Page 197 of Sweet Dandelion
At the beginning of the school year I was so unhappy and miserable. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to exist. But I fucking did it.
I scoop my cap up and rush over to my friends, the four of us falling into a pile in the grass, full of laughter.
No one says anything for a moment and then it’s Seth who speaks.
“Shit’s about to get real.”
He’s not wrong.
The real world awaits.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
“We really didn’t have to come anywhere fancy,” I tell Sage for the hundredth time. “This is silly.”
I look around the extremely nice restaurant he chose to bring me to in celebration.
“I know, but I wanted to. You only graduate from high school once.”
“Well, thank you, this is thoughtful.” I peruse the menu, noting the expense of the dishes and wondering if I could get away with ordering a kids grilled cheese—even that’s over twenty dollars and boasts exotic sounding cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes, and something else that doesn’t sound at all palatable to a kid.
I end up settling on a ravioli dish and Sage orders a steak.
“I’m really proud of you, D.” He crosses his fingers, laying them on the table. “You’ve worked hard this year.”
I look away, his praise making me feel bad because I know with all the other things that went on this year he really shouldn’t be proud.
“Don’t look away,” he coaxes me to face him, “despite everything else, I am proud of you. I wouldn’t lie. You’re a smart girl and you’re going to do big things. What happened with him doesn’t rob you of your achievements.”
Something about his words pisses me off, but I bite my tongue because the last thing I want to do is get in a useless fight. There’s no point in trying to explain to him that Lachlan didn’t steal anything from me, I gave it all freely.
While still waiting for our orders we chat about my upcoming plans to leave.
“I figure I’ll buy a plane ticket tonight for somewhere in Europe. I don’t really care. I want to see it all.”
“Are you sure you want to go globe-trotting all by yourself? It’s not exactly safe.”
I won’t lie, that bit makes me nervous, but if we don’t step out of our comfort zone how will we ever live.
“I’ll be fine.” I dismiss his words, refusing to dwell on them.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” He tries to sound unbothered, but I know he’s hoping I won’t stay gone long.
I give a shrug, picking up my water glass and shooting a smile at the waiter when he places our dishes on the table. “I’m not sure. A few months.”
He chokes on the wine he ordered, sputtering. “Months?”
“This is a once in a lifetime trip,” I argue. “I want to make the most of it. Besides, if I go to college after I don’t plan to start until the fall.”
“You could enroll in a spring semester.”
“I could, but I don’t want to. I need time.”
He cracks a smile. “Well, I tried.”
We eat our meal, changing the topic of conversation. After a while, the waiter clears our plates from the table, placing a dessert menu before he goes.
“Pick something,” Sage encourages. “Tonight is a celebration.”
