My feet were aching in my shoes, I couldn’t even go straight anymore but I still kept running. My hair was whipping around, slowly breaking free of the pins that held it back, and the people that were stuck in traffic were surely staring at me.

I mean, who wouldn’t stare at a girl running down the sidewalk in a graduation gown?

Frankly, I don’t care because the only thing going in my head is that I’m going to make it.

“We’re graduating in a few hours,” Lillian said as if she can’t believe it.

Annabelle, who was laying down on her stomach on Jessica’s bed, finally lifted her head from the magazine she was reading and let out a sigh, “Four years flew by so quickly.”

Jessica nodded in agreement, drying her wet hair with a white towel, “Seems only like yesterday we were running around trying to find our way in school.”

I stared blankly at the muted television inside Jessica’s room. My vision was blurred, I can’t see anything that was playing. I just made it look like I was paying attention.

Since it was our last day before graduating, the girls decided that we should have a sleepover just for old time’s sake. So here we are, gathered in Jessica’s room, all of us have showered and are presentable enough to make sure we didn’t scare anyone outside.

“House crash!” somebody yelled from downstairs and we were pretty sure it was none of the Oliver Household.

Pounding footsteps ran up the stairs and appeared at my best friend’s doorway was none other than Lucas and Blake Smith, holding up cans of beer.

The girls laughed at their antics but I only stared numbly at the beer in Blake’s hand. Somehow, I got drunk at their party and when I woke up, Drew was there beside me. I had no recollection of what happened the night before but I knew something was up; he was looking at me with such expectant eyes when he drove me home.

“How did you get in anyways?”

Blake grinned and lifted a key, jiggling it at our faces, “Jessica’s mother trusts me too much.”

Jessica rolled her eyes but she didn’t deny it.

“I didn’t bring this here for nothing,” Lucas stated, gesturing to the beer cans.

“Beer at such an hour in the morning?” Annabelle questioned with a raised brow while shaking her head, “It’s too early for that.”

“Only one per person,” Lucas assured, tossing each of us a can, “Just a little way of celebrating.”

“You always celebrate with alcohol,” Lillian pointed out but taking a sip of their alcoholic drink, “Right Celeste?”

I stared at the can in my hands and twirled it around. There was moisture outside and it was still cold to the touch. What happened while I was knocked out?

“Celeste?” Jessica shook my shoulder lightly, bringing me back to reality.

I blinked a few times before my eyes regained their focus. Jessica’s worried face was the first thing that came into view before I saw the concerned looks my friends were giving me.

“Just nervous for my speech later,” I excused, laughing uneasily. They nodded in understanding but they still kept stealing glances to my direction.

Because I was both the valedictorian and the out coming student body president, I had to prepare myself for a speech. It was at the back of my head but since I brought it up again, my head is more occupied than ever.

“It’s about Drew, isn’t it?” Lillian suddenly said, making all heads turn to her, “That look Celeste has only means she has something going on with Drew.”

Was I really that easy to read?

“Everett always got you worked up,” Lucas chuckled, crushing the beer can in his hand.

I threw my head back and sighed, for the past few days, he wasn’t mentioning anything about the party. I didn’t know if nothing really happened or if he was just hiding something from me.

“Go check up on him,” Blake smiled encouragingly, stepping away from the doorway, “It’s graduation.”

Looking at our little group, I couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of happiness. Thinking back then, I would have never guessed that I would end up sitting her inside my best friend’s bed room with all of them with me.

I couldn’t have chosen better friends than them.

Giving each of them a grateful smile, I stood up from my spot, picked up my duffel bag and walked to the door.

“See you later!” they hollered and I nodded. I sprinted to my car and drove to Drew’s house, keeping the time in check. I still have to go home to prepare for graduation after all of this.

“Hi Celeste,” Ariel greeted when she opened the door, “What are you doing here so early in the morning?”

“I came to talk to Drew,” I told her, peeking behind her to see if he was there.

“Still knocked out in bed,” she laughed, stepping to the side to allow me to enter, “I’m just in the middle of breakfast, do you want some?”

“I already ate,” I turned down, heck, I already drank.

She shrugged and closed the front door, “Today’s the day.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything. She was just as emotional as I was, she knew that there was a likely chance that he son would be leaving for college. I’m pretty sure if Drew was going to attend a local college, she’ll persuade him to live his life as he pleases.

But I’m not going to make this family suffer any longer.

She sensed my anxiousness and she let out another amused laugh, “Go wake Drew up for me, will you?”

My eyes snapped at her but she gave me an encouraging push to the staircase, “And I know that you two have a lot to talk about.”

Ariel then left me with a decision. This was already the second time she asked me to wake Drew up. Funny how the first time I did, I was too scared to touch him. This time, I’m not going to scare him with a non-existent fire.

