Chapter 288. Graduation Party

Aurora’s POV

I didn’t think I’d be this giddy walking back into the packhouse after a long day at Jeremy’s Diner, but as the last rays of sunlight dipped beneath the horizon, the air was charged with something different. Graduation. Freedom. That electric sense that something had ended and something else was about to begin.

The packhouse was already buzzing when I walked in. I could hear Jade’s voice from the hallway, probably shouting instructions to the decoration crew, and the sound of music thumping softly behind closed doors. My stomach flipped a little from the excitement. I wasn’t alone—I had Caroline practically bouncing beside me, her long curls bouncing wildly as she grinned from ear to ear.

“Oh my god, we’re actually doing this,” she squealed. “It’s real! We’ve graduated!”

“I know,” I laughed, my voice catching a bit in my throat. “Feels like we were just yesterday we were getting detention for bunking class despite staying away for so long.