Someone's watching over me

The bedroom was empty now. Mum had cleared out her room this morning.
Even the bed was gone, like she never existed. Just a false memory planted in the back of our minds: our wounds too rawer that a thought of her could break us down.

Nobody spoke, I guess nobody could; to scared that we would say the wrong the thing to each other.
Dad smiled down at me from the other side of the table.
"Big day today"
I strained a smile, "Yeah, it is"
He nodded and took a sip of his tea, while mum cleared the table.
I missed mum's cheerful humming that sung with the clinking dishes.

My mum gave a silent smile and left the kitchen, dad was next grabbing the car keys and I was last; my handbag dangling from my shoulder. We all left the house and jumped into the car.

"...La dade da, la dade da, la dade da la dade da!" She giggled and laughed to the 80's music that blasted through the radio.
I turned down the radio and laughed at her freakish expression.
"You are such a retard!"
"Ha ha! oh you love me!" Turning the wheel we pulled over to Moonlight Point. The engine stopped and the car was silent as the sun began to set over the city.
"You know, a little bird has told me that you're failing all your classes"
I hated when she went all motherly on me.
"Erg, I'm not failing-" she snorted at my comment, "hey! I'm not...I'm just lacking in the A+ department"
Her head fell back and her laughter bounced around the car, while my face went beetroot red. "Love, you're sitting on D's on everything! even PE! and all you have to do is run laps!"
"In my defense! you do more than running OK, there's, well there's tests and health!"
The chuckling still hummed around me, then as quick as it rang, it stopped.
"Look Hayley, you need to pass high school OK, it's not a joke", She sighed and jumped out of the car and I followed closely behind. Leaning against the car the lights of the city began to brighten up the darkening sky, hiding the stars on the horizon by the light.
"You have your entire life ahead you, and you're just gonna screw it up 'cause you're lazy!"
"I'm not-"
"Yes you are! OK, D's? I know you're smart OK, you're not one of those idiots who will have to work at K-Mart for the rest of your life! You'll be old with cats!"
I scoff, "More like dogs"
"Hayley!"
"OK OK, I know" I sighed, "I know"

The seventeen year old's bunched up and chatted to each other, the undercover area buzzing, digital cameras flashing as they posed with friends, that after three years may never speak to again.
"Hayley!" Krista ran up to me and engulfed me in a hug. "Oh my god you're cutting it short, I thought you weren't gonna show up!"
I laughed at her comment, "Why would I miss this huh?"
Krista laughed and pulled me over to Mr Holmes who was stacked behind opened cardboard boxes and frantically looking down at a sheet of paper.
"Sir, Hayley showed up"
The middle aged man looked up and relief swept over his face. "There you are! here's your robe Hayley, you're the last to show", Mr Holmes turned to all the teenagers, "Guys and girls, we are on in five minutes"
Wow, I was cutting it short.

"Hayley, I'm heading off to Uni soon, so I'm not always gonna be there for you" I rolled my eye's at her, "I'm serious, you have to pull your finger outta your arse and knuckle down and study"
She pulled me in for a side hug and pointed right up above her. I followed her gaze until I saw the twinkling dots in the sky.
"Don't run away from your potential, you've gotta race and reach for the stars Hayley and make something of yourself, promise me that"
I looked at her and smiled. "I promise"

The parents, students and teachers sat in the auditorium. Some parents had cameras, others had a hand held, some even had both.
We were dressed in white and blue, sitting in uncomfortable chairs; but none of us cared. The Principle, Mr Bundie walks up to the podium and clears his throat.
"These students have given it their best, worked hard and now after five years have made it" He looked down at us a winked, "I've seen these kids come in as pimply thirteen year old's, grow and mature, well, most, into bright and wonderful young adults"
My grade smiled at a man that we could call a friend.
"Now I'd like to call up the Head Girl, Hayley Giles, to give the final fare well speech" The audience clapped, I walked up and gave Mr Bundie a hug, then turned to the crowd in front of me.
"Good evening everyone, students, teachers, parents and graduating class-", my year then hooted and clapped, "When I was asked by Mr Bundie to write the fare well speech, I admit I had absolutely no idea what to say, these as the final words to the students that I represent",
"Then I thought of what Mr Bundie just said; when we came to this school we were all different people, when I came into this school I was a failing student that couldn't even pass Phys Ed" The crowd chuckled, "but now I leave this school as head girl and on an B average. People change, and it's because of the people in our lives that influenced us",
"Teachers, parents and our mates have shaped us into who we are and who we will most likely become in the future; and for that I thank you" a few people clapped.
"My sister", I had to stop for a second, I knew I had to say it, to do it, and not let the tears fall.
"My sister once said to me 'Don't run from your potential, you've gotta race and reach for the stars', because when we leave we're not gonna have teachers there for us to help, when we leave we become adults, because we're not always gonna have people there for us, so we have to have the strength to follow our dreams because only we can reach for the stars, no one can do it for us"
"So to the graduating class I give you that advise, thank you"
The audience applauded, but I didn't care about them. I looked into the sea of faces, and there I saw the two I wanted to see.
Mum and dad had tears in their eyes, nodding their head in love and approval, the message they gave:
Meagan would be proud.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the Graduating Class of 2010!"
A see of white was thrown into the air and cheering ran through the room.
I smiled and ran to mum and dad and engulfed them.
"We couldn't be prouder" Dad whispered in my ear.
The three of us headed down to the car, dad's arm still wrapped around me. "Come on lets head to the Graduating brunch"
"Hang on" I stopped dad as he turned on the car, "I want to go somewhere first"

The grass was green and you could hear water trickling in the distance; tranquility was felt through the entire area. But I didn't care about any of that.
I followed the path that I knew off by heart and stopped in front of the plarc that laid at my toes.
Kneeling down I placed my graduating hat beside it and blew a kiss.
"I reached for the stars love"

'Megan Giles. Loving daughter and sister, taken to young. March 18th 1989 - January 3rd 2009'