You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Chapter 192

Easton

Me: Just a few more hours and we're graduated, dude, that's fucking crazy.

Harper: Right? These last few weeks have flown by.

It's what I wished for and now it's here and gah! Me: That graduation practice was a total joke today, but are you comfortable with it all, do you know what you're doing? Harper: Wait, you're asking ME if I know what I'M doing? I'm the one who was paying attention to where we're supposed to line up and all that.

You're the one who was high as hell with my brother, laughing non-stop.

Me: lol truth ...

I'm just always worried about you, baby.

Harper: I love you for that, but I'm all good.

I'll see you there very soon.

I smile at her last message and put my phone down.

Then, I take my black tie out of my closet and wrap it around my neck.

Once the knot is where I want it, I carefully place the graduation gown over me and I put the cap on my head.

I take a final look at myself in the mirror, knowing the minute I get downstairs, my family is going to want pictures.

They're all here—my brothers and their girls, aunts and uncles, everyone coming to the auditorium to watch me walk across the stage.

Being the youngest, I know this is a big deal for my parents, so that's why I don't lose my patience when I join them downstairs and pose in every fucking direction while they snap a million pictures of me.

And since some of my family hasn't seen me since I decided to go to UCLA, I accept the small digs they shoot in my direction for being the rebel of the family and not going to Stanford like the others.

Whatever, I can handle it.

In fact, bring it on.

I don't want to be like my brothers.

I don't want to get into law.

I want to be my own person and go my own direction and kick ass ina way that isn't expected of me.

was most worried about— Mom and Dad—didn't kill

Sure, they wanted Stanford.

bit

my first year there—something I haven't told Harper yet, but I'm

it, I can't wait to see her face

me smiling as I take some

the photoshoot is over, my parents approach me just as I'm getting ready to

so proud of you, honey,” my mother says,

so incredibly hard this year

isn't the moment where I bring up

is

the grades I needed to and that's

over UCLA’ She adjusts my tie as my father says, "Are you sure I can't convince you to go to

holding his phone and shakes it in his

all it'll take and I can tell them

know this is the

stop until he

and his

happy with where I'm going.” He

“I understand, son.

tell them, and I say good—bye to the rest

I get to the auditorium, minutes before we line up, I find Harper

thinking about when I want to give her this gift and knowing we're not anywhere near each other in line, this

and her lips are glossy, just like

she's wearing underneath, but she looks gorgeous in

whispers, clasping her

me before we walk across the stage.”

so nervous.” “Nervous?

She shrugs.

deal and my family is here and it feels like the whole world is watching and—you know, all the things.” I give her

about it, it's

“I know ...

make you feel better.” I place the

as she

But I didn't get

“It's not like that.

flap of the hack wrapping job I'd done and pulls the rest of the

confusion on her face as she takes out the key and

me an apartment