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For graduation, Parker had handled the brunch reservations. It was at Marco’s, Cassie’s favorite restaurant—the same one she and Parker had gone to with Erin over Family Weekend. That didn’t make it weird; they’d been there since, more than once, without Erin.
Parker and Acacia were doing a great job of making a big deal out of graduation, but it fell flat. Cassie still didn’t know where she was going for grad school. She wanted to talk it out, but didn’t know how. Everyone knew Caltech was where Cassie had wanted to go forever. She didn’t want people to think she was getting cold feet because she didn’t feel smart enough, or something. Erin was the person Cassie had talked stuff out with lately, but she couldn’t this time. Her stomach tied itself into knots considering it. Erin might think Cassie’s hesitance about Caltech was abouther,and that’d be embarrassing. But going to Marco’s made Cassie think about that breakfast over Family Weekend. It made Cassie nostalgic, or sentimental, or something. It made her wish Erin could’ve come for graduation.
Marco’s was packed when they arrived, as expected.
“Table for,” the hostess paused with a smile, “three.”
Parker grinned. “That’s us.”
“Follow me, please.”
Cassie had been going to ask for a kid’s menu—for the coloring page and tic-tac-toe game, not the food—but the hostess didn’t pick up menus or silverware before turning and leading them deeper into the restaurant. Maybe they had started leaving them on the table instead. But as they weaved through the crowded restaurant, Cassie couldn’t see a single open table. It was fully packed. She didn’t even know where the hostess was leading them, because unless there was a hidden room, every table had people at it.
“Here you are,” the hostess said, stopping at yet another table with people sitting around it.
Except—
Cassie blinked. “What the hell?”
Everyone burst out laughing. Everyone being Parker and Acacia, yeah, but also Emerson and Mama Webb and Mr. Ben. Who were all sitting in Marco’s.
“What is happening?”
Mama Webb stood and wrapped her arms around Cassie, who inhaled, even as Mama squeezed her hard enough she could barely breathe. She smelled like home. “I cannot believe you actually thought we were going to let you graduate without us.”
“Honestly, Cass,” Emerson said, next in line for a hug, but Mama Webb wasn’t letting go quite yet. His shaved head matched Acacia’s, though he was about a foot taller.
“For someone who’s gonna be a rocket scientist, you’re pretty dumb.”
“I hate you,” Cassie said.
She would’ve, maybe, except he didn’t even comment on how her eyes were filled with tears. Mr. Ben didn’t, either.
“Hey, baby girl,” he said instead, and maybe the tears weren’t justin Cassie’s eyes so much as running down her cheeks as the closest man she’d ever had to a father held her gently.
They came to watch her graduate. Herfamily. Came to celebrate her. Cassie hadn’t even realized it mattered to her. It didn’t maybe, not graduation itself. But the Webbs did. She still didn’t care about walking across that stage, but knowing these people were gonna be cheering for her? Yeah, that mattered.
When Cassie walked across the stage set up on Keckley’s football field, Acacia made good use of the air horn. Cassie grinned wide, and didn’t even mind that she was sweating bullets in that godforsaken robe. After, she allowed a full half hour of pictures—with Mama Webb and Mr. Ben, with Emerson and Acacia, with all the Webbs together, with just Kaysh and Parker, smiling, laughing, Emerson stealing her cap to wear himself—before insisting she needed to shower and change.
She emerged from the shower to texts from Erin.
Erin [Today 1:27 PM]
Happy graduation day, babe. I’m so proud of you
Erin [1:28 PM]
I also might have gone a little overboard with the graduation present
The next message was a picture of what looked like a brand-new Yamaha MT-03, all black and metallic gray with bright red rims, parked in front of the garage of Erin’s Nashua home.
Cassie’s fingers flew over her screen to pull up Erin’s number, call her, then put the phone on speaker so she could keep looking at the bike.
“Babe! Happy graduation!”
Cassie didn’t even let herself enjoy the joy in Erin’s voice. “Erin, are you fucking serious? You bought me a bike?”
The words came out with about five question marks after them. Cassie just couldn’t believe it. Obviously Erin was rich, but—this was a multi-thousand-dollar present.
