The Life of She
forget
Her graduation wasn’t anything she expected it to be. In her gown, the whole place is too hot and makes everyone sweat, in the back no one can see over the heads of the people in front of her. The green chairs are still uncomfortable and the people next to her are still strangers.
However, when the first student makes their speech, it sends the graduating class into whole different room; where everyone knew each other, where everyone was friends, and where this wasn’t the end. They all laugh together as they remember times from their year and even some sad times.
She looks to her left and right and is met with eye of strangers, but she smiles at them. They do the same and look ahead, watching as the first row of students gets up to form a line for their diplomas, everything gets real. Family members scream for their children, other students clap for their friends, and faculty members shake hands and send them off.
It moves smoothly and flawlessly. No one had tripped yet, there haven’t been any mistakes, and it’s going faster than she would have expected. Soon, her row is being called and she waits in anticipation while shifting from foot to foot. She talks to a familiar teacher, takes a professional picture, and then the time has come.
She’s deft as she comes up on the stage. She can hear her name being called, but everything else is being muffled by her brain. She concentrates her whole being on walking across that stage and shaking hands, smiling wide. In ten seconds, it’s all over. She walks back to her seat and looks down at the diploma.
Two rows after her and graduation is over. Their class song plays and she looks around for her friends. They tackle her in hugs and they all laugh for no reason. There are no tears like she would have thought—only laughter and aching feet.
They leave in a huge group to find their families, some saying goodbye for the night, others saying goodbye forever. She smiles the whole entire time and looks around for her family.
There are hundreds of student she doesn’t know. Some she’s seen around school, some she’s heard of, and some who are a mystery. That doesn’t matter to them anymore. They wave and smile, congratulating each other and screaming in joy. They hug her and don’t even care that they don’t know her.
She walks out of the school with her family to head home, along with everyone else, and her green gown flows behind her. With cap on her head, she turns to look back at the school for the last time. It looks beautiful with the lights shining on the name, fighting back the darkness. She’ll never walk through those doors again.
“I’ll remember to never forget this,” she whispers.
However, when the first student makes their speech, it sends the graduating class into whole different room; where everyone knew each other, where everyone was friends, and where this wasn’t the end. They all laugh together as they remember times from their year and even some sad times.
She looks to her left and right and is met with eye of strangers, but she smiles at them. They do the same and look ahead, watching as the first row of students gets up to form a line for their diplomas, everything gets real. Family members scream for their children, other students clap for their friends, and faculty members shake hands and send them off.
It moves smoothly and flawlessly. No one had tripped yet, there haven’t been any mistakes, and it’s going faster than she would have expected. Soon, her row is being called and she waits in anticipation while shifting from foot to foot. She talks to a familiar teacher, takes a professional picture, and then the time has come.
She’s deft as she comes up on the stage. She can hear her name being called, but everything else is being muffled by her brain. She concentrates her whole being on walking across that stage and shaking hands, smiling wide. In ten seconds, it’s all over. She walks back to her seat and looks down at the diploma.
Two rows after her and graduation is over. Their class song plays and she looks around for her friends. They tackle her in hugs and they all laugh for no reason. There are no tears like she would have thought—only laughter and aching feet.
They leave in a huge group to find their families, some saying goodbye for the night, others saying goodbye forever. She smiles the whole entire time and looks around for her family.
There are hundreds of student she doesn’t know. Some she’s seen around school, some she’s heard of, and some who are a mystery. That doesn’t matter to them anymore. They wave and smile, congratulating each other and screaming in joy. They hug her and don’t even care that they don’t know her.
She walks out of the school with her family to head home, along with everyone else, and her green gown flows behind her. With cap on her head, she turns to look back at the school for the last time. It looks beautiful with the lights shining on the name, fighting back the darkness. She’ll never walk through those doors again.
“I’ll remember to never forget this,” she whispers.