Make My Way

Chapter Sixty

Stella's POV

Prom had been very... eventful. A lot had happened that I never want to forget, and a few things I do. But overall, I loved almost every second. Now state speech was coming up and I was really starting to get nervous. Aurora and I were going in our duo and that's what I was really nervous about, not so much my humorous.

As soon as we got to the school on the Friday we were supposed to leave, everything was already a mess. The school forgot to book a bus for us so the fifteen or so of us had to squeeze into the judges' and coaches' cars. When we got to the hotel, Aurora, Aria, and I checked into our room. There had been an odd number of girls so it was just the three of us. The boys room was right next door and we went over there to talk and play truth or dare for a while but eventually went back to our room and did face masks together.

The next morning we were up bright and early for the meet and I could've sworn we could hear the boys watching a movie last night and after we had stayed up talking until almost 2 AM, we hadn't gotten much sleep which probably wasn't good. The meet went pretty much like normal and although I didn't break in my humorous, we placed 7th in our duo which really isn't too bad. Xavier, Aria, and Paisley ALL places in storytelling which is absolutely crazy. Xavier took first, Aria was in third, and Paisley held a solid 4th place. Three people from one school in finals is crazy but we had three people place in the top four.

The weekend right after that was State Music it at least for that we got to take a bus. The hotel had a pool so of course we had to go swimming. When Willow and I got to our hotel room we set our bags down and I collapsed onto a bed just before Aria and Aurora burst in and Aura announced we had to get our swimsuits on NOW. I groaned and started to dig through my bag for the bikini I had thrown in last minute. After we were all changed we headed down to find Xavier and Liam already there.

There was a girl there who was getting to me really obnoxious and she was trying to flirt with the two of them. I saved Xavier by pretending to be his girlfriend but Liam didn't really have a way out. We decided to go back up to our room to get away from her but Liam and Willow stayed back. Aurora sat on one of the beds while the other three of us sprawled our on the other watching Friends. Just as they came by to do room checks, Willow walked in and they kicked Xavier out. The four of us talked until almost 2 AM before actually going to sleep so we were pretty tired for state music the next day but it still went pretty well.

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Time goes by too fast. It seems like just yesterday we were walking into the first day of school, but here we are. I'm sitting in the loft of our auditorium and we just finished playing Pomp and Circumstance as some of my best friends, my boyfriend, and my cousin who was closer to me than almost anyone had walked down the isle in cap and gown. I haven't cried yet but my temple and cheekbones are starting to hurt from trying to hold it in. Xavier gives his speech as Student Body President and I feel the first hot tear roll down my face.

I have made so many great memories this year and I don't know what I'm going to do next year. The ceremony finishes and I go to Xavier's house. It's a small party but that's part of what makes it mean so much more. Aria comes up next to me and we wrap our arms around each other. We both know next year is going to be very different and I mean of course we'll still see our friends, but with them away at college and both of us attempting long distance relationships, it's going to be hard. But that's okay. Sometimes difficult isn't always bad, right? In a few months they'll all be leaving but we're still going to have one another. No matter what, we'll always be there for each other, and that's what really matters.