Zach's Point of View Chloe was doing an amazing job with her speech, it was honestly blowing me away. Her eyes never left mine, not once. "... We all have that one special person to thank for getting us to where we are today. Whether it's a mom, a brother, a sister, a friend, or in my case, the one." I felt my lips turn up into a smile. "My parents died on 9/11, in the plane crash." Everyone gasped. "My parents were both only children, and their parents had died when I was younger. So, that left me to live with my older sister, Jane. Jane hates me, she would hit me, and tell me that it was my fault my parents died." I could see tears starting to form in her eyes, I just wanted to run up on stage and wrap my arms around her, hold her tightly and never let her go. "At the beginning of the school year, I started taking a class at the local college. In this class, we were assigned a partner that we would have for the rest of the year. My partner was and is amazing. He knows me better than anyone else. I was really afraid to open and be myself around him, because my high school experiences taught me that when people start getting close to me, I tend to push them away." She turned around and looked at a few of her classmates. "None of you guys knew any of this about me, I'm sorry I pushed you away, I just didn't want you to treat me differently." She looked back at me with a small smile on her face. "My partner, he somehow has the ability to know whenever anything is wrong with me. No matter how hard I try to hide it. I tried not to tell him things, but there's just something about him that makes me open up and pour all of my problems out. A week before 9/11 last year, my sister had come home very drunk and she hit me, harder than she ever had before. In the morning, she was gone. I was supposed to meet my partner, so we could talk about our project. When he saw me, his eyes filled with tears and he dropped what he was holding and ran up to me, he took my face in his hands, tears were rolling down his cheeks. He was so hurt and so upset that anyone would ever think about touching me, about hurting me." I flinched, remember seeing her hurt. It still made my heart hurt still thinking about her in pain. She gulped and continued. "I asked him to stay with me that night, just to keep me company. Every year, my sister leaves a week before 9/11, and she doesn't come back until a week after. I really hate being alone in the house, so he agreed. The next day, he had found out that it had been my sister who did this to me. He vowed never to let anyone hurt me ever again. Not only that, I moved in with him that weekend." I smiled. No kne has hurt her since then. I'm doing pretty well at keeping my promise. Tears were gathering in my eyes as she told everyone our story, about how we started. "and he was right, when he makes a promise, he makes sure he keeps it. On top of that, he lives with his best friend. Josh. Josh is absolutely insane, but he's amazing in the same sense. I love Josh, like a brother. He's happily married to a girl he has been dating since he was in 8th grade. Her name is Ali. and she's my best friend, that's a girl. I can tell her anything. and it's really nice to know I have someone to talk to, who's able to relate to me in some way, just because we're both girls. My partner Zach," She looked at me and I smirked at her. "He took me to meet his family. For once in my life, I got the feeling that I belonged somewhere. I felt like I was a part of their family. They welcomed me with open arms." She smiled. I felt someone tap my shoulder, everyone had just gotten here. Josh, Ali, my mom and dad, Tasha, Luke, Emily, and Chris. They all came to watch my baby graduate. They were here late, but that didn't matter, at least they were here. A huge grin spread across my face, I know this would mean the world to her. "That weekend Zach asked me to be his girlfriend, I couldn't say yes fast enough." I felt Josh nudge me and I looked over to see Josh smiling at me. I was grinning like an idiot. "We've been dating for 10 months now. Sometimes all a person needs in life is a little time, a litle understanding, and someone who loves you unconditionally, who loves you for who you are, no matter what. I was lucky enough to find my soul mate in my first boyfriend, he is the person I have to thank for everything, for me standing here in front of all of you, for being my best friend, foe being my strength, for taking my heart. And the best part? I know he'll never give it back, he will keep it safe, and cherish the fact that it belongs to him." She looked at me and smiled. I had tears forming in my eyes. I'm pretty sure some had already rolled down my cheeks, but I didn't care. It was just the two of us, no one else mattered.
Chloe's Point of View I finished my speech, a roar came over the room. Everyone stood up and started clapping. I noticed some people even had tears in their eyes, just like Zach did. My principal got up onto the podium, with tears in her eyes as well. She turned to smile at me. "That was absolutely great! Very nice speech Ms. Jennings. And now, it's time to give out diplomas!" Everyone cheered. I sat there watching my classmates, one by one, walking up and getting their diplomas. People would cheer as their son or daughter would shake hands with the principal. It was getting closer and closer to my turn. "... Emma Jacobs... Tyler Jax..." I was next. Time seemed to slow down as they called my name. "Our valedictorian, Chloe Jennings!" The room burst into applause. I heard everyone shout different things. Ali yelled, "That's my best friend!" Zach's mom and dad yelled, "That's my daughter!" Emily, Tasha, and Chris all screamed, "That's my sister!" Josh yelled, "Thatta girl!" But Zach, he didn't yell. I have no idea how I heard him. His voice was so soft, but my eyes were locked onto his. Maybe I read his lips and thought I was actually hearing him. "That's my baby." He whispered as he snapped a picture.
Part 82: Zach's Point of View "That's my baby." I whispered as she walked up to get her diploma. I took my camera out and started taking picture after picture of her, she's so beautiful. More people got called, but my eyes stayed on Chloe. Her speech brought tears to my eyes, she's amazing. "Congratulations to the Class of 2012!" The principal yelled. Everyone grabbed their caps and tossed them into the air. I snapped another picture of all of them flying. Chloe had the biggest smile on her face. I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around to see someone looking at me very seductively. "Well hello there sexy thing." I glanced over at Chris and motioned for him to come over here. "Uhh.. Chris bro. Come talk to, uhm.. sorry I didn't catch your name." She said something, but I wasn't paying attention. "Meet my brother! Gotta go. Have fun you too." I ran outside to where Chloe and her classmates were standing, taking pictures. I brought my camera back up to my eye and snapped more pictures of her beautiful self. She noticed me taking her picture, she broke away from the crowd and ran toward me. I picked her up around the waist and spun her around, I heard the shutter sound coming from nearby cameras, but I didn't care. No one matters when I'm with Chloe. Her arm wrapped around my neck and her head rested on my shoulder. "You were amazing baby." She looked up and smiled at me. "You think so?" I smiled while nodding. I leaned forward and kissed her. My hands ran up and down her back and her hands ran through my hair. I pulled away and rested my forehead against hers. "I know so." Someone cleared their throat behind us, causing both of us to turn around. I felt Chloe's body immediately stiffen.