Sal wished that R was next to C in the alphabet. Then, maybe he'd be sitting closer to Russell during the graduation ceremony. It would be the last time they would be able to see each other without having to sneak around. He snorted when "Russell Cox" was called, and smiled as he watched Russell walk across the stage to take his fake diploma. They'd all have to get in line later to pick up their real ones. Sal didn't understand why they were given fake ones, but he was happy the whole school thing was done with.
Once the ceremony was over, he ran straight into Russell's arms.
Russell kissed his forehead. "Finally, high school is over."
"Yeah." Sal took both of Russell's hands in his own. "But now how are we gonna see each other?"
"You got your license now. You can drive to my work, and see me on my lunch hour."
"With what car?" Sal had gotten his driver's license the previous weekend. The test went well enough, although he kept getting his lefts and rights mixed up.
"Congrats Sal!" Brenda pushed her way through a large swarm of graduates and parents. She pulled him into a hug, which Sal awkwardly returned.
"So, when's the wedding?" Tyler asked, looking between Sal and Russell.
Sal blushed, and someone bumped into him. Terry and Stewart.
"Thank God we're finally out of high school," Terry said.
"Now we got four years of college to deal with," Russell said.
Sal grinned. "Not me."
"Yeah, instead you get to spend the rest of your life working retail," Terry said.
"I'm going to miss you," Sal said.
Terry gave him a wistful smile. "Me too."
Sal introduced his foster parents to Stewart and Terry. Brenda pulled out her phone, and took pictures of the group, some of Sal with just Russell. Their photo shoot, however, was soon interrupted.
"Hey, Sal."
Sal turned around to find Heather standing next to him. He returned the 'hey,' then wrapped his arm around Russell for another picture.
It seemed as though Heather had more to say, despite only speaking to Sal a grand total of three times. She cleared her throat. "Remember when you came out as asexual, and I said I had a friend who's also asexual?"
"Sal's asexual?" Tyler asked, gaping. Brenda dropped her phone, but caught it before it hit the grass.
Sal flinched. Once again, Heather had unintentionally outed him. He couldn't bring himself to look at Tyler, and instead turned his gaze to his geology teacher nearby, who was talking to a college-aged boy. Probably someone's older brother.
"Didn't you know?" Heather asked.
"We had no idea," Brenda said.
Tyler continued staring, wild-eyed. "He can't be. He's dating Russell."
Sal's face grew warm. He slowly inched away towards his geology teacher when another voice jumped in.
"You can be asexual and still date people."
Sal noticed the girl standing next to Heather. Her oblong face, long blonde hair, and blue eyes looked familiar. His breath caught for a second. No, it couldn't be her. "It's only aromantic aces that don't date," the girl continued, giving Heather a side-eye.
"But how is that possible?" Tyler looked at Sal. "Is this true?"
But Sal's mind was too distracted by the girl. Her eyes locked into Sal's, and she gave him a smile. "You must be the Sal Heather keeps pushing me to meet."
Sal's eyes darted down to the girl's right hand, which sported a black ring on her middle finger. Just like his. He looked into the girl's eyes again, pulse quickening. "Savannah?"
"Please tell me you're not." Tyler ran his hand over his head.
"It's okay if you are," Brenda said, giving Tyler a frown.
A wide grin spread across the girl's face. One that Sal returned.
And before he knew it, his arms wrapped around her, and her arms wrapped around him. The flowery scent of her shampoo engulfed him. "I've missed you so much."
"I never thought I'd see you again."
Someone coughed. Sal removed his arms from Savannah and looked over at Russell, who eyed them with crossed arms. "Who's your friend?"
Sal realized how their reunion must've looked like to Russell, and everyone else watching. "This is Savannah," Sal said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Childhood friend. Nothing more."
"Nothing more?" Savannah gave Sal a playful shove. "We were best friends for life."
"You know each other?" Heather asked, slack-jawed.
