~ ~ ~
The school parking lot was packed and overrun with students, teachers, and parents when they arrived. Bill Morgan and Margene arrived and kept a respectful distance. Her father approached her alone and kissed her cheek, looking down at her proudly. He handed her a velvet box and a card.
She forgave him for being a jerk as soon as she opened the box and saw it was a beautiful strand of pearls. The card was encouraging and enclosed was a crisp one hundred dollar bill.
“I’m so proud of you, Lindsay,” he said and hugged her briefly before he exchanged pleasantries with her mother. She was surprised to see them being so cordial. The divorce was final that week.
“I’m proud of you too, Mom,” she said as she saw Deborah Morgan seemed unaffected by Margene’s presence there. “You’re a class act.”
“I got Jack now, Lindsay,” she said with a laugh. “I’m the lucky one here.”
Seeing Margene wearing a tight tacky dress that did nothing for her pregnant shape, she had to agree. The younger woman didn’t hold a candle to her mother and everybody saw it but her dad. It was his loss.
“Now you just don’t worry about anything, Lindsay,” Sara was saying as they walked to the football field where everyone was lining up. “I got this.”
Lindsay smiled and put on her dark blue gown. Her mom fussed and fretted over her cap, bobby-pinning it to keep it on. She adjusted the white and blue tassel and smiled proudly.
“God, it seems like yesterday I was taking you to kindergarten,” her mom said and got teary-eyed.
“Stop Mom, you’re going to get me going again,” Lindsay said and smiled, feeling butterflies in her stomach now.
Her mom was joined by Jack and Dougie by then. They were parking the car and joined them. The next few minutes were spent taking pictures with her parents and with Sara and Dougie. Margene was surprised when she insisted she be in the photos with her dad.
Lindsay realized Margene was going to be her stepmother whether she liked it or not. Her dad refused to listen to Lance when he told him about the affair. He believed Margene when she said he made it all up to ruin their relationship. Lindsay figured he deserved to find out on his own, disgusted he would take her word over his son’s.
Finally it was time to find her place in line. She was nervous as she approached, glad she was in the M’s and everybody who hated her was up front. She was startled to see Jace dangling from the bleachers above. He grinned as he looked down at her and whistled.
“Lookin’ good, Morgan,” he called out. “You just walk and keep your head up. I’m here and I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Lindsay smiled at him and he winked down at her. She was nervous despite his words, hoping she got through this without falling apart. She was prepared to be booed when she walked; knowing Cam’s friends all planned it. She was determined she wouldn’t let them spoil it.
The graduation address droned on and on and suddenly the line started moving. Scattered applause was heard as students went to collect their diplomas. By the time it got to her, Lindsay was shaking in her new beige leather pumps. Jace was at her elbow by then.
“This is it, Lindsay,” he was saying as he walked with her to the steps. “You better keep that smile on your face. Don’t even sweat this.”
“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled under her breath as she fidgeted with her tassel, shoving it out of her face. “You’re not about to be humiliated before the whole town.”
“Lindsay, I go this,” he said smugly, sounding just like Sara had earlier.
Before she could ask him what he meant her name was called. She was overwhelmed with the racket as she walked across the stage. Bull horns, whistles, and loud cheering greeted her, drowning out the rude booing of a half dozen of her classmates that dwindled away looking embarrassed as her parents, their partners, Marnie, Lance, and the kids made so much noise it was all you could hear in the vicinity of the stage.
She accepted her diploma and the noise grew louder, making her smile widely as she saw Jace waiting for her on the other side of the stage. She eyed him with a glimmer of tears in her eyes as the flashes of cameras went off.
“You did good, thank you,” she whispered as she walked to the other side of the stage where he waited for her.
“Nobody’s gonna mess with my girl today,” he said proudly as he walked down the steps with her.
Lindsay felt like she was ten feet tall at that moment and knew she’d never forget it as long as she lived. She returned to where the other graduates sat, glad none paid her any mind as she took her seat. Jace was sitting in the space next to her, grinning ear to ear.
“I’m glad I got to be here for you, Linds.”
“Me too,” she said under her breath.
“Keep smiling, Cameron’s watching,” he told her and her gaze followed his to where Cameron sat glowering back at her.
“Flip him the bird,” Jace told her and she giggled.
