AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was so beautiful outside, sunny with not a cloud in sight and mid to high seventies. Gorgeous. I tipped my face up to the sun, enjoying the warmth on my pale skin.
“If you want to feel the sun, why don’t you just take off the hat?” He asked.
“I love this floppy hat,” I said as I brought my head back down. “It keeps my face from burning and I only tilt my head back every few minutes.”
“Hmm.” He spread his legs out in front of him. “Are you having a graduation party?”
That was something we’d all just talked about last night. And none of us were all fired up to have one. For one thing, none of us had family that would really be able to host the party, or that we wanted to attend.
“Nope. We all decided we might do something together to celebrate, but outside of you, I don’t have any friends. Jonah’s…” I tried to find the most kind but honest way to phrase his life situation. “He has a million acquaintances, people who have partnered with him on projects or in clubs and teams, but no real friends. Rhys has a couple, but they’ll all be busy with their own families for graduation.”
“Damn, Ass. You make it sound like you guys are loners to the extreme with zero friends.” He shook his head. “What about me? Trinity?” He frowned at his lap. “Shit, I guess that’s really it. I thought there would be more on that list.”
I laughed, and the tingling endorphins swam through my bloodstream. Funny how someone could literally feel the happiness going through their bodies when they laughed. Or maybe it was because we were so close to graduation that we just didn’t care about anything anymore. A lot of the stress I’d dealt with in the beginning of the year was just…gone.
“You’re forgetting that I don’t really like people. Watching them, studying human behavior and body language, yes. Actually holding conversations? No.”
He let out a beleaguered sigh. “I guess you’re right. It’s just sad. Is that a no on coming to my party then?”
“I’d love to come to your party. Where’s my invitation, anyway?”
His eyes widened. “Shit. You’re right. I’ll bring you an official one tomorrow.”
“Hey, baby.” Rhys dropped down next to me, planting an affectionate kiss on my temple.
“Hey,” I returned.
“Shit, I’m gonna have to go. The googly eyes you give each other make me have FOMO so bad. Once I get a boyfriend again, I’ll hang out with you all often. But right now, it’s making me a little nauseous.”
I laughed and Rhys smirked. When Ryan glanced over my head, he pushed to his feet. “Just in time too. Your other boyfriend is coming.”
Then Ryan was gone, and Jonah was taking his place. “Did I miss something?”
“No, just Ryan being Ryan.” I grinned.
“Got it.” He nodded like that made all the sense in our limited world.
But not limited for much longer.
“Exams are done, projects are turned in. I think we’re officially done with senior year.” The warily contemplative look on Jonah’s face was everything we felt. We were pretty much free to leave the school and graduation was next week.
Sure, the underclassmen would go to school for another five days, but seniors? We were free to enter the world. It was surreal.
“What do you say we get out of here and go grab some pizza?” Rhys plucked a blade of emerald green grass, that spoke all about the sprinkler system rather than the Colorado terrain. He tossed it at Jonah, but it fell in the middle of our imperfect circle.
“Done.” I hopped up. I had an apple earlier but since I’d sat down with Ryan, I hadn’t grabbed lunch, more interested in enjoying the last few hours I’d be a high school student.
Jonah caught my hand as we weaved through the students spilling out the wretched brick building.
I glanced back at the high school that had been my own for the last year. It hadn’t been that bad. In fact, in a lot of ways, attending Silver Ranch High School had been the best thing that had ever happened to my sheltered existence. I certainly was grateful for everything I’d gained this year. It made all the bad parts worth it.
“Astrid,” Jonah whispered as he pulled me to a stop.
Pulling my gaze away from the high school, I turned around, first to see the frown deepening the corners of his wide set mouth, then following where his gaze was locked…
On my father.
He’d been calling me consistently over the last several weeks. Sometimes to beg me to appeal to Rhys, sometimes while drunk when he was hopelessly incoherent. Those were only the times I’d answered.
