Under the Radar

Graduates of 2015

"Graduation. We all can't wait for it, but once it gets here, we get emotional.

We've made our way up in the world. We went from little freshman; fresh-meat as some seniors may call them; to the top of the high school food chain.

The one place that we've grown up in, most of us, all of our lives... and now we're leaving. We've made friends and lost them. We've created our own small families, that even though we might go in our separate directions, we know we'll stay close.

Our time here has been... memorable. There's no doubt about it! We'll definitely never forget the fun we've had. We'll remember the good times, the bad; we'll remember the useful things we've learned, and the things that are most likely irrelevant to our lives but still chose to remember anyway.

We'll take every memory we made here everywhere we go. They'll make us smile, laugh, shake our heads, and maybe even blush. But the point stands, we've come a long way and to be honest, I can't wait to go further! Being here, with our teachers and peers, we were definitely guided in the right direction.

I mean, look at us! We're here! We've made it! So congratulations to all the graduates, and thank you. Thank you to the glorious teachers, the parents, and everyone that's helped us along the way. Here's to Class of 2015!" I finished with a smile.

The audience stood out of their chairs, most with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. I found the eyes of my friends, Andrew, Molly, and Charlie. They held onto their caps and cheered. Then I found Jax, Ronnie, Tanner, and Vinnie. Of course, Ronnie had added his own style to his cap and gown. His once black cap and gown was covered in paint splatters and graffiti-like lettering. The guys cheered as well, Tanner was even a little teary-eyed.

And then there was Daniel. I locked eyes with him, holding my smile. He looked proud, loving even. He smiled and mouthed 'Great job!' He added a winked and joined in the applause. Even after everything that happened, he still made me happy. And I didn't want to let him go.

The principal and super-intendant, came over to me and shook my hand. I headed down off the stage and over to my seat by my friends.

"And know for our graduates!" He started naming student by student, shaking hands with each one after handing over a diploma. I watched as Charlie got onto the stage. Tears rolled down my cheeks out of happiness. I cheered loudly as she excepted the diploma, shook hands with the principle, and winked towards the crowd.

Tanner walked into the stage with a smirk, tipping his hat at the principal, who rolled his eyes. Ronnie had attempted a moonwalk onto the stage and nearly tripped on his gown, causing the crowd to erupt into bursts of giggles. Vinnie had accepted his diploma like a normal human being.

After a few more students Andrew, then Molly, were called up. Andrew waited for Molly on stage and they walked off together. I laughed as Molly squealed and jumped onto Andrews back for a piggy-back ride.

Jax onto stage, looking very proper and handsome... except he had a lollipop hanging out of his mouth. As he accepted the diploma, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another lollipop and handed it to the principal. "Thanks for putting up with my shit for the past four years. Peace offering?" The principal smiled and laughed, taking the lollipop. The crowd cheered louder as Jax strut off stage.

I took a deep breath, one more and I'm up. "Daniel Storm." The principal called. Daniel slowly and nervously walked onto stage. The principal smiled and shook his hand, "You did well, son. Congratulations." Daniel smiled and hugged him, surprising the principal and myself.

I laughed as he walked off the stage waving and Gramm like an excited five year old. "Ms. Mia Summers." From the crowd, I heard my mom, dad, and even Gramm cheering my name. Wiping a tear away from my face, I went up. I watched as the teachers all stood up from their seats. Everything was in slow motion as I walked down a small carpet towards the man with my diploma. I was never going to see these people ever again.

I sniffed but held my smile as the principal took my hand and shook it like he did earlier. "We're all proud of you Mia. Congratulations!" Tears were officially running from my eyes as I hugged him one last time.

I turned to the crowd and blew a kiss. This was it. I'm officially out of high school. It's over.

Once I got off the stage, the super-intendant held the microphone and smiled. "Class of 2015, everyone!" We all cheered and threw our caps into the air. I laughed while Molly and Andrew screamed in joy as they danced around. Ronnie ruffled Vinnie's hair as Jax and Tanner did that bro-hug thing. Charlie pulled a box of confetti out from under her chair and threw it into the air. "Mia?" I turned to Daniel and smiled. He smiled back and reached up to my face to wipe the tears. "You know that I'm sorry, and that I've said it a million times. But what I'm about to say, I've never said to anyone but Gramm. Not even the guys." I closed his eyes and took a breath. "Mia I-"

Instead of letting him finish, I smashed my lips to his. He was in shock at first, but then he reacted. Tingles ran up my arms as happiness soared through me. We finally broke away from each other and he rested his forehead on mine. "I love you."

"I love you too." We smiled at each other and just hugged.

That's when I realized it really was over. And to be honest, I was sad to go, but I was really happy at the same time. I was no longer under the radar. I was a strong girl, with friends and a family. I wasn't a target, or a victim. I was... me! And it honestly felt great to be.