Dusk Until Dawn

Chapter 21 - New Chapter of Our Lives

"...and that, ladies and gentlemen, or however you may identify as, is what made this year as remarkable as it could've been."

Mrs. Patel finally got down from the podium after 600 years and that was when the applause started to roar in. I clapped along with them since it was only polite for me to do so at my own graduation.

That's right.

I'm about to graduate high school.

I can't tell if I should be happy or sad. I'm definitely going to cry when all this ends, but would it be happy or sad tears?

A bunch of speeches came up from the valedictorian, superintendent, and other people that I didn't really know. Some of them were nice and meaningful, but I didn't really understand the point of the other ones.

So as of now, I haven't cried. Yet.

Mr. Herbert eventually came up to the podium and did a royal-like wave. Some people whooped and cheered for him to give his speech. I was one of them.

Mr. Herbert cleared his throat. "Thank you, thank yo- ahem. Thank you." He looked around the audience and sighed. "You guys are all becoming adults. Good luck with that."

I nose-laughed as some people in the audience let out a chuckle.

"Okay, I'm going to try to keep this speech short. I know you all want to go home." Mr. Herbert cleared his throat again. "I joined this administration back in September. And I immediately knew that this group of seniors was going to be my favorite grade level this year. Why? Because of how responsible you all are. I may not know what kind of people you were back in freshman year, middle school, or before that. But regardless, you all have grown so much.

You all used to look up to the seniors back when you were freshmen. Now the freshmen look up to you. It's this never-ending cycle that intrigues me quite a lot. Then once again, you all will be beginners at something, and then you'll be professionals. And for me, since I'm a bit more ancient than you all, it's so fascinating to witness it actually happening."

I smiled slightly as I started to play with my bracelet.

"You've heard other people say this many times, I know. But I genuinely cannot wait to see what you hardworking people are going to accomplish. You've already completed high school, which is difficult itself. And you also completed math, which no one likes. If you've completed high school and math, what can you not do?"

Oh my God, geometry was the end of me in freshman year.

"Anyways, thank you all. I've had the best time, and I'm going to miss you all a lot. I also want to say good luck to my daughter who's actually sitting here today, about to graduate."

My eyes immediately widened. Oh lord.

I tried to not make it obvious that he was talking about me, but I felt my face getting hot. No, no, no.

"You're probably embarrassed right now, as one would be. But you're going to do some cool things." Mr. Herbert grinned. "I hope you promise me that you'll keep having this strong and charismatic attitude throughout this next chapter of your life, since life can bite you in the butt sometimes, and you, of all people, know that."

I bit my lip to prevent myself from laughing. I really shouldn't be though, since he is absolutely right, but I can't seem to stop smiling.

"But what I just said also applies to everyone. Please keep in mind that nothing is all fun and games. You don't know what could hit you, so remember to be open to anything unexpected happening. The way you handle those kinds of situations is what's going to make you into a successful person.