Neither of us could change what happened nine years ago. Neither of us could go back and give twelve-year-old me the ending he'd wanted. But at least now she knew. She knew howmuch losing that adoption had hurt. She knew how long I'd carried it. And for the first time, I wasn't carrying it alone.
The wound was still there. Some scars always remained. But it wasn't hidden anymore.
A voice echoed through the auditorium speakers, pulling me back to the present.
Another graduate crossed the stage. Then another. Rows shifted forward as names were called and families cheered. One by one, students walked across the stage to collect the degrees they'd spent years working toward.
My row moved closer.
Then closer again.
My pulse picked up as the dean glanced down at the card in his hand.
"Kieran O'Connor."
I stood.
The walk across the stage wasn't long. A handshake. A smile. A diploma pressed into my hand. The kind of moment thousands of students experience every year.
Then the cheering started.
Tannen's whistle cut through the auditorium first. Briggs was somehow even louder. Jazz was laughing. Somebody shouted my name. And above all of it, I heard Thane.
My steps faltered for half a second. Not enough for anyone else to notice. Enough for me.
Because four years ago, when I graduated high school, nobody had been waiting for me when it was over.
This time was different.
This time, there were people in the audience who had shown up because they wanted to be here.
People who loved me.
People who stayed.
And for the first time in my life, I didn't have to wonder where I belonged.
The ceremony ended in a blur. One minute, I was finding my seat again. Next, hundreds of graduates were pouring into the aisles while families rushed forward with flowers, cameras, and enough excitement to fill the entire auditorium.
I barely made it ten feet before Tannen reached me first.
"Look at that," he announced loudly. "They actually gave you a degree."
I rolled my eyes.
Jazz snorted.
Briggs shook his head. "Ignore him. He's been waiting all day to say that."
"I had three different versions prepared," Tannen informed me.
"Nobody is surprised," Jazz said.
The argument continued around me while she filmed everything with her phone.
Somewhere behind them, Mrs. Hale was crying again.
Mr. Hale looked exactly as resigned as he had earlier.