I slowly walked up the stairs and made the turn until I was standing right in front of his bedroom door. I knocked the door just in case and when there was no answer, I slowly cracked it open.

Just like the first time, he was deeply buried in his sheets. He was snoring lowly and had a bit of drool coming out of his mouth. Nonetheless, he looked peaceful, this may be the first time I saw absolute tranquility in his features.

What girlfriend would I be if I ruined my boyfriend’s moment of peace?

So instead, I sat on the floor next to his bed, waiting for him to wake up.

What exactly would I do if he wakes up? What will I say to him?

His hand hung to the edge, right beside my head. I took it in mine, savoring the warmth it provided. Even in his sleep, he gave me comfort.

“Celeste,” he mumbled making me freeze. Is he dreaming about me?

I turned my head to look at him and sighed, he was still fast asleep.

Whatever’s going to happen, I’m determined to say the words.

I love you.

It consists of only eight letters, why did it take me this long to say it?

“This is frustrating!” I yelled unconsciously.

“Celeste?” I heard him question and slowly, he opened his eyes.

Ah, I love those pools of green.

“Good morning,” I greeted sheepishly, “Sorry if I woke you up.”

He rose to a sitting position and rubbed his tired eyes, “What are you doing here?”

“Just wanted to see you,” I shrugged. Good, I can remain calm.

He nodded and yawned again, “Then let’s talk.”

I hauled myself up from my position on the floor and sat beside him on his bed.

So here we go, let’s start from scratch, “What happened during the party?”

He stiffened and my hunch was correct, something did happen.

“You tried to make a move on me,” he sighed, leaning his had back on his headboard, “But you were really knocked out.”

So let me get this straight, I was drunk and I tried to make out with him. He, on the other hand, rejected this and placed me to sleep instead.

Without thinking, I threw my arms around this guy into a tight hug.

“What the…” his eyes widened in shock, “Did you finally crack?”

Now or never Celeste. this guy was great enough that he didn’t take advantage of you. It’s either you stop over thinking thing and let the opportunity go, or just live that moment as it is.

I kissed him, hard. Let’s just enjoy everything that’s happening right now because today will be the day everything will change.

When I pulled back, I locked eyes with him and finally said it, “I love you.”

He was obviously happy with this because he crashed his lips onto mine, molding our bodies together.

*

*

*

“Sorry we couldn’t be there, Celeste,” my mom said through the phone and I listened to her while applying my mascara. My parents were on loudspeaker and they were now apologizing that they couldn’t attend to my graduation. Apparently, their flight got pushed back and there was no way they could make it on time.

“It’s alright,” I told them truthfully. I was getting used to this up until it started to faze me less and less.

But I was still extremely disappointed. Even Jazzy wasn’t coming because she had to attend Yasmin’s graduation which was also today.

“I have to get ready, mom,” I said, picking up my phone, “I’ll call you later.”

I heard her voice soften as she let out a sigh, “We’re really sorry.”

Somehow, that made me smile. Maybe my parents did care the slightest bit about me, “Bye mom.”

We both hung up and I carelessly threw my phone on my bed.

Carefully, I perched the graduation cap on top of my head before smiling in approval of my reflection at the mirror.

I’m finally leaving high school.

I grabbed a pair of stilettos and placed them on. I picked up the paper where I printed my speech on and tucked it safely in an envelope.

Looking back at my empty room, I gave a nostalgic sigh. I’ve decided that I’ll be moving out when I go to college and I’ll admit that I’ll miss this apartment. After travelling with my parents all the time as a child, I demanded that I wanted to stay at one place.

So they gave me an apartment at the city where everything started. This is where they met, got married and where I was born.

They gave Jazzy instruction on how to look after me, she was just twenty-one years old when it happened. My parents were kind enough to take care of her when she was a teenager as she worked for my family so she was extremely loyal. I was in the eighth grade when my parents finally allowed me to live alone with one of our maids.

When my eyes landed on the clock on the wall, I started to go in panic. I was reminiscing things for too long.

I grabbed my car keys and ran to the elevator. Taking the familiar path across the lobby, the employees were all giving me their congratulations on graduating.

Finally safely in my car, I started up my vehicle and I exited the parking lot.

It was only a ten minute drive to school so I was pretty confident that as long as I don’t hit too much traffic, I’ll be able to get there on time.

Of course, my car hated me today.

It started to sputter and gradually slowed down on the road. My eyes widened and I used the remaining momentum of the car to drive to the side so I wasn’t blocking the whole road.

My gas tank was low but it wasn’t empty just yet. Maybe it had something to do with the battery.

I stepped out of the car and opened the hood. So maybe I should have learned a thing or two about cars because I was just staring at the open hood with no idea on what to do.

If this continued on, I would be late.

Maybe I could call someone.

I felt my pockets for my phone but I froze when it wasn’t there. I freaking forgot it on my bed!

