Graduation and Gifts (Untouchable Book 8)

by Heather Long

  Mad world.

  Insanely mad, awesome world.

  "You're kidding?" Rachel spun away from the mirror and stared at me. The bathroom door started to open, and I slammed my butt back against it. "Out," she ordered whoever it was. Granted, we probably shouldn't be hogging an entire bathroom to ourselves, but at the moment fuck the rest of them. I needed to talk to Rachel.

  "Why would I make that up?" I demanded, staring at her. "Look at me! I'm dressed up and I'm wearing heels."

  "I had noticed that," Rachel said, a sly smile on her face. Like me, she was also dressed up but then Rachel always looked nice. I swore she'd been born poised. The deep purple dress she wore would blend in perfectly with our robes. Mine were still hanging open to show off the red dress I'd put on. My jewelry and makeup were both simple.

  We'd lingered over breakfast for so long and laughed so much, I hadn't really had time to do anything with my hair so I'd flat ironed it and pulled it into a sleek ponytail. I almost looked like I knew what I was doing.

  Hank insisted on taking photos and then Carly insisted he ride with her and Trina to the graduation, since we were going to the high school to ride over as a class. After, we'd get a ride back to the school to grab the car and probably dinner or lunch or something.

  After.

  After we were officially graduates.

  Oh, my stomach did a little flip flop. "This is so stupid," I whined.

  "Don't cry," Rachel ordered before crossing the bathroom to grab my hand. She dragged me over to the mirrors. "Deep breaths. No panting. I don't want you to hyperventilate and pass out either." Instead of facing the mirror, she studied me and then flipped open her bag of cosmetics.

  "I did my makeup," I complained.

  "I know you did, but I'm just going to do a little touch up here and there. So, what did he say when he saw your tattoo?”

  I groaned. "He made this little choking sound and I swore he was trying not to say anything at all, but I don't know that he liked it that much."

  "Uh huh," she said, using a soft brush to flick blush on my cheeks. I didn't argue, Rachel was gonna Rachel. "But this is after you told him you had four boyfriends and even introduced him five minutes after meeting him."

  "Well... true."

  "And he not only hung out with you for the evening and spent the night, but then insisted on making breakfast this morning." She switched from the blush to something a little glittery for my eyes.

  "And he made coffee first thing and he said he came because I didn’t believe he would. I mean, come on, Maddy wouldn't do that crap."

  "We'll put a pin in Maddy," Rachel commented. "In fact, I say we put a whole axe in her, but right now, I want to talk about Big Daddy Hank."

  I grimaced. "Please do not call him that."

  A laugh escaped her. "Fine, Hank."

  "Better."

  "He flew here all the way from Boston because you called and left him a message. He came all this way because he wanted to meet you face to face and be here for your graduation. He didn't flip his shit at your four boyfriends or the fact you guys are practically living together. He's funny, sweet, and he can cook. Do I have all this straight?"

  "More or less," I admitted. "He's worried about making it weird, like he couldn't stop staring at me at first and I couldn't really stop staring at him. I was trying to figure out where we were alike, and you should see him talk about his kids. Rach, he's so proud of them and he just… beams."

  "Good. He should beam about you today too." After dusting my eyes, she gave me a look and I closed them so she could touch up the eyelids. "I'm glad he did. You deserve the best. What do the boys think of him?"

  The guarded note had me opening my eyes. At her glare, I made a face and closed them again. "They like him. Coop and Jake really like him, and Ian thinks he's nice."

  "And Archie?"

  "He's going to take a while to like anyone new." The fact he had his reservations wasn't lost on me and I had zero intentions of pushing him on it. Everything about Hank had been great. That would make it hurt that much worse if it all turned out to be another lie.

  My heart twisted painfully.

  "He's suspicious of everything. It's one of the things I do like about him." The comment made me smile.

  "Are you admitting you like Archie?"

  Her scoff of disgust had me laughing. "Fine," she admitted. "At the risk of regretting the admission, there are things about each of them that I like. Okay, what do you think of that?"

