Kiss and Tell(41)

She glanced at Tenley, who was sitting two rows behind her. She had a faraway look on her face, and Sydney wondered if it was Caitlin she was thinking about, or Calum. Just that morning, twin guilty verdicts had been delivered in the Bauer trials. Sydney had watched on TV as Calum and his dad were led away from the court in handcuffs. They were being sent to separate high-security prisons. In some ways it seemed fitting: She and Calum would leave Echo Bay on the same day.

“And now…” Up on the podium, Principal Howard broke into a smile. “I pronounce you all graduates of Winslow Academy!”

With a cheer, Sydney threw her cap into the air. She watched as it joined the others. They filled the sky, like a flock of birds flying to freedom.

“We are out of here!” Tenley came over to Sydney, her arms raised in triumph. “Sunny skies and outdoor parties, here I come!”

Sydney laughed. At the end of the summer, Tenley would be leaving for the University of California, San Diego. She swore she’d chosen UCSD because of its beach parties and sunny weather, but Sydney had a feeling the job Tim had accepted at a nearby surf school hadn’t hurt.

Emerson made a face at Tenley as she joined them. “You are going to be so annoyingly tan by Thanksgiving break.”

“And I plan to have a massive party to show it off.” Tenley hooked her arm through Sydney’s. “One that you will not get out of attending, Miss RISD.”

“I can’t believe you leave today, Syd.” Emerson hooked her own arm through Sydney’s free one so that they all stood linked: a single, solid chain. “I don’t leave for New York and FIT until August. It’s going to be really strange without you here.”

“Things I never thought I’d hear Emerson Cunningham say,” Sydney pointed out with a laugh. She looked down at the ground, where the caps had fallen in a haphazard pattern. “I can’t believe I leave today, either.”

She’d signed up for RISD’s summer program the very day she received news of her scholarship. She’d been so sure she’d want to get away from Echo Bay as soon as possible. But now that the day was here, she wished everything could move in slow motion.

In so many ways, she hated Echo Bay. It was the place where Calum had tortured and hurt them. It was the place where Caitlin and Tricia and Delancey had died. It was the place where she’d been watched and judged and baited and played. But it was also the place where she’d taken her first award-winning photo. It was the place where she’d jumped waves with her dad and had dozens of movie nights with her mom and, most recently, said good-bye to Guinness when he won his photography internship in Africa. It was the place where she’d kissed Joey for the very first time, and, as strange as it was, it was the place where she’d found her friends—Tenley and Emerson. She cleared her throat, embarrassed by the tears pricking at her eyes. “Thanksgiving,” she declared. “I’ll even come to your stupid party if I have to.”

They were all quiet for a moment, and time seemed to stretch out before them, impossibly big. “Are you scared?” Emerson asked.

Sydney shook her head. “I’m a million and one things, but after this year, not much scares me anymore.”

Emerson nodded. So did Tenley. They didn’t need to speak to know they were all thinking the same thing.

“There’s our graduate!” Sydney’s mom ran over and threw her arms around her daughter. “This calls for a picture.” Her engagement ring flashed in the sunlight as she handed her camera to Sydney’s dad.

“Wait.” Sydney smiled shyly at her dad. “You should be in the photo, too.” He slung his arm around her shoulders. Their relationship might still be a work in progress, but it got easier every day. It was like her mom said: Change was hard, but it wasn’t impossible.

“Ten Ten! There you are!” As Tenley’s mom pranced over in a skintight minidress, and Emerson’s parents wrapped her up in a hug, and cameras clicked and zoomed all around them, Sydney caught sight of a familiar face weaving through the crowd.

“Congrats, grad,” Joey said when he reached her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. Like always, it felt like coming home. “Ready to hit the road?” Joey tossed his car keys into the air. “RISD waits for no man. Or woman,” he added graciously.

Sydney looked over her shoulder at her mom laughing with her dad, and Tenley tossing a tassel at Emerson, and suddenly she knew: She could drive a thousand miles, but there were some things she’d never leave behind.

She slipped her hand into Joey’s. “I’m ready.”