Well, there were no houses that we familiar nearby so I knew nobody from this neighborhood. Staring at the sidewalk ahead then back to my high heels, I challenged myself. I’m going to run to school.

 Grabbing the envelope that held my speech from the inside of my car, I took out my keys from the ignition and locked the vehicle. Might as well get back to it later.

I gave my car a slight pat on the roof, silently promising it that I’ll come back.

Great, now I’m making promises to inanimate objects.

I pocketed my keys and took a deep breath before I commanded my legs to start running.

My feet were aching in my shoes, I couldn’t even go straight anymore but I still kept running. My hair was whipping around, slowly breaking free of the pins that held it back, and the people that were stuck in traffic were surely staring at me.

I mean, who wouldn’t stare at a girl running down the sidewalk in a graduation gown?

Frankly, I don’t care because the only thing going in my head is that I’m going to make it.

I stumbled in my heels and I let out a huff. That’s it, I’m ditching these shoes.

I took them off and clutched them in my right hand before I kept going. Strangely, the people who I passed by started to cheer me on, finally realizing that I was doing my best to go somewhere.

Knowing the familiar path, I knew that was near the school. I glanced at my wrist watch before allowing myself to have a mini-heart attack. I had two minutes tops to get there.

The large school building finally came into view and I can see students entering the gates with proud smiles on their face.

I stopped running when I came in front of the school gates, puffing in and out for oxygen.

People stared at me for a quick moment, taking in my appearance and to my complete surprise, they started clapping.

“You sure know how to make a grand entrance,” I heard a voice say, Claire stood there shaking her head with an amused smile gracing her face.

I gaped at her and I saw my friends approach me, laughing at me.

“That was a great show, Cel,” Lillian laughed, “But I suggest you fix your hair,” she reached out and straightened my cap as well as attempting to fix the tumbleweed of a hair.

“And put on your shoes,” Annabelle pointed out.

Blake gratefully allowed me to use his shoulder as support I wore my death shoes back on my feet, wincing when I stood perfectly straight again. My feet were aching.

“I go to the bathroom and the second I got out, the whole school is talking about my girlfriend’s entrance,” Drew chuckled, walking up to our group, “What happened?”

I started dusting off my dress and I cleared my throat, trying to act nonchalant, “Nothing.”

They all lifted a brow and I was quite scared that they did it all at the same time.

“All seniors please head to the gym,” the speaker announced

We looked at each and smiled, this is it.

The ceremony? It flew by faster than I expected, I thought it would be a slow motion movie inside my head.

The principal stepped up on the podium, “Now let us call on our valedictorian and the out coming student body president, Celeste Graham.”

Annabelle, who was seated next to me, gave me a little nudge of encouragement. I stood up, my figure sticking out in the mass of graduates,

I slowly climbed up the steps leading to the top of the stage. The principal gave me the podium and I he smiled in appreciation, “Good job this year,” he complimented.

I nodded and stepped up, placing down the piece of paper.

Looking around the gym, I took in a deep breath. Up until today, I never figured out how to speak in front of a big crowd.

“I’m just going to say, this ceremony didn’t start well in my book,” I said causing laughter to erupt from the crowd, clearly knowing what I was referring to.

“But at the start of this school year, I had two crazy best friends who thought it would be great if I finally changed,” I started, my eyes landing on both Jessica and Lillian, “And some point, another crazy girl decided to join us,” I then moved my attention to Annabelle who was smiling sheepishly at me.

“The first three year of high school was peaceful for me, but then I realized, it was also a bit boring. When senior year came, I found myself in the position of student body president.”

Then, I locked eyes with Drew, falling deeply into those pools of green, “During the preparations for the winter formal, I got locked inside the school but fortunately, I wasn’t alone.”

A slight smile curved my lips, “I guess that’s when the adventure finally started.”

In detailed narration, I moved my topic to the Smith Brothers, “Two devils decided to come back to my life but this time, I guess they got rid of their horns.”

“High school was a rollercoaster of events. I took advantage of it, allowing my life to go full speed ahead but I met somebody who found a pause button. Thankfully, he’s now sitting within this crowd, watching me as I spout things about our relationship.”

Drew crossed his arms over his chest as a smirk graced his features, looking amused at me more than ever.

“So I’m going to leave with a message, sometimes, you may think everything is going the right way but in truth, you’re heading to the wrong direction. Take some risks and to those who says opposites can’t be together,” I breathed in for a dramatic pause, “Falling for the opposite isn’t really too bad.”

The smirk Drew was showing turned into a full on grin.

“The friends I made are truly the best. The obstacles I faced gave me all new lessons to learn. And the strangers I came to love makes me feel complete,” I stated, “Congratulations my fellow seniors, we did it.”

