Yazmin Nyla Robertson and Sean Jackson come from two different worlds, despite living in the same city. Two worlds that were never meant to cross paths, but did.
Started: March 2021
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The sound of loud applause rattled under Yazmin's feet as she sat around a plethora of her peers. Her heart wracked around her chest as she gripped her diploma in her hand. Briefly, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. As they concluded on giving out all of the diplomas, they announced Yazmin for her valedictorian.
Yazmin placed her diploma in her seat and walked onto the stage in her black and gold gown. She stood in front of the mic and cleared her throat.
"Thank you all," Yazmin said. "You'd think that I'd be less nervous coming up here for the second time."
A few people in the audience laughed.
"I remember walking down the halls of school in the ninth grade scared out of my mind. I wondered what the future held for me, who I was going to be and if I would find the right friends. I overthought so much that time went by so quickly and I never got the chance to even process that I was in high school. Now it's four years later and we're all here after what may have seemed like a long journey, but it was very short. In just the blink of an eye our thoughts have stayed at "who am I going to be?""
Yazmin looked around at the students. Although she hated being at the school, there were many people in the crowd that she built relationships with.
"I feel like a fourteen year old again, wondering what the future is going to look like. I know that we'll all have a great future because of the foundations we've built in this school. Time is of the essence! It'll never wait for us so we have to do what we can each and every day without a care in the world. Your future is determined by you and only you. Congratulations, guys!"
She walked off of the stage and to her seat. Her eyes shifted around the room and locked with her parents, Mama Mei and Curtis. A wide smile lifted on her face when she realized all of them stood on their feet.
Simultaneously, the students grabbed their hats and threw them into the air.
"We're finally out of here."
Yazmin turned around and hugged Penny tightly. They swayed back and forth and laughed as the party streamers fell all over them.
There was a sense of relief that Yazmin felt knowing that she was now out of the hellhole called highschool. She didn't have to continue being around people that didn't align with who she truly is. She didn't have to live a life that her parents forced her to live.
