One and a half month has passed. Sa buong isang lingo ay nag-aayos lang kami ng clearance at nagpapraktis para sa program. Tuwing hapon na lang din ako pumapasok dahil sa hapon ang practice.
Friday na. Nakapila na kami para magmartsa. Kasama ko ang ilan kong kaibigan sa room habang nasa unahang pila naman si Renz. Kasama niya sila Tita habang ako naman ay sila Mama. Nasa pinakadulo si Papa dahil isa lang ang pwedeng sumama sa akin na umupo sa harap.
"Pretty." Renz mouthed. Nasa harap namin sila.
Ilang speech pa ang naganap bago kami pinapila sa gitna. Naunang tawagin ang mga with Honors at with High Honors ng section namin. My mom hugged me before my name called.
"Lim, Selena Shine N., with Highest Honor. Salutatorian."
We walked. Nasa magkabilang gilid ko sila Mama at Papa. Nakita ko pa ang munting pagpalakpak ni Renz mula sa ibaba habang sinusuotan ako ni Papa ng medalya. Tita Liza took a picture of us habang nasa tabi siya ni Renz.
"La Fuente, Rayvien Renzell M., with Highest Honor. Valedictorian."
Everyone stood up. He gracefully walked to stage and received his medal. Panay ang bati ng mga teachers namin sa kaniya habang nasa stage pa siya. I opened my camera and took a stolen pictures of him.
Napakagwapo niyang tignan sa kulay-asul na toga. Tita Liza wiped her tears. Kahit sinong magulang ay matutuwa kapag nakita ang anak na grumaduate ng may pinakamataas na karangalan.
"May I call Mr. La Fuente for his Valedictory speech?" the emcee said.
Agad naman siyang tumayo at nagtungo sa stage. He fixed his toga before holding the mic. He began to greet our Principal, Teachers, and the Guest.
"I always remembered the day I stepped in on this school." Simula niya. His husky teenage voice covered the whole gymnasium silently. "Bata pa at walang alam. Nangangatog pa nga ang tuhod dahil hindi na kasama sila Mama sa pagpasok." The audience giggled. Maski rin ako noon ay nag-aadjust pa sa bilang High School Student. Good thing that Renz will always be there on my side. "High School is a tough place...yet a very memorable seasons of our life. Mahalagang matuto. Mahalagang makapasa. Ngunit mahalaga rin ang maging masaya. Maybe it is the time of our life that we encounter uncertainties, failures, and happiness. Iiyak at masasaktan..." he paused. "pero may matututunan. To my Mom and my Dad, thank you so much para sa lahat-lahat ng sakripisyo at pagmamahal. To the Highest Almighty, I am grateful to be here. Thank you for letting me speak and lead. And to the closest person in my heart, I am thankful to become your all, to become your buddy, and to become your greatest. You will never be replaced." Nakita ko ang saglit na pagsulyap niya sa gawi ko.
"And to my fellow graduates, there will be another road ahead of us. A road full of failures and broken pieces. But it will never be a hindrance for each of us to succeed in everything that we want to achieve. We may fall, we may stumble, we may stretch out, and we may find ourselves lost and trouble. Take a refresh and continue. In time, our tears will never be put into waste. Let's not be afraid to take a risk. Let's not be afraid to commit a mistake. For every mistake will led us into shiny steps of success." He breathed. "I am Rayvien Renzell M. La Fuente, SSG Vice President and Class Valedictorian of Batch 2022." He finally said.
The venue filled with loud claps and joys. Ang ilan pa ay isinisigaw ang kanyang pangalan. He went to our teachers to shake their hands. They patted his shoulder with a big smile. Halos hindi na rin maalis ang ngiti ko sa kanya.
I am the proudest.
Simula pa lang ay hindi ako nagduda sa kakayahan niya. Renz always been my role model. Kahit nakakainis minsan ang pagiging maloko niya sa akin.