“No, I’d rather let him know he didn’t ruin this for me,” she said and smiled even wider as Cameron turned back around in his seat.
She was glad Jace was there when the final address was given to the Class of 2011. Cheers went up with their caps. The applause was deafening. Jace managed to catch her cap in midair by focusing on it, bringing it back to her lap.
He walked with her to where her family sat, still smiling.
Lindsay got hugs and more pictures were taken with her brother and Marnie who arrived late. She was glad Jace was there standing next to her during the pictures, making her smile even deeper. He was draping an arm around her and she leaned into him, feeling the day turned out absolutely perfect when they finally headed to the car.
Her mom was teary-eyed and engulfed her in a tight hug. “My baby is graduated!” she exclaimed once more and Jack smiled indulgently at her.
“Let’s go back to my place. I got burgers and hotdogs,” he was saying and looked over at Bill and Margene. “You two are welcome to join us. It’s Lindsay’s day.”
Bill declined and Margene looked irritated, obviously wanting to go.
Lindsay was glowing after the ceremony. Sara hugged her and looked up at her with a smile.
“Didn’t I tell you I had this?” she said.
“Yeah, you did good. Sounds like something Jace would do.”
She smiled at that and rejoined Lindsay’s mom and Jack. Jace stood with her and looked less pleased now.
“I’m following Cameron and sticking to him like glue. I’ll meet you at your place to wait for Wilson.”
Jace ran than, a blur that flew across the school parking lot and beyond. She shook her head, still amazed by some of the things he could do. Her heart clenched at the thought of his leaving tomorrow. This would be his last night in her world. It seemed fitting they tie up this loose end before he left.
“Lindsay, hurry up!” Deborah called as they headed to the car. “We want to get ahead of the traffic.”
She picked up her steps and followed, feeling better every step she took. This day couldn’t have been more perfect if Jace was alive to be here and graduate with her. This was it. The rest of her life lay out in front of her and beyond. Suddenly she was excited about the future, even if the guy she loved wasn’t going to be there.
Lindsay learned a lot about herself. She was stronger than she’d ever realized. She could survive without Jace. Just knowing he made it back one last time to help her through this gave her the courage to keep going, for him.
The barbecue was a festive affair. She received gifts when they were cutting her cake. Jack bought her a beautiful leather satchel for school and it was filled with school supplies. She stared at it in surprise, knowing how much it must have cost. Her mother was beaming as she hugged her. Lance got her a new laptop and hugged her tightly when she started to cry.
It was a perfect day and she was sad when she made her excuses to go and get ready for the party. She would have liked to hang out with her family, not track down
and worm a confession out of Cameron. It had to be done.
She arrived two minutes ahead of Sheriff Wilson. He came into the apartment and handed her a gift. She was touched when she opened it and saw the silver pen set with her name engraved on them. She didn’t know what to say.
“Let’s do this thing, huh?” he asked and opened a case on the table to show her the listening device. He showed her how it worked. It would be a live microphone on her end and recording at his. He assured her it worked. He sat in his car to listen to her talking before he told her it was a go.
He came back inside and stared at her soberly. “I’m going to get as close as I can without tipping anybody off I’m there. We need a buzz word if you’re in trouble.”
“Like a code word?”
“Yeah, you say this word and I’m on him.”
“Ok, how about if I say just say the word ‘buzz’?”
“That’s real original,” the sheriff said with a chuckle. “Fine, you say the word buzz and I’m there.”
Sheriff Wilson left and Lindsay scooped up the microphone. It pinned inside her bra and she was comforted to know he would move in as close as he could when she confronted Cameron. Jace assured her he would be there the whole time.
Lindsay was nervous as she went to her bedroom to change. Jace would be here any time now. She wondered why he followed Cameron. She knew he used his status as a ghost to listen in on people. He hoped to listen to Cameron and his friends and learn of their plans. He knew this was Cameron’s last chance to get to her too. He wouldn’t waste such an opportunity, knowing he was leaving the next day for his grandparent’s house.
Lindsay knew everyone counted on her getting a confession from Cameron. She just prayed she could stay alive to do that. The car bomb was just a warning, meant to scare her. She had no doubt he meant to kill her; knew it when he confronted her in Merriman’s and glared back at her at commencements. He wouldn’t be satisfied until she was dead.