Diana

May 18th, 2026

“Diana Field.”

Cheers erupted as I ascended the stairs and approached the principal, who shook my hand with a smile and handed me my diploma. “Congratulations.”

I waved excitedly to Thelma, Kate, and Tony as I went to take my seat. My family was on the other side, embarrassing me with their loud cheering. Mildred and her family had joined them, too.

I kept squeezing my diploma to make sure it was real. I really did just graduate high school. It felt like an absolute dream. Just a few years ago, I didn’t think I would even finish school. I was supposed to ‘age out’ of the system last summer. Now, here I was, in the red robe and cap, with stoles around my neck.

This summer, I was turning 19, applying to college, following my dreams. I knew there would be other challenges and hurdles to overcome in my college years. There would be times I would be stressed or upset. But I would be okay. I knew I would always be okay.

There were times when the attacks came back. The nightmares would haunt me. I’d be afraid that Pat would break out of prison and come for me. I’d be afraid that Lila would ignore our restraining order and finish what she started. But over time, the nightmares were fewer, and it got better. I always reminded myself that I had a family, friends, and the best boyfriend ever to rely on. And most of all, I had my Father.

I decided to return to school in the spring of my junior year. To make it easier, I started out hybrid, but soon felt comfortable walking the halls again. In school it was me, my friends, and no one else. I even rejoined the track team in senior year. While it was short, I found great friends. Even though I was out of the system, I still attended the Summit Family of Fosters meetings. I’d shortly joined the choir, but quit after it became a lot on my plate. I was occupied with rehearsing and singing at church with the boys.

I was too chicken to be a soloist like Amy was, but I sang backup with Kyle and sometimes Tommy. Our voices always harmonized so wonderfully.

Lisa and her clique had long since disbanded, one of them even transferring. When she’d gone up to receive her diploma, she didn’t look as happy as everyone else. Despite the way she treated me and egged Ivy on back then, I kind of felt bad for her. It was our high school graduation and she looked miserable.

I felt a bit wistful sitting here. Amy could’ve been right next to me. We could’ve celebrated together. Rick would be cheering her on. He and I were friends now. Not super close or anything, but he would hang out at the house every now and then.

Even though she wasn’t here, I knew Amy was smiling down at me right now, along with my parents, and Julia, and Monica.

Ivy was sitting a couple of rows up. She turned in her seat and caught my eye, smiling and nodding. I nodded back. We weren’t close, either, but we’d built a steady semi-friendship. She dealt with a lot of guilt over the years, but eventually the family came to forgive her completely, and my friends stopped shooting her death glares.

“Congratulations, Regan Taylor Summit graduates. You may turn the tassel.”

I did so, chills running down my spine. I did it. I finished school. I didn’t end up in the gutter like so many foster families had told me. I wasn’t living in an alley or in a dumpster like they predicted.

It seemed that the ‘perfect day’ I was robbed of all those years ago… I finally got it. It truly was a perfect day.

As everyone threw their caps in the air, I stared at the ceiling. Somewhere up there, Amy was celebrating with me. This is for you, sis, I thought as I threw my cap up with all my might, trying to get it as close to her as possible. My stoles shook with my movements, the silky linen shining against the light.

I joined my family and friends soon after for pictures… lots of them. My cheeks were exhausted by the end. We then headed out to a celebratory dinner at a fancy restaurant. Mom and Dad made a reservation for us with Tony, Thelma, and Mildred’s families.

Kyle graduated college with Nicole just a couple weeks ago, so we were both celebrating something today. Jack just finished junior year, like Amelia. Tommy elected not to go to college, instead getting an online trade school degree so he could open his own music business. Harry started at Waterford this year to study Psychology and become a ‘shrink’, like we always said to tease him.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

He and Mildred thankfully stayed pretty close. I still wasn’t sure if Harry was fully over her; he hadn’t said anything about another girl so far. But at least they were great friends. Mildred wasn’t going to college, but she promised she’d visit me whenever she could.

Thelma graduated with a bunch of honors, being the genius she was, so I figured she’d go somewhere out-of-state. It would be pretty lonely without her, though. Kate wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, nor Blanche, who also was like me— never expecting to graduate high school. Her school’s ceremony was also today.

As for me, I was going for a Social Work major at Greenfield U. I felt crazy, wanting to jump right into the environment that messed me up in the first place. But I figured it was the right thing to do. I wanted to be who Mr. Brian was in my life. Someone that reminded me that there were good people out there that cared. And maybe, as a minor, I could do Writing. I always did a lot of it.

As we walked to our cars, Mom sighed, sadness and nostalgia sharp in her voice. “All my babies are leaving me.”

