"Don't make promises you can't keep."
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Noah Reed is lost. Fed up with his constant attitude and need for self-destruction, his mother sends him to live out the rest of the year with his father in hop...
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Entering my father's house, I'm not expecting to see the amount of people who cry "Surprise!" at me once I walk in.
I immediately recognize Blake's family, Jess, Caroline's family, and a few other family friends scattered around my house. It isn't until I notice everyone is staring at me that I realize this whole gathering is seemingly, well, for me.
"Did you guys plan this?" I turn to ask my parents, grinning as a few chuckles escape me.
"It was mostly Blake's idea," Caroline admits. "The rest of us pitched in, though."
"I had to throw you a graduation party," Blake says with a shrug. She's smiling, though I notice that her brown eyes aren't gleaming as brightly as usual. There's a hidden meaning behind her words that I pick up on instantly, the words she's left unspoken running through my mind. In case you decide to leave, after all.
I wrap my arms around Blake's waist and pull her close, looking into her eyes as I murmur, "I'm not going anywhere. Thank you, babe." I kiss her forehead for good measure, noticing the familiar shine to her eyes slowly returning.
"How does it feel to be officially old?" Jess questions as she steals the cap I still wear, planting it on her head as she musses my hair.
I steal my cap back just so I can ruffle Jess's dark waves as I reply, "I'm only a year older than you!"
"I guess that explains why I'm more fun," she bites back.
I lunge for her, pulling her into my side as I do the same with Blake, capturing them in my grasp and tickling their sides. Both girls burst into a fit of laughter, struggling to tear away from me.
"Okay!" Jess exclaims. "I take it back! Let me go!"
I release Jess, though I keep Blake in my arms, wrapping both of them around her and holding her close. I nuzzle my face into the crook of her neck, planting a kiss on her skin before letting her go.
"Seriously though, Noah," Jess says as she smiles up at me faintly. "I'm proud of you." I'll admit that I'm blushing a little as Jess plants a sisterly kiss on my cheek, ruffling my hair one last time after stealing my cap once again. I know that it's always been important to Blake that Jess and I become friends, and I'm glad she and I click easily.
I introduce my mother to Blake's, and the two hit it off instantly. It's nice to have my mom here, to have her see firsthand all of the changes I've made in my life and to meet the people that have become important to me.
I spend the rest of the night talking to those who have come to support my graduation, genuinely enjoying myself. I dance with Blake in the living room, have a whipped cream eating competition with Jess (which I win), kick a soccer ball around with the twins, watch Jackie put on a fashion show, and pose for about a million pictures at my mom and Caroline's request.
