Conflicted: Keegan's Chronicles (21 page)

The waitress sidled up to the table, dressed
in a gray, cotton dress with her name—Pattie—stitched at the
breast. Her hair was bright blonde and wrapped up in a high bun.
She had on inches of makeup and bright red lipstick.

“I’ll take the works!” Keegan told her.
“Eggs, bacon toast, potatoes with cheese, and some coffee.”

“Sure thing, sweetie. What about the rest of
you?” Her voice was deep and hoarse. She cracked her gum, staring
at them.

“What she said,” Anna answered, handing her
menu over to the woman. There was unanimous agreement as everyone
ordered the same thing.

“So, it’s almost time to graduate,” Lauren
said with a sigh, adding cream from the pitcher to her coffee.

“It’s about time,” Sam joked, nudging
Spencer, who nodded.

“I think it’s sad.” Keegan stirred her
coffee, watching the sweetener dissolve instead of letting her
friends see the tears in her eyes.

“We’ll stay in touch,” Calvron told her,
reaching over to lay a hand on her arm.

Donald slipped his own arm around her
shoulders, squeezing her to the side of his body. “Of course we
will.”

The food was delicious. Keegan ended up
having another plate, as did the boys.

After eating, they decided to go hang out in
the disco room. When they walked through the door, their outfits
changed. Keegan cracked up laughing. Calvron had a huge afro and
the guys had bell bottoms on and long sleeve collared shirts with
the buttons undone. The girls, of course, looked hot in their mini
skirts and platform shoes.

They danced beneath the disco lights for
what seemed like hours, even though they’d already danced most of
the night away at prom. When they were sweaty and tired, they made
their way to the coffee shop to rest and relax.

Dinner had been great, and the disco crazy,
but the most enjoyable thing for Keegan was the time they spent
over their coffee, reminiscing about old times.

Keegan’s stomach was in knots. She didn’t
expect to be this nervous; it was only a high school graduation
after all. All she had to do was walk across the stage and smile
while she shook the principal’s hand. She smoothed down her gown
and reached up to make sure the cap was in place, waiting for her
name to be called.

“Keegan Clarke,” was announced over the loud
speaker and her heart skyrocketed.

Taking a deep breath, she walked forward and
prayed she didn’t fall and make a fool of herself. She had worn
ballet flats under the gown to reduce the risk.

She made it across the stage, smiling all
the while, and shook the principal’s hand. There was a slight
awkward moment when she tried to shake with the wrong hand. She
always messed that up because she was left handed. Everyone in the
crowd laughed. The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur.

Once off the stage, she ran over to Anna and
Lauren. “Eeek! I can’t believe we graduated.” They wrapped their
arms around each other, face to face in a big group hug, and
bounced up and down.

“I know it’s so crazy. We’re going to be at
college, out on our own in just a couple of months.” Lauren sighed
and smiled.

“I’m sad high school is over. I don’t think
I’m ready to move on to college.” Anna crossed her arms across her
chest.

“You’ll be fine. You are going to an awesome
art school and you’ll meet all kinds of cool people.”

“I know, but I’m going to miss you guys.”
Anna wiped a tear away.

“Don’t even start crying. This is supposed
to be a happy time. If you cry, we’ll all cry.” Keegan said.

“That’s right, no crying until we board our
planes to the new adventures that await us.” Lauren looked at Anna
and smiled slightly as she wiped away a tear herself.

“Let’s go find the boys. That will keep us
from being all sappy and emotional.” Lauren encircled her arms with
theirs as they headed over to find the guys.

Donald, Spencer, and Sam were chasing each
other around the gymnasium—big surprise there. Keegan smiled as she
saw Donald sneak up behind Spencer. Those guys were clowns. She
knew it was going to be hard for them to be separated. She didn’t
even know where they had decided to go to school. She would have to
ask once they finished playing.

“Okay, well they are occupied. Want to go
see if there is anything to eat?” Keegan asked.

“I did see some cake when we walked in.”
Anna grinned.

On their way to find the food, their parents
caught up with them. “You didn’t think you could sneak off without
us taking some photos did you?” Anna’s mother shooed them
together.

