Significance (Significance #1)(48)

“I came with Caleb.”
“Oh.” He put me down and regarded Caleb with a terse nod. “Caleb.”
“Kyle,” Caleb answered and pulled my chair out for me, turning his back on his cousin.
I felt guilty about that, but didn’t feel it was my place to interfere, just yet anyway. Caleb pulled the yearbook on the center of our table closer to him and I realized it was tenth grade year. My hair was really curly that day and I’d pulled it to the side of my neck and smiled shyly.
He smiled at it and looked back at me. I rolled my eyes and took it from him. I glanced through it and laughed when Ben, sitting next to me, leaned over and pointed at a picture of him and me at a school assembly wearing face paint and chanting. I groaned and Caleb leaned closer to see. Ben began to tell him all about it. The way we used to paint our faces on school assembly day and wear wigs and all kinds of crazy things to make the school mad. It was a whole student body effort and we always pulled it off.Caleb laughed and gave me a sidelong grin.
You were a bad girl. A rebel. I’ve been so misled.
I rolled my eyes laughing as the lights went down and the principal, Mr. Gurney, made his way across the stage.
“Welcome, seniors. Or should I say, adults, for you are no longer our pupils. You are the fresh new minds of our country. I am pleased to introduce this year's Farewell video. This video was put together by the yearbook staff and is quite lengthy, containing not just your senior year, but your entire school years collectively in a memoir that you can purchase at the end for a $10 donation. Now, let’s begin.”
The huge pull down projection screen flickered and there I was, first picture. I groaned out loud. It was me in the sandbox on the playground, Kindergarten. I was pouring a fistful of white sand onto Kyle’s head. Kyle turned to grin at me in his seat and burst out laughing and clapping, as did lots of others. Each picture or video clip they showed had our names and the school year printed at the bottom. They played cheesy graduation music in the background, like Vitamin C or something.
The photos kept coming, so many years summed up. I found myself laughing sometimes quite loudly, but you couldn’t hear me over everyone else. There were so many pictures and I was in lots of them. We saw third grade field day when I ran against the principal, and won. We saw fifth grade D.A.R.E program, us with our red t-shirts while we all stood beside the police officers, grinning. Steven holding Gretchen up to tack a Sadie Hawkins eighth grade dance banner to the ceiling, though if the school had paid attention to where he was looking - up her skirt - they wouldn’t have put that one in there.
There was one of Beck and I in tenth grade, back to back, wearing wigs and making guns with our hands like Charlie’s Angels making everyone laugh. I buried my face in Caleb’s neck and groaned as he chuckled. I thought hard and could remember doing that, but not what it was for.
Then the school mascot, in full body paint, midair before he tripped face first over a pom-pom left on the basketball court. Then later, another one of Chad and I working in science lab together, grinning over a beaker of green something, his arm slung over my shoulders.
There was prom, dancing couples, homecoming, finals, last days, first days, Halloween, Spirit week, so much more.
Then they showed cheerleading and I felt Caleb snap more to alert, looking for me more intently among the faces. But there were plenty of pics of me there, too, among the skirted girls, some by myself, and to my chagrin, a lot with Chad and I. He was on the football team after all. The last cheerleading one, in slow motion only adding to my agony, was Chad on the football field after a winning game, ripping off his helmet and holding his arms open to something off camera. Then me, barreling towards him in my cheerleading outfit, jumping into his sweaty arms and kissing him, albeit closed mouthed, as he held me off the ground. 
For some reason my eyes automatically snapped to Chad’s and he was already looking at me, longingly and sadly.
I felt horribly guilty about it all and glanced at Caleb. He glanced at me, too, and smiled knowingly, shrugging like ‘what are ya gonna do’?
I’m sorry.
It’s in the past, Maggie.
Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to watch it.
It’s ok. I got the girl, right?
He grinned at me and squeezed my hand in between us making me smile.
You definitely got the girl.
He put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple.
They showed Football games, Basketball, Volleyball and Track, plus all the sports and clubs and activities, dances, lunches. There was some of me running on the track and some warming up. Some of me playing Volleyball in the gym. I felt Caleb’s interest in these pics was just as noticeable as the cheerleading ones had been.
