“Are you ready honey? You just look so gorgeous! I think I am going to cry!!!” My mom will not stop taking pictures and adjusting my cap and gown. This is getting seriously annoying!
“Mom, please don’t cry. Can’t you just silently be proud like Dad over there? I” I gesture to my dad silently smiling in the corner, and I think I see him wipe a tear away. Why are they crying? It’s not like I’m leaving forever. I’m just going off to college and it’s only an hour and a half away. I’m still the same old Becca. “and Mom, you still have Bret at home. He won’t be leaving for another 2 years! Good luck with that handful.” Bret is my younger brother. He’s in year 10 and is a serious pain in the you know what.
“I’ll try honey! It just feels like it was just yesterday when we were holding your hand and walking you into your first day at this school and….”
“Can all parents please proceed to their seats. Thank you.” A voice over the intercom intercom and interrupts my mom’s rambling about me growing up so fast and blah blah blah. She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and winks as she grabs my dad and pulls him towards their seats.
I wave goodbye to her and go and take my seat with the other graduates. I look around and sigh, this is really it. After today im done with these people and I couldn’t be happier! Now I just have 3 months of freedom before I head to college in the fall. Did I forget to mention that I got into the University of Cambridge? Yeah I know…super prestigious school; most people call me a nerd. That would explain why I’m valedictorian of our class.
The ceremony seems to drone on for hours, or maybe that’s just because my last name, Raines, is so near to the end of the alphabet. The only perk about that is that I get to sit one seat over from Abby. We make faces at each other right until it’s her turn to walk up to the stage and get her diploma. One more boy then it’s me. Right as the boy, who by the way is the butt of every joke in our class, is walking up the stairs, he trips and lands on his face. I stifle laughter while the rest of the Senior class cracks up. He finally recovers himself enough to walk up read faced and about to cry to get the diploma.
Okay it’s my turn now. Left right left right. Don’t trip don’t trip please please don’t trip. Finally I make it up to the podium without embarrassing myself. The rest of the ceremony seems to fly by, now that the difficult part is done. As the seniors are ushered out of the auditorium, I glace back and see my mom in tears, but giving me a thumbs up. I know I’ve really made her proud.
After what feels like 50,000 completely staged pictures of the graduates throwing our hats in the air, we are finally allowed to enjoy the reception.
Now me, my mom, my dad, and my brother all pile into the car. We have to get back to the house and make it look nice before all of the guests arrive for my graduation celebration. “God Becca, you took forever to get up those stairs. I’m surprised you didn’t fall on your face like that loser that went in front of you.”
“BRET! Be nice to your sister! This is her special day!”
“Mom, I can handle him. Bret just wait until when you graduate…just wait”
“Alright kids stop it now!”
We finally make it home, with lots of bickering and name calling of course, but we got home. My mom is rushing around the house like a madman. “Becca can you put the brownies on the table, oh and Becca can you go turn the tv off in the den…” Becca this, Becca that, all for this stupid graduation party.
Everyone starts to arrive for the party, aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas, tons of cousins, most of which I don’t know their names. But I smile and make small talk for over 3 hours until my dad calls me into the kitchen to talk.
