Renegade Path

“Look at you! What’d you do, grow about a foot taller?” I returned the hug, not caring that people were giving us weird looks. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. It’s not too bad.”

“Good.” I patted his back and pulled away, motioning for him to sit next to me.

I introduced him to Dex and they shook hands. Dex didn’t ask why the kid was sitting with us, just accepted his presence.

The ceremony dragged and the speakers droned on and on but I managed to tune most of it out. A pang of regret struck me halfway through the speeches. If things hadn’t gone to shit, I would’ve been sitting right next to Juliet waiting to accept my own diploma.

I shook off the useless regret. What was done was done. I had my GED. That’s all that mattered. It’s not like I had parents or a family who gave a damn about watching me march across some stage.

“Juliet Hayworth,” the principal announced.

The three of us stood up and cheered.

From the stage, Juliet turned and waved in our direction. She smiled wide and said something to the principal before hurrying down the stairs and back to her seat.

There were a lot of kids to get to between Hayworth and Zimmerman. I squirmed and sweated in my seat, wishing I could scoop Juliet up and run away.

Finally, it ended. The graduates threw their caps in the air. The noise of people shouting for their kids and students yelling for their friends rose to a thundering cloud around us.

“Thank fuck,” Dex groaned. “I thought it would never end.”

“Amen,” I muttered.

“I better get back before they notice I’m gone.” Pip stood. “I want to congratulate Juliet, so I’ll find you guys in the crowd, okay?”

“All right, buddy.”

He gave me another hug before hurrying away.

“Nice kid,” Dex said.

“I feel bad I haven’t been around to look out for him.”

“Well, you’re home now.” He slapped my shoulder and stood. “Come on, grab your purse. Let’s go find our graduate.”

I rolled my eyes and slung Juliet’s tote bag over my shoulder. Dex easily pushed his way through the crowd, clearly not giving a crap about the people who side-eyed his leather cut and biker patches.

A short blonde jumped in front of him at the bottom of the bleachers, blocking our path. She hugged him in a way that looked more like a jungle cat marking her territory—rubbing her breasts up against his chest and arms. It was not family-appropriate and awkward as hell to witness.

“Is this your son?” she asked with wide eyes, pointing at me with one long, red fingernail.

“No. Good to see you, Courtney. We gotta find someone.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tugged me away without an introduction.

“Girlfriend?” I asked.

“No.” He raised an arm and waved. “Juliet!”

His voice easily carried over the rest of the noise. Juliet turned and ran, dodging her classmates until she reached us. She launched herself into my arms and I caught her, swinging her around wildly. “So proud of you, baby.”

“I thought I was going to trip when I went down the stairs.” She turned and motioned toward the stage.

“Couldn’t tell,” I assured her, setting her down. “You want your other shoes?”

“Not yet.” She beamed at Dex. “Thank you for being here. I’m sure it was boring as heck for you.”

“Wouldn’t miss this for anything, Julez.” He picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Real proud of you, peanut.”

“Thank you.”

Vienna dragged her snooty-looking parents over to greet us. The mom was an older, bonier version of Vienna. Her dad twitched and stared at his daughter—he looked more like a confused grandpa, than a proud father.

Mr. Broom worked his way through the sea of students and families to greet us. He smiled broadly when his gaze landed on me and held out his hand.

“Good to see you, Roman.”

Surprised he even remembered me, I took a moment to shake his hand. “Thanks. Uh, you too.”

He moved closer and added in a lower voice, “I know things have been unstable and I’m sorry I couldn’t do more…I don’t know what your plans are, but I hope you’ll still find creative outlets. You have a lot of talent, Roman. Don’t forget that.”

Shock froze my tongue. So many people had let me down in life, I’d lost count. Mr. Broom wasn’t one of them. “Thanks, Mr. Broom. I learned a lot from you. Your classes were my favorite during my short time here.” I hesitated, not sure this would make him feel any better. “Got a motorcycle I’m planning to customize with a little artwork, if that counts.” I mimed painting with a tiny brush in the air and he laughed.

“That absolutely counts. Feel free to send me pictures.”

“Thanks, I will.”

He turned toward Juliet. “I know you’ve got your heart set on nursing but you’re also a fantastic photographer. I hope you’ll find time to keep developing that skill.” His lips quirked at the pun.