  I glanced at myself in the mirror. I couldn't really tell what she'd done, but I looked...more. My green eyes were brighter, my smile seemed a little warmer and my face flushed. I'd gotten something of a tan going running with the guys a couple of times a week and spending a few hours in the pools after school. This was different though, everything just seemed brighter.

  "I love it and I am never going to understand how you do this." I leaned forward to inspect my eyelids. There was a hint of green eye shadow on my lids, but it made my lashes duskier somehow. What kind of sorcery did Rachel know?

  "When I have a beautiful canvas," she said with a shrug, “it's not hard."

  "Thank you," I told her as I glanced at her. "I am so nervous."

  "About what?"

  "Graduating. I almost hate to admit it. I’ve told the guys forever that this is just a stupid ceremony." Even my robes had been bought by Jake, and Coop had made sure to pick up all my honor cords. "We're done, right? We passed. We graduate whether we walk across the stage or not."

  "Sure," Rachel said as she zipped up my robe and reached for the honor cords to start arranging them. There was also a stole and other extras. Rachel and I were in the top twenty students and Rachel ranked even higher than me. "This is all pomp and circumstance."

  With care, she straightened the gold stole and arranged the purple cord over it. I had two—one for honors and the other for special nomination.

  "Yes, we're not getting actual diplomas today and the whole point of the ritual is to parade us in front of our parents and the community to show them look, we're all adults now. We survived our twelve-year educational sentences. Some of us are going onward," she said the last with a grin. "Some aren't. But here's the thing...ceremonies aren't just for the people around us."

  Smoothing the stole, she began laying the honor cords around my neck one at a time.

  "They're for us to take the time to reflect on how far we've come. To look at what we've accomplished. When else do we see that we're the ultra nerds who not only killed it with our sense of style, but also our academic achievements?"

  That made me laugh. "Your sense of style cannot be argued with."

  "Thank you, I love you too. Now, the other part of a ceremony?" She gripped my shoulders gently. "It's a chance for us to say goodbye to one part of our life as we prepare for the next. This was a crazy year for you."

  "It was a great year in so many ways." I refused to think about the rest. "I had this fantastic secret admirer who left me the most amazing roses and wrote me sweet notes. Then when I needed them most, she told me who she was and she's the best best friend I could have had."

  "Even better than Coop?" she dared me and I grinned.

  "Best girlfriend," I conceded.

  "I'll take it." Pressing her forehead to mine gently, she said, "You're the best friend I could have too. Thank you for letting me be a part of your year and for wanting to keep hanging out with me even if I still hit on you occasionally."

  "And keep secrets," I teased her, and she grinned.

  "Fine," she huffed out a breath. "His name was Garrett, we are not seeing each other anymore. He was a freshman at UNT and we fooled around."

  "How did you meet a freshman at UNT?"

  "I went to a party with Audra."

  "Audra?"

  She let out a sigh. "Audra was the girl I started dating for a bit, also a freshman at UNT. We went to a party together and turned out she's pretty bi...or very open when she's been drinking. She hooke
d up and that left me on my own, Garett's girlfriend dumped him at the party and we ended up hanging out. There was a lot of heavy petting and some oral... how you suck four cocks I will never know. One was more than enough for me."

  The most delicate of shudders racked her.

  "But, it didn't work out. He wanted more than I was willing to give, and Audra decided to hook up with him too, after I wouldn't and well..." she gave a shrug and the sadness in her eyes pissed me off.

  "That bitch," were the first words that came out of my mouth. "And fuck him. Garrett? At UNT? I'm totally telling Jake after graduation."

  Rachel's smile was still a little sad, but her eyes brightened. "You don't have to kick his ass. Trust me, he's not worth it. It was fun to explore though and maybe I'll do it again sometime or maybe I'll just indulge my fantasies about you and focus on school."

  I laughed. "We're gonna be freshmen in a few months."

  "This is true," Rachel said.

  "And there will be parties."

  "Oh, this is also true..."

