that anymore. I could just relax and be myself more lately. It was nice.
Colette walked into the dressing room where I was and smiled. “Here you are. Hiding from us?”
“No,” I replied. I smoothed down my graduation gown and liked the look of it on myself. “Just taking a few minutes.”
She walked over and set her head on my shoulder. “I love your hair down. It’s kind of weird, but it just feels like it’s more you.”
“I was just thinking that,” I said. “Although it’s a little too long. I might cut it soon.”
“Oh, that’d look cute.” She grabbed the edges and tucked them under so that it was closer to being shoulder length. “Oh yeah. We’re doing this, like, first thing this summer.”
Maybe that was why there were so many butterflies in my stomach. It was graduation day, and after the wild ride I’d had with The Royal Court, it felt like a definitive ending to a story, but Colette’s words reminded me that it isn’t the end for us, just the end to this part. It was the end of a chapter. Starting tomorrow, we’d be on to what the rest of our lives would hold, and even though things weren’t finished with Nathan or his dad, I was excited to get to the next stage for us, even if it was a little scary.
I looked at Colette and smiled. She somehow made her graduation gown look fashionable. Her typically pixie-cut hair was starting to grow out more, but it didn’t really matter how she wore it. It always looked good. She’d finally made her way back to professional-grade makeup application and looked like a goddess. I almost didn’t want to stand near her.
“You look amazing,” I said.
She knocked her hip out to one side. “Naturally.” Then she winked. She looped her arm through mine and started pulling me out of the dressing room. “Come on. We’re going to line up soon.”
Colette pulled me out of the room and into the bustling lobby of Postings Proper High, a packed room filled with graduates. Everyone was giggling, chattering, and cheering in their individual groups while teachers circled the space and made sure everyone looked presentable and ready to go. Principal Hix stood at the front of the room in a suit and tie, talking to D.J. Motley and a couple of other teachers while they waited to be called in.
We made our way through the throngs of students and over to where The Royal Court was standing, save for Brayden, who was still a junior. He had already made an appearance and was somewhere out in the stands, cheering us on. I reached down and laced my hand into Nathan’s, and he brought it to his lips and kissed it.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I think I’m just shocked that this day is finally here.”
“I know what you mean,” Kyle said. “It really feels like we got here by the skin of our teeth. In January, you two,” he said as he pointed to Avery and Colette, “were a mess. You,” he said, pointing to Nathan, “were in that pit of self-loathing. You two,” he said as he motioned to Alistair and me, “were exhausted by trying to keep the rest of these guys together. I thought to myself, ‘Well, at least they’ll all flunk together, so they’ll have each other next year.’”
We all laughed, and Nathan gave him a light punch on the arm. “You held yourself together surprisingly well. I mean, we had some shit going on, like some shit going on, and you kept your head up and served The Royal Court way better than I ever did as king. You got us through this shit, Kyle. I’m serious. We would not be standing here without you.”
I nodded. “I have to agree. You’ve been our rock. Thanks for remaining so level-headed.”
Kyle grinned. “Hey, I couldn’t just let you guys crash and burn.”
“Nathan, is the party ready for after we’re done?” Avery asked. “I told my parents not to expect me back home tonight.”
A huge smile crossed Nathan’s face. He had apparently prepared the surprise he was working on, but I’d been to his house a couple of times in the week between finals and graduation and hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. “Oh yeah. It’s all ready. I was just staring at it before coming here today. You guys are gonna love it. I can’t wait.”
Not long after that, Principal Hix called for the