"Let's go. You don't want to be late for this," Aunt Wendy yelled from outside.

"Just a second," I shouted back as I slid on my white pumps and walked out with Ashton shutting the front door behind me.

"Shotgun!" Ashton screamed, running past me and sitting in the front passenger seat, leaving me to sit in the back all by myself. Aunt Wendy soon pulled us out of the driveway and drove towards the university.

It felt like a dream. My heart was racing in my chest, anxious about stepping into a new phase of my life. It was just yesterday that I was a nerdy college freshman and now I was about to graduate with my brother and best friend, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

We slowly reached the university's parking lot through the ridiculous traffic, unable to find a spot. "You've got to be kidding me," Aunt Wendy mumbled.

"Just park there," Ashton pointed out.

"That's not a parking spot," I muttered from the back seat.

"No one is going to notice and there's no parking spots left, so might as well park here."

Aunt Wendy agreed with him and parked where he told her to. I straightened the wrinkles on my black graduation gown after I got out while Ashton did the same.

"Hurry!" Aunt Wendy grabbed my wrist and hauled me away. "I want front row seats and you guys need to graduate. Let's go!"

We pivoted around the massive herds of people, trying to get into the large football field. "I'm going to be sitting on this side, so look for me when you guys get seated," Aunt Wendy informed us before parting ways. Ashton and I strode onto the field where students were already getting situated.

"Bitch!" I turned my head in the direction of the yelling girl. "Finally! I've been waiting for so long." She wrapped her arms around me and squealed. "We are fucking graduating!"

"I know." I patted her back. "You can let go now, Soph."

"I'm just so happy," she pulled away with a massive grin and faced Ashton who stared rather astonished. "You can have one too." Ashton met her warm embrace right after.

"Thanks, Sophie!" He smiled at her after pulling away.

"Did you guys decorate your caps?" She inquired.

"Fuck yeah!" Ashton chirped up while removing his cap and showing it to her. 'NFL' was shabbily engraved on it with a white marker.

"You got some skills," I laughed at his pathetic attempt.

"Well, at least I did something to it, unlike you," he fired back.

"Look at mine." Sophie lowered her head for me and Ashton to see, 'If you can't impress them with your intelligence, baffle them with your bullshit', written on the cap with a few gems decorating the corners. I chuckled at her silliness while Ashton cackled hysterically.

"That's fucking genius," he barked out after he calmed his laugh. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because I'm the genius here, not you," she poked his chest.

"Guys! The ceremony is going to start soon, so get your asses seated!" A man yelled at all the students that were standing and conversing with one another.

"Okay, Fatty McMuffin," Soph mumbled under her breath as we walked towards the rows of chairs lined up for the graduating class. She went and sat in the third row while we were assigned a few rows behind her. It was alphabetically assigned, so Ashton sat to the right of me while a random girl that I had never seen before sat to the left. I didn't even know half of these people. Well, more like seventy-five percent of these people were complete strangers to me.

          "Excited, sissy?" Ashton asked, smiling cheekily at me.

          "Nervous and excited. What about you?"

          "I'm happy to get out of here and go to upstate New York for the Giants."

          "Wait, what?" I shook my head the information, startled. "You got drafted for the NFL?"

          He nodded slowly and grinned. "I'm afraid so."

          "You're kidding," I gaped at him in bafflement. He shook his head sideways as his grin grew wider. "Oh my God," I tried to control my excitement and whispered in order to not draw unwanted attention. "When and how?"

          "The recruiters had been present during my games and liked it, so this morning I got an email. The email that I had been waiting for, Arie." The happiness literally protruded from his eyes that were smiling as wide as his mouth.

          "I'm so proud of you." I smiled, squeezing his hand tightly. "You've done me proud, son," my voice echoed in a deep, manly manner.

          He laughed at me. "Thank you, father. Now let's pay attention to the ceremony. The first row is being called up. In a few minutes, it'll be us."

