Alarmed, Jeremy apologized, "I didn't do anything to hurt you, did I? I'm sorry...I..."
She put a finger to his lips and shushed him. "Don't apologize. You were absolutely amazing. I only wish that you'd been my first." Gathering herself to start getting dressed, she continued, "The truth is, I'm just not used to having sex. It's not like I'm an expert or anything, but I don't think you're small either. So, even if I was more experienced, I'd still be feeling it this morning. Don't worry," she said, as she leaned over to kiss him, "I'll be ready to go again by the time we get back from our trip."
Jeremy just groaned in response. He was so caught up in the events of the previous night, he hadn't even begun to consider that there might be more in store for the future.
By the time they'd finished dressing, packed up the chairs, mattress, and blankets, and made sure the fire was completely put out, Jeremy was getting hungry. "We've got a few hours before we have to meet at the school. How about I take you for breakfast?"
"Sounds good to me. I could really go for some pancakes."
Breakfast was so comfortable, it was scary. It was like they were an old married couple, used to each other's company. They went to a little diner and ordered breakfast. Jeremy had biscuits and gravy, with a side of bacon. He ordered coffee, although he had to "sissy it up" (his dad's term) with a couple of packets of sweetener. To his father, any coffee that was lighter than the night sky or couldn't retain the shape of the mug for a second after pouring it out, wasn't "real" coffee, and never mind adding sweetener. Jeremy couldn't drink that stuff, but he occasionally liked having a cup of regular people's coffee. Ava had orange juice with her pancakes and sausage.
While they ate, they didn't feel the need to fill the air with conversation. Jeremy checked his phone and saw that he'd missed a message from his father telling him that they didn't expect him until mid-morning and to have fun.
I guess Dad was in on it, too
, he thought. AJ wanted to know if he was planning on camping out after the bonfire, or if he was getting a hotel room. Jeremy hadn't thought about it. He'd heard that it was traditional for the graduating class to stay out on graduation night, but he'd been so focused on his birthday and the bonfire that he hadn't considered what would come after. Jeremy texted him back that he wasn't sure, but he'd let him know before the bonfire.
Ava had, in Jeremy's rough estimation, about a million messages from friends. While he was absorbed in his food, and in his own messages, she was replying to and receiving texts at lightning pace. Apparently, the birthday party had been a big hit, and many of the girls were wanting to know how Jeremy liked the lipstick surprise. There were two messages from two different women asking essentially the same question. Serena and Ava's mother both wanted to know how the "after party" went, for different reasons.
Unbeknownst to Jeremy, Serena had plans for her own night with him. She'd hinted at it last night, but without the context of Ava's "present" to him, she knew he hadn't understood. So, her messaging with Ava was more to make sure they were still on the same page for this weekend, and to see if they could have an early lunch together before the graduation ceremony to go over all the juicy details.
Her mother simply wanted to tell her that she loved her, and she hoped everything went the way Ava wanted. They were close, and Ava had never been shy about seeking her mother's advice or asking questions about anything when it came to boys. It was easy to do so, because Bonnie Powell had never been a prude, and she remembered what it was like to be young and in love, or at least in love with the idea of romance. So, when Ava approached her to talk about the birthday present she wanted to give Jeremy, she didn't scold or attempt to talk her out of it. She simply encouraged her to use protection, gave her a few ideas on things to try, and told her to enjoy her time with Jeremy.
After Jeremy dropped Ava at her house and drove home, he found himself walking into his kitchen just shy of 10 am. For the first time in forever, Jeremy was a little apprehensive about seeing his parents. Knowing that they knew something so personal about him, something that seemed intensely private, was a new experience. He couldn't make up his mind whether or not to feel embarrassed; if not embarrassed, what emotion should he be feeling? How would his parents react to him, knowing he'd spent the night out with a girl?
His father made the first move. He looked at Jeremy over his paper with a smirk on his face. "Late night, huh?" Jeremy nodded as felt his face begin to heat up. His father winked and asked, "Have a good time?"
Initially, it looked like his mother was going to take pity on him. "Oh Samuel, leave him alone. I think it's sweet, and probably a lot better than the cramped back seat of a car. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous that he was with a pretty girl like Ava instead of Mary Lou Penrose." His mother winked at Jeremy and grinned, as his father assured him that Mary Lou was plenty cute.
Just as Jeremy began to relax, though, she struck. "Besides, I'm sure Ava would be happy to provide all the details I could ever want if I ask her at the graduation party tonight."
Jeremy rolled his eyes, but realized that they were just teasing, probably to defuse the tension. So, he decided to play along. "And here I thought that the two people I love and trust most in this world would be supportive and concerned about my feelings. Instead, you conspire with my girlfriends to give me...the best birthday party, followed by the best night, of my life. I guess if the teasing is the price I have to pay, then bring it on." A little more soberly, he said, "I wanted to thank you guys, though, for helping out with the party last night. It really was pretty amazing."