Lucas, being the top of fun, took off his graduation cap and tossed it in the air. Several people followed until the whole gym was raining with graduation caps.

I stepped down the stage and I was quickly engulfed in a hug, “We’re leaving this place,” Jessica squealed.

“Jess, allow the poor girl to breathe,” Lillian stated, laughing at my best friend’s death grip.

Jessica released me, giving me an innocent smile, “I just wanted to hug my best friend.”

Rolling my eyes, I looked around the room. Students were hugging each other, parents were snapping pictures and for the first time, the teachers allowed us to have our fun.

“Congratulations,” two voices said simultaneously. Our heads whipped around to see both Charlie and Mark standing there, waiting to be noticed.

“You came!” both Annabelle and Lillian jumped into their boyfriends’ arms.

“What a romantic show,” Blake muttered, fake gagging, wrapping an arm around Jessica.

“If they get married, they’ll officially become sisters,” Jessica pointed out.

“Now I just need to survive a year before my own graduation,” Mark groaned after he and Annabelle got out of their hug.

Oh right, I forgot Mark was younger than all of us.

“Seems like the rowdy bunch is complete once again,” Drew finally appeared, lacing his hand in mine.

The idea suddenly popped back into my head, I leaned into Drew’s ear and whispered, “I need to tell you something.”

He looked at my friends and nodded, while they were all occupied talking among themselves, he pulled me to the side.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” he asked, referring to my visit to him this morning.

“Slipped out of my mind?” I questioned more than answered. He chuckled and shook his head.

“So what do you want to talk about?”

His face was mixed with anxiousness and curiosity. In my head, I knew that expression morphed into something with pure glee. I worked my butt off doing whatever my parents requested of me to make sure that my plan was placed into action. Not taking any longer, I gave him a toothy smile.

“My parents agreed to a retrial with your father,” I finally blurted out.

He stared at me for a moment, registering that simple sentence in his head. His eyes scanned my face to see if I was joking but when he realized that I was one-hundred percent serious, he wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me in the air.

“You’re amazing!” he said, spinning me around and I giggled as he did so

When he finally placed me back on the ground, he leaned down. He didn’t go for my lips, but instead, placed a sweet kiss on my forehead.

It was enough to get my heart racing.

“How?” he questioned quietly.

My arms fisted his clothes at his back and leaned against him, “I became my parents’ puppet.”

He looked at me, silently telling me to explain but I only rolled my eyes, “It’s a long story.”

“But what about you?” he asked as if he already understood, “I know you’re still going to business school.”

I shook my head and leaned to kiss his cheek, “Don’t worry about me. This was already decided the day I was born.”

Drew said nothing at all but only looked down at me, he watched me with both sympathy and admiration. A look that all too familiar with.

“Promise that you’ll go to university,” I almost pleaded. If I wasn’t going to live my life to the way I desired it to be, I at least want to see Drew do it, “Don’t worry about Ariel and Savannah, James will be there to take care of them.”

He caressed my cheek and frowned, knowing all too well why I’m doing this, “Don’t become their puppet.”

“I already am,” I shrugged, trying to act as if I it was alright. The problem was, it’s not. The fact that he’s going to be happy was enough for me to accept my parents’ choices.

Sometimes, you need to work a little harder for love.

“Hey you two love birds!” we heard Lucas holler, “Come on here.”

I raised a hand to tell them to wait a minute before turning back to Drew, “I told you I’ll fix it and I did.”

He suddenly pulled me into a hug, burying his face into my hair, “But I didn’t get to fix you.”

Now I knew what he was talking about. All this times, he was trying to get on my parents’ good side, praying that they’ll allow me to live a little. He knew that I was trapped in the messy world of money and business.

I held him tight, returning the hug, “You already did,” I smiled sincerely, “Even if people saw me as a perfect little rich girl, you saw my flaws and who I really am but you still accepted me. You showed me that even within these different worlds we lived in, a guy who isn’t too obsessed with power and popularity can love me.”

“I love you,” he declared once again. My eyes closed as I savored this moment we have together.

Four years ago when somebody told me that I’ll soon become the student body president, have popular friends, realize that my bully was in love with, and that I’ll be trapped in the school with somebody who’s my polar opposite, I would have told them that they’re crazy.

“I love you too,” I replied softly.

The End

--------------------------

*takes bow and walks away*

I have the spin-off typed and ready to be publshed. It shall be up within this week and so will be the bonus chapter of Falling For The Opposite.

First week of school after the Christmas break literally stressed me out. I barely got any sleep and i was dozing off all over the place. I almost forgot to update, sorry.

Question: (aww, this our last question for our book) What was your favorite part of the story (wow, that sounded like Dora) and why?

This is our book guys, it's not only mine. Thank you for sticking with me through with or without updates. Your endless encouragement gives me so much glee and I love you all so much.

Bye guys.