          "I'm a little scared, Ashton." I looked over to him with a slight fear of what was to come next. The unknown that was waiting for me.

          "Don't be, sissy. You're going to be a good doctor." He interlocked his hand with mine and pecked it. "We have come so far together. Mama and papa would be so proud of us."

          "I'm sure they are watching us right now and smiling down on us." I flashed a smile before staring into my lap, trying to restrain my eyes from shedding some tears. Mama and papa really would've loved to be here with us on our big day. The day we got out in the real world and faced it head on. I have more schooling to do, but Ashton was going out to be a man now, not a boy. I was proud of him and myself too. I was already facing the horrible real world for the past month, but I hoped he had a better luck with it. I didn't know what the future held for me. Hopefully no more tragedies. Hope is what I was clinging onto with all my power and what little of everything I had left.

          "Get up, Arie. It's our time." Ashton shook me and forced me onto my feet. "What are you so lost in anyways?" He questioned as I began walking towards the stage behind the girl in front of me.

          "I was just thinking about everything and the future in particular." I spoke, looking at the girl's white stilettos. I would instantly be on cloud nine if she fell right in front of me.

          "Oh c'mon, Arie. Don't think about it today." He placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed them reassuringly. "Loosen up, sissy. Let's just focus on graduating right now. You're going to be up there in a few seconds."

          Isn't this just brilliant! Everyone's little eyes are going to be staring me down as I get up on the stage. Anxiety began to take a heavy toll on my racing heart. What if I fell instead of the blondie in stripper heels in front of me? That would be nerve-wracking beyond belief. I'd dig my grave and lay it in forever.

          "Arie Alexandra Noelle!" My name was called out, startling me out of my thoughts. I shakily went up the steps and toward the dean who shook my hand and ushered me to the next set of hands that handed me my rolled up diploma.

          "Congratulations, love!" My heart stopped at the voice as I slowly looked up to see him smirking right at me. Along with my heart, everything stopped, including my stupid feet and my voice even.

          "W-What are you doing here?" I stammered.

          "I'm the guest of this graduation." His enchanting blue eyes glance behind me for a second. "I think you should move along because people are waiting to get their diplomas." He shook my hand and then placed his hand on my back, lightly pushing me into the next set of hands.

          As soon as I got off the stage, I looked back to find Ashton doing a silly, ugly victory dance gaining roars and laughter from the massive crowd except Leo. He just looked at my brother in complete disappointment. I guess my brother didn't quite make a good first impression. Before I knew it, I was back in my seat thinking about it all.

          "We finally did it!" Ashton exclaimed as he took his seat. "We did it, Arie. We fucking did it."

"We sure did." My lips curled up just a little.

"What happened up there anyways? You froze."

"Oh, nothing," I waved him off. "I was just a little shocked when I got the diploma. I mean excited, not shocked."

He laughed and turned his attention to the front of the stadium. I looked ahead, staring at Leo as he handed diplomas to all the students, especially girls that were visibly drooling all over him. Ugh. The girl in stripper heels next to me was having a giggle fest with the one next to her about Mr. Pepperoni and how devilishly handsome he was, and all I wanted to do was punch her fucking throat.

          When the commencement was over, everyone turned their tassels from right to left in unison and with that, caps began flying in the air. Roars echoed throughout the stadium and I bet you could hear it a few blocks away. Families and friends started filling up the field, hugging and congratulating. I saw Sophie's parents for the first time while they were embracing her thin body. Her parents never really came up here from California.

          "Don't let go," Ashton said as he grabbed my wrist and maneuvered us around the crowd in hopes of finding Aunt Wendy, but instead to my surprise mainly, we found Arabelle. She ran towards Ashton and jumped on him which jerked his hand away from mine.

          "I'm going to go find Aunt Wendy." I tapped his shoulder and left the two lovebirds alone. I looked around for quite a while, but my eyes couldn't locate her. My phone had no service down here, so I walked towards the exit to get on higher ground in hopes of getting service to call her.

