Alive // bxb

Chapter 21

Liam's POV:

I held Milo's hand as we walked into the school for what would possibly be the very last time. It was graduation day: tears would be shed, hugs would be shared, and the entire grade would close this chapter of its lives.

Several students were skipping graduation, I knew, but Mom had insisted I go, and Aunt Eva told Sage he had better attend as well, and Daniel and the Moon Goddess would both be watching Adriel, and so Milo and Julie decided to attend too, and... well, the rest was history.

So, anyway. Milo and I were holding hands, Sage and Adriel were holding hands, and Sage and I both had our arms linked with Julie's. We took up the entire hallway walking side-by-side, but no one said anything except for the few we passed who grumbled about the inconvenience. I ignored them.

The entire grade was gathered in the band room, where the graduation gowns were hanging. Each had a number that a student was assigned to. My number was in the two-hundreds and Milo's was only double digits, so I squeezed his hand in a goodbye and followed Sage and Adriel to the higher numbers.

"How the hell do they organize these numbers?" Sage grumbled under his breath, trying to get the collar of his suit to stay down as he carried the gown over to a table where the rest of our small group was gathering. "You'd think it would go from smallest to biggest or something, but no- Adriel's is smaller than mine and his gown is nearly thirty numbers bigger!"

"You know, I think we've learned by now that the way the world works is pretty random," Julie teased as she adjusted the folds of her own gown.

"Yeah, but this is a school! Shouldn't they be trying to teach organization or numeric value or make some sort of sense out of this?"

"I think you're just an idiot," Adriel interrupted his mate, reaching to touch his shoulder lightly and turn him to press a soft kiss to his lips. Sage frowned as Adriel pulled away.

"You always say that."

"More today than usual, then."

Julie pretended to throw up. "Stop making me feel queasy with your sugary sweet shows of affection-" she pretended to shiver at the word- "when we all know today is about our journey, as a group."

"Yeah, as a group as a grade of two hundred students," I grumbled. "It's hardly just our journey."

"Shut up and let me be wise for a moment."

"The moment school's over you want to be all smart? Your timing needs serious work."

"I said shut up," Julie groaned at me, reaching over to swat my arm. "I don't care that you're gonna be in charge soon-" her way of saying I'd be Alpha soon without, y'know, saying it in a room full of humans- "I'll always be right and you know it."

"We all know it," Sage agreed with a sigh.

"Please don't agree with her," I said.

"Shut up, Liam."

"Okay."

I looked around for Milo and Adriel, who I found whispering together a few feet away, sitting on the floor cross-legged facing each other. Their words weren't audible, even for a werewolf with enhanced hearing, but the small smiles on both of their faces were visible. I was tempted to approach them and ask what they were talking about, but I figured it was probably one of those best-friend moments, so different from the ones Sage, Julie and I always shared. Like the ones we were currently sharing as I thought.

He's really come out of his shell, I realized with a proud smile as Milo caught my gaze and gave me a little wave that I reciprocated. A year ago, Milo and Adriel might have still been talking so openly, but I didn't think he'd even consider coming to graduation if we didn't end up as mates. And I was proud of him, I really was.