Midnight Hour
Page 38
Miranda wished she had sensitive hearing like Della and Kylie.
Miranda bit down on her lip, looking to Kylie, Della, and back to Holiday. What was he saying? Was it good news?
Then Della let out a big cheerful whoop!
Holiday motioned for silence, but was smiling. “Thank you,” Holiday said and hung up.
“So I did it. I did it? I’m in?” Miranda asked.
Della and Kylie jumped up, grabbed her arm, and started twirling around.
“No one breaks up the three musketeers!” Kylie said.
Miranda took in a big gulp of air, then suddenly started crying. And they weren’t happy tears. “I want to tell Perry.”
“Then why don’t you?” his voice came from the door.
Miranda swung around. Exhilarated she’d confirmed her place in the college with a solid score, exhilarated Perry was here. But damn if she wasn’t still madder than a wet hen who’d been shampooed, blow-dried, and permed.
“Let’s take a walk,” Holiday said and started out.
“But I want to see Miranda kick his ass,” Della said. Kylie got her by the elbow and pulled her out. As Della passed Perry, she growled, “You’re lucky I like you.”
Holiday shut the door as she exited.
Miranda stared at him. “I’m not sure I can forgive you.”
“Good,” he said. “Because that makes two of us.”
“I needed you,” she spit out.
“And I needed you. But for eight hours I was almost certain I’d lost you.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’ve never loved anything as much as I love you. And you willingly risked your life and put me through hell.”
“You think I don’t know how that feels?” she countered. “You left me for nine freaking months! I never heard from you.”
“You had my number,” he tossed out.
“And you had mine,” she tossed back.
“You had Shawn,” he countered.
“That’s not fair. We weren’t together—and I broke it off with Shawn so we could be together.”
The emotions crowding the air space made the room feel small. But the emotion making it hard for Miranda to breathe wasn’t anger, but …
“I still love you,” he said.
“Me, too.” A lump rose in her throat.
“How about we apologize?” he offered.
She nodded. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“I’m sorry, too,” he answered.
He took a slow step closer. “Can I kiss you now?”
“Maybe,” she teased.
He smiled. “Then I’ll wait until you decide, because from what I hear, you can really kick ass now.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, I got something for you.” He turned and walked out of the office, but in seconds he walked right back. He carried an ice cooler.
He set it on the sofa and opened it up. “Breakup flowers.” He handed her a bouquet of bright yellow daisies. “And make-up flowers.” He reached back in and handed her a bunch of red roses. “And…” he reached back in. “Congratulation flowers for scoring so high on your test. I knew you’d do it.”
She couldn’t hold them all so he put the daisies down. “And”—he picked up the cooler, and held it so she could see inside—“three gallons of ice cream. Because you said I smell like birthday cake and it made you want ice cream. And since I plan on sticking to you like glue until you have to go to college, I figured we should have lots of ice cream on hand.”
She dropped her flowers. He dropped the cooler. She ran into his arms. “Now you can kiss me!”
Chapter Thirty-nine
Class of 2016
Every yesterday is a memory of dreams.
Every tomorrow is a vision of hopes.
Together we unite
To accept our differences
To appreciate our uniqueness
To make our world a just and fair place
Join us at the midnight hour
June 16th
for the Shadow Falls Academy Graduation
At eleven p.m. on June 16th, Miranda kept putting her hair up, then down. She pushed a strand behind her ear. Then just for grins, she added her old streaks. Pink, black, and green. Turning her head, she stared at herself in the mirror.
It felt right. It felt wrong.
Everything was changing. Things were coming to an end.
It both exhilarated her. And scared the crap out of her.
She wanted to cling to the way things were. She wanted to rush out and stake her claim on the world.
She supposed most graduates felt this way. Growing up was scary business.
Not that she’d be doing it alone. College would be with Kylie and Della.
Perry was staying at Shadow Falls, taking a few classes at the local junior college and working for the FRU. He, Lucas, and Chase were going to share a cabin here on school property. School was less than an hour away. They’d see each other three or four times a week.
“Miranda, we’re gonna be late to our own graduation,” Kylie called out.
“Coming.” She glanced at the mirror again. She so wasn’t the same girl who’d come here two years ago. She’d accomplished some amazing things. She’d made some bad mistakes. But she’d learned from each one.
Twitching her pinky, she changed her hair back to just her normal color. Her hair didn’t define her. It was as Perry said, her choices did. He’d told her about his talk with his parents. He’d cried. She’d held him. She told him how scared she’d been when she’d been kidnapped. She’d cried. He’d held her. They had each other.
