The Outcast

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Earth to Nirvana

Graduation Day

Nirvana Evans

I had been waiting for this day for over twelve years and now that it was finally here I didn't even know how to feel about it. I guess my emotions could be summed up in a simple word: happiness. It was pure and blissful happiness which I hadn't felt in a while. It was graduation day, River was standing next to me along with all my other classmates, we were standing outside in caps and gowns and I was sweating like a fat pig on a hot summer day.

It was one of those rare occasions where my mother had convinced me to wear some make-up and a nice turquois dress under my black gown. Why they had chosen such a heat retaining color was beyond me.

As expected, some nerdy kid I'd never talked to won the Valedictorian award and Will Foster won the Salutatorian. Since it was tradition, Will was told