          I strolled through the empty hallway when I heard a squeaky voice from behind me. "Arie Noelle?" I turned around and saw a perky tall blonde woman in a black skin-tight dress staring at me.

          "Yes?"

          "Arie Noelle?" She asked again.

          "That'd be me."

          "Good!" She smirked and pulled out a gun from her black clutch. My heart didn't waste a second to pound hard against my ribs. I feared that it might break them. "I wanted to make sure that I didn't get the wrong girl. Boss wouldn't be too happy."

          I dropped my cap and diploma in utter horror. Why today? Why me? Why again? "W-What are you doing?" I stuttered out.

          "What do you think?" She slowly walked towards me, aiming at my chest. "Don't try anything and get on your knees with your hands behind your back," she barked. I did as she said and went down on my knees, putting my hands back to where I could feel my heels.

I needed to devise a plan quickly to get out of this. Deep in my heart, I wished Leo would come save me again, but this was not a fucking movie and I was my only option of getting out of here alive.

     I began thinking about all the possible ways I could take her down. I could punch her, but she probably knows how to fight better than me. I'm not too skilled in that department, so that's off the table. I could snatch her gun, but again, she might be too fast for me. She looked like a professional assassin who lured men into her trap, but I'm no man. I'm a woman who will give this bitch what she deserved.

Adrenaline began to rush through my veins. I had to think fast. She was closing more distance between us. Kneeling down to my level, she lifted my head with the gun. "Look at you. You look scared but aren't crying. Too shocked to cry, huh?" She studied my features closely, turning my head from side to side with the same gun. "Shame!" She huffed. "I have to put a pretty thing like you in the grave."

          I jerked my head away from her hold and spar on her face. "Go to hell," I hissed.

          "You bitch!" Her voice echoed through the hallway before her hand met my left cheek. "I'll go to hell one day, but you're going there now."

          She pinned the gun to my head as I slowly began to take off my right heel without her noticing. "I just have one last question for you. Consider it your death wish." I glared into her blue eyes that only showed darkness and evil. "Do you prefer a grave or the deep blue sea?" She asked.

          "Whatever you prefer," I spat.

          "I prefer a grave because that's where my family can visit me, you know," she said with a grin.

          "Grave it is then." I pulled out my heel from behind me and penetrated it into her forehead.

          "Fuck!" She screamed in pain as she fell backwards.

          "Guess you're the one going to hell today, not me." I huffed while picking up her gun and aiming it to her head. "So how about you tell me who sent you?" I demanded.

          "Fuck you!" She cried out holding onto her bleeding head.

          "You better tell me who did. Who the fuck sent you to kill me?" I roared.

          "I said fuck you!"

          "I want answers and you will give them to me or I will kill you, and I'm not kidding!" I kicked her stomach causing her to whimper and cry under me.

          "You better kill me right now, because if you don't, then I will come after you and rip you to shreds," she hissed at me.

          "Just tell me who sent you and I'll let you go." My hands shook rapidly due to the adrenaline as I held the gun to her head. "Tell me," I demanded.

          I heard multiple footsteps from behind me. Reluctantly, I rotated my head in that direction to discover Leo stomping toward me angrily with twenty men in black suits behind him. The huge boulder on my heart lifted immediately, and that's when a tear rolled down my face. Not because of what just happened, but because I was glad to see him, I was safe now.

          "Take the woman away. I'll deal with her later," he ordered the men and came towards me. His striking eyes looked into mine. "Give me the gun, love," he spoke softly and held out his hand. I shakily placed it in his palm as he took it and handed it to one of the men behind him. "You're safe now." Before thinking twice, I threw my arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Sobs broke through me as he held me tighter.

          "Thank you!" I managed to mumble between my cries. The amount of happiness that I was experiencing right now was unexplainable. His chest felt homely to me as I let all my tension fly away slowly.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please comment, vote, and share.

What do you think will happen next? Who sent the assassin?

Much love ❤️
~Reet