The Assignment - Marlowe Industries

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Time went by in a blur and, suddenly, it was May 20th, and I was graduating while also moving into my new apartment with Andrew. Andrew and I had officially had our first night in our apartment, and too much wine may have been involved because I definitely woke up with a massive hangover, on graduation day! I groaned and rolled over onto the other side as my phone rang for the 10th time. It was rude of people to call me this early in the morning, and then even on a Saturday. But wait, today wasn’t Saturday, and apparently, it wasn’t even early because when I opened my eyes, the sun was shining bright. I quickly sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room, then my eyes searched for my phone, which I found on the floor, still ringing. “Emery speaking,” I yawned as I picked up the phone. “Emery, where the hell are you? The ceremony is in 30 minutes, and you were supposed to be here at 9 am along with all the other graduates!” mom yelled into the phone. Immediately I realized that I was late and unprepared for the entire day. “Omg, I’ll be right there, I promise, I’m just gonna put on my outfit and grab a cab, I promise I’ll be there before it starts” I panicked. “Don’t grab a cab, your father is right outside waiting for you, he just couldn’t get inside since neither you nor Andrew has woken up,” mom said, then she hung up. She was definitely pissed, and I completely understood; this was a big day! I was usually never late for anything, but due to how drunk I was last night, I must’ve forgotten to set an alarm. I threw my duvet off my body and hurried over to the door, where I had, luckily, hung my outfit yesterday so I wouldn’t be crinkled. I quickly got dressed in the beautiful white dress, jewelry and heels, Audrey and I had picked out months ago, then I grabbed my makeup bag, my purse, and my phone and let my room before quickly waking up Andrew. Andrew wasn’t going to attend my graduation, but he was going to celebrate it with me afterward along with my parents and a bunch of their friends, and then later we would be attending a party. 

Andrew was just as panicked as I was, but he still managed to wish me congratulations and send me out the door with a toothbrush in my hand. I decided to take the stairs down to the lobby, where dad greeted me with a hug. “I hope we make it, Emery, because traffic is heavy this morning,” he concernedly said while putting his phone back into the inner pocket of his suit. I sighed and got into the backseat of dad’s car, then he also got in an pulled out on the road to drive us to my graduation. “It’s my own fault if I don’t make it, it was dumb of me to get so drunk last night” I apologized as I started doing my makeup. I didn’t do anything fancy with my makeup as I knew I would be crying at the ceremony; waterproof mascara was the way to go, and I knew I had the time to put on some more makeup after the ceremony. 

When we parked in the only available parking spot, it was 9.57 am, and we immediately got out of the car and started running towards the stage. Mom was waiting right outside with my blue cap and gown, which she helped me put on, then I gave her my purse and pecked her cheek before making my way over to my class, where I found my seat beside Sophia. “Emery, where have you been?” Sophia asked as greeted me. “I overslept,” I told her while catching my breath. Sophia rolled her eyes and lightly pushed my shoulder, “Too much wine last night?” she asked with a smirk. I lightly chuckled and nodded my head, “You know me too well,” I told her, then everyone got quiet as the Dean made his way onto the stage to get the ceremony started. We started off by singing the national anthem, then there were a bunch of greetings, and the commencement address was spoken. Suddenly we were all invited up to the stage to receive our diplomas. We stood in alphabetical order, so it wasn’t long until my name was called, to which I stepped onto the stage and received the diploma with my left hand and shook the Dean’s hand with my right all while smiling wide. I was officially done with school now, forever! It felt amazing! 

I went back to my seat and looked around to see if I could spot my parents. Luckily, they were both smiling and waving at me, so they weren’t difficult to spot. I smiled brightly, then I put my diploma in the air and mouthed a “YEAH!” to them. In the middle of all the happiness, I suddenly saw a way too familiar face in the crowds; a face I never wanted to see again. My smile immediately disappeared from my lips, and my parents noticed right away, which made them turn around to find whatever I was looking at. The last I’d heard was that Davy was in prison and wouldn’t be coming out for a long time, but apparently, he had gotten early parole and was now standing at my graduation, ruining it completely. 

Dad got up from his seat and made his way over to one of the guards to tell him what was going on. Luckily, the guard took dad very seriously, so he immediately went over to Davy to have a quick chat with him while also escorting him outside the venue. While the guard did so, dad came over to me to stay close to me to make sure Davy couldn’t ruin this day anymore for me. I was shaking crazily but knowing that Davy wouldn’t be allowed inside the ceremony anymore made me feel a little better. It felt like forever until everyone had gotten their diplomas, but in reality, it only took 30 minutes, which wasn’t long, but, honestly, I just wanted to get the rest of the ceremony over with so I could go home and cry before celebrating my graduation. When everyone had gotten their diplomas, it was time to throw our caps into the air; an act that was supposed to be freeing, but not anymore. Seeing Davy here made all my achievements fall to the ground, and it felt like I was trapped with him once again. I felt numb as my fellow graduates got up from their seats to go be with their loved ones. The place was almost empty when my parents sat down on either side of me. “How’s he been allowed back on the street so soon?” I asked my parents as tears started running down my cheeks. This wasn’t the crying I had been hoping to be doing… 

Dad wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest, where he gave me a tight squeeze. “I’ll make sure he won’t ever come near you again; I’ll get you a bodyguard to protect you,” he mumbled in my hair. I shook my head and pulled away from him, “I can’t have a bodyguard with me if I get the job at Marlowe Industries, they won’t hire me if they know how scared I am of being on my own now” I told him. Davy had only been there a few minutes, but he had already destroyed so much for me, and knowing he wasn’t afraid to show up just like that made me realize that he knew more about me than I thought he would ever be able to figure out. The last time I saw Davy was in Florida on the last day of trial, where he was sentenced to ten years in jail, but here, five years later, he was already out and about again, still trying to ruin my life. “I’ll talk to Mr. Marlowe then, explain the situation, or maybe he already has good security,” dad tried, but I already knew that wouldn’t work. In my application, I had written that I was a girl with a backbone that wasn’t afraid of anything and that I was driven and ready for anything they could throw my way regarding communication and media. The girl on the application had existed, but she was stepping into the background, leaving the insecure and vulnerable girl alone in the front.