Down End Road

The graduation ceremony had been filled with antsy teenagers feeling jubilant and triumphant for getting through high school and I quote from Chad ‘by the skin of our teeth’.

It all felt so juvenile and frivolous. Yes, we had made it to the end of High school, and it was awesome, a great success.

However, it just felt so small, like High school was and would be a blip in time. My adventurous and ambitious mindset was putting a serious damper on the festivities. This was supposed to be a grand and life-changing moment, not a depressing reality check.

The more I thought about life, the more my mind circled back to Maverick Landon and the mystery of why he totally bugged out about my medallion.

We were saying our goodbyes and thanks to the teachers and other students, when out of the corner of my eye I saw Maverick Landon’s illuminated blond head peeking through the bushes in the green, next to the right side of the building.

I excused myself from the dismally dull farewell with my principal and started walking in the direction of the green. The slit in my dress exposed my calf and sent a brisk cool breeze along the surface of my skin.

My strappy stilettos crunched along the gravel road. I was on the grass walking towards him when he stood up, his smug face was unnerving. I considered punching him in the face, but that would earn me questions. Questions I did not want to answer.

“What, no teasing me with my necklace this time, you scared I might actually get it,” I dared. I had left my graduation robe with Kaylee in Marriane’s mustang.

However, I was still wearing the black cap, the yellow tassel was pendulously strung across the top of my cap. It had a charm on it that said 2009. It was charming and frankly quite up-lifting. Maverick reached for the yellow tassel, but I swatted his hand away.

He laughed bitterly. “Oh, the good old graduation, I’ve heard marvellous things about the refreshments.” His eyes fell to my shoulder, I had completely forgotten, I was wearing my valedictorian sash.

I was not ashamed that I had gotten good grades and instead of going to a party every Friday, but the fact that Maverick would most definitely take a dig at my hard-earned achievements was agitating.

“Oh, so you are smart, well you must have lost your brains last night then, I mean accepting a beverage from a random stranger was possibly the dumbest thing I have ever seen.” He taunted.

I was fuming mad, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t have accepted the tea himself, right? I mean I didn't actually know him, but he seemed cocky enough.

“Where's my necklace, why did your mother drug me and then have your dad interrogate me and what on earth was behind that door and why did it look like a reflection of a meadow?” I quizzed.

Maverick looked bewildered. His pupils like tiny dots in a sea of green and his jaw so tight I thought it might shatter at any given moment.

“You’re not supposed to remember that, you would only remember if...” Suddenly his face turned from a fair ivory to a ghostly white. It was worrying. “I’ve got to go.” I was about to protest when my phone buzzed.

It was looped in one of the red straps I bent down to get it and when I got up he was gone. Kaylee was texting me to come and get in the car because they were going to Bernie’s diner to celebrate.

I made a mental note to ask how him how he vanished later tonight, when I broke into End Road manner. I traipsed over to Marriane’s car feeling unsteady and wobbly in my three-inch heels.

My red dress flowed behind me as a gentle breeze washed over me. It had instantly calmed me down. “Let’s get going.” Said Kaylee.