It was long, but felt oddly satisfying to watch. Like maybe I had accomplished something after all. I felt like tearing up, but dammed them back.
As the music started to die down they showed our procession as we marched to graduation. Some were cutting up in line and some seemed nervous. The camera passed me but I wasn’t looking at it. Then the last frame, the money shot, the tear jerker, was a large group walking out to the parking lot afterwards, half were still wearing their robes, some still had on their caps, some had their diplomas in hands. A couple had their arms around the other’s shoulder as they walked into the sun, making them appear nothing but a dark silhouette against the backdrop of parking lot and football field. The caption read ‘And then we walked boldly out of the sunset of our pasts and into our futures. The End’
The lights came up and I saw several people wiping their eyes and laughing. Mr. Gurney made a small speech about that concluding the presentation and wishing us luck in our future, then left the stage.
I was quite ready to leave and Caleb seemed ready as well. I waved to Beck across the room, but of course she was standing with my old group. Kyle and Chad included. They both watched us go with wistful looks. I hated to have put those looks on their faces so I held on tight to Caleb as we made our way out.
A few people and teachers said goodbye to me on the way out but for the most part, I didn’t stop. I felt good about graduating and was ready to be gone.
That night at my house, I fell asleep quickly. The next day was all a fast blur as Caleb sat in the back again and tried to study. We didn’t talk about the party except him making jokes about pictures he remembered and several funny comments about cheerleading. He didn’t mention Chad or the fact that Chad seemed to be everywhere I was back in school. We were pretty much attached and that was the truth, but no more.
I was grateful and hoped he understood that that part of my life was behind me and I was right where I wanted to be.
~ ~ ~
In no time at all, the work day was over and I found myself climbing on the back of his bike again and heading home. He dropped me off and released me with his words. I ran in to get ready for our double date while he went to his uncle’s to do the same.
After my shower I chose my clothes, a pair of jeans and a yellow tank with my brown cardigan and light brown wedge sandals. My charm bracelet hung just under the hem of my sleeve. I left my hair down and pulled my bangs back to help tame it after the bike ride but then I wondered what we’d drive tonight. Beck’s little two door Neon was small and uncomfortable but we could take it if we have to.
I heard the knock on the door and made my way to answer it. For once I beat Dad. Caleb was wearing something similar to me, jeans and a brown leather jacket. His brown shaggy hair was curling very cutely around his ears.And he had a single flower in his hand. A yellow rose.
I gaped at him.
“Are you trying to score points?” He just grinned as I took it and smelled the petals. “How did you know these are my favorite?”
He leaned close and kissed my cheek, speaking his words against my skin.
“When you left your mind open to me, I did some digging around.”
I leaned back to look at him and he was serious.
“Really? I wish I’d thought to do that,” I muttered.
“There will be plenty of time for that. Once we ascend we can pretty much go all in the other’s mind anytime we want.”
“Hmm,” I hummed nervously, smelling my flower again.
“Don’t worry.” He wrapped his arms around my lower back. “I won’t go poking in your head unless you want me to. And you will want me to,” he said low and foreboding.
Before I could ask him what that meant, he took my lips gently, kissing the top then the bottom and sucking as he did so. I felt the temperature in the room go to uncomfortable levels. He pulled back a little to murmur against my lips.
“You look amazing.” Then he moved to skim his nose over my chin and under my ear. “And you smell so good. What is that?”
“Ch-cherry blossom,” I stuttered breathlessly, my breaths were practically nonexistent.
He came back to my lips and continued what he had started. His hands moved lower to my hips right as I heard my dad clear his throat obviously behind us.
I pulled back and looked over at Dad with a guilty smile. I didn’t look at Caleb at all.
“Sorry, Dad.” I bit my lip. “All right, I’m gonna go put this in water. We’re just waiting on Beck and then we’ll be out of here.”
I went to the kitchen and Dad followed me. “Maggie, you better be careful with him.”
“I am, Dad. It was just kissing. Wouldn’t you rather that we did that here, at the house?” I asked as I pulled the vase from under the sink.