The air smelled like flowers and fresh beginnings.
Graduation day had finally arrived—an ending we'd all seen coming, yet none of us were fully prepared for. The campus lawn was alive with energy: folding chairs lined in perfect rows, a stage draped in maroon and gold, proud parents clutching cameras and tissues, and students in gowns that rustled like the turning of pages.
I stood in front of the mirror in my dorm one last time, adjusting the black cap that just wouldn't sit right on my curls. Sophie walked in behind me, dressed identically in our graduation robes, her eyes glistening before I could even say a word.
"I'm not crying," she sniffed.
"You literally are," I teased gently.
"Okay fine, I am. But only because I'm proud. You're not invisible anymore, Charlotte. You're unforgettable."
That broke something in me. A soft laugh. A warm tear. A flash of everything we'd been through—the dorm nights, the fights, the transformations, the heartbreaks and triumphs.
"Neither are you," I whispered. "You're going to take New York by storm."
We linked arms and left the dorm together.
The field buzzed with excitement. Names were being called one by one as students crossed the stage to receive their diplomas.
"Charlotte Samson," the dean's voice rang out.
I heard my name and time seemed to slow. The crowd blurred into colors and noise. Somewhere in the front row, I spotted my parents standing together—smiling, clapping. For once, they were both there, not in a boardroom or operating room, but right here, watching me.
As I walked across the stage, the applause grew louder.
People cheered.
Not laughed. Not whispered.
They cheered.
Because I had earned it. Because I had become someone I never thought I could be.
Because I was visible.
I held the diploma to my chest like it was more than paper—like it was proof that I had survived everything and still come out whole.
When Sophie's name was called, I screamed so loud I made her laugh as she tripped on her way up. Classic Sophie. Always dramatic.
James walked after her, tall and proud. When his eyes met mine in the audience, he gave me a small, knowing smile. I smiled back.
No expectations. No pressure.
Just… possibilities.
The lawn was chaos. Hugs, laughter, flower petals, and camera flashes.
Sophie was whisked away by her family but not before throwing her arms around me one last time.
"I leave in two days," she said, biting her lip. "And I don't know how to say goodbye."
"Then don't," I said. "Say 'see you soon.' Because you'll always have a place with me."
We cried, of course. Messy, happy, real tears. And then James joined us, his tie undone and his robe half-slipped off his shoulder.
"Group photo?" he asked, already holding up his phone.
We posed. We smiled. We froze the moment in time.
Later, the trio of us sat on the roof of the dorm, watching the stars over campus one last time.
"So what now?" I asked quietly.
"Now?" James said. "Now we live. You go chase your dream. Sophie builds hers. And I…"
"You what?" I asked, nudging him.
"I figure out how to keep up with two unstoppable women who've completely changed my life."
We all laughed.
It wasn't the end.
It was the beginning.