A Deadly Trip (Now Available on Amazon!) (Unedited Version)

The echoes of "Goodbye seniors, goodbye class!" still hung in the air, barely masking the principal's panicked scramble to cut off Archer's less-than-reverent graduation speech. I watched, amused, as Ms. Stanley, flustered and fumbling, snatched the microphone from him.

Archer, ever the showman, gave a mock salute before descending the steps, making his way back to the seat beside me. "Nice speech," I whispered, trying to stifle a laugh.

He smirked, that familiar glint in his eye. "You think so? I stayed up all night working on that one."

Megan, leaning forward from the row behind us, interjected, "Would it have killed you to actually make an effort?" Archer's reply, delivered with feigned thoughtfulness, sent a blush creeping up Megan's neck. I smiled, watching their usual banter unfold, a comforting constant in the chaos of graduation day.

Just then, an annoyingly high-pitched voice cut through the air. "Could you keep it down back there? Some of us are trying to listen." I scowled, my gaze locking with Avery Robinson's. Her face was scrunched in distaste, as if the very air around us offended her. The pleasant buzz of graduation was instantly replaced by a familiar prickle of irritation. This was going to be a long summer.