Forty-five minutes later, Carl, Jack, Rosie, and Sal were sitting in The Diner, waiting for their burgers to be served. Their reunion at The Diner after the episode at Louise’s house wasn’t awkward, nor was the air thick with tension. It was as if they'd picked up where they'd left off the last time they'd visited the place.
They had hugged each other, and Jack, Rosie, and Carl had listened without judgment, never commenting until Sal had finished pouring his heart out with his story of what had gone down at Louise’s house. It was that kind of friendship where love, support, and the occasional clever remark was in high supply.
Sal had the threesome move in close together so he could snap a photo with his cell phone.
“So,” Jack said with his mouth full of food, addressing Carl, "you’re finally graduating from high school. How cool is that?” Jack washed his food down with some lemonade.
“Yes, it's finally here: the moment of truth. After thirteen crazy, idiotic, memorable years with the Mackeys, it's finally time to shake Principal Johnson's hand and grab my ticket to freedom, the piece of paper that will remind me I've accomplished something.
“Fuck high school,” Carl said, drowning a French fry in a pool of ketchup. “And it's all thanks to Google, Wikipedia, and copy and paste.”
Waves of laughter spread across the table.
“Graduation's the happy occasion when faculty and staff at the school gather to celebrate the achievements of the students, alongside their friends and families,” Rosie said, spiritless. “I can’t wait to hear your name horribly mispronounced at the ceremony," she continued.
“Graduation: a ritual event where they award you a diploma in the hope you've learned enough to be able to read it,” Jack said with a wink. “Just keep moving in case they try to take it back.”
“I can almost hear Mr. Mayer: 'I always knew you would barely graduate, Williams.'” Carl spoke in a dry, unfriendly manner, doing a passable impression of Mr. Mayer.
“Graduation day's also my birthday. My eighteenth birthday," Carl said in a flat voice. “It's kind of freaky—I have no idea of where to go from here.” Carl looked down at the table.
“Well, Appropriately Wicked's playing, right, Jack? Why don’t we take it from there?” Sal said, squeezing his brother’s shoulder.
“We sure are!” Jack lit up like a Christmas tree. “After the ceremony at Giantsfair.”
It was a tradition for students to go to the Giantsfair amusement park to celebrate the end of the school year.
“Besides, I don’t think Mom and Dad will change the locks just yet." Sal grinned at his own joke.
“Wow, Sal, you should unplug that joke for sixty seconds and then plug it back in,” Rosie said, laughing and shaking her head.
“By the way, you're both invited to Graduation Open House at my place after the ceremony. It is an 'everyone’s invited' party. You can come and go as you please. My mother insisted, and I think she's invited half the town. There'll be lots of food and drink.”
Carl said with a smirk on his face, “We'll head to Giantsfair after.”
Jack held both of his thumbs up in consent, and Rosie nodded.