The Only Exception

“Collin, I need to talk to you!” I called as Pomp and Circumstance began to play. Collin looked over at me, as did Tyler, who was standing in front of him. I could have sworn I heard Tyler singing something but what did it matter? This morning when Camille picked me up he just stared out the window the entire ride and once we got to Plymouth High he held the door open for me then walked off without another word.

“For the millionth time your hair looks fine, you’re not going to trip, and your speech is going to be amazing,” Collin reassured me.

“That’s the problem. I can’t do this,” I stated, making the most of the little time I had. Tyler looked at me again and this time I could have sworn his eyes widened in disbelief. “I don’t have my speech; it’s sitting at home on my desk because Camille rushed me out the door,”

“Shit. That’s not good,”

“Thanks for the encouragement,”

“You can do it, I know you can,” Collin supplied, rushing his words as our lines started to move.”Your speech is after everyone gets their diploma so you’ve got all of graduation to think about it. If it comes down to it, I’ve got one for you,”

“What is it?” I asked, dreading the feeling that was washing over me as our lines got closer to the front.

“’Guys we did it! Have a great summer and good luck.’ It’s cheesy but it works,”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” I replied, taking a deep breath and lining up next to Tyler, my walk out buddy for graduation. Our school decided to try a new thing this year to speed up graduation and part of it was marching out in two lines and then getting our diplomas two at a time. It just sucked I had to do it with Mr. Hockey Star.

**********

Standing in front of the microphone facing my classmates and their parents, I had no idea what to say and all these people staring at me wasn’t helping. As I took a deep breath, I could hear people start to whisper impatiently but among other things I could distinctively pick out his voice.

You, you can weather any storm. Don’t you know that you were born to win? You’ll find a helping hand when you need it most, the lighthouse shining on the coast that never goes dim. When your back’s against the wall, when you stumble when you fall,” Singing. Tyler was singing to himself and for what reason I didn’t know. He had no reason to be nervous.

As I looked around, Camille gave me a reassuring smile (probably because she had no idea what was going on) and Collin gave me a thumbs up. I took the microphone and just as I was about to say the first few words, Tyler’s voice cut through everything followed by the applause of his friends.

“Knock ‘em dead, Mel,”

I had no idea whether he did for himself or for me but it was all I needed. Taking a final soothing breath, I started my speech.

**********

“WE DID IT!” Camille shouted as soon as she saw me after graduation. “Your speech was great! You had me worried but you got it,”

“Thanks, “I smiled, throwing my arms around my friend for a hug. “I forgot my speech at home so I guess my improv skills are improving?”

“Better than improving, I wouldn’t have guessed you were making it up as you went. That little rough patch in the beginning I thought was nerves,” Camille said, before shooting me a huge smile. “Lover boy, stage right,”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t like him and he doesn’t like me? You saw what happened this morning. He’s probably going to talk to you, your family, and his. I went back to not mattering to him,”

“Except when he encouraged you in your speech. Everybody heard that,”

“He wanted to be done,” I replied, smiling for a picture that my mom insisted on snapping. “It was nothing,”

“Or it was something,” Camille argued, turning around to greet Tyler as he approached us.

“I haven’t seen you since we walked out, commere,” Tyler told Camille, opening his arms for a hug.

“We did it, bro,” Camille beamed, as the two of them turned around and smiled for pictures that Mrs. Flannigan and Mrs. Seguin kept taking. I backed away, deciding I didn’t want to ruin the ‘family’ moments, and made my way over to my own family who was standing a few feet away.

“Congrats, honey!” My mom greeted, pulling me into a hug that my dad and brothers soon joined.

“Thanks, mom,” I said, smiling as both of my brothers hugged me again.

“Do you think I can…Tyler Seguin?”

“Yeah, he goes to our school,” I said supplied, shrugging. When I turned around, I saw him standing behind me with a bouquet of flowers and a big smile plastered to his face. I tried not to stare much at his appearance – the suit and tie he wore under the dark red graduation robe – telling myself that he was only passing by to get to his friends.

“Hey, Mrs. Jacobs. Melinda,” Tyler nodded.

“It’s Michelle, please, and do you mind taking a picture with my daughter?” My mom asked.

“No. I want to get back to my friends and I’m sure Tyler wants to get back to his,” I said, avoiding Tyler’s gaze.

“It’s up to him but how wonderful would it be to tell your kids years from now that you have a picture with one of the future stars of the NHL?”

“Mom, seriously he’s –“

“I’d love to,” Tyler interrupted and my mom’s face broke out in a wide smile. “I was actually coming over here to ask that exact thing,”

“Told you,” she gloated. “You two don’t be shy. I have to go get the camera back,” she said, walking towards the direction of my dad.

“Congrats, hockey star,” I said, looking at Tyler for the first time since he came over.

