Ch 01 – Graduation
Sissi, for fuck’s sake! Move it. You’re not seriously gonna be late to your own graduation.
I grumble under my breath, throwing on whatever I can find as I step out of the shower. Mandy’s about two seconds away from barging into my bathroom if I don’t hurry.
End result? I look like a strung-out junkie who traded anything worth a damn for her next fix. My hair’s no better. Still, I own the asymmetrical cut, one side shaved clean.
…Seriously, Sissi. How do you do it? You look like you crawled out of a dumpster, and somehow you still hit hard.
Like that’s new.
It’s always about the attitude.
And anyway… I’m throwing a gown over all of this, so who cares.
Guess I did it.
This is really happening.
Four years ago, when I left Canada after the fire, I wasn’t chasing anything. I was running. From the grief. From a whole town that didn’t know how to breathe anymore.
Turns out, having nothing left to lose gets you places.
I closed that chapter. Took it all with me. MBA included.
And today… this is it. My moment.
I’m… happy. More than I thought I’d be.
And with Mandy here—my American shadow these past four years—It keeps my mind off the ones who aren’t here.
Mandy is my opposite. All energy, loud and impossible to miss.Me? I move different.I don’t listen. I don’t ask. I just act.
She’s got a degree in mechanical engineering. I’ve never seen anyone so passionate about spending their days covered in grease and engine oil. But she loves it.
Me? I went for something practical. No calling. No spark.Just the sense that a business degree might help a place like mine rebuild.
The ceremony is… impressive. They’ve set everything up outdoors so families can be there. The whole lawn is a sea of black gowns, all of us waiting for our names.
When they call mine, I walk up to the stage—and I can’t help it, I laugh.
In the back, Mandy’s doing a full-on cheerleader routine.
I pull myself together and take my diploma to polite applause.
Once everyone’s gone through, it’s the moment everyone’s been waiting for.
Caps in the air.
All I’m hoping is I don’t take one straight to the eye on the way down. That kind of thing only ever happens to me… so yeah, I’m careful.
I grab my cap, toss it, and immediately drop my gaze, waiting for impact.
Nothing.
I’m good. Still alive.
I look up.
Mandy’s standing there, arms raised, forming a shield over me.
Damn… I love her.
We break into a victory dance. Jumping, carried by the rush all around us.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt this alive.
Mandy… we did it. Together.
I’m so proud of us.“Girl, we rock!”
There’s a fire in her eyes—bright, fierce, impossible to miss.
We head over to the reception set up for family and friends. I grab two glasses of Prosecco and hand one to Mandy.
It’s crazy how all that emotion makes you thirsty.
We basically turn it into our own version of Wedding Crashers, picking our way through trays of finger food.
We’re so in sync, so alive, no one even thinks to stop us.
Until I run straight into a leather jacket.
And just like that… I freeze.
That scent I’d almost forgotten hits me straight in the chest.
Mandy turns instantly, checking if I’m okay.
I can’t move.
He’s standing right in front of me.
My brother. Bobby.
I haven’t seen him since I left for the States.
He was already big back then.
But now… the patched White Ash leather.The solid build, the rough beard, the clean-shaved undercut…
It hits me all at once.
Even after all this time, there’s that same hint of asymmetry.Proof that nothing’s really changed.
Bobby…
His smile spreads across his sharp features, and I throw myself into his arms.
He lifts me, spins me around like we’re kids again—and I laugh.
“You came. You’re here…”
The tears come on their own.
I’m here.
I’m holding my brother’s hand on one side, Mandy’s on the other.
And that means… a lot.
The two people I love most in the world are right here with me.
When I finally snap out of it, I introduce my friend to my brother. One look at their smiles, and yeah—they like what they see.
We wrap up the day at a burger place Mandy booked for the occasion.Luckily, in NYC, adding one more chair isn’t a problem when the name Cooper gets dropped.
From the way they look, I can tell they’re enjoying this as much as I am.
I couldn’t have asked for a better way to close this chapter.
