Forgotten Souls (The Saving Angels 2)

"Great, now that you jinxed me, I probably will trip. Thanks a lot bro, you're supposed to have my back," Sam said in mock anger as she reached past Lynn to sock him on the arm.

"Oww, I think a mosquito just got me," Robert said, making a production of looking for a mark on his muscular forearm.

"Oh shut it." Sam said giggling.

"Looks like they want the graduates to head down that hallway," Mark said, interrupting their antics.

"Sheesh, you think their sign is big enough?" Sam asked, snorting at the refrigerator-sized sign that simply read, Graduates This Way, with a two foot arrow beneath the words.

"I guess they felt a regular sized arrow would just be too difficult for us lowly graduates to figure out," she added.

Breaking away from the group, Sam and I followed the not so discrete arrows that lined the hallway walls, directing seniors to a different location. Sam's giggles increased with each sign we passed, making it hard for me not to join in. By the time we burst through doors to what Sam called "the holding pen," we were both clutching our sides.

The sound inside the large room was deafening, as everyone gathered around, talking about their plans for the evening and graduation gifts they had received. Of course, there was a lot of crying and gushing about how much they were going to miss each other, but for the most part everyone was excited about the significance of this moment.

Sam and I stood alone, which was how we preferred it. The only other group that was off by themselves was the Lush Trio. Sam and I had noticed when we returned to school that they were oddly subdued after the bathroom incident at prom. Gone were the sarcastic degrading comments that they were known for and the constant desire to be the center of our high school world. I had caught them studying Sam and me on more than one occasion. The change was nice, but felt strangely eerie. They were just simply there now. At first I was uber stressed that I had somehow damaged them, but Haniel was quick to reassure me.

"They have just come to realize their superficial qualities were not quite as endearing as they thought. They just needed the right push in a different direction," he had said, smiling slightly at me.

"Did I push them in that direction or did you?" I asked, suspecting the latter.

"I will leave that to you to figure out," he had said.

Watching them now, I felt a little bad that they seemed so unsure of their place with their peers now. Even more amazingly was the fact that all the girls that had vied for their attention for the last four years already seemed to have moved on. The Lush Trio seemed to be old news. High school really was survival of the fittest.

"Ladies and Gentleman, it's time to line up," Ms. Johansson, the principal's secretary, called out, trying to corral the rowdy bunch into two lines. Sam and I reluctantly parted as we stepped into our alphabetical place in line.

I could hear the opening strains of "Pomp and Circumstance," the traditional graduation march playing as we exited through the side doors. I felt a small stirring of nostalgia, listening to the music grow louder with each step I took. Sure, St. Briggets didn't quite live up to my expectations, but I still felt like this was the end of an era.

Filing down the grass, we separated and sat in the white wooden chairs placed in rows of twenty. I scanned the crowd, spotting my and Sam's families off to my left on the temporary bleachers the country club had assembled. Mark and Haniel were deep in conversation, but my mom blew me a kiss and Shawn gave me a thumbs-up. I slid my gaze down the row until I found Lynn. I giggled when she stuck her tongue out at me.

Feeling a little more relaxed now, I settled back in my chair while our class valedictorian made his speech. It was typical, filled with youthful energy about moving on to the next step, attending a top-notch college and making our marks in the world. He was a little long-winded and my eyes felt heavy as my mind drifted away.

After a few more seemingly never-ending speeches, the principal finally took his place to hand out our diplomas. Please God, don't let me trip, I thought nervously, listening to the long list of names being called ahead of mine. With shaky legs, I climbed the steps and crossed the stage to receive my diploma, willing myself to remain calm. A quick flashbulb went off in my face as the photographer snapped my picture when I was handed my diploma.

"Congratulations Ms. Miller," the principal said, indifferently.

"Thank you," I mumbled, shaking his hand.

I paused at the foot of the steps to pose for another picture for the insistent photographer who wanted a shot of me holding my diploma. I could hear my mom and my extended family cheering as I posed for the last picture and made my way back to my row of seats.

Relieved that my turn was over, I sank back into my chair, waiting for Sam's name to be called. In typical Sam fashion, she sailed across the stage, surprising our usually dignified stuffy principal by throwing her arms around him instead of shaking his hand like the rest of the graduates. His expression was priceless when he handed over her diploma, looking quite put out. I could hear Shawn wolf-whistling in the crowd.

Turning in my seat, I grinned at him. He let out another ear-splitting whistle as the photographer snapped Sam's picture with her new diploma, earning him some annoyed stares from the uptight parents near him. By the grin on his face, it was clear he knew exactly what those around him were thinking, which had Lynn and Robert shaking with silent laughter and my mom and Sam's sharing indulgent looks. My heart swelled. This was my motley crew. My cheeks began to ache from the silly smile I couldn't seem to wipe away.

Mark took our entire crew to La Casa, our favorite restaurant near his house. He was friends with the owners, who treated Sam and me like celebrities when we walked through the doors. I was slightly embarrassed when they greeted us so boisterously.

The dinner would have been perfect if not for the absence of my dad. In the time since he died, my life had done a complete one eighty, but that didn't change the way I felt about his absence. My heart still ached at everything he was missing. We had often talked about college. I knew how proud he was of my good grades and had looked forward to seeing me graduate.

"Ms. Krista and Ms. Sam, we are so happy for your big accomplishment," Maria said to us in her strongly accented voice that boomed across the room, kissing us both on the cheek. Miguel, her husband, led us to the back of the room where they had pushed several tables together to accommodate our party of nine. Haniel, of course had bowed out of joining us.

"Thank you Maria, how are the boys?" I asked in a quieter voice, not wanting to disturb the other diners any more than we already had.

"The rascals are very wild," she answered just as loudly, missing my hint.

Sam, who was well aware of my tactic, nudged me in the ribs as we took our seats. She stifled a laugh as I shrugged my shoulders, finally giving up. This was their restaurant and they could do whatever they wanted.

Shawn, Lynn, and Robert sat across from us while Mark claimed the seat on my other side, leaving the far end of the table for the adults. The laughter around our table flowed fast and easy as Shawn once again entertained us with stories from when he worked on the Boardwalk. He could mimic a harassed tourist dead-on. His impersonations kept us all in stitches, including the adults.