I Hate To Say This But I'm Stuck On Loving You, John O'Callaghan
PART 17
*FF to graduation (About 10 days)
I woke up around 11 that morning. I didn’t have to be at the auditorium until 2 so I still had plenty of times. I pushed some boxes out of the way and started walking to the kitchen. When I got there I saw my dad using an empty box as a table so he could eat his oatmeal.
“Morning, Dad. Where’s Jared?”
“You know your brother. He’s probably still sleeping.”
I nodded my head and started searching through boxes looking for something to eat. Dad, Jared, and I had just moved into this new house about a week ago and we were all extremely lazy so we were still kind of living out of boxes.
“Big day today, huh?”
I looked down at a box expressionless and took a deep breath. “Do you think she’ll be there?” I finally whispered.
My dad puffed up his cheeks. “Honestly, I don’t know. I wish I knew. She should be there, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
My dad wasn’t around much, but he was always honest with me and that’s one of the things I loved about him. We sat there in silence until the doorbell ring.
“I’ll get it. You eat.” He said getting up so he could answer the door.
The door wasn’t very close and I only heard some muffled mumbling.
“Caitlin! Someone is at the door for you.”
I got up and walked over to the door to see John standing there. A smiled formed on my lips and I gave my dad a look signaling him to leave.
“I’ll…ju- I’ll go do some…unpacking.” My dad started walking down the hallway, but peeked his head around the corner right after he passed it and pointed at John. “You, O’Callaghan, no funny business.”
John nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”
My dad finally walked away and I let John in. He pushed me against the wall and kissed me. I kissed him back and grabbed a fistful of hair. He pulled away too soon for my liking and rested his forehead on mine.
“Good morning.” He whispered.
I smiled and pecked his lips one last time. “Good morning.”
“Oh my god, what the fuck just happened?”
We both shot apart quickly to see a disgusted Jared at the bottom of the stairs. I blushed and finally said “How much did you see exactly?”
“Well, the doorbell woke me up and I got down here just in time to have a front row seat of John eating your face. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go throw up.” Jared said sprinting up the stairs immediately after. John started laughing and I hit him playfully.
“It’s not funny, it’s embarrassing.” I said laughing occasionally. “So are you hungry? You kind of interrupted me eating breakfast.”
“Breakfast sounds good,” He said grabbing my hand and walking towards the kitchen.
I expected to see my dad there, but surprisingly he wasn’t. I looked in the garage and his car was gone. He probably had a meeting or something. John grabbed something to eat and we both sat next to a cardboard box and started eating.
“So, are you excited for Garrett’s graduation slash going away party tonight?”
“Don’t remind me.” I said.
“Oh, c’mon, it will be fun.”
“The last time I was at a party I ended up shitfaced and upset. That isn’t exactly my idea of fun.”
“Well, that was before you were dating me. I am the life of the party. No wonder you had no fun.”
I laughed. “John, you are so full of yourself.”
After we ate we decided to watch a movie. I walked over to the movie rack and pulled out Mulan.
“Don’t you dare-Caitlin, put that back right now. We have watched that movie twice already this week.”
“Fine, we will watch The Lion King instead.”
John sighed in defeat. I loved Disney movies. I didn’t care that I was almost 18. We watched the movie and by the time it was over it was 1 so I needed to start getting ready.
“I have to start getting ready. I have to be there in an hour.”
“C’monnnnnnnnnnn, I don’t want to leave.” John whined.
I grabbed his arm and tried pulling him off the couch, but had no luck. “I will see you when graduation is over. I need to get ready and so do you.”
“Fine, but you owe me.”
I walked him to the door, kissed him, and went upstairs to take a shower. After I got out of the shower, I looked in my closet for something to wear. Even though I was wearing the gown, I still had to wear something nice underneath. I didn’t get the point in that. I thought this was my day. I would be happy graduating in skinny jeans and a band shirt. I pulled out a blue strapless dress and went back to the bathroom so I could do my hair. I dried it and curled it a bit. Then I put on some black eyeliner and some blue eye shadow to match my dress. I went back to my room and put my dress on and grabbed a pair of white heels to wear. I checked the time and fortunately it was only 1:45 so I had 5 minutes until I had to leave. I put on my shoes, grabbed my cap and gown, and started walking towards the door.
“Jared! You better get ready soon. It starts at 3 and if you are not there I will have to kill you.” I yelled before I left and started to drive to the school.
I made it about 5 minutes down the road until my phone starting ringing. I looked at the caller I.D and the number was an Arizona number, but it wasn’t one I had saved to my phone, well saved anymore.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Caitlin. This is Joyce, the woman that gave birth to you. I just wanted to call to congratulate you on graduating high school.”
“You know, we left a ticket for you to come to the ceremony. You can tell me in person.”
“I will not be there on account of the fact that I have no serious relations with any of the graduates.”
“You gave birth to me…”
“You still have not gained my respect so I will just end up ruining it for you, sorry.”
The line went dead and I swallowed a lump in my throat. Don’t cry, don’t cry. I had to repeat those two words to myself over and over. This was my day. I wasn’t going to cry. Nobody was going to ruin this day for me.