  "We will have your back."

  She flashed me a real smile. "That I do know."

  "Rach?"

  "Hmm?"

  "I like all of their cocks and if he was worth it, I think you might have liked his too."

  Her laugh was real. We got her cords sorted out then our caps and once we were both ready, she said, "He was total shit at head. Though, he really was good at my breasts so... what are you going to do?"

  "Find someone who is the whole package and understands what a fucking wonderful woman you are."

  "See," Rachel told me as she threaded her arm through mine and we headed for the door. "This is why I love you."

  "I love you too."

  Chapter Three

  Pomp and Circumstance

  Archie

  "I like him," Bubba commented as he leaned against the wall opposite the bathroom. We weren't trying to crowd the area. Still we were a little gun shy about leaving her even if she was with Rachel. Not when we were all perfectly capable of waiting right here to escort them both.

  "So do I," Coop admitted. "He reminds me a lot of her." The consensus among them all was positive where Hank was concerned. Henry "Hank" Jackson seemed like a good guy. Honest. Earnest. Kind. Warm. He was a lot like Frankie, right down to some of her awkward charms.

  He'd also arrived at a very convenient time, as she was coming into some serious inheritance.

  "Arch doesn't like him," Jake commented.

  "Archie hasn't formed a full opinion of him yet," I corrected. "We spent a few hours with him and he impressed Frankie and made her smile. That's definitely a positive in his favor." That didn't mean I hadn't ordered a background check. I'd done that the minute Wittaker had a name.

  "But?" Bubba asked, studying me with a measuring look. He wasn't the only one studying me.

  "But nothing. He impressed Frankie. He made her smile. He appears to be asking for nothing." I shrugged. "We have graduation to focus on. And a ride on a shock-challenged bus because the school thinks we all need to arrive together. I could have arranged better transport."

  Coop hid a laugh as he ducked his head to glance at his phone. Jake didn't even bother to try. "It's humbling for you," Jake said with a faint smirk. "You didn't have the privilege of bussing as a kid. Time to enjoy a little of how the other half lives before you take over the world."

  I spared him a look that just had Coop doubling over in real laughter and Jake shoving him playfully.

  "Is there a problem?" Bubba asked quietly while Coop and Jake got into a playful shoving match. We were all dressed, comfortably for Coop and Jake, in half-suits for me and Bubba. Though Jake had gone with slacks, Coop defied all of us and said he was going with jeans. Unless they did an actual inspection of our clothes, his black jeans should be close enough to slacks. Not really, but some days I really wanted to enjoy the color of the sky in his world. His jeans were not dress pants. They really weren't, but seriously, fuck it.

  "No," I told Bubba. "Not at the moment." I didn't. The guy really did seem genuine, but if you'd asked me a couple of years earlier was Frankie's mother a raving psychotic fucking loon, I'd have actually doubted it, even if I thought she was a bitch.

  Frankie had enough issues in her life and she was also very, very wealthy at the moment whether it had fully dawned on her or not.

  Wealth came with its own issues.

  "But you're already planning if there is one." That wasn't a question. Bubba and I had our differences. We'd clashed on a few things over the years, mostly involving Frankie. I didn't like how he'd been reticent and wanted to move slower and he didn't like how fast I could move when I wanted something.

  "Better to have a plan in place," I said. "I'm tired of things and people hurting her. If he's as genuine as he appears, great. But until that's proven, I believe appearances can be deceiving and I'll react accordingly."

  "Good," Bubba said, tilting his head back against the wall as he tracked Coop and Jake. "How much you wanna bet one of them is going to tear their robes?"

  I chuckled. "No takers."

  "We have until the end of the month in the apartment, right?" Bubba asked and I nodded.

  "I'm going to have movers box it all up and we'll store it until we're ready to take it north, though we'll have keys to the new place by the first of July."

  Bubba chuckled. "I can't believe you got a place for us on the Upper East Side."

  "Only the best for our girl."

  "She's going to kill you, you know," he commented. Frankie knew I'd been looking, but I still wanted to surprise her.

