Page 154 of Finish Line

“I passed. That’s all I care about,” Cin says.

Peter waves at us, and we walk over to where he saved us some seats.

“Thanks, Peter.” I sit next to him.

He kisses my cheek. “You’re welcome. How have you been?”

We make small talk until someone taps my shoulder. I jump a mile high.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Shelby. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Paige’s mom says.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Mitchel,” I say.

She smiles. “I told you to call me Naomi.”

“How is Paige this morning?” I ask.

She smiles at me. “Nervous about her speech.”

“She’s the salutatorian. She’ll do amazing.” I tap Peter’s shoulder. “Peter, these are Paige’s parents, Naomi and Joel Mitchel.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Congratulations on Nick becoming valedictorian.” Joel shakes hands with Peter.

“Thank you. You should be proud of Paige. Nick says it was a close race.”

While they talk, I lean over to Cam and gesture at the empty chairs on the stage. “Who’s the VIP seating for?”

He smirks. “Who do you think?”

I don’t give my guess before Chad and Katherine strut in with guards around them. Some guards stand to the side, and some take seats on either side. Frank is one of the ones who stands. His eyes search around the crowd before they land on us.

He gives me a nod and goes back to searching for attacks.

The music starts, and the graduates walk in and file to their seats. It’s easy to find Mav. He decorated his cap with So long, Suckers!

Once everyone is settled, Chad Knight stands to speak. I didn’t know he’s the guest speaker.

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Chad Knight, the owner of Knight Technology. For those who know who I am, I didn’t bribe anyone to have Mav graduate. He did it on his own.” He glances at his son.

The crowd laughs as Mav stands up and takes a bow. Cam shakes his head.

Once Chad finishes, it’s Paige’s turn. She fidgets with a ring on her finger but finishes her speech with confidence and enthusiasm.

Our group makes a lot of noise when she finishes.

Nick is up next, and he receives a standing ovation.

The principal calls up the graduates in alphabetical order.

Out of our group, Dom crosses the stage first, and I cheer as loud as possible. Mav goes next, and when he shakes the principal’s hand, he says something that makes the man chuckle and shake his head. I bet he’s glad he only came on board during Mav’s last few months after Ms. Webb got the boot.

When Mav receives his diploma, he turns toward the crowd, raises it above his head, and whoops. As he lowers his hand, he flies backward, knocking over one of the people up on stage.

Dom runs back up on stage but lurches forward, falling to the stage. Cam pushes me to the ground and blocks my view of them.

The crowd realizes what is going on, and everyone panics, running for the exits.

“Let me up!” I push at Cam. “I need to check on them.”

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