Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Jesse groaned and turned to me. “I can’t wait until we’re at college and your daddy can’t keep popping out from behind corners every time I kiss you.”
I pulled him in the direction of the rec room. “I wouldn’t put it past him to follow us.”
Jesse pressed me against the wall and kissed me again. “Not a chance. At college we get to be us alone—no chemo, no antibody treatment, just Jesse and June taking on the world.” Jesse lifted his fist. “Group two for the win.”
I met his fist with my own. “Group two for the win.”
He kissed me again, then said, “Not sure how I’ll survive not seeing you for the next couple of months.”
“I know,” I said and ran my finger down his face, committing every inch to memory. We had been here now for several months, together every single day. The ranch was our own little world, where everything we did felt more, bigger, brighter. Several months here felt like years in the outside world.
I wasn’t sure how we were going to go from our little cocoon here to the big, wide world. Plus, we would return to our small towns miles and miles from each other for a while first. I was going to miss him so much.
Jesse kept a tight hold on me as we entered the rec room, which was now decked out in balloons and a banner that read, Graduation. All of us had missed our high school graduations, so we were getting our own version of that today.
“I have to say, there better be a medal or something for us,” Jesse remarked. “Surviving both high school and terminal cancer surely must be better rewarded than a handshake from Doc Duncan and a piece of paper pretending to be our high school diplomas.”
Chris came from behind and put his arms around our shoulders. “We’re getting sprung, guys. What a glorious fucking day!”
Emma linked my arm with hers and laid her head on my shoulder. “I’m happy, but I’m so sad to be leaving y’all,” she said, echoing my feelings. “What will I do without my besties?” She glanced over to Chris. “Well, without my June and Jesse.”
“Pssht,” Chris muttered. “I got you through this place, Em. And you know it.”
Emma rolled her eyes, and smiling, I laid my head against hers. Emma had become incredibly important to me—a true best friend who had been by my side through thick and thin.
“You’ll come to UT to visit, and I’ll come to College Station to see you too,” I said. “We have a deal.” UT and Texas A&M weren’t too far apart, so seeing Emma and Chris there would be doable.
“Chemo—but no more of the chemo part, please God,” Chris said making us all laugh, “Club for life!”
“Chemo—but no more chemo—Club for life!” we all said and broke into hysterics. The air felt charged with happiness.
“Shall we begin?” Neenee said and took to the makeshift stage. Dr. Duncan stood with our diplomas. As Neenee made her speech and began to call our names, it almost felt surreal. None of us had expected to get to our graduation. Yet here we were, feeling almost brand-new.
I was leaving the ranch changed. I had best friends and the love of my life. My passion for writing was more pronounced than ever, but I wanted to write something true, something real. I wanted to write about my greatest fear—about not having more time with Jesse, not having a future at all. Even as I sat there, my hands itched to write. I had begun to put my writing onto a public platform under a pseudonym, chapter by chapter, and it was receiving so many reads that my head spun.
I was doing it. I was writing a love story and people were loving it.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Jesse said quietly and bumped my shoulder with his. There was no pain as I did, no aches. My knee still gave me a slight limp, but that was all.
“I’m just so happy that we’re here.” He put his arm around me and held me close until our names were called, one after the other—S and T were beside each other in the alphabet.
Destined.
Jesse’s mama and sisters hooted and hollered as we climbed the stage, and my parents whistled and cried.
This day was about gratitude—something I had in volumes.
Next was college, and a new chapter of our story would begin.
CHAPTER 14
Jesse
Jesse and June’s Happily Ever After
University of Texas
Iran off the training field and into the showers. I had barely been in there maybe thirty seconds before I was out and throwing on my clothes.
“Why’s your ass on fire?” Sheridan, my wide receiver and roommate, asked as I ran my fingers through my hair instead of a comb (I had a sprinkling of hair again!).