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.

by some fucking miracle, the people I was most worried about— Mom and Dad—didn't kill me

Sure, they wanted Stanford.

a bit salty about

huge for my first year there—something

see her

me smiling as I take some final

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

honey,”

incredibly hard this year and your grades couldn't have made us

definitely isn't the moment where I bring up Leigh

secret is

I pulled my shit together and I got the grades I needed to

She adjusts my tie as my father says, "Are you

his phone and shakes it in his

I can tell them you've changed

this is the lawyer

doesn't stop until

not going to win this and his eyes tell me he's

where I'm

“I understand, son.

at graduation,” I tell them, and I say good—bye to the rest of

auditorium, minutes before we

to give her this gift and knowing we're not anywhere near each other in line, this feels like the

and her lips are glossy, just like I

sure what she's wearing underneath, but

she whispers, clasping her hands

find me before we walk across the stage.” She

so nervous.”

She shrugs.

and it feels like the whole world is watching and—you know, all the things.” I give her a kiss, holding our faces together before I reach into my pocket and

about it,

“I know ...

make you feel better.”

eyes widen as she

gift? But

“It's not like that.

and pulls the rest of the paper off, slowly

her face as she takes

rented me