Chapter 7
Flashback - Eighth Grade Graduation Day
By the end of their eighth-grade year, the duo had allowed a few others to enter their realm.
Lynx was still quietly observant, and Fateema was still an overzealous chatterbox, but they managed to form a few solid friendships.
Lynx and Fateema’s bond remained the strongest of them all.
The two spent so much time together that their fathers even became close friends.
“What’s wrong?” Fateema asked Lynx when she found him in the treehouse, sitting on her gigantic bean bag.
“Nothing.”
“Something is wrong, but if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”
She sat next to him in silence and waited patiently for him to tell her what was wrong. Eventually, he always did.
“At my old school, they used to tell my mom that if I didn’t get my act together, I wouldn’t graduate from eighth grade,” he finally shared.
“Well, they were wrong.”
“Sometimes, I wasn’t sure, but my mom always knew they were wrong.”
“She was right.”
“Yeah, but she’s not here to see me.”
Lynx couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. He missed his mother more than he could ever express, and sometimes, the pain was unbearable. Fateema put her arm around his shoulder and consoled him, the same way he did when she was sad about her mother being gone.
“I’m sorry your mother isn’t here, but I bet she’s proud of you up in heaven.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same.”
In these moments, his tears triggered hers, and they sat with their emotions until the moment passed. Soon after, their fathers summoned them because it was time to leave for their graduation ceremony.
Their families decided to give them a graduation party to celebrate their recognition as co-valedictorians.
Neither wanted a big celebration, but they weren’t given a choice.
Once the party was underway, Lynx, Fateema, and their friends, Joaquin, Adam, Octavia, and Meaghan, snuck away to the park on the next block.
There was really nothing for them to do at the park. The concrete on the basketball court was cracked and full of weeds, and there were no rims on the backboards. So, they sat on the rickety benches and talked.
“I’m so glad it’s summer,” Fateema said.
“I’m not. I start my first job at the movie theater in two days,” Adam commented.
“I start at the park district in three days. At least you’ll be inside with air conditioning,” Joaquin added.
“I haven’t found a job yet, but I’m looking. Anything has to be better than staying home,” Meaghan said.
“I always said I didn’t want to work in fast food, but I’ll be starting at Culver’s next week,” Octavia told them.
“Mr. Nez put me on with the construction company he works for,” Lynx said.
“I guess I’m the only one not working. I’ll probably babysit some of the neighbors’ kids occasionally, but my daddy has me doing a few track and field camps, so I might not have time for a real job.”
The friends talked about what they thought working the jobs they acquired might be like. Lynx was the only one excited. He was interested in architecture, so working at a construction company was right up his alley.
“Should we get back to the party?” Meaghan asked.
“Those people aren’t missing us. We told them we didn’t want a party, but I guess they didn’t care,” Lynx offered.
“At least your dads gave y’all a party,” Adam said. “My mama said graduating from eighth grade isn’t an accomplishment. It’s an expectation.”
“Dang, that’s cold,” Lynx responded.
“Is she wrong?” Fateema asked. “Middle school was super easy. We still have a lot of school left.”
“True.” Octavia agreed.
“We do, but at least give me some credit for keeping my grades up and not flunking out like some of our classmates,” Adam complained.
“True,” Octavia repeated.
“Well, there’s always high school and college,” Lynx said. “Maybe she’ll throw you a party for one of those graduations.
“Are y’all nervous about high school?” Fateema asked, changing the subject.
“I’m not. We start football conditioning in July, and I’m excited,” Joaquin said.
“I’m not nervous either,” Meaghan announced. “Me and Tay already joined some clubs.”
“Are you nervous, Bunny?” Lynx asked Fateema, and she nodded. “You’ll for sure make the sophomore or varsity basketball team and you’re already in three clubs. In the spring, you’ll be the star of the track team. Why are you nervous?”
“I just hope it’s not sixth grade all over again. We’re back at the bottom.”
Lynx scooted closer to Fateema and put his arm around her.
“I disagree, but I got you if we’re at the bottom or the top,” he assured her.
Their friends groaned and smacked their lips.
“Why don’t y’all just date already?” Joaquin questioned.
“Seriously,” Meaghan added.
“First of all, my daddy would kill me if he found out I was dating. Secondly, we’re best friends,” Fateema declared.
“I don’t know another boy and girl who are close like y’all. I wouldn’t be surprised if y’all end up married to each other.” Adam interjected.
“Me either,” Joaquin agreed.
“I don’t even think I want to get married,” Lynx said.
“I do, but not until I’m old, like thirty or something,” Fateema responded.
“I have an idea,” Octavia announced.
“What?” everyone else asked simultaneously.
“If y’all are still best friends and single when you turn thirty, you have to marry each other.”
“What kind of idea is that?” Adam asked.
“Yeah, Lynx said he doesn’t want to get married,” Joaquin said.
“He said he doesn’t think he wants to get married. So, y’all wanna shake on it?” Octavia encouraged.
“If we agree to it, then y’all have to agree too. Joaquin will marry Meaghan, and Adam will marry Octavia,” Fateema said. “Or the other way around.”
“Eww, heck no!” Octavia shouted. “I don’t like neither one of them.”
“I’m with her. I’m not marrying Joaquin or Adam,” Meaghan said.
“You can’t expect us to agree to something like that. We’re not best friends or as close as you two are. It’s not the same,” Adam noted.
Before Lynx and Fateema could agree or disagree with Octavia’s idea, their phones rang with calls from their fathers.
“Oh, shoot. We’d better get back to the house.”
The six of them ran down the street and back to Fateema’s backyard. It seemed the party would never end, but eventually, everyone went home. Later that night, after their fathers had gone to bed, Lynx and Fateema snuck out to the treehouse, their favorite place.
“The party wasn’t so bad,” Fateema said.
“No, it wasn’t. All the food was good.”
“Yeah. Look what I got.” She pulled two caramel cupcakes from her bag.
“I thought they were all gone. How’d you get them?”
“I put some away for us before everyone arrived. I have two more in the house.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Bunny.”
She gave him one of the cupcakes, and they enjoyed them in a comfortable silence. When alone, they often enjoyed each other’s company without having to say a word.
“What do you think about Octavia’s idea?” Lynx asked.
“About us getting married?”
“Yeah.”
She shrugged because she really didn’t know what to think. “I don’t know. Thirty is a long time from now. Do you think we’ll still be friends?”
“Why wouldn’t we be? Are you wishy-washy?” he teased, using the words she used the day they met.
“No, I’m not wishy-washy,” she denied.
“Then why wouldn’t we still be friends? Couples should be best friends, right?”
“I guess. Before my mom died, her and my dad seemed like they were best friends.”
“Hmm, mine didn’t. I mean, my dad was nice to her when she was sick, but before she got sick, they weren’t nice to each other sometimes.”
They sat quietly in deep thought for a moment before Lynx had a suggestion.
“Let’s make a promise to each other. We'll stay best friends forever, and if we haven’t found someone we want to marry by the time we turn thirty, we’ll marry each other.”
Fateema pondered Lynx’s words for a moment before responding.
“Okay. Pinky swear?”
“Pinky swear.”
They intertwined their pinkies for a moment and went back to eating their cupcakes.