The Grad Night Party Killer

Graduation

When I was younger, I was more outgoing... more sociable than I am now. I always we to my brother's football games, but I never paid attention. I a played hide and seek with my friends in a dark concession stand. We gave the seeker a flashlight so it was a little more fair. My best friend at the time, I called "T".

We hid together under a table with a long table cover. "Michael will never find us under here," I tell T.

"He better not. I'm tired of being the seeker."

I back up a little and exclaim. "Ow!"

"What happened," T asks. He pulled out a flashlight and turned it on. He aimed it at my leg and see that it's red(not from blood though). He then aims the light on the floor. The light is focused on a brown, rusty, metal tile.

"What do you think it is," I ask T.

"It could be a hatch to another world," T replies.

"You really think so?"

"Why not? That closet thing in that one book led to Narnia. So could this."

"Well, let's find out," I say. T and I grab both sides, but we are interrupted in the process of lifting the tile.

"Found you," T and I are scared by Michael.

"How did you find us," T asks.

"How could I not? That light is so bright. It would be impossible to miss."

"Alright," T and I say in unison as we crawled out from under the table.

T waited until Michael was far enough to whisper something to me. "One day, we will find out what's on the other side of that tile."

"You bet we will," I say and we shake hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~13 years later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight, all of my classmates are sitting where would eventually be after thirteen years. We have lost some of our classmates over the years and gained a few. I'd rather have the ones that were here when I started school here. Speaking of here, I have attended Lakewood School all my life. I thought it would take forever to get here, but I'm here now. The others that are on the stage with me are Caleb Calhoun, Caitlyn Grady, Harvey Gregson (me), Chris Halton, Marcus Jackland, Kasey Kameran, Frank Lambert, Michael Lathrop, Garret Mattson, Courtney Naomi, Kate Newbold, Terry Nicholson, Rachael Osborn, Manny Proctor, Derek Raymond, Bridgett Spring, Bryan Stent, Bianca Teanne, Trevor Thatcher, and Amelia Wonka. Yeah, there are a lot of us. The only one that is not on stage is Liam Reynolds. He isn't here because he was accepted early by a college. He didn't have great grades, but he is good at being a redneck. I don't know at you can go to college to be a redneck. The Superintendent, Mrs. Burn, is speaking about how our class has been the most well behaved class our school has ever had.

My friend Michael Lathrop speaks after Mrs. Burn steps down. He is the Valedictorian of our class. He says that his parents misses highschool and that it was the best thing that had ever happened to them. "I feel the same way," Michael says. "My classmates are to me like another family. We have had our good and bad times. And it's the bad times that makes a family fall apart. And although we are going our separate ways, we're not splitting up. Our graduation is a good thing, and we'll never drive apart."

Michael steps down and everyone in the audience claps. Most of the audience is crying. I am included, which is weird because I only cry when I'm sad, and I'm not sad. Michael's speech was really moving.

Mrs. Burn walks up to the podium and introduces another student. Courtney Naomi rises from her seat and walks to the podium. I didn't really pay attention to her speech. She also take about the good and bad memories, but she doesn't compare our relationship like a family. Instead, she was going down the list of personal lesson she has learned from all of us. "Michael taught me to never not do my best... Kasey has taught me to try and be friends with everyone, and if you can't just tolerate them for as long as you can... Harvey has taught me..."

How has she learned anything from me? What did I teach her? The last time I have ever had a conversation with Courtney was in elementary, and I don't remember what we talked about.

"...has taught me to never stay silent."

I am always quiet. Is she saying that she learned from my mistake.

"Thank you," she says as she walks down. The audience claps, but there are not as many shed tears.

Yes. Thank you.

A few more people speak, we received our diploma, and finally our class song begins. Our entire class walks off of the stage and down the aisle. My Mom is in the audience taking pictures, and I try to ignore her. The other graduates walk around the entire audience and back on the stage. We all stand in front of chairs and all move to the other side of our caps. The end of the song is coming and we all grab our caps. On the count of three. We all throw our caps in the air and they fly behind us on the stage.

We all hug each other on stage as the audience cheers and claps. The rest of the lights flash on and we stand in front of the stage. Mostly everyone in the audience has shaken all of our hands. The last ones that shook my hands were my Mom and my smaller sister, Veronica.

"I'm so proud of you," Mom says as she hugs me.

"Aw, Mom." I push her back after a few seconds.

"I just can't believe that my boy is all grown up. You in your graduation gown and cap." She stares at me and sighs. "You have finally become a man."

"Actually in a few months I'll be considered a man," I inform. I'm only seventeen.

After several photos taken by myself, with my Mom and sister, and my fellow graduates, we drive home. It is only 8:00 pm. I should get ready for Grad Night. I think that it will be fun, but I can't imagine the danger that I will be in.