It's a Match! (5 page)

“Certainly. Hey, did you ever end up calling that homeless Jamba Juice guy?” Cole asked, cracking up.
 

“Oh. My. God. I totally forgot about that!” Sutton exclaimed.
 

“I gave that guy my free smoothie every single day I worked there.”

“And then you saw him driving by in an Escalade. You were so upset,” Sutton added, seemingly very entertained by the memory.
 

“Well, yeah. I mean, I only got one free smoothie a shift. And he obviously had no need for it. Then you stopped by to meet up with me there one day and he hit on you and gave you his number. So funny.”

“Funny is one word for it. And no, to answer your question, I never called.”

“That’s a shame. You two could probably be really happy by now. Panhandling by day and cuddling up in your mansion by night. And going on endless joy rides in his Escalade.”

Sutton threw a pillow at Cole. “Gross.”

“Aw, I think you guys would be adorable. And I probably would’ve gotten past my anger at some point. But he would need to buy me tons and tons of smoothies to make up for the deceit.”

“Well, duh.”

The two continued reminiscing for hours, until they finally both passed out mid-conversation. When Cole awoke, Sutton was dressed and packing up her toiletries. “Hey sleepy-head. We should get going. We still both have long drives ahead.”

“Want to find a coffee shop somewhere first?” Cole asked, groggily.

“Absolutely.”
 

“Are you ready for this?”

“What? Coffee?” Sutton asked, sounding confused.
 

“No, silly.”

“Then for what?”

“You know, life,” Cole replied.
 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

SUTTON STARTED THE
car and selected the
Road Trip #1
playlist on her stereo. She watched Cole drive away and her eyes began to fill with tears. She was feeling mixed emotions once again. Fear, sadness, excitement and happiness, all wrapped into one. Finally, she wiped her face with her sweatshirt sleeve and began to back out of the parking spot.
 

As Sutton merged onto the freeway, she began to think about her parents. She was still angry but, more, she was hurt. Anger didn’t really sit well with Sutton, plus a part of her would always feel like that little girl who only wanted her parents to love and accept her for who she was. She wanted the kind of relationship that Cole and his father had. She often wondered if her parents even loved her at all. Maybe someday they would come around, but she wasn’t about to hold her breath. She would have given up all the riches in the world and lived in a trailer if it meant her parents would love her. She remembered the exact moment she realized her parents thought she was destined to become a failure, just like it was yesterday….

It was eighth grade graduation day and Sutton was sitting on her bed writing a short story on her laptop. She was spinning a tale about a little girl who grew up in a beautiful forest, surrounded by magical beings. She was granted three wishes by a fairy and they were as follows:

1.
I want my family to be safe from all that lurks in the shadows. I want to keep them protected.

2.
I want the world to see me as I am, as one who walks forth without fear.
 

3.
And a pony. Because what little girl doesn’t want a magical pony?

Just as Sutton was writing a fight scene between the Beast of Argathia and the main character, Xenia Gainsborough, there was a knock at her door. “Come in.” She closed her laptop as Justine entered the room.
 

“Are you almost ready?” Justine asked impatiently.

“Yeah, I was just finishing up this story.”

“You’re graduating today. What homework could you possibly have?”

“It’s not homework. It’s just something I’m writing for fun.”

“Fun,” Justine replied, flatly. Sutton wasn’t sure if it was a question or merely a scoff. It was most likely the latter.

“Yes, fun, mother. Have you ever heard of it?”

Justine ignored the question, which was meant to be rhetorical anyway. “We’ll be downstairs. You have one minute, or we’re leaving without you.”

“To my graduation without me? What’s the point?”

 
“We’ve donated a lot of money to that school. It would be incredibly impolite not to attend.”

Sutton rolled her eyes. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

Justine left the room and Sutton placed her laptop on her bedside table. She stood up and walked to the full-length mirror on her bathroom door, then looked herself up and down for a moment. The teal ballgown-type creation could not be less Sutton, but Justine had paid a fortune for it and surprised her with it one day, so Sutton felt obligated to wear it.
 

Sutton took one last look at the stranger in the mirror, then grabbed her stuff and walked downstairs to meet her impatient-looking parents.

“It’s about time,” Scott said, tapping his grotesquely expensive Cartier watch.

“Did you finish your speech?” Justine asked. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t let us proof it first.”

“I’m entirely capable of proofreading my own speech. Plus, it’s supposed to be a surprise,” Sutton replied, heading out of the house and up to her mother’s Lexus SUV. She took a seat in the back and looked outside of the window as Justine began the drive to Sutton’s school.
 

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into an extremely packed parking lot. Sutton made sure her speech was in her purse (which she realized she probably should have done before she left the house), and luckily it was there. Public speaking never really bothered Sutton, but she was mildly nervous that day, mostly since she really wanted to make her parents proud. When she told them she had been chosen for valedictorian, they’d seemed fairly underwhelmed, as if it wasn’t a big accomplishment at all.
 