The girls made funny faces and threw up the
peace sign.

“You guys will miss this,” Lauren’s mother
said wistfully.

“We’re done with the mushy talk, Mom.”

“Alright, well go have fun with your
friends,” Emerald sighed, packing her own camera away. “Don’t
forget we have to go to the family dinner tonight.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” Keegan stuck her
tongue out at her mom.

They found the cake and waited in line.
There wasn’t much in the manner of food other than cake, chips, and
soda.

Keegan had her cake up to her mouth when
Donald came around and ate it right out of her hand. “Hey! You
know, now you have to get in line and get me another piece of
cake.”

“I’ll get you two.” He gave her a big grin,
the corners of his eyes crinkling. Keegan leaned forward, giving
him a peck on the lips.

“You guys are sickening.” Lauren rolled her
eyes at them.

“Where are you guys going to college?”
Keegan asked Calvron and Spencer after Donald had left for the cake
table.

“We’re going to UCLA. Donald was supposed to
go as well, but I hear he might be going to Alaska instead.”
Calvron stared intently at her.

“What, you guys were supposed to go to
college together? He never told me that.” Keegan’s mind was racing.
Donald was going to give up going to college with his best friends
to be closer to her. She really didn’t like that idea at all. She
knew she wouldn’t give up her plans for him.

“I’ll talk to him about it later. I really
had no idea.” Keegan pulled at the sleeve of her gown.

“I didn’t know you guys were going to UCLA.
That is where I’m going as well. To study law.” Lauren smiled
sweetly at them. “We’ll have to hang out sometimes.”

“Well, that sucks. You guys are going to be
together and Keegan and I are going to be off on our own.” Anna
shot Lauren a dirty look.

“Hey, you guys picked your schools, I had
nothing to do with it.”

“We should make plans to meet up once a
month.” Keegan jumped up and down. “Maybe Calvron can set up a
magical world there.

Calvron stroked his chin. “I’m sure I could
work something out.”

Donald strolled back up to group and handed
Keegan her cake. “What did I miss?”

“We were just talking about getting together
once a month after we leave for college.” Anna crossed her arms
over her chest.

“That would be cool.” Donald put his arm
around Keegan.

“Ok guys, this graduation is lame. Any idea
of what we can do?” Keegan looked around at the gang.

“Let’s go play laser tag.” Sam grinned.

The girls looked at each other and shrugged
their shoulders. “Sure, why not.”

They had a blast. The guys were surprised
the girls were able to hold their own. Keegan was going to miss
days like this.

Donald and Keegan had just walked outside to
go swimming in the natural swimming pool at her house. The day was
bright and hot, the sun sparkling off the water as they dropped
their towels on one of the tables surrounding the pool.

Keegan turned to stare up into his startling
blue eyes. “Donald, why didn’t you tell me that you were supposed
to go to college in California with the guys?”

“Keegan, I want to be with you. If you are
going to Alaska, that is where I want to be.” He looked down at her
sincerely as he took her hands.

“I think you should go to UCLA. It’s not
good to change your plans like that. We can take turns visiting
each other once or twice a month. Plus, I’m going to be so busy
with school, I wouldn’t have much time for you anyway.”

“Are you saying you don’t want me to go?”
Donald pulled his hands away from her, his lips pressing into a
thin line.

“It’s not that I don’t want you around, you
know I do. It’s just, I think you should be with your friends. We
can make it work. Besides, what if I hate Alaska and you are stuck
there finishing up your program?”

“I could always switch, same as you.”

“I’m asking you to do this for me, Donald.
Please, just go to UCLA. I promise I will visit you a lot. I feel
horrible taking you away from your plans.”

“But, it’s what I want. I want to be with
you. I don’t care where it is. I love you.”

Keegan was starting to get mad. She wrapped
her arms around herself and rubbed her arms, taking a few deep
breaths.

Donald noticed and said. “Ok, Keegan if that
is really what you want. But, I want to see you every weekend not
just two times a month.”

“We can try.” She smiled and threw her arms
around him. “Thank you. I feel so much better now. It has been
eating away at me.”

