“Steve Abbott!”
“Abigail Barlow!”
“Arther Bennings!”
With each name he calls, one of my classmates walks across the stage to shake his hand, collect their diploma, and switch their tassel to the other side of their cap. It takes a surprising amount of time. As he moves slowly through the list, the tension inside me grows so strong, I can barely sit still.
“Amanda Quinn!”
“Edward Reardon!”
I suck in a breath.
“Archer Reyes!”
The seconds tick by.
He doesn’t appear.
Headmaster Lawrence looks around in confusion. “ARCHER REYES!” he calls again, louder. As if Archer is simply hard of hearing.
Whispers circulate through the crowd as the seconds pass by. The ceremony has ground to a halt, waiting for him to materialize. But he doesn’t.
Where is he?
Something is wrong. I can sense it. My mind spins a million directions, playing out unlikely scenarios to explain his absence. I want to fly from my seat and search for him. The need to know he’s okay is so strong, it squeezes the air from my lungs, until I’m struggling to breathe. I’m about two seconds away from a full panic attack.
“It seems Mr. Reyes was unavoidably delayed,” Headmaster Lawrence announces. “So. Where were we… Ah, yes.Rebecca Rowland!”
“Sienna Sullivan!”
“Ryan Snyder!”
“Eva Ulrich!”
“Kenny Underwood!”
Finally, after a million years…
“Josephine Valentine!”
When he calls my name, I walk up to the podium and accept my diploma with numb hands.
“Congratulations, Miss Valentine.” He leans in to whisper something, muffling the microphone with his hand. “An interesting speech, earlier. Unexpected but refreshing. I admire your candor. And I hope you know… striking out on your own, outside the expectations of a family legacy, is something to be proud of. Never be ashamed of making your own way. No matter what your parents think.”
“Thank you.” My throat is tight. “I appreciate it, Headmaster.”
He nods, then glances down at his sheet to call the next names. Blessedly, we’re almost to the end.
“Odette Wadell!”
“Ophelia Wadell!”
They both wink at me as they collect their diplomas.
After the final name is called, Eva walks to the podium, grinning.
“Hat’s off to the graduates!”