Always the One (Always and Forever 1)

Kate Stewart.

I love you, something fierce.

I adore you for believing in me no matter the obstacle. I will never be able to thank you enough.

“Oh hush, you decided to change your life. I’m just a cheerleader.” - Kate the GREAT!

Shayla

TODAY IS MY HIGH school graduation, it’s the end of an era and a fresh new beginning for most people, and today, I’m one of those people. I made it—we made it—and when I say we, I mean Lana, my best friend, and me. Now we have to make a life outside of these halls and build the future we’ve been envisioning and planning together for three years now. We’re moving to Seattle with my older brother, Kingston, and my other best friend, Trey, to make this dream a reality. I had to work multiple jobs all while maintaining an A average, and believe me it was hard but so dang rewarding. My brother and Trey coming for their own dreams of opening a recording studio was an added bonus.

The thought of Trey makes my heart beat so heavy I can feel it pounding against my chest. I’ve been pining over my brother’s best friend for a few years now, and I still haven’t spoken up and done anything about it. Which, I most likely never will. He’s got a lot of deep-seated commitment issues, and I’m not sure he has the capability to love or if he even likes me for that matter.

Lana comes rushing toward me, and I feel my face light up. She’s the greatest thing to come into my life. My feet make movement toward her, meeting her halfway, our high-pitched squeals granting us stares from the people in our pathway.

Move it or lose it, folks!

“We did it, Lana. We graduated, we made it through the wonder years!” I shout over the sound of people cheering, families congratulating their loved ones, and the noise coming from every angle. It’s a gorgeous sunny day in Utah, and I’m so glad my best friend is standing next to me, how could we not be this enthusiastic? We have our futures in the palms of our hands.

Our future, together as friends, is something I find myself often fearing won’t happen like we want it to. Lana’s been in an abusive relationship for two long, silencing years. I’m shocked Joel agreed to move with us to Seattle, though, if we all had it our way, he wouldn’t be coming with us. But she won’t walk away. I know this is supposed to be a happy moment, so I push this dark thought to the far corners of my mind.

I see my dad standing next to the row of trees lining the sidewalk, taking note of his proud stance and puffed-out chest, I chuckle. I was the first generation to graduate with honors. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but…toot, toot! This isn’t just a moment of celebration and gratification for me, it’s for him, too.

“Princess!” he says, opening his arms wide for me, I blush with a smile, fitting in his arms perfectly.

“Dad! Stop, I’m not a baby anymore,” I mumble quietly so others can’t hear my embarrassment, I also don’t want him to think he’s smothering me, because he never has.

“Did Mom make it?” I ask, my voice filled with hope, I look around him and the surrounding crowds but don’t see her. She’s seeing a new guy, well multiple guys, but they live close…she should be here. It’s my high school graduation, you would think since I’ll only do this once she would’ve found a way to be here. What am I saying? She shouldn’t even need to find a way here; she just should be present. Period.

I feel my heart crumble a little more, caught in the crossfire of my parent’s tortured love affair, and I do mean tortured. My mother had been unfaithful to my father for as long as I could remember. My dad, well he just turned a blind eye so he wouldn’t have to admit her flaws and live without her. He loved her completely. I thought I never saw my mother before the divorce, now it’s close to never. Every three months she will pop in to visit, drop demands and insults to the way I live my life, and then give me some half-assed motherly wisdom that would make real mothers cringe.

“No, princess, she didn’t. I’m sorry.” His answer is short and warrants no explanation.

“Yeah,” I say, my eyes shift around the grassy field and bleachers surrounding us. Doing whatever I can to avoid making eye contact with my dad, I don’t want him seeing me emotional on such a big day. He hates it when I cry.

“Missing this is her loss. She said she’ll stop by tonight, at your party.”

“How nice, she’ll make a public appearance so people will think she cares.” I cross my arms like a defiant child throwing a tantrum when she doesn’t get her way.

“Don’t let her ruin your day, sis! You fucking graduated! I didn’t think you had the brains, you cute little shit!” My brother lifts me off the ground as he spins me in the air before bringing me in for a bear hug. Breaking the tension and distracting me, I love this big goofball with every fiber of my being. He graduated a couple years back, since he is three years older than me, but we are still close despite the age difference. Usually, most brother and sister relationships substitute for name-calling, and ‘anything you can do I can do better’ games, especially with an age gap like ours, but not Kings and me. Don’t get me wrong, we tease, but it’s always friendly. Other than that, we’re ride or die best friends until the end.

He sets me down and I look up at him and smile. He looks down on me with an adoring smile, our eyes holding. I love his eyes, they are green with rivers of honey flowing through them. We both got our mother’s eyes, but other than that we look like our father.

“Shut it, I’m the smart one out of the two of us and you know it!” I see something moving toward us from my periphery. Pulling my gaze from Kingston’s smiling face, I see Trey. His smirk turns into a raging smile, showing me his dimples and perfect tee

th. He’s looking so dang edible in his black, tightly fitted jeans that hug his strong, powerful thighs. His matching black fitted tee is stretched deliciously across his defined chest. That man looks like sin wrapped in black.

I’ve known Trey since he became friends with my brother ten years ago and not only did we grow close, my romantic feelings grew with that time, also.

“He’s right, I was shocked you graduated, little bug.” Trey joins in on the friendly banter. Running his hand through his sandy blond hair, his shirt rises just enough for me to see the deep cuts of his hips. I fall silent; Lana notices and nudges my arm, urging me to say something.