“Mom, I’m commuting,” I reminded her. Kyle had been gifted a new car for his birthday last year, allowing him to drive himself and Jack to school. Now that he’d graduated and found a work-from-home job, Jack would drive me to school next year.

“Still… it’s just not the same. Sooner or later, all of you will move out.”

“Maybe you can get another dog,” Jack suggested.

Lonnie looked at us inquisitively at the word. He walked beside me, as always.

“Yeah, make Lonnie jealous,” said Nicole.

“We’re getting too old,” said Dad. “We love Lonnie, but we don’t love vacuuming up dog hair.”

“I think I’ll get a dog for myself when I get my own place,” said Kyle.

Nicole gasped excitedly. “Yes! I would love to have someone to cuddle with when I visit you.”

Kyle gave her a look. “Um…?” He pointed at himself.

She clicked her tongue. “I can’t hold you and squeeze you like a cute little plushie.”

He blushed as we laughed. “You always say I’m cute and squishy.”

She giggled, hugging him around the waist. “You’re also smelly.”

We laughed again, Kyle’s jaw dropping. “And a dog will smell better?!”

“Yup.”

Tony put his arm around me. “You don’t think I’m smelly, right?”

“Mmm… after practices, yeah.”

He frowned. “You never said anything.”

“Uh… yes. I do. Every time.”

He blushed. “When?”

“I lean away and say you’re stinky. Addie says it, too. You don’t pay attention?”

“Men don’t pay attention in general, Di,” Mom said.

“I pay attention,” Dad argued.

Mom laughed loudly and replied with a flat, “No, you don’t”, bringing out more laughter.

We reached the cars, our parents still bickering over Dad’s attention span, to our amusement. I was riding in my parents’ car with Jack, Amelia, Tommy, Harry, and Tony. On the way over here, they’d severely embarrassed me the whole time, despite Amelia trying to calm them down. I didn’t really want to go through that again.

“Can Tony and I ride with Kyle and Nic?” I asked. Kyle had grown out of wanting to embarrass me every five minutes, so he was much better to ride with.

“What? Why?” Tommy furrowed his brows.

“Because… because.”

Tony smiled, catching on. “Yeah, we can do a… double date thing.”

“This isn’t a date, it’s a family dinner,” Kyle laughed.

“Yeah, but the car ride would be fun.”

Nicole shook her head, smiling at us. “Come on, let them come with us. It’s not fair that they’re all cooped up in there.”

“Why do they get to go?” Jack whined. “Amelia and I are cooped up with these two losers.”

“Hey!” Tommy punched his arm.

“I don’t mind. Have fun, you two!” Amelia called.

“That’s not fair!” Jack pouted childishly. “We never get alone time.”

“Yes, we do. Stop being such a baby.”

“It’s their day,” Mom pointed out. “They get what they want.”

“See you there, lovebirds!” Tommy and Harry blew kisses at us as they got in the car. I only rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at them.

“So, Tony, ready for college?” Kyle asked as we got settled in the car.

Uh-oh. Was he going to interrogate him? Maybe this was a mistake.

“I think so. Still not sure where to go.”

“You’re not going to Greenfield?” Nicole asked.

“It’s an option, but… I kind of want to explore more. But I also want to be close to Diana.” He held my hand, sending blood to my cheeks. “It’s a hard choice.”

“You go wherever you want to go,” I told him. Lonnie, as if agreeing, smiled at him, his tongue drooping out of the side of his mouth.

“You know what I did when I decided?” Kyle said, pulling out of the parking space. “I lied down, closed my eyes, and imagined myself going to the colleges I applied to. I wound up going to the one I felt the most excited about. Every other college I thought of, I would feel like… ‘it’s pretty good, but not as good as Greenfield’. So I knew.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Nicole put on the radio, a familiar song coming on. She gasped and turned up the volume. “God, this song makes me feel old.” Kyle smiled at her words and squeezed her hand.

“Hands, put your empty hands in mine,

And scars, show me all the scars you hide…”

I glanced at the burgundy red sleeves over my arms. Those scars… they’d faded over the past couple years, but they were a reminder of my past. A reminder of who I used to be. That part of me would never go away.

But that part of me made this new part of me. I was able to transform and become someone stronger. I was reborn… quite literally. After all, I did die for a few seconds.

That conversation… I’d never, ever forget it. That memory would always remind me of why I had a smile on my face now. It always kept me stable when things got difficult. The day I talked to my Father… for real. The day I met my sister.

“And love, if your wings are broken,

Borrow mine so yours can open, too…

‘Cause I’m gonna stand by you!”

I wasn’t alone anymore. He would stand by me. She would stand by me. They would all stand by me. My parents, my friends, my boyfriend…

My brothers.