in their hands and tears in their eyes. One girl got up and left, followed by a boy. Sniffles could be heard from left and right. Hell, even Hampton had a glimpse of something in his eye, having miraculously made his way to graduation. But my own eyes were dry.

Chloe grabbed my hand and laced her fingers with mine. I realised a moment later that it was Kaden's turn to come up. He had a sat a few rows back next to Noah, his arm still in a sling. It was almost fully concealed under his gown but there was the undeniable bump of the straps across his shoulders. When he went back to his seat, I was surprised to see Zach sitting on the same row. He had dark shadows under his eyes, presumably from the nights he'd spent in jail before getting bailed out. His arrest had been the highlight leading up to graduation.

My eyes skimmed across the mortar boards until they landed on the Kaden's. I had gone to the hospital multiple times, or at least tried to. Once I made it as far the front doors before turning on my heel. Seeing him now, made all the unwanted feelings come up again. My chest constricted, my throat closed up. His eyes were downcast but it was as if he sensed that he was being watched that he looked up. I held his gaze for a second before turning back to the front. I let the Principal's speech drown out my thoughts.

The ceremony went on until it was over, speech wise. Afterward, families and graduates took pictures whilst cake was being served. Most of it was outside since the weather had been promising these last couple of days. It was a change to the depressing past weeks.

I lingered with Jay, Chloe and Elsa before they went off to their own thing. Jay's grandparents had come down for the ceremony and to his surprise, his uncle had also shown up. Likewise, Chloe's brother had come down from college so she spent the rest of her time with him and her mom. Elsa was very much occupied with what seemed to be her whole family tree. They crowded around her as she attempted to fit everyone into one frame for a selfie.