She knew in her heart, they’d always be there for one another.
And tonight they’d take that step. Perry had rented a cabin about ten miles from here. It was on five acres. It had a lake, a hot tub, and a king-size bed.
Her bag was packed. Not a lot of clothes. She figured they wouldn’t need them.
Tugging up her green strapless dress, not wanting her girls to fall out, she gave herself one last glance in the mirror. They had decided not to wear prom dresses, but something just a little fancy. The emerald-colored silk hung in layers, giving her what her mom would have called the flapper look. Realizing her parents and Tabitha might already be here, she walked out of the bathroom.
“You two look wonderful,” Miranda sighed.
Kylie wore a dusty blue dress that matched her eyes. It was simple, loose-fitting with a scooped neck, and sleeveless. Della wore black. No surprise there. But the front crisscrossed and hugged her body and came off a little more feminine than Della regularly chose.
“We look like Charlie’s Angels,” Miranda sighed.
“I thought we were the three musketeers?” Della said.
“Before we go.” Kylie held out a beautifully wrapped package. “Della and I got you something.”
Miranda frowned. “We said no gifts, guys. This isn’t fair.”
“This isn’t for graduation,” Della said. “Besides, Kylie and I had a blast picking them out.”
Miranda rattled the package. “What is it?”
Della laughed and looked at Kylie. “Can I just tell her?”
Kylie giggled. “Yes.”
Della faced Miranda. “It’s love socks. Often referred to as love gloves.”
“Huh?” Miranda asked.
Kylie laughed again. “What was the other name you called them?”
“You mean weenie beanies?” Della answered.
Miranda finally got it. “You two bought me condoms? How sweet.”
“They aren’t condoms,” Della said, “they’re woodie hoodies or willie warmers. And not just regular ones. We got French ticklers, ribbed, and flavored.”
Miranda put the present to her chest. “Only really good friends would do this.” They all started laughing and then they latched arms and went to start the next phase of their lives.
* * *
Wearing caps and gowns over their dresses, each and every one of the 2016 gr
aduates walked up and collected their diplomas from Burnett. Holiday gave a talk about spreading their wings. About finding their places in life. Miranda cried all the way through it. Not that she was alone. Even Della got misty-eyed.
Everyone was there. Tabitha and Anthony, Miranda’s parents, Della’s parents, her uncle, and Natasha and Liam. Kylie’s parents, as well as all her grandparents. Fredericka had shown up with Brandon, her artist boyfriend. Jenny’s parents came. Derek’s mom. Jonathon and Helen’s parents. There were sixteen of them graduating. Afterwards, when the parents and grandparents had gone home, and Burnett and Holiday retired to their cabin, they all congregated in the dining hall.
It turned into a game of remember when.
Remember when Kylie first came to camp and saw Perry turn into a unicorn.
Remember when Miranda caught Tabitha and put her in a cage.
Remember when Fredericka got sprayed by Socks in skunk form.
Remember when Della had to help deliver Holiday’s baby, Hannah.
Remember when Kylie’s boobs grew overnight.
Remember when Kylie accidently cut Lucas with a sword.
Remember when Perry mooned everyone.
Remember when Miranda turned Burnett into a kangaroo.
There was a lot of laughter. A lot of memories.
It was almost two in the morning when Miranda collected her bags and walked to the school’s car. She turned around and looked at the gate as they walked out.
As sad as it was to know that in a few weeks she wouldn’t call Shadow Falls her home, she knew change was inevitable. And while this address wouldn’t be listed on forms, it would always be listed in her heart. She took with her the life lessons she’d learned. Here, she’d found self-confidence. She’d learned how to dream, how to never turn away from a leap of faith.
She learned the value of friendships. Of laughter during hard times. Of love.
“You okay?” Perry asked.
She looked up, tears in her eyes, and nodded. She slipped her hand in his. “Come on. Let’s go make some more memories.”
ALSO BY C. C. HUNTER
Born at Midnight
Awake at Dawn
Taken at Dusk
Whispers at Moonrise
Chosen at Nightfall
Reborn
Eternal
Unspoken
Almost Midnight: The Novella Collection
About the Author
C. C. Hunter lives in Tomball, Texas, where she’s at work on her next book. To learn more, visit her on the Web at cchunterbooks.com. Or sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Also by C . C . Hunter
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
MIDNIGHT HOUR. Copyright © 2016 by Christie Craig. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs © Shutterstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-03588-2 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-03587-5 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250035875
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First Edition: October 2016