Paranoid Park (boyxboy)

Graduation of the Lost Ones.

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(Mikey's P.O.V.)

   I wake up with an anxious feeling rolling over me in huge waves. But I smile as I remember what this also means. No more rules, no more curfews, no more meaningless homeworks. I could really do what I wanted when I wanted.

  This is adulthood.

     I decided to carry the blazer with me.

  "Mikey! Time to go!" Mom yells from the living room.

  I look at my room through my mirror. Boxes piled up, my bed frame gone, my mattress against the wall. My walls were blank. I look at myself. I decided to wear the standard suit. I leave the tie loose though. This was the last time I'd be looking at myself in this mirror, in this room, in this time.

   It's surreal.

  "Ready!" I yell back, walking out my room with my cap and gown in hand.

                              ---

      I spot Nick, Andy, and Eli in the sea of people and go rushing towards them. People and their families glare at me as I push them aside. I was just excited to see my friends. My family.

  "Hey, look who finally showed up," Andy yells over the roar of the crowd, eyeing me fondly.

  I'd like to wrap myself around him, but I feel as if that would be too much. So I just punch him in the arm.

  "I'm fashionably late," I laugh.

Andy just shakes his head and leans in to kiss me quickly.

  I sputter in shock, looking around. No one is paying attention though, its just us. When I look at him, he's raising an eyebrow, smirking.

  "No one cares but you, sweetheart," he says lowly.

"I know, its just a lot of people, you know?" I say, not bothering to correct my given name.

  I look around the field at the whole graduating class. Its a shit load of people. I can see the long stage set up in the middle of the field and the plastic chairs set up in infinite rows and rows.

  "Well, this is it, you guys," Nicks smiles widely.

"Yeah, this is it," I sigh, looking over at Andy.

  He's just staring over at Ally as she plays with a couple kids.

                                 ---

  "And my time here was always a pleasure, I never regretted a moment. Of course I'll miss it when I'm fat and going bald."

Linda was giving her speech. Everyone sat in plastic seats in the baking sun. This had to be the worst graduation ever. Andy sat in front of me. Good thing his last name was Bonham and mine was Duncan, we didn't have to sit far away from each other.

  "So, Class of 2014, congrats on getting this far! I hope you all go on to fulfill your dreams!" Linda says cheerily. The crowd erupts in applause and whistles.

  The principle comes to the podium, sweating and looking ready to be over with this.

  "Next to the stage is Mikey Duncan," the principle announces. I'm glad that as I stand up my fellow classmates cheer and roar loudly for me. Andy smiles broadly at me as I pass through my row, I just smile back.

  I jog up to the stage, fake grass crunching under foot, and then to the podium. Its then that I get nervous and I feel like I'm going to throw up. There's a sea of people looking at me and the microphone is making that annoying sound.