Savannah nodded. "Since we were six."
"Ms. Zanker's first grade class," Sal said, smiling. "Assigned seating."
"And we had matching backpacks," Savannah said.
"Green JanSport," Sal added. "Best color, best brand."
"Instead of off-brands with cartoon characters all over them."
"So childish," Sal said.
"And then we pulled out identical folders," Savannah said.
"With cats on them."
"Which are better than dogs."
"And then I mentioned that I ate peanut butter sandwiches."
"And I also ate peanut butter sandwiches."
"Which are totally superior to jelly." Sal held his head high and glanced over at Russell, who wore an expression similar to Heather's. Stewart, Terry, and his foster parents also looked confused.
Russell cleared his throat. "We need to get our real diplomas."
Beaming, Sal took Russell's hand in his left, Savannah's in his right, and strode off, leaving everyone else behind.
Sal, Russell, Terry, Stewart, and Heather had to wait in a long line to pick up their diplomas. Savannah stood with them, and Sal could not stop smiling. He never thought he'd see her again.
"So you're ace too?" Savannah asked.
Sal nodded. "Funny, isn't it?"
Savannah agreed. "What have I missed these past five years? How'd you end up in foster care?"
"My dad got worse." Sal glanced over at his friends behind him. Terry and Stewart conversed with Heather. Russell stared straight ahead, his hand still gripping Sal's. Sal leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Things got physical. A couple years ago, a teacher found out and called CPS. Been living with my current parents for almost a year now.
Savannah squeezed Sal's hand. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Sal said.
"What are you doing, now that you've graduated?" Savannah asked.
"Moving to Oregon with Russell." Sal rubbed his thumb against Russell's hand. Russell continued staring at the tables ahead of them, chewing his fingernail.
"That's sweet." Savannah smiled up at Sal. "I'm glad you've found someone."
"What about you?" Sal asked. "What do you plan on doing."
"Not going to college."
Sal's face lit up. "Me too! To hell with wasting thousands of dollars on a degree I might not like in three years."
"And wasting even more time and money if you decide to switch."
"Only to have employers hire someone with no degree and a billion years of experience."
"Because experience is all that matters in the real world."
Sal grinned. "I missed you."
"Me too."
Russell groaned. He looked ready to lecture them on the importance of a college education, but was met with a distraction.
"There you are!"
Russell dropped Sal's hand at the sound of the sharp voice.
"We've been looking everywhere for you," Elizabeth said.
Russell avoided her eye. "I need to pick up my diploma."
Sal looked away from Russell and his parents, hoping beyond hope they wouldn't notice him. Or that Brenda and Tyler wouldn't come over. He'd rather not introduce them to the Cox family. For a moment, he wondered where Brenda and Tyler even were.
"Why is he with you?" Elizabeth hissed.
"He needs to get his diploma too," Russell said.
Sal focused his attention on the folding tables ahead. Savannah eyed the scene curiously but said nothing. Terry and Stewart hadn't noticed, and instead entertained themselves with a round of thumb war.
Sal could feel John and Elizabeth's eyes on him. Russell rubbed the side of his foot with his own comfortingly. That was when Sal remembered that this would be his last time seeing Russell until who knows when, and felt guilty for paying so much attention to Savannah. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and stepped up to the folding table where an administrator asked for his full name.
After receiving his diploma, Sal waited for Russell to get his, despite the strong looks of contempt Elizabeth and John kept shooting him.
"Come on, let's go," Elizabeth said, once Russell had his diploma in hand.
"Just a second." Russell wrapped Sal in a warm embrace, and gave him a long, passionate kiss on the mouth. "Visit me at work Thursday," Russell whispered in his ear, giving him a half-smile. Elizabeth gasped, grabbed Russell's arm, and dragged him off, looking as though he had performed a ritual that would summon Satan.
A smile grew on Terry's face. "Nice. It's about time he's stood up to that bitch."
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