The Girl Standing Front Row (revised)

Chapter 40

*a few months later* 

Sapphire was so excited to be graduating high school. This has been the day she has been waiting for. The best thing about it is she would be graduating with her best friends and then going on tour with her boyfriend and his best friends. Sapphire was the class valedictorian and she knew all her hard work was going to be the cost that would get her out of her small little town for a while. 

Sapphire was in school late on the day before the last day of school working on her valedictorian speech. An unfamiliar girl walked in the library and said "What are you working on there?" 

"Do i know you?" Sapphire said

"Probably not. I'm Amethyst I know you because your valedictorian and we are both named after jewels"

"That's interesting.....well this speech is so hard to write. I feel like I shouldn't even be valedictorian"

"Why's that?"

"Because i feel like i don't know the student body, like you just walked in here and I was rude to you and I didn't know who you were"

"That doesn't mean anything. You may not know us but we know you. You have done fundraisers, the school newspaper, sports, and your very smart" Amethyst said "everybody wants to be like you"

"I feel that everybody just wants to use me because i get good grades and they are fans of who my boyfriend is" 

Amethyst looked at Sapphire and believed that while she was right she was also wrong at the same time. Everyone had their own reasons for doing things. 

"People can be selfish but I don't believe your selfish" 

"Why do you believe that?" Sapphire asked 

"Because I read your essay once during peer review in English and it was one of the most beautifully inspiring pieces of literature I had ever read. It was real and it had depth to what your message was" 

"I always have the same message for everything" Sapphire said and then explained "I just want people to find hope within themselves"

"Then use that" Amethyst said

"Use what?"

"Hope" she said "give back to the people who have used you for that guy and to the people who were always there for you"

"Thank you. That's a brilliant idea"

"Your welcome. And by the way you and your boyfriend are meant to be no matter what obstacles God throws at you next" she smiled and walked away

As Amethyst was walking away Sapphire looked down at the empty piece of paper and smiled and wrote the word 'Hope' on the top of it in big letters. 

The next day it was the last day of school and Sapphire had these bags under her eyes because she was up all night working on her speech. She sat in the corner of the room every period of the day not paying attention because she wanted the best speech ever. Her brother promised he'd be there as well as Luke, Mikey, Ashton, and Calum too. She wouldn't let anyone see or read the speech until it was graduation.

"Hey hows the speech coming?" Mackenzie asked

"I don't even know to be honest"

"Is it good, great, or bad" she asked

"I don't know i feel like it's good but i can't be sure yet"

"Well good luck with it. Do you have an outfit for tomorrow?"

"Yes!!" She completely lied
Sapphire forgot all about finding an outfit. She immediately went home after school to find the perfect one. She tried on different matches and different shoes from around her closet. She found some she liked and some she didn't. There were dresses and skirts all over her room. She wanted to look good tomorrow because she would be seeing Luke and she would be addressing her entire student body. She finally found a white long sleeved low-cut mini dress. From the waist down it was a floral pattern and she had chosen black heels with a single black strap going from her toe to her ankle.