Sweet Like Revenge

Epilogue

"A lot of us have had our differences over the years. But I think we can all agree on one thing. If you make it through a year at Irvine, you can make it through anything."

A ripple of light laughter ran through the captivated crowd. Cameron gripped the podium, the afternoon sun beaming down on his skin and making it glisten like gold.

"The media has been saying a lot about us," he said, a somber veil creeping over his features. "Especially over the past few weeks. A lot has been revealed and uncovered, a lot of judgment has been cast. But no one can truly know what it was like to be a Panther but us. Maybe that's the burden we carry, but I think it's a privilege, too.

"We've grown together, we've learned together. We've kept each other in check, we've made each other's lives miserable." He tilted his head, pausing to pacify a chuckle or two from the nostalgic crowd. A soft smile tugged at his lips, and he raised a hand to emphasize his point. "But, at the end of the day, isn't that what family does? Because through it all, the good and the bad, I can't shake the feeling that that's what we are now. The feeling that no matter how far we travel, or the adults that we become, we'll always find our way back home."

His green eyes scanned over the audience of our peers, moving further and further down the robed row. They jammed on something, doubling back just as fast as they buzzed by. Doubling back to glance intently at me.

"Not just back to Irvine Falls," he continued, a wistful glint sparkling in his emerald gaze. "But back to each other."

My heart flopped in my chest. One second turned to two, and I felt myself falling deeper and deeper into his warm, familiar eyes. The world became distant. For a beautiful moment, nothing else mattered.

But everything ends. And Cameron looked away.

"So," he said, taking a moment to clear his throat. "Here's to this year's graduating class. And to any of the juniors who think they have what it takes to rival our infamy—well, we'd love to see you try."

A laugh itched my throat at the same time as another round of applause cascaded through the audience. My hands clapped with theirs while Cameron nodded his head gratefully before returning to his seat. Now that my eyes knew where to find him in the sea of faces, they couldn't seem to keep themselves away.

I wondered if Cameron truly thought that I used him. If he really believed that I seduced him to keep him onside. Sure, everything with him was a whirlwind. The force that drew us together was powerful and all-consuming, and maybe the people around us thought we moved too quickly. But nothing with Cameron was ever too quick or too much. It was always perfect. It was always too good to be true, and always more than what I deserved.

"Yep. I can see why you like him."

I jumped at the sound of the familiar, chirpy voice. The graduation ceremony had ended, but I found myself still seated, my eyes still on the stage.