CHAPTER 3

SOWING THE FUTURE

JAKE

The gym smells like folding chairs, perfume, and cologne. It's packed wall to wall with parents holding camcorders, phones, and those little silver digital cameras everyone got for Christmas in 2006.

The stage is just a raised platform in front of the basketball nets, draped with a maroon curtain we've seen a hundred times at assemblies. A folding table sits off to the side with a neat stack of diplomas, surrounded by a couple of fake plants doing their best to look real.

At center stage, Principal O'Ryan adjusts the mic and leans in with the same tone she uses during morning announcements.

"Next up," she says, scanning the list in her hand, "let's hear it for Jason MacArthur."

Jason leaps up like he is being introduced on a late-night show. "Let's goooo," he yells, arms up, walking like he owns the place.

Someone from the back, probably his cousin, shouts, "We love you, J-Mac!"

Laughter breaks out. Jason throws up a peace sign, fist-bumps the principal, and grabs his diploma with a theatrical bow. He even fake-wipes a tear on his way off stage.

"Thank you, Jason," Principal O'Ryan says with a chuckle.

She flips to the next page on her clipboard and glances out at the crowd. "And now, please welcome two very familiar faces. Jacob Spryfield and Kayla Jay."

As soon as our names are called, the gym erupts. It's not just clapping. It's a full-on roar. Whistling, shouting, cheering. People stand up row by row until the whole place is on its feet. A humiliating blush creeps up my face. Our relationship's longevity is popular and everyone knows it.

No valedictorian speeches for us, just two kids who have been by each other's side since childhood.

Kayla turns to me with wide eyes. "It wasn't me," she says in a loud whisper.

"Sure," I mutter, already dying inside.

She locks her arm in mine and starts pulling me toward the steps.

We receive our diplomas after another round of applause. I am mortified, and I know she had something to do with it.

As we exit the stage, I shoot her a look. She winks at me, wrinkling her nose with that weird smile, just to confirm what I already believed.

🍓 🍓 🍓

Kayla's old sedan rattles up the last hill, the left headlight shaking and the muffler protesting like always. She pulls into the driveway and throws it into park, yanking the keys from the ignition like the car just barely made it.

Aunt Marie climbs out from the back seat, smoothing her dress and patting her purse like she needs to check everything's still there. Kayla kicks off her shoes before stepping onto the porch, barefoot and buzzing.

"That went by fast," she says.

I nod. "Felt slow to me."

She shoots me a grin. "You just hated the attention."

Aunt Marie chuckles as she makes her way up the steps. The yard around us is already soaked in moonlight, casting a soft orange-pink glow across the grass.

Kayla turns to her. "Would you be okay driving me and Jake to Olivia's in a bit? She's having a grad party. Just a few people, not a big thing."

I open my mouth before Aunt Marie can answer.

"I don't want to go."

Kayla looks over at me. "Why not?" Her voice drops a little, disappointment already setting in. "It's grad."

"I've got a better idea," I say.

Aunt Marie's eyes flick up from her keys. She smiles with that look that lights up her whole face.

Kayla catches it. "What?"

"Come on," I say, taking her hand.

Kayla pauses. "What? Why?"

"Just come with me."

Outside, the air is warm and still. The string lights from the attic are already on, stretched across the posts Aunt Marie set up while Kayla and I were out earlier in the day. They glow steady in the dark. The garden's quiet.

She sees it and stops in her tracks.

"Jake," she says, looking around, taking it all in. "What's this?"

She looks at me. All I can do is smile.

"Come on," I say, continuing to lead her.

She steps into the patch, slow, her shoes shuffling through the straw. The little lights flicker just slightly in the breeze. And above it all, the moon is sitting high over the trees, full and wide, glowing that orange-pink that only happens once a year.

She turns to look at me, her glassy eyes reflecting the glow, even in the low light.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Maybe..."

I step toward her and reach into my jacket pocket, taking her hand with my other.

"Jake! What are you doing?"

I look her in the eyes, making sure I have her full attention.

"Kayla Jay..." I begin.

She covers her mouth, her eyes turning misty.

"We've known each other since we were kids, but I knew you were my soulmate the very day I laid eyes on you."

"I knew too..."

"I asked you to be my Valentine forever, and you promised me."

"Til we're old and gray..." she says with a slight chuckle.

"And now... I want to promise you forever."

I lower one knee into the straw, pull out the little box from my jacket pocket, and open it, revealing a beautiful engagement ring.

"Will you marry me?"

Still covering her mouth, tears slide down her face. "Oh my gosh! Yes!"

She wraps her arms around me, tight. I hold her back. She kisses me, and it isn't fast or rushed. It's slow, like we both get it without saying a word.

When we pull apart, our foreheads rest together, and neither of us says anything for a moment.

She exhales heavily, just once. I can feel it against my neck.

"I never thought we'd have something like this, Jake," she says quietly. "Not really. Not this kind of closeness."

"We built it," I say. "No one gave it to us. We earned it."

She nods, keeping her eyes on mine.

"Promise me, wherever life takes us, we keep this. You and me. Here."

"I promise," she says.

"So when we're old, we come back here. Settle in. Even if the strawberries are gone."

"We'll replant. Even if we're the only ones left," she finishes.

We don't go inside right away. We sit in the straw, hands still clasped. The moon hangs above us like it's listening.

And for the first time, the whole world seems perfect.