“Let’s spend as much time as we can together
for the rest of the summer.” Keegan laid her head against his
chest, relieved. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much that
he was willing to give everything up for her.

***

Later that day, Anna showed up. “Hey is
Thaddeus around? I have to ask him something about the Xbox.”

“You want to see my brother?” Keegan looked
at her in disbelief. “I thought you came to hang out with me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course I did. I
just have to see him for a second.”

“Well, he’s in his room.”

Anna walked up the stairs with a smile on
her face, still tickled by the cloak and dagger stuff. She knocked
on the door and Thaddeus yelled, “Come in, Anna.”

“Hey, how did you know? Oh right never
mind.” She gave him a sheepish grin.

“Well, part one is over. I’ve been feeding
him dreams and if he’s going to give her the ring, he would have
decided by now. But, we didn’t think of the tricky part.”

“What’s that?” Thad looked up from his game,
pausing it.

“We need to get a hold of the ring.”

“Ah, yes that is tricky. Well, we can ask
his father for it,” Thaddeus remarked.

“Wouldn’t that be a little strange? Hey, do
you happen to have a ruby ring we could spell?” Anna put her hand
on her hip and raised an eyebrow.

“Just leave it to me. I’ll get you the ring.
When do you need it by?”

“Well, summer is almost over. I need it
before I leave for college, because I’m not sure I’ll be back here
again before her birthday.”

“Okay, I’ll get it to you by this weekend.
I’ll figure something out. Where there is magic, there is always a
way.” He gave her one of his impish grins.

“If Keegan asks, I was asking you about a
zombie game.”

“Okay, get out of here. Don’t forget to shut
the door.”

Once the door was closed, Thaddeus sat back
in his chair to think. How could he get the ring? He could use
magic, of course, but maybe he didn’t have to. He picked up his
phone and called Rourk’s dad. He didn’t have to say much to get him
to agree to help out. He wanted Rourk to be happy and didn’t care
how that happened.

***

Anna and Keegan were watching sappy chick
flicks and eating popcorn.

Keegan told Anna about talking Donald into
going to school in California.

“I think that’s a good idea. It’s a little
strange he wanted to follow you to Alaska. Even as much as I love
you, I have no desire to follow you to Alaska.” They both
laughed.

Summer passed by in a blur. They all spent
as much time together as possible, but it was rapidly coming to an
end.

***

They decided to have one big party before
they all went their separate ways. Calvron held it at his house
since his family had so much room.

The girls came through the door and were
shocked at how many people were there. There had to be over two
hundred kids dancing and yelling. They made their way over to the
guys.

“Calvron, did you use magic to pull this
together?” Keegan wondered aloud.

“Nope, my parents don’t let me use magic at
home.”

“Well, it looks amazing.” Anna said as she
glanced around the large open room.

“We have a pool out back and some pool
tables if you guys want to go back there.”

“Sure sounds fun. We didn’t bring swim suits
though.” Lauren shrugged.

“Who said you needed suits.” Calvron
winked.

“Gross, you wish.” Lauren swatted at
him.

“There are actually a bunch of suits out
there. My parents keep lots on hands for guest.”

They had a great time. No one mentioned it
was the last time they would hang out like that for a while, even
though Keegan figured it was on everyone’s mind.

***

The ring shimmered on Anna’s altar under the
glow of the circle of candles surrounding her. Her heartbeat was a
quick pulse in her throat as she touched a single fingertip to it,
closing her eyes and searching for the power inside it. It made her
skin tingle.

Taking a deep breath, she released it,
imagining a brilliant white light surrounding her body as she
rested her hands back in her lap. She let everything else fade
away—everything that had bugged her during the day melted under the
positive energy. She took a couple of breaths to center herself
before she began.

The picture she had of Keegan was a great
one. Anna had captured it while she wasn’t looking. It was her
profile, with her auburn hair tucked behind one ear and dangling on
the other side. The sun was behind her, making her hair a halo of
fire. A small smirk was on her lips. Anna couldn’t remember what
she was looking at in the photo, but it had amused her.