The three of them followed the hordes of people walking toward the soccer field, which was covered with maroon and grey balloons and streamers. Classical music floated around the field as they made the way to their assigned seats. Sutton only had a few minutes before she was to line up for her graduation walk.
 

“I’m going to go get my cap and gown,” Sutton announced. She looked around for a moment, then saw a check-in table surrounded by excited eighth graders. She walked over to the table and saw her friend Sarah.
 

“Sutton! Hey!” Sarah threw her arms around Sutton. “This is so exciting, isn’t it?”

“Yeah … I’m a bit nervous though.”

“Oh, shush, you’ll be amazing, as always. Can you believe we’ll be in high school in a few months?”

“It’s pretty crazy.”

“There will be so many new boys,” Sarah said excitedly.
 

Sutton laughed. “Yes, there will be,” she replied, finding her cap and gown. She also got to wear a yellow sash, to signify her Honor Roll status. She was proud of herself, even if her parents weren’t.
 

“Are you ready to go line up?” Sarah asked, brimming with excitement.
 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” They walked over to the line as the gym teacher, Coach Rhodes, showed them to their spots, which were close together since Sarah’s last name was McAdams.
 

Sutton put on her cap and gown, and draped the sash across her chest. Not too many people in the class were wearing them, so she felt a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. She knew her parents couldn’t always be proud of her. They most certainly didn’t support her extracurricular activities, which was ironic seeing as her father’s mom was a very successful writer. Sutton didn’t understand why he wouldn’t want the same for her, or why he at least couldn’t just believe in her.
 

The students in the line grew quiet as the Dean approached the podium. The audience clapped, then there was silence once again.
 

“Welcome, friends and family. We are honored to have you all here today to celebrate the graduation of these amazing students. It has been an absolute pleasure watching these kids grow over the last three years. We appreciate all the love and support you have provided during their time here. They will be sorely missed, though I am very proud to see them begin a new chapter in their lives. Without further ado, I present to you the class of 2010!”

The graduation song began, and Sutton’s stomach was in nervous knots. She was excited for her parents to hear her speech. Though it was short, she had spent a ridiculous amount of time on it because she had wanted it to be perfect.
 

Sutton marched along as the names were called and the students grabbed their diplomas. She beamed with excitement as they announced her name. She held her diploma up high as she smiled widely.
 

Sutton sat down amongst the other graduates and awaited her name being called. After the last graduate took their seat, the crowd ceased the applause. The dean then said, “It is my pleasure to bring a very special girl up to the stage. I have witnessed her passion over the years and I couldn’t be more proud to announce your 2010 valedictorian, Sutton Meyers!”

Sutton stood up and walked to the podium as the audience clapped and cheered. She pulled out her speech and took a deep breath.
 

“Hello everyone. I am honored to address you all today. This has been an amazing journey. I have learned many valuable lessons and met many great people. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us. Sure, a chapter is closing. And that’s always sad, but we’ll take this experience with us as we depart. e. e. cummings once said ‘It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.’ As we go forth from here, we will begin the true discovery of who we are. And who we hope to become. We’ll learn and love and lose things we hold dear along the way, but just remember: every person who floats in and out of our lives is there to teach us a lesson. We must be open to those lessons. We must embrace them with open arms, and we must never let someone else write our own story. You alone hold the pen. Dare to write a story worth reading, the kind of story you would want to read over and over again, the kind of book you never want to put down. Let’s never forget what we’ve learned here and the people who taught us well. We will carry them with us as we march on, toward the unknown. And let us never forget that as long as we always remember, we will never be alone. Thank you.”

Sutton soaked in the applause as she searched the audience for her parents. Her heart sank as she saw the two empty seats they had been sitting in. Had they really left? Had they not heard the words she’d so carefully chose? Could they really care so little?
 

Sutton nodded and feigned a smile as she headed back to her seat. She choked back the tears as she attempted to mask the sadness behind her eyes. She always thought her parents viewed her as a disappointment. And now she knew they did.

Sutton shuddered at the memory. She knew she had to let it go. She needed to let go of the resentment and the sadness. She had to be proud of herself, even if her parents couldn’t be.
 
 
 
 
   

COLE HAD NEVER
really cared for goodbyes, especially difficult ones. As he drove away from the hotel, he didn’t turn back around to look at Sutton one last time, though a part of him wanted to. He was glad he had gotten to spend one last night with her. He wondered if he would make friends at school. He never really had a problem making friends, but it was going to be a whole new world for Cole. Then he found himself wondering where his mom was, and what she was doing. He hated that he no longer knew her, even though a part of him didn’t want to because he could never forgive her for what she’d done to him and his dad. He would never forget the day she left….

Cole sat at the dinner table as he observed his parents. They appeared to have been growing apart for a while. His mom was never home anymore. She was always working. Cole felt like she didn’t even want to be around them at all. Maybe it was just a phase…. It wasn’t like they fought. There was silence more than anything. But sometimes silence was worse than the fighting. His mother’s indifference appeared to be growing stronger every day and Cole knew there was nothing he could do about it.