The Birdcage Effect

Chapter 29

Walking into school on the last Monday morning of the term, I kept replaying my fathers words in my mind. All I had to do was make it through this final week at school and then I would not only be on my way studying at university but I would never have to make contact with these people again. It was rather upsetting that my time and experiences at high school had to finish on such a low, but I figured that sometimes life threw things at us that sought to challenge us as humans. It was also an opportunity for me to test my perseverance, to see how far I was willing to go and learn from everything that life had recently hit me with. With these thoughts in mind, I made my way towards the English building.

~

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around I was feeling rather anxious about having to attend the end of year dinner celebration. I really didn't want to have to dress up and spend the next several hours in the company of people who made my final weeks at high school a living nightmare, but alas it seemed I didn't have much of a choice. Unfortunately, the school considered the special event to be mandatory if students wanted to receive their reports and so with that point in mind I decided to slip on the black dress that my mother bought for me. I had just finished zipping it up when my mother walked into my bedroom.

"Almost finished?" She questioned while taking a seat on my bed.

"Just about." I replied as I reached for the earrings sitting on top of my dressing table.

"It really is a stunning dress." Commented my mother after a moment of silence.

I don't bother verbally acknowledging my mothers remark, instead I choose to only send her a small smile.

"Are you nervous about tonight?" She asks me after another silent moment has passed.

"Yes." I quietly tell her.

"Atlanta, you have nothing to worry about...Well, so long as your grades are up to scratch that is." She warns.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes whilst in my mothers presence and so quickly finish up my makeup by retouching my lips with some red lipstick.

"I'm ready to leave now." I inform her while reaching for my purse.

My mother remains quiet as she walks out of my bedroom. I follow her as we both make up way into the garage. Unlike most people who are attending this celebratory evening in style with their friends in what is probably a luxurious and pimped out car, I simply asked my mother to drop me off at the venue. Although I was not looking forward to driving with her for the next hour, I knew it would at least be better than hitching a ride with people from my grade. All I knew was that I couldn't wait for this night to be over with.

~

"Good evening and welcome students. It's wonderful to see so many of you here tonight, in celebration of your graduation and high school success. Now for many of you, university or further education is on the horizon, while for others this will perhaps be your last time in spending it together with your peers and in acknowledging your academic achievements. So please may I now ask everyone here to applaud those students to begin with." Speaks Mr Collins.

I'm currently applauding those students, while seated on a table with Madelyn and a few of her friends. After spotting me standing awkwardly alone in the crowd she invited me to come and sit with her. More than a little surprised by her generosity, I smiled in appreciation and took her up on her offer. Apart from having a nice enough group of people to sit and enjoy the rest of the night with, the icing on the cake was seeing Mary's expression in passing. She too was clearly astonished by the fact that I managed to befriend someone so quickly. Of course, over the course of the year Madelyn and I developed a mutual understanding and friendship with our shared interest in debating but it still did equate that we would therefore be spending company with one another outside of the extra curriculum activity. Whatever the reason was for Madelyn's gracious offer, I couldn't say no. After all, she had never given me a reason not to trust her before.