His mother came over and hugged him. Stepping back slightly, she went into total mom mode and began smoothing his hair and straightening his shirt. As she did so, she said, "I just can't believe my little boy is all grown up. Sometimes when I look at you, I still see your chubby little baby cheeks, and I hear that big old belly laugh that sounded so strange coming from such a tiny body. But it's like I blinked, and all of a sudden, you were taller than me, your voice was changing, and you needed a shave." She smiled wistfully, as tears formed in her eyes. "The party was our pleasure. Your dad said it just right last night; we are so very proud that you're our son. That was just a way we could let everyone else know how much we love you." Then she kissed his cheek and let him go on his way.
Jeremy spent the rest of the morning reveling in knowing that he didn't have an assignment due on Monday, or for the foreseeable future. He lounged in his room for a while, then he joined his buddies in a little bit of electronic warfare. Finally, it was time to head to the school for the graduation ceremony. Unlike some of his classmates that he knew were planning on wearing cargo shorts, Hawaiian shirts and flipflops to the ceremony, Jeremy wore a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt, with a satin tie of solid maroon, under his robe. Maybe he was a little quirky, but he'd always appreciated the importance of ceremony. Thus, he tried to approach each with a commensurate level of seriousness. To Jeremy, this was a milestone event that required a fairly serious approach. He didn't want to look back and regret that he hadn't recognized its importance. Over his clothing, he layered his black robe, his white National Honor Society sash, gold honor student cord, and the red cord given to all the students. With a final check in the mirror, Jeremy thought that he looked pretty good. His mother captured the look on camera before they left the house.
The ceremony itself was fairly standard. As such, it doesn't warrant much elaboration. The principal of the school spoke, as did the class's president, Stewart Hawley, and the class valedictorian, Mai Wu. The keynote speaker was a NASA engineer who'd graduated from the school a number of years earlier. Engineers have a bad rap for being dry and without sense of humor. Unfortunately, this speaker did nothing to dispel the stereotype, and his speech was largely forgotten by the graduates before the night was out. (
Author's note: Most commencement speeches are boilerplate and boring. If you want to hear something unique and powerful, look up Admiral McRaven's 2014 commencement speech for the University of Texas at Austin on YouTube. Hint: If you want to change the world, make your bed
.)
Finally, the diplomas were handed out. Well, not the diplomas themselves; those would have to be picked up once final grading was done and all graduation requirements were verified. But each student got to hear his or her name announced, walk across the stage to receive the symbolic diploma, and shake the principal's hand, pausing for a commemorative photo. At last, the instructions were given to shift their tassels to the left, symbolizing their status as high school graduates. Upon the final dismissal, the students gave the traditional toss of their caps into the air as the audience applauded.
Afterwards, Jeremy spent some time congratulating his friends and classmates. There were many pictures taken, hugs given, and promises made to keep in touch in the future. Of course, the future is a nebulous place without form or context to new graduates, and most of those promises would be forgotten when reality intruded. But, at the time, it was the right thing to say. Jeremy made sure to remind as many people as he could about the bonfire that night, and received many assurances of attendance.
The picture from that day that Jeremy would keep on his wall for years to come was a group photo of him and his friends. Included in the picture were the same people that had greeted him his first day of school: AJ, Hank, Mark, Rob, and Ava. He also managed to get Serena and Jess into the picture, along with Mandy, Monica, and the Crosby twins. For years to come, when he looked at that picture he saw the vibrant energy of youth, the shared joy among the friends, and the hope of a bright future, written on the faces that day.
*****
The graduation party that night was an absolute blast. Jeremy and his family were already on site, of course, but his friends arrived early to help with final preparations by about 5:15. It was a good thing, because carloads of teens (and even some parents) began arriving shortly thereafter, well ahead of the announced 6 pm start time. Makeshift tables for the food had been constructed of 4' x 8' sheets of plywood atop saw horses. They were soon piled high with chips, baked beans, cole slaw, veggie and dip trays, and enough cookies, brownies, and cupcakes to feed a hungry army.
His father's pulled pork proved to be a big hit, while Jeremy and Hank took turns at the grill, churning out burgers, dogs and brats as fast as possible. Jeremy didn't know him well, but Zack Monson's family operated a custom car shop. His ride, an old S10 Blazer, wasn't especially flashy, with its simple high gloss black finish and custom aluminum wheels. But what the exterior lacked for style, the interior more than made up for. His sound system was competition quality, and he kept the music pumping throughout the evening.
Recognizing that this was for the teens, the parents in attendance segregated themselves a discrete distance away for most of the evening. Everyone, however, gathered around the bonfire construction as the light began to fade. Nowhere near the size, Jeremy and his father had nevertheless duplicated the wedding cake fire lay popularized by the Texas A&M Aggies at their annual bonfire. The genius of the design was that it allowed for a large fire to be burned in a confined area, and the denseness of the concentric logs meant that it would last for some time without needing constant feeding.
Jeremy was helping to clear away some of the trash when he was surprised by a pair of arms that appeared around his chest. Whoever these arms belonged to was female, because he was delighted to feel a pair of breasts pressed against his back. Without looking, he said, "You've got exactly 1 hour to stop that. And if you start rubbing my back, you'll have even longer." With a smile on his face, he turned to find Hannah grinning at him. She kept her arms wrapped around him, but laid her head on his chest and squeezed him tight.
"You smell like smoke," she chided.
