Nathan Kingston has been forgotten by the world. A dad that fucked off when he was young and a mother gone days at a time with work he feels alone. Especially since he goes to the most elite private school in the city on scholarship. He's falling do...
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Ivy Matthews
I cannot believe this day is here.
The last 13 years of my academic life are being summed up in one day. One day where, if our practice yesterday morning was the same, we walk up to the stage and they call our names before we take a photo with the principal and then get a sheet of paper that tells us we finished high school.
I honestly didn't even think I'd make it here.
After I was failing two classes with only three months to bring the grades up I was so scared that I wasn't going to be able to graduate with Dylan and my brother, that I wasn't going to be able to go to college and I was just going to have to repeat my senior year. But then Nathan happened, and here I am, sitting in alphabetical order and waiting for the speeches to finally be over so we can get onto the good stuff.
The principal thanks the valedictorian for their speech and I scoff slightly at his praise. Due to some stupid scholarship stipulations, even though Nathan was ranked number one for our class he couldn't be valedictorian or salutatorian.
Complete bullshit if you ask me.
A member of the school board comes on stage after the principal gives his praise to the valedictorian and starts spewing some legal jargon that I don't really understand about the power vested in them by the state of New York to present these diplomas but I tune her out and fiddle with my fingers instead while I wait for them to start calling out the names.
It takes way too long for her to finish her speech but when she does the mic is handed over to our grade levels vice principal to start calling out names. The valedictorian and salutatorian's names are called first before they begin going in alphabetical order and even with the very efficient way they call the names it seems to drag on forever before we finally get to the letter 'K.'
"Mallory Kantwell..." The announcer calls, bringing my attention back to him because I know Nathan's name is coming up soon, "Imari Kelly... Lindsay Kilnberg...Nathan Kingston."
I cup my hands around my mouth and cheer, making sure I'm louder than everyone else has been thus far, "that's my valedictorian, woo!"
I see a touch of a smirk grace his face when he hears my chant before he turns to the principal to accept his diploma and take a picture with him. He makes it back to his seat after he takes the walk down parents' alley, the spot where all the parents take photos, and the names keep droning on and on.
When it's finally Jackson and mine's turn to stand up I'm so jittery with nerves, the culminating moment for pretty much my entire life up until now is about to happen in about a minute.
My steps are slow and sure, making sure I don't make a fool out of myself and trip in my wedge heels as I'm walking up the stage. The person before me is called and Jackson gives my shoulders a reassuring squeeze, already knowing how I get with things like this.