I woke up around 11 that morning. I didn’t have to be at the auditorium until 2 so I still had plenty of times. I pushed some boxes out of the way and started walking to the kitchen. When I got there I saw my dad using an empty box as a table so he could eat his oatmeal.
“Morning, Dad. Where’s Jared?”
“You know your brother. He’s probably still sleeping.”
I nodded my head and started searching through boxes looking for something to eat. Dad, Jared, and I had just moved into this new house about a week ago and we were all extremely lazy so we were still kind of living out of boxes.
“Big day today, huh?”
I looked down at a box expressionless and took a deep breath. “Do you think she’ll be there?” I finally whispered.
My dad puffed up his cheeks. “Honestly, I don’t know. I wish I knew. She should be there, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
My dad wasn’t around much, but he was always honest with me and that’s one of the things I loved about him. We sat there in silence until the doorbell ring.
“I’ll get it. You eat.” He said getting up so he could answer the door.
The door wasn’t very close and I only heard some muffled mumbling.
“Caitlin! Someone is at the door for you.”
I got up and walked over to the door to see John standing there. A smiled formed on my lips and I gave my dad a look signaling him to leave.
“I’ll…ju- I’ll go do some…unpacking.” My dad started walking down the hallway, but peeked his head around the corner right after he passed it and pointed at John. “You, O’Callaghan, no funny business.”
John nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”
My dad finally walked away and I let John in. He pushed me against the wall and kissed me. I kissed him back and grabbed a fistful of hair. He pulled away too soon for my liking and rested his forehead on mine.
“Good morning.” He whispered.
I smiled and pecked his lips one last time. “Good morning.”
“Oh my god, what the fuck just happened?”
We both shot apart quickly to see a disgusted Jared at the bottom of the stairs. I blushed and finally said “How much did you see exactly?”
“Well, the doorbell woke me up and I got down here just in time to have a front row seat of John eating your face. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go throw up.” Jared said sprinting up the stairs immediately after. John started laughing and I hit him playfully.
“It’s not funny, it’s embarrassing.” I said laughing occasionally. “So are you hungry? You kind of interrupted me eating breakfast.”
“Breakfast sounds good,” He said grabbing my hand and walking towards the kitchen.
I expected to see my dad there, but surprisingly he wasn’t. I looked in the garage and his car was gone. He probably had a meeting or something. John grabbed something to eat and we both sat next to a cardboard box and started eating.
“So, are you excited for Garrett’s graduation slash going away party tonight?”
“Don’t remind me.” I said.
“Oh, c’mon, it will be fun.”
“The last time I was at a party I ended up shitfaced and upset. That isn’t exactly my idea of fun.”
“Well, that was before you were dating me. I am the life of the party. No wonder you had no fun.”
I laughed. “John, you are so full of yourself.”
After we ate we decided to watch a movie. I walked over to the movie rack and pulled out Mulan.
“Don’t you dare-Caitlin, put that back right now. We have watched that movie twice already this week.”
“Fine, we will watch The Lion King instead.”
John sighed in defeat. I loved Disney movies. I didn’t care that I was almost 18. We watched the movie and by the time it was over it was 1 so I needed to start getting ready.
“I have to start getting ready. I have to be there in an hour.”
“C’monnnnnnnnnnn, I don’t want to leave.” John whined.
I grabbed his arm and tried pulling him off the couch, but had no luck. “I will see you when graduation is over. I need to get ready and so do you.”
“Fine, but you owe me.”
I walked him to the door, kissed him, and went upstairs to take a shower. After I got out of the shower, I looked in my closet for something to wear. Even though I was wearing the gown, I still had to wear something nice underneath. I didn’t get the point in that. I thought this was my day. I would be happy graduating in skinny jeans and a band shirt. I pulled out a blue strapless dress and went back to the bathroom so I could do my hair. I dried it and curled it a bit. Then I put on some black eyeliner and some blue eye shadow to match my dress. I went back to my room and put my dress on and grabbed a pair of white heels to wear. I checked the time and fortunately it was only 1:45 so I had 5 minutes until I had to leave. I put on my shoes, grabbed my cap and gown, and started walking towards the door.
“Jared! You better get ready soon. It starts at 3 and if you are not there I will have to kill you.” I yelled before I left and started to drive to the school.
I made it about 5 minutes down the road until my phone starting ringing. I looked at the caller I.D and the number was an Arizona number, but it wasn’t one I had saved to my phone, well saved anymore.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Caitlin. This is Joyce, the woman that gave birth to you. I just wanted to call to congratulate you on graduating high school.”
“You know, we left a ticket for you to come to the ceremony. You can tell me in person.”
“I will not be there on account of the fact that I have no serious relations with any of the graduates.”
“You gave birth to me…”
“You still have not gained my respect so I will just end up ruining it for you, sorry.”
The line went dead and I swallowed a lump in my throat. Don’t cry, don’t cry. I had to repeat those two words to myself over and over. This was my day. I wasn’t going to cry. Nobody was going to ruin this day for me.