Walk the Line

6 - The Time He Comes to Her Graduation Party and Gets Her a Little Drunk

6 – The Time He Comes to Her Graduation Party and Gets Her a Little Drunk

"ELLIE BELLIE!" I heard a group of people yell through the crowd. I ran up towards them, and I was enveloped in the largest group hug. If there was a day to love my huge family, today was it.

Five minutes ago, I'd accepted my diploma and tossed my white mortarboard hat in the air. I'd graduated high school with the same seventy-six students I'd gone to kindergarten with and the whole town had crammed themselves in the gymnasium of Franklin High School.

"You made it!" Kyle and Ford picked me up and sat me on their shoulders. I tried not to scream. Mom took pictures of the family in different groups to commemorate the occasion.

"We better head back to the house, I've got to finish cooking for the party," my mother said. In Franklin, it was tradition for high school graduates to have graduation parties where friends and families would come over and have some food and give graduation gifts. Mine was in a few hours.

"Your heels are mighty tall, princess, I don't see how you walk in those," Ford winked.

"It's not that hard," I shrugged.

"You're still shorter than me," he commented.

"If I wanted to be taller than you I'd have to wear twelve inch heels," I laughed, "I couldn't walk in those."

"Come on, princess, I've got the Corvette today, I'll drive you home," Ford said. Ford's metallic black Chevrolet Corvette was infamous. He'd bought it at junk yard when he was sixteen and he'd worked with Kyle and his father to put it back together and fix it up new. It was a beauty of a car, and he only drove it on special occasions. I just didn't realize my high school graduation constituted for a special occasion.

Ford opened up the passenger door of his precious car and I hopped in. He went around to the driver's side and got in, starting the car. It roared to live and he sped out of the high school parking lot.

I watched my hometown pass as he drove me the familiar route back to my home. Soon I'd be leaving all this behind. I'd be packing up and going to Northwestern University to start my career as a journalist. I was scared shitless.

I couldn't show it though, because everyone at school was excited to leave Franklin for a little while and leave high school behind. My family was even excited for me, and I was so glad, but I just didn't know what to do with myself. Everything would be new. I wasn't used to new. I was used to hand-me-downs from my sister and sharing everything I had with Allison.

"That was a good speech you gave. I didn't know you had it in you," Ford commented.

"I didn't talk too fast, did I? I was so nervous! I had like cotton mouth times ten and--," I started.

"You did fine, Elle."

He pulled in my driveway, and I got out. I took off my robe and hat and hung them up in the tent in our backyard. There were two tables of pictures and keepsakes from throughout my life. Pictures of me graduating preschool and the art project I won the middle school art show with. Pictures of me in my awkward middle school and early high school years. It was all on the table in the tent Mom and dad had rented along with tables and chairs to seat the guests coming to my graduation party.

"Relax, Eleanor," Kyle squeezed my shoulders, "It'll go fast."

That's kind of what I was afraid of.