Chapter Thirty-Three

The day of Jenny's high school graduation was overcast, but the Weather Channel said it wouldn't rain, so graduation was outside on the football field as usual.

Jenny stood in her rented cap and gown on the temporary bleachers set up on the field. The graduating class was sparse and scattered on the bleachers, as were the groups of parents watching from the permanent concrete bleachers. With so many people dead or missing, it was a gloomy day in more ways than one.

Jenny found her father among the parents. He'd dressed in his best suit, which was a brown corduroy artifact of the 1970s. His girlfriend June sat beside him in a flowered church dress.

A few rows away from them, she spotted Seth's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Barrett were dressed quite a bit better than Jenny's dad, but they all looked equally miserable.

“Hey, Jenny!” Seth called to her as he climbed up the bleachers toward her. “Did I miss anything?”

“Just a lot of standing around.” Jenny welcomed him with a hug and a quick kiss. She noticed his eyes glance warily towards his parents.

“Have you talked to your dad about Clemson?” Jenny asked.

“I wish I could go there, Jenny. But he's like iron on this one.”

“But you know I can't live in Charleston.”

“You can!” Seth said. “It's not even a big city like Atlanta.”

“Charleston has too many people,” Jenny said.

“My dad’s insisting. I have to go there because they ‘have the right focus on global market integration.’” Seth jabbed a fist in the air as he imitated his dad’s voice.

“Ooh, are we talking about Charleston?” Darcy asked. She'd joined them on the bleachers, and now stood on the far side of Seth from Jenny. “I can't wait! Can you?”

Jenny shrugged.

“When are you guys going for orientation?” Darcy asked.

“I'm supposed to go in a couple of weeks,” Seth said. “Meet up with some of my friends from Grayson Academy.”

Jenny didn't like the sound of that. Before high school, Seth had attended an all-boys private school with a bunch of other rich kids. He’d only come back to Fallen Oak for high school because of his parents’ weird ideas about tradition. Jenny had met a couple of Grayson types at the Barrett Christmas party, and they were jerks.

“Ooh, nifty,” Darcy said. “Do you think I could hook a ride with you guys? My parents won't take me. They're still mad about the precious miracle in my belly. I'm giving it up for adoption, so it's not like it's gonna matter, but....” Darcy shrugged.

“You can ride with Seth,” Jenny said, and Seth gave her a sharp look. “Right, Seth?'

“Well, yeah...” Seth said. “It's just, there's the big music festival that weekend. Lots of drunk people, crowds...”

“Ooh, yeah,” Darcy said. “I want to go to a music festival.”

“Really?” Seth asked.

“Hell yeah. I never have any fun,” Darcy said.

“Darcy Metcalf,” Jenny asked, in a mock-scolding tone. “Did you just swear?”

“Fuck yeah I did!” Darcy said, and Jenny and Seth laughed. “I'm graduating. I can do what I want.”

“So you're taking her, Seth?” Jenny asked. She smiled. How much trouble could Seth get into with Darcy Metcalf up his ass?

“Uhhh...” Seth said.

Darcy beamed at him.

“Yeah, okay,” Seth sighed. “It'll be fun.”

“Bet your bumpers it will be!” Darcy said.

When the students were assembled, Assistant Principal Varney approached the loudspeaker podium on a little platform in front of the students. She addressed the parents and other audience members.

“Parents, students, and members of our Fallen Oak High community,” she said. “We all know this has been a difficult year for our town. But today is a happy day, when so many of our young people move forward to begin their lives in the world...” After a few platitudes, she introduced Reverend Bailey for the commencement address.

“Brothers and sisters in Christ,” he began. The man looked a little stooped, and much grayer than Jenny remembered. His daughter Neesha was among the missing—and Jenny knew that all the “missing” were really dead. “In this time of need, let us remember and celebrate those we have lost. And let us also remember that, wherever they are, the Lord watches over them...Let us pray for understanding. Let us pray for hope. Let us pray.” He bowed his head, and everyone else in the stadium did the same.

The Reverend's prayer referred to the Book of Job and trials and tribulations. When he mentioned Job's affliction of boils and disease, Jenny peeked open one eye to see if anyone was looking at her, but nobody was.

Then Mrs. Varney returned to introduce the class valedictorian, Raquisha Higgins, who said things like “now we move on into the springtime of our lives, like butterflies hatching from the high school cocoon...”

At least I saved us from one last speech by Ashleigh, Jenny thought.

Mrs. Varney called the students to receive their diplomas.

The whole experience was surreal. Jenny was the reason so many people were gone, but nobody knew except Seth and Jenny’s dad. Seth was adamant that she shouldn't turn herself in—but if he was moving away from her, how much could he really care?

Out in the audience, half the people were crying. So were some of the students around her. The short list of graduates made it clear how many people they had lost.

She looked at her dad. He didn't look happy, either.

Then she looked at Seth. What kind of person was she, if she could kill so many people and still worry about her own happiness? So what if Seth moved away? She deserved far worse. She was a monster.

Seth took her hand and gave her a small smile, but Jenny wasn't feeling it at all.