If We Jump

As I stood in front of the mirror, memories from this past year flooded my vision. I adjusted the collar of my gown and placed my graduation cap on my head. I took a few deep breaths before leaving the room. It was the last day of the semester. School had just ended and everyone was back for the graduation ceremony. A few girls from my class were in the bathroom, calling parents or relatives. I wasn’t all too nervous about the ritual ahead. I was more nervous for after the ceremony, tonight, when I had to tell my mom I was going on tour with a pop-rock band.

Our school had us organized in a line with a partner to walk with. Since the line-up was alphabetical, and Gomez and Harp are next to each other, I ended up with Stephen. At least I was with one of my friends. I found him in line and linked my arm with his. “Are you nervous?” he asked me as the music started playing. "No" I said but judging by the smirk on his face, he knew I was lying. The music continued to play and finally it was time to walk. We walked, arm in arm, into the gym and sat in our row of chairs. The principal introduced us, the class of two-thousand and twelve. Jess walked up to the podium and began her valedictorian speech.

“…It is the time to remember your high school career and remember: things can only get better" she finished, earning a laugh from the audience. They began calling us up one by one to receive our diplomas.

"Stephen Gomez" the principal called. He left my side and walked onto the stage. He was handed his diploma and returned to his seat. And then it was my turn. "Dakotah Harp"

When he finished calling up former students and everyone was back in their seats, the superintendent of school stood, with a tear in her eye, and faced the audience. Our entire class was standing now. "I present you with, the graduating class of 2012!" Caps were thrown in the air, silly string was sprayed, and people were cheering. I looked at the people around me and they all had huge smiles plastered on their faces. Stephen turned to me and gave me a hug so tight he was able to lift me off the ground. He started to pull away and just as I thought he was going to let me go, he pressed his lips lightly to mine.

My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t know what to do. Stephen had never seemed to be into me like that. The kiss was definitely a surprise to me and it seemed to be a surprise to him to. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t realize what I was doing” he mumbled. “It’s okay” I answered him, unable to keep the blush off my cheeks. We stood there in an awkward silence until they told us we could go outside. Everyone went out to the field in front of our school to find their parents and family.

My mother had offered to take me out for a nice dinner since it was a special day. We went to Carlo’s, one of the nicest restaurants in town. I figured now would be a good time to tell her I was leaving since there were witnesses. I wasn’t sure how she would take it. It could really go both ways. She could either realize that it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, or be mad for not asking sooner and it would result in a fight.

She chose the second option. I had waited until after we got the check to tell her so I wouldn’t ruin the dinner. My mom kept saying, “You can’t just follow a bunch of hooligans around the country for months with no supervision!” That’s the part that really bothered me. They weren’t hooligans. They were my best friends, pretty much my only real friends in Arizona. She knew and loved them just as much as I did. “I’m not happy about this. And I’m not happy you waited until now to tell me. But you’re 18 and you finished school. I can’t stop you from making your own decisions” she said finally.

I texted Stephen with the news: she wasn’t happy, but I’m going. He was going to pick me up in the morning and we would bring all our stuff to their record studio where their bus was waiting. It was after 10:30 when I got home and I was exhausted. I couldn’t go to bed yet though, I still had to pack up my stuff.

I went down to the basement to look for a duffel bag or suitcase of some sort. I found them and began to pack. I ran frantically around my room trying to make sure I had everything. Deodorant? Check. Underwear? Check. Clothes? Check. Make up? Check. Once I made sure everything was where it was supposed to be, I showered and got ready for bed. I passed out literally the second I hit my mattress. I had about 3 hours I could sleep before my alarm would go off. Fantastic.