  "I can handle it." Besides, getting out of trouble was half the fun of getting into it.

  "Mom and Dad said they wanted to take us all out to eat after. But I'm figuring with the number of all of us there, it might get crowded."

  Crowded was an understatement.

  "Grandpa will want to one up that, probably take over a whole restaurant." I couldn't help grinning. Grandpa had made a point of being in town for graduation. Jeremy would make sure to get him there, and he'd promised me he wouldn't miss it. Having them there was a point of pride.

  Also, thank fuck neither would see me arriving on the damn school bus. I cut a look out the window to where the big yellow buses had pulled in to await us loading up.

  Kill me.

  "You'll survive," Jake said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "Everyone should ride on the bus where the wheels go round and round..."

  "...round and round," Coop continued for him in a sing-song voice and I shoved Jake away, but we were all laughing.

  "Round and round," Bubba picked up and spread his arms as he sang the lyrics louder.

  Assholes.

  They really were the best.

  Coop

  "Get off," Archie said with a laugh as he shoved Jake away for a second time. The grin on his face softened the words. He and Bubba were laid back and relaxed about the day. Jake was getting antsy. Maybe it was his fault the anxiety was starting to crawl through my system. Frankie had been vibrating with it this morning, though she kept trying to punch it down.

  That and the excitement of Hank being there. I couldn't help but grin at the look on her face every time she glanced at him, something she'd done repeatedly to make sure he was still present. The guy hadn’t proven to be a douche. So far.

  Thank. Fuck.

  He was also Frankie in male form. While that thought was fucking weird, it was also cool. It explained so much too. That old nurture versus nature argument replayed in my head. Despite the lack of nurturing she'd gotten from her bitch of a mother, she'd managed to turn out a lot like the father she'd never met.

  Please let him continue to be cool.

  Bubba had his cell phone at his ear as he paced away and I cut a look to Archie and Jake. "What did I miss?" I hadn’t even heard it ring.

  "No idea," Jake said. "Archie thinks it's the lawyer, which is good, cause maybe that means the producer got back to the
m."

  "Would they call on a Saturday?" What I didn't know about the music business could fill volumes. Frankie had been emailing Kaitlyn from Torched on a semi-regular, if infrequent basis. That made sense. The girls were still finishing their tour.

  I crossed mental fingers.

  "You good?" Jake asked as Archie paced away from us in the other direction. He had his own phone up. I swore I could see Arch in ten or twenty years, probably dressed in a nicer suit, but still juggling a dozen different things and his phone permanently attached to his hand.

  "We're done," I said slowly. "Is it me or does it feel surreal?"

  He shrugged. "Yes and no? It kind of felt done when we took that last test and like we've had one foot out the door since spring break."

  True. Except...

  "Tomorrow, we wake up and everything high school is in our pasts." I wasn't sure I could quite put it into words. Pretty sure if I decided to have an existential crisis right now... "How are the girls taking the move?" Jake hadn't mentioned anything regarding them. To be honest, I'd also been pretty focused on Trina.

  Thankfully, she was coping better.

  "Becca is going to get my room, she and Blake flipped for it." Jake grinned. "She already texted this morning about how soon I could move my shit."

  I laughed and the door to the bathroom opened to let Frankie and Rachel out.

  Damn, my heart squeezed. Frankie seemed to glow as she came to a stop and spread her arms. "How do I look?"

  With a twirl, she made me smile even wider. The happiness shimmering off her the night before practically seemed to be infused into her skin.

  "Stunning," I affirmed as I crossed toward and leaned down to press a kiss to her smiling lips.

  "Do not smear the lipstick." Rachel chortled, but I slid an arm around Frankie and flipped her off as I gave Frankie a real kiss. Fortunately, she didn't complain, and Rachel just laughed harder.

  The rest of our lives began as soon they dismissed us from commencement. That was the whole idea. This was that last ritual before we walked out the doors of high school forever. We were leaving it all behind, except the very best parts.