“I think you deserve congratulations more than me,” Tyler smiled, shifting his flowers to his other hand. “Making that speech, having no idea what to say, I don’t know if I could do it,”

“Yeah, well-“ I started only to be cut off by my mom, Camille skipping along close behind.

“Picture time?” she asked, smiling between the two of us.

“It’d be my honor,” Tyler replied and I cut in before my mom could say anything else.

“Camille, you too. You are my best friend,”

“I’ll get in the next one,” Camille replied, shooting me her trademark smile.

“It’s settled then!” My mom smiled. Camille took the flowers from Tyler, giving him a different smile, and my mom turned on the camera, getting it ready. “Melinda, Tyler, get close together now. I don’t want to be chopping off any body parts,”

I frowned but did as I was told, moving closer to Tyler who wrapped one of his arms around my waist. He definitely wasn’t making this easy. Camille stood to my mom’s right, that smile never leaving her face.

“Hey, are we smiles?” Tyler asked, squeezing my waist to get my attention before my mom snapped the picture. I looked over at him then focused my attention back on the camera.

“What?”

“Are we smiling or are we gonna be angry? I don’t want to be outta place and ruin the picture,”

“We’re smiles,” I supplied, unable to hold back a smile.

“That’s more like it,” Tyler said approvingly, smiling himself just as my mom took the picture.

“Thank you, so much!” my mom said, fawning over the picture she just took.

“Would it be a problem if I stole Melinda?” Tyler asked, reaching for the flowers Camille had taken.

“Go ahead,” my mom replied, sending me off with a smile. Tyler gently took my arm and led away from the football field so we were alone.

“Congratulations,” Tyler smiled holding out the flowers. “These are for you,”

“You didn’t have to but thanks,” I replied, taking the flowers and giving Tyler a hug. “So about earlier, what was that?”

“You looked like you needed some encouragement and I did what I could to help,”

“I appreciate it,”

“No problem,” Tyler nodded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You brought me all the way out here to congratulate me and give me flowers?”

“Yeah,”

“Thanks again. I should probably get back to my friends,” I said, turning to head back towards the main congregation.

“Melinda, stop,” Tyler called from behind me, running to catch up, “I didn’t bring you all the way out here to give you flowers,”

“You didn’t?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. You have to understand, I’m kind of nervous,”

“Like you were nervous earlier?”

“You heard that?”

“You were singing Rascal Flatts,” I smiled. “But why where you nervous when you had no reason to be?”

“I guess I was nervous for you,” Tyler shrugged. “What you did was pretty… incredible,”

“Thanks,” I nodded, taking another step forward. Tyler grabbed my arm to stop me.

“Just wait, listen. Melinda I…have no idea how to say this,”

“You’re not supposed to get tongue tied or nervous, especially around little old me. Just say it,” I said encouragingly.

“I was wondering if maybe you’d want to go to my hockey game tonight?”

“I don’t know,”

“I’ll make sure you get in this time,” Tyler promised, taking a sudden interest in the ground. “I mean, if you’ve got plans or something I understand but we’re playing Windsor so it should be a good game and if you’re not doing anything we could, uh, grab dinner after?”

“Are you asking me on a date, hockey star?”

“Something like that, yeah,”

“You know I don’t want to get involved with another sports star after what happened and if any of this was Camille’s idea, not to mention that you’re pretty much Camille’s brother, and”

“I’m not your type. I got it,” Tyler said dejectedly, letting go of me.

“It’s not that,” I said, touching his arm gently.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I know I’m a sports star, I’m a prep, and you’re going off to Boston College this fall while I have no idea where I’ll be. You don’t want to get involved with a guy like me and I-“

“Let me finish this time,” I said holding up my hand. “Honestly, I’m not completely sure what to think about you, especially after what happened this morning when I pretty much didn’t exist to you. I don’t give up my heart easily because every time I do it ends up in a million pieces but I can’t let go what’s in front of me. I’m scared of you, Tyler Seguin, I’m scared that if I give you my heart, it’s going to end like every other time and I’m not sure I can handle that. You have to give me some type of proof that you won’t go acting like you did this morning and make me think that everything happening between us is not a dream because I don’t know how much more heartbreak I can take,”

“I have no explanation about this morning other than I was a nervous jerk,” Tyler started, taking my hand. “But how’s this for proof? I’ll do everything I can to make sure you know this isn’t a dream and I really mean it,”

“After Anthony broke my heart I swore I was done with sports stars and preps but there’s an exception to everything and you’re that exception,”

“So we have a date for tonight?” Tyler asked.

“It’s not a date,” I clarified. “It’s more like friends hanging out. I’m not sure if I’m ready to give my heart away just yet, but as long as you know this, hockey star, we’ll be fine – you are the only exception and I’m on my way to believing,”