Chasing Blue

#45: Graduation.

Present

Isabella

The entire outdoor area was in the shades of red and tints of yellow. Every one of us was cloaked inside the red gowns and the hats. May somehow managed to switch the location of the event from an indoor ballroom to an outdoor green and blue landscape. I glanced at my parents and Grace sitting on the sheltered stands. Austin grabbed my hand more tightly when he sensed me gulping with fear.

I don't know how or what I was going to tell dad. Mia filled me in that Grace knew everything but that still didn't help how I was going to break it to them that I didn't get into Yale. I tried to replay the three songs that Austin sang to me last night. I've been listening to them on a loop through my AirPods. But now that Maya Sen, the head of our student council is climbing up the stage to deliver the last and final speech, the anxiety is settling down on me.

"It'll be fine, calm down, please," Austin whispered in my ear and I glance at him.

"Thanks, I'm all calm now." I sarcastically smile at him.

He frowns at me. "Try to focus on what May's going to say."

"Can you both please be quiet?" Jason peeped from beside Austin with glaring eyes.

"Sorry," Austin and I mutter at the same time.

He clutches my hand more tightly when I clear my throat and give all my attention to May on the podium. She straightens her hat and looks at everyone until her eyes fall on us. She smiles and looks down at her notepad.

"Hello, Frankfurt High. This is Maya Sen, President of the student body, and I wish you all a very warm noon." May begins the speech with her traditional greeting that she does before every announcement she's ever made in the last four years and the entire crowd cheers for her. I'm pretty sure I screamed the loudest. "Yes, this certainly will be the last time you'll be hearing it from me. And no, this doesn't accompany the list of students being summoned to principal Porter's room, so you can all chill." She takes a moment to eye us all chuckling.

"Families, parents, teachers, administrators, the staff, and the endless lineup of detention supervisors," she holds up a hand to side whisper, "which we had nothing to do with, I, on behalf of the entire Frankfurt High Senior Batch wish you all a huge cheer of gratitude, applause, and congratulations because, without the support of you guys, none of us would've graduated." we as an entire crowd cheer in laughter and clap. May smiles and glances at her pad. "In all honesty, the last four years were probably the best experiences of our lives. Be it the theater team putting up the best musical or our sports teams winning three continuous seasons all against satan's team, aka, Stonewell Hawks. Thank you, respective coaches." May sends a salute in their direction.

I glance at my coach with my jaw hanging low. He's trying so hard not to smirk. "Oh, my god, she called them satan's team," I whisper to Austin and he's grinning ear to ear in pride.

He leans into me without looking away from May or stopping the grin. "I suggested that."

She begins by stopping a grin and I'm already grinning wide now. "This would probably be the right time to confess the following: Mr. Lowell, you should really work on your invigilating skills." I burst out laughing without glancing at him. "Please warn the rest of the school that the janitor's closet still has Liam's cameras. The storeroom at the farthest end of the football field is really haunted and we had nothing to do with it. The theater auditorium is built on a graveyard, so the piano sounds will always be a mystery. The street dog that visits the campus every now and then is 24 years old. All our lockers are superglued shut so teachers, administrators, and staff, please call help for opening them. The pool is reeking of salt and foam, we're sorry it was a part of the senior prank and there's a white tent with fairy lights on the terrace of the school building, which Mr. Porter, I have no idea who is responsible for it."