Hating Emilia

41

-Emilia Diaz-

My mom helps me zip up my dress and she smiled at me, today was graduation and it's one of the hardest days right now.

"Please don't cry, mom, I'll start crying" I say with a small smile and she wipes away the tear that already fell "I'm sorry, Em, I'm just really- really proud of you." She says hugging me, I'm glad I didn't do my makeup first, because I'm crying now.

My mom pulls away and wipes away my tears "everyone's gonna be there." I say more of a question and she nodded

"I'll let you go get ready now." She says and I nod going to my vanity, I'm glad Ethan's graduating with me, he was at risk of being held back due to the fights and grades, but luckily that changed with my help of course.

I do my makeup and put on a gold necklace and nice earrings, I play with the paper in my hands that's my speech, I don't have it memorized.

There's a knock at my door "yeah?" I say finishing my makeup, papà looks at me "how you feeling?" He asks and I shrugged "nervous, what if I mess up?" I ask "you won't." He said

"What if I fall?" I ask, my father stared at me "well, I'm sure you won't, but your brother will make fun of you for that." Papà says "not helping."

"Sorry, kid, don't stress, okay? You'll do amazing." He says and I nod slowly "and try not to fall, I'd like to hear your speech while you're on that stage, and not in an emergency room." He says with a hint of humor in it.

I glare at my father and he leaves, I sigh and shake my hands getting the nerves out of my body, I decorated my cap, and put the dove pendent Ethan got me not long ago

He got me two, I kept the one from our date and put it on my keys, this one I used double sided tape for incase I wanted to take it off.

I get up from my vanity and grab the cap and gown putting them on I grab my shoes and bring it downstairs "where's Ethan?" I asked mom

"Your father is helping him with his tie." She says and I nod Sophia and Silas are meeting us there along with everyone else "nervous?" She asks and I nod

"I feel like I'll puke." I say and she smiles softly "well, try not to." She says and I hum

Not long after Ethan comes down and I give him a smile, he hugs me "you ready?" He asked and I nod "yeah." I say nodding and he hummed

We're going in separate cars, since Ethan has something he wanted to do after graduation I guess.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

when we get at the school I'm still nervous, I read over my speech so many times to make sure I just don't forget and freeze on the stage.

I see my old friends talking, mostly Hannah and Samantha, Aria just standing there.

Part of me feels bad for her, the other half doesn't care because she still let them talk to me like that.

When it's time for it to start we sit down at the seats we were assigned to yesterday since we had to rehearsal.

My leg bounces with nerves as the principal talks, then announces one speaker who talks for way too long.

Then me. My heart drops but I get up and go to the stage, he gives me a smile and I see my family sitting on the bleachers.

I lay the paper out in front of me and fix the microphone "hi..as most of you know, I'm Emilia, your valedictorian for this year, I'm probably expected to say I had a great four years here, but I didn't."