THE NEXT DAY Lee and I went to the mall to buy each other's birthday presents and pick up the costumes we'd reserved for our party. After grabbing lunch, we split up, and I scoured the mall for things to buy him. In the end, I got him a new wallet, a CD he said he wanted, and the coolest T-shirt I could ever imagine. He'd love it.
'I told you so,' Lee said for the billionth time that day when we met back at his car. 'Didn't I tell you he was whipped? Huh? Didn't I?'
I laughed. 'Yes, all right, I get it! You were right.'
He sighed contentedly, slinging his shopping bags into the trunk. 'I will never get sick of hearing you say that, Elle.'
I rolled my eyes and climbed into the car. As he slid into the driver's seat beside me, he said, yet again, 'I still can't believe you're okay with him going to Harvard.'
My smile faded. 'I'm not okay with it, Lee. Like, at all. I don't want him to go. But I can't exactly keep him here – tell him to go to San Diego or something. I can't do that. He has to go. He wants to.'
'So are you guys going to try long-distance?'
'Yeah. At least, we think so. For now. I don't know, Lee – we could both change our minds by the end of summer. But we said we'd try.'
'Just remember what I told you, alright? If it doesn't work out, I'm here to pick up the pieces.'
I reached over and squeezed his hand. He squeezed mine back.
I was glad that school was out for the summer. It meant that I didn't have to constantly deal with questions about me and Noah. Of course, the girls called, and I spoke to them, told them the sort of details they wanted to know. I expected to get sick of it, but I didn't – I was happy to talk about Noah. I was happy because I loved him.
Although there was another very pressing matter that everybody was talking about: our costume party.
I was on a three-way call with Karen and Olivia discussing the party.
'If you have to,' I told them, laughing, 'just throw on a dress and call yourself a Bond girl.'
'I may have to do that,' Olivia said. 'I ordered my costume the other day and it still hasn't been shipped yet.'
'What're you and Lee going as, anyway?' Karen asked. 'I know you told us at some point, but I can't remember. My internet's been playing up all week.'
'Robin,' I told her, smiling.
'Robin as in Batman and Robin?'
'Yup. Lee's Batman.'
'I guessed that much,' Karen laughed.
My cell started to vibrate in my hand, and I pulled it away from my ear to look at it. 'Sorry, guys, I gotta go.'
'Which one is it?' Olivia asked.
'Sorry?'
'Which Flynn brother?' Karen clarified. 'It's got to be one of them.'
I chuckled. 'It's Noah.'
They both chorused, 'Oo-ooh!' down the phone at me, and I laughed before saying goodbye to them. Then I nestled against the pillows on my bed and a smile spread over my face when I heard Noah's voice. We didn't talk about anything in particular, but that didn't matter; as long as I was talking to him, I was happy.
So this is what love does to people, I thought as Noah told me about the football program at Harvard. It really does turn people into saps.
Because quite honestly, I couldn't have given a damn about anything football-related; but Noah sounded so excited, I found myself hanging on his every word, wanting him to tell me more.
Love had turned me into even more of a fool than I already was.
But you know what? I thought, a smile spreading over my face. I don't even care.
'Wow,' I said, getting up from my seat. 'I can't actually believe this year's over.'
'Tell me about it. Even weirder, though' – Lee elbowed me and jerked his head toward the platform, where the teachers were clearing the chairs – 'next year, that'll be us graduating.'
'Now that is weird.'
'Seems like only yesterday we were just little kids, huh? Going to soccer camp, baseball camp . . . The costume parties . . .'
I laughed. 'Yeah, well, we're kids at heart.' I looked around, peering through the swarm of dark blue robes for the familiar dark hair and crooked nose. Lee and Noah's parents had already gone off to find Noah and congratulate him on graduating.
'I'm just glad he made it here,' their mom had sighed as we'd sat down. 'I thought he'd be expelled before we saw him graduate. And now Harvard next year . . .' There was no denying the pride in her voice as she said that though.
And I was pleased for him. Really, I was.
But it made my stomach twist a little to think of him leaving. I didn't want to see him go.
It's not fair.
Childish as it was of me to even think it, I couldn't help it. Why did Harvard have to be on the other side of the country? Why did I have to choose now to fall in love with him?
'And you kids turning seventeen,' she was still saying. 'Gosh. Seventeen! Just think. Next year you'll be going off to college and . . .'
'Mom,' Lee said before his dad could, 'don't start crying.'
'I'm not!' June protested, but her voice cracked a little.
And now we were standing in the midst of grinning teenagers in their graduation gowns and proud families. I craned my neck, trying to spot Noah. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lee steal a glance behind me, and started turning to look over my shoulder and—
'Boo!'
I jumped out of my skin, practically leaping a foot into the air, and even gave a little scream, which earned me plenty of strange looks from the crowd. Lee just laughed again, his brother chuckling at me too, flashing me one of his rare real grins.
I smacked him across the chest, glaring, my heart still pounding. 'You're so childish, Noah Flynn, I swear to God!' I snapped.
He gave me that infamous smirk of his. 'You should've seen your face.'
'Shut up.'
That just made him laugh harder.
'Hey,' Lee said, 'congratulations. You actually made it.'
Noah laughed. 'Yeah, tell me about it. But you're carrying on the Flynn legacy, you know. Get in as much trouble as possible and narrowly avoid being suspended.'
Lee laughed. 'Sure, I can see that happening.'
Noah shrugged. 'Your choice.' He slung an arm around my shoulders. 'All right, Elle?'
I scowled at him briefly, but that smile that showed his dimple made it impossible to even pretend to stay annoyed at him; I let out a sigh.
'Nothing to say about me actually graduating high school, then?' Noah asked, nudging my hip with his. 'No congratulations? Not even a little one?'
'Depends,' I said teasingly.
'Saving that for tonight, huh?' He waggled his eyebrows at me and my face flamed at his words; his expression didn't help either. I worried for a moment that Lee must feel awkward about what Noah had just said, and stole a glance at him. But he was giving a melodramatic grimace, complete with gagging noises.
'Ugh, please, stop!' he cried, shaking his head.
So I smiled and said to Noah, 'Congratulations.'
'Thank you.'
'College, now.'
'Yeah . . .'
Silence filled the lapse in conversation quickly, and it wasn't the easy kind of silence. Lee said hastily, 'Got your outfit for tonight then, bro?'
Noah clicked his tongue, raising a finger to point at Lee. 'That is a good point . . . No.'
'You haven't got . . .? Noah!' I cried in exasperation.
'Hey, I barely remembered to fill up on gas so I could get to the school for graduation,' he defended himself. 'You think I can remember to get clothes for a party?'
'Flynn! Come on, man, they're doing photos!' someone yelled over, before I even had the chance to roll my eyes at him.
'Be there now!' he shouted in reply. He gave me a quick peck on the lips. 'I'll see you tonight, Elle. See ya,' he added to Lee, and then left to go for the photos with the rest of the graduating seniors.
'Ew,' Lee commented. 'Cooties!'
I laughed. 'Shut up . . .'
'Shall we away to the Batmobile, Robin?' He put on a deep, husky voice.
'Let's,' I said, taking his arm. We exchanged a grin before heading to his car, arm in arm, and I couldn't have felt happier: after all the drama that had come from my relationship with Noah, I still had my best friend.