“I don’t need another version of me,” she says, running her thumb across my bottom lip.

“You deserve someone worth as much as you,” I rasp.

“I deserve someone who will love me hard, want me despite my mistakes, and appreciates who I am because of them.”

I swallow, and her legs sink farther beside me. “I can do that, D.”

“I know,” she whispers, kissing me lightly. “Your worth isn’t measured in your accomplishments, Nico, even though you have many to be proud of. It’s how hard you love that counts.”

I pull her mouth to mine, kissing her roughly and she moans against me.

She can feel it, my love for her.

“My silent knight,” she breathes across my mouth before sinking into me more.

But I’m a greedy bastard. I want words.

I pull back, looking up at her as she smiles gently at me.

“Mr. Brando said it was about misconception, right?” I start.

She laughs, nodding as I run my hands up her thighs and under the jacket until I’m gripping her hips.

“Tell me, D. What do you see when you look at me now?”

Her palms find my cheeks and she holds my eyes with hers.

“I see a guarded, suffer in silence type who is more than the first glance could ever give. A stubborn, hardheaded guy I want to keep,” she whispers, a calm, almost sadness taking over her eyes. “Even more, I see the guy I accidentally fell in love with and wouldn’t change if I could. A gorgeous, strong-minded guy I want to love me back.”

My pulse is beating out of control, my heartstrings pulled tight as I stare at the girl I never thought would say half the shit she just did while staring right at me. Right fuckin’ into me.

My Pixie.

I pull her closer, tilting my head to whisper in her ear. “I do, Pixie. I have, and I will.”

She pushes me back, waiting, but not long.

“I love you, Demi,” I whisper, and tears fill her eyes. “And not only can you keep me, baby, but I’m not against forcing you to, ‘cause I’m keeping you, following you wherever you go. Shit, I’ll chase you if it comes to that.”

She laughs, her head tipping back but only for a second before my palm is spreading across her spine and I’m bringing her face to mine again.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being brave enough to try, even if it was in an ass-backward way.”

This time it’s me who laughs. “I’ve never been one to do things right the first time around.”

She smirks. “Now that I’d have to disagree with.”

A loud laugh leaves me.

I bring my hands around to rest them on the curve of her ass, our gazes meeting. “Good to know, Pixie, but just wait.” I lean forward, biting on her bottom lip a second. “It only gets better with practice.”

She lets my jacket slide off her arms, giving me a saucy grin, whispering, “Prove it, Neek.”

So I do.

At her request, we skip the stupid dance knowing there’ll be more, and I take her home, showing her over and over until she’s putty in my arms, and then falls asleep in them.

As mine.

“In closing, I want to wish you all the best wherever life takes you, and I hope when you look back on this place, five, ten, even twenty years from now,” Demi’s slight blush at the time stamp she’s giving me in her speech has my chest warming. “It’s in remembrance of all the positive ways you changed or grew while you were here, and I hope you never let those memories, or the people who you made them with go.” She subconsciously spins the promise ring I gave her as her eyes meet, hold, then slide past mine as she continues to connect with the rest of our class. “I know I won’t,” she says gently before the most beautiful smile crosses her face. “Congratulations to us, the Class of 2020!”

Everyone jumps, cheering loudly as they toss their graduation caps in the air, and I dart from my seat, meeting Demi at the edge of the steps.

She holds up her white gown and jumps right into my arms.

I spin her around, both of us laughing as I set her on her feet.

“How’s my valedictorian feel?”

“Amazing!”

She kisses me quickly before her friends rush for us screaming, and they hug each other, Trent only feet behind, his gown already off and tossed somewhere.

He steps in for a quick hug, turning to look at the girls. “Can’t believe it’s over, man.”

“I know. If you’d have told me on the first day of senior year it would end like this, I might have punched you for it.”

He laughs, looking back to the girls when their laughter hits us. “I can’t believe Dem passed on Brown.”

I nod.

I was against her decision at first, too, but she deserves to do what she wants, not what others think she should, and one thing she was clear about was not leaving California.

He moves his smile to me. “You ready for UCSD?”

I laugh lightly, my eyes glued to Demi. “Oh, yeah. Thank fuck for coed dorms.”

Trent laughs.

“Did I tell you her dad rented her a little spot down there, a little studio to work in?”

“You mentioned it, but I didn’t know it all worked out.”

I nod. “She’s even got a few dozen students signed up and ready to go. She’s gonna teach during my practice hours, so we can keep the rest of our time open for just us. She’s taking a lighter load than she planned, but she decided she’s in no hurry to be done and I like that.”

“Thank fuck we’re decent ball players, huh, and got to pick what school to go to, or our girls would be headed to colleges far the fuck away from us.”

“Like either of us would go anywhere they wouldn’t be.”

I look to him and we both laugh.

He sighs, clamping a hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man, really.”

“Thanks.”

Demi slides back up, and I wrap my hand around her back. “You ask them to come stay next week yet?”

“Not yet.”

She laughs, turning to Trent with a smile. “What do you think? You and Krista don’t leave until the end of summer, come discover new beaches with us!”

Trent shrugs, nodding. “I don’t see why not. Let’s talk about it later tonight, I gotta go find my parents, take pictures and shit before we meet you guys at Demi’s.” Trent holds his hand out, clapping mine again and then walks away, pulling Krista from the group of girls.

“Kids!” I spin around, smiling as my mom, Demi’s dad and stepmom walk up together, her mom a few yards behind.

A lot changed in the last half of the school year.

I told Demi about what my dad had done, tricking my mom into giving him everything. Instantly, and against my protests, she went to her dad for help from him and his firm. I got my mom down there and within days, they had everything sorted out.

Like I figured, nothing was as legit as my dad tried to make it seem. Sure, he had friends in low places, but Demi’s dad had more in higher ones.

Not that he had to use them, he only had to pretend he did, spew some lawyer bullshit at him and my dad was sweating. Then he threw a single threat out.

He told him he’d expose his wife for writing prescriptions to someone she wasn’t treating and Nikoli Sykes walked away with his hands held high.