The New Kid: a Noah Beck Fanfiction *completed*

40

-day of graduation-

"Oh, honey," my mom said as I walked down the stairs. She and my dad had decided to put their next trip on hold to be there for graduation, and I hadn't decided how I felt about it yet.
"Griff and I should probably get going. We need to be there to get lined up," I said, avoiding her outstretched arms.
"We're leaving now, Mom," Griffin said, grabbing the keys from the table by the door.

Neither one of us spoke until Griffin turned the key in the ignition. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to her just for today."
I didn't answer as he drove. I didn't have the time or patience to argue.

Griffin pulled into the parking lot, and I still hadn't spoken. I got out wordlessly, slamming the car door behind me. Griffin sighed, but he didn't bother arguing with me. When we walked into the school, I spotted Noah immediately, crossing the room to hug him.
"I'm proud of you, mamas," he murmured into my hair.
"Not as proud of me as I am of you," I whispered back.

Principal Smith called for us to get into alphabetical order, so I gave Noah a quick kiss goodbye before finding Griffin. Sometimes, having a twin made things easier.
"I would like to congratulate you all before we head into the auditorium to begin the ceremony. It has been an honor to be your principal."
We practically marched into the auditorium, taking our seats in the front rows. The ceremony began with a speech from Amelie, our student council, and class, president.

"Good afternoon, family, friends, staff, and peers. My name is Amelie Zilber, and as your student council, and class, president, I have been granted the privilege of speaking in front of you all today. I struggled with what I wanted to say. Standing here now, I know exactly what I want to say. Four years ago, I moved to Oregon. I knew no one, and, let's be honest here, I was kind of weird. This school, and everyone in it, affected my life greatly in one way or another. At the end of the summer, we will all head our separate ways, but one thing will always remain the same for all of us: where we came from."
Amelie paused before beginning to speak again. "I would like to thank a few people. First, my parents. Your love and support have guided me through every aspect of my life, and I'm forever grateful for that. Next, the staff. We all needed someone to believe in us, and all of you were there. Finally, my amazing group of friends. You guys have made my life so much better, and I cannot thank you enough. Congratulations Class of 2020! You deserve it!"

Applause filled the auditorium as she headed back to her seat. "Without further ado," Principal Smith began, "I now present you with the Class of 2020."
I took a deep breath as she began.
I zoned out for a moment, and I was only brought back to reality when I heard the principal call Nessa's name. "Nessa Barrett."
Noah would be soon, so I tried to pay attention. As she called his name, I heard Noah's mom cheering loudly somewhere behind us.
The names flew by.
"Dixie D'Amelio." I saw Griffin beam out of the corner of my eye. He was really so proud of her.
"Addison Easterling." Bryce stood up in the row in front of us, cheering loudly for her and causing Addison to blush on the stage.

"Blake Gray." The smile on his face was likely because he had been convinced that he wasn't going to graduate.
"Avani Gregg." I could feel her excitement, even from two rows away.
"Quinton Griggs." Q had been nervous about graduating because he didn't know what he wanted to do after high school, but that nervous didn't show as he crossed the stage.
"Bryce Hall." Anyone with eyes could see how excited he was.

"Jaden Hossler." He was excited to move to LA with Bryce and try to start his music career, and we were all beyond proud of him.
"Grace Johnson." I got butterflies when I heard my name. My knees were weak as I walked up the steps to the stage, but I was really proud of myself as I shook Principal Smith's hand.
"Griffin Johnson." I had just sat down when Griffin accepted his diploma. We had really done it.
"Mads Lewis." She would be leaving for an internship in the fashion industry the next morning, so this was truly our last time with her for a while.

"Cynthia Parker." Her facial expression screamed unbothered, but the nervous picking at her cuticles as she walked towards the stage told a different story.
"Anthony Reeves." He and Avani were headed to Indiana in August, so hopefully, they would see Griffin every so often.
"Josh Richards." He also had an internship, with an up-and-coming company. He wasn't leaving for a few weeks though, so we had some time to spend with him.
"Last, but certainly not least, Amelie Zilber." She had such a bright future ahead of her at Georgetown, and I was lucky to be able to watch her grow as a person.

"Congratulations to the Class of 2020!"
I weaved through the throngs of people, and our entire friend group met near the stage. We all looked at each other.
"This is really it," Bryce said.
No one else spoke as Addison put her arms out. We pushed ourselves into a group hug, and every tear that I had held in for the past few months came spilling out. When we pulled out of the hug, I crossed the circle to get to Noah.

"I got really lucky that you moved here this year, Noah."
"You think you're the lucky one?" he teased, pulling me closer to him. "Nine months ago, I was just the new kid, and look at us now."
I stood on my tiptoes, pressing my lips against his. This chapter together may have been over, but we were getting ready to start a new chapter together at the University of Portland, and I had never felt so lucky.

This is it! I'm gonna take a little break from posting stories for a little while. There's a lot going on in my life right now, and I don't like not keeping a relative schedule for posting. I will still be writing when I'm feeling up to it, but I won't post anything until the story is done. Thank you guys so much for reading, and if you're looking for more, check out my other stories!