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He’s a good-looking guy. Tall, but not a giant like Xander or Jace, and not nearly as built as either, but he has a sweet face with dark hair that flops over his forehead messily.
He then hugs Rae and me. It hasn’t been long since we last saw each other but I think we’re feeling nostalgic.
“Come here, don’t fight this line,” he warns, indicating the main line. “There’s another back here that people can’t see. I’ll show you.”
He quickly turns and heads around the crowd and we scurry after him.
He’s right, there is another line and it only has ten people ahead of us, which is much less than the other line.
Joel already has his blue gown on, with his cap clasped loosely in his hand.
He speaks with Nova as we move up in the line.
It isn’t long before the three of us have our yellow gowns and then we move off to slip them on.
Everything becomes a flurry of chaos as we’re organized into lines. Nova is sent to the front since her last name is Clarke, Rae’s in the back since she’s Wilder, and since I’m Kincaid now, I’m pretty much in the middle. Joel’s last name is Whitaker so he ends up hanging in the back with Rae.
Our graduating class is huge and it takes us a while to be organized.
I don’t recognize any of the people around me, but I notice I get a few looks, especially from the girls.
As Xander’s football fame has grown, we’ve garnered more and more attention. Especially when the media caught wind of our Vegas wedding. That story broke almost a year after we were married, but people ate it up. I think the only reason it stayed buried so long is because we had a ‘normal’ wedding at the end of the summer so our family could be there, so a lot of people thought that was our actual wedding. But people have been fascinated by us—I think because we’re young and fun. Plus, I have no filter, which makes things interesting. Girls, however, seem to be extremely jealous of me—I guess because Xander’s hot, because it’s certainly not like they actually know him. Honestly, I’ve never understood why people get jealous over other people’s relationships. I’ve known Xander since we were kids, and I can’t help that we fell in love.
They finally get everyone in line and we file outside.
I take a deep breath, holding my head high as I walk with confidence.
Right now, all my worries are fleeing and I feel silly for freaking out earlier.
We descend the steps into the stadium. I scan the stands for Xander, my brother, my mom, her boyfriend, and Jace, but I don’t find any of them, which isn’t surprising considering the amount of people in attendance, but I still wish I could spot them.
The line snakes around in front of the seats and we all stand until they tell us to sit.
The summer sun beats down on us, and beneath the cheap polyester gown, I begin to sweat.
Gross.
Several speeches are given, but I zone out for most of it. Sadly, it’s not very interesting. Besides, my thoughts are occupied with daydreams of where Xander’s taking me. Now that I’ve warmed up to the idea of leaving I’m actually kind of excited.
It’s overseas—I know that much, since a passport is involved. Although, it could be Canada, but I find that doubtful. My guess is something tropical, perhaps in South America.
“Go,” the person beside me nudges me with a disgusted hushed whisper.
I jump, realizing that everyone has stood and the line is moving. I hurry into action, holding my head high like I wasn’t daydreaming.
The line snakes around and up onto the stage.
“Thea Elizabeth Kincaid.”
When I get my diploma and my tassel is moved from one side of my cap to the other, I finally spot my family in the crowd. Xander stands, whistling, and clapping. I smile up at him and wave as I descend the stairs. It’s funny, for once he’s in the stands cheering me on. I kind of like this reversal.
I stick out my tongue and grin at him. He winks back and my stomach flutters.
I see everyone else with him and wave at them all before hurrying to my seat.
It takes a good while longer for them to finish calling all the names.
I fan myself quietly, drowning in sweat. My stomach rolls and I worry that maybe I really do have a bug or something. But I know in reality sitting in the sun, dehydrated, isn’t the best idea and this is probably all tied into that.
