Dog Days: Book One

1

A wave of black, square caps flew up into the cloudless sky, only to have gravity begin to pull them right back down. Upon their descent, a gentle breeze blew the graduation caps around into a confusing cluster. In the distance, applause rang from the stands as the students began collecting their hats.

A sense of accomplishment coursed through Arryn's veins as she hunted down the hat with the golden tassel. It stuck out like a sore thumb among all the silver.

She had waited for this day for ages. Hundreds of late nights spent studying instead of hanging out with friends. Countless essays piled up on similar due dates. All the hardships were worth it. The day her principal called her to his office and informed her of her valedictorian status was one of the happiest days of her life.

Reaching down to pick up her hat, a few of her red curls fell over her face. She lifted a hand up and tucked the blazing strands behind her ear.

A pale hand picked up the cap she reached for. Glancing up, familiar brown eyes stared back at her.

"Lincoln." Arryn smiled.

"Nice speech!" He smiled back, brushing the collection of dusty shoe prints off the black fabric. "Did you see your mom crying?" He handed the cap back to her, their hands brushing against one another.

"My mom cried during Toy Story 3. Why wouldn't she cry during my Valedictorian speech?" Arryn laughed, shaking her head.

"Good point." He shrugged. "Am I still picking you up at seven tonight?"

"Yeah, but do you mind picking Claire up as well? Her car is still in the shop and she needs a ride. I think she would die if she missed this party."

"Of course. When would we ever go anywhere without our designated third wheel?"

Arryn scrunched her eyebrows together, thinking about the last time the two of them had time to themselves. "What about the drive-in a few months back? Remember, Claire had strep and had to stay home?"

"Ah yes, how could I forget? We made out instead of actually watching the movie."

Arryn's cheeks flushed at his words. Looking around, none of her classmates seemed to be paying attention to them. She reached over and smacked him lightly on his shoulder.

"Ow. What was that for?" His fingers gently massaged the spot she hit.

"Would you like to say that a little louder, Lincoln? I don't think the entire student body heard you."

He ran a hand through his brown hair, a smile spreading across his face. "Sure. We made—"

Arryn threw her hand over his mouth as people turned in their direction to see what all the shouting was about. Flashing them a quick smile, she hoped they would return to their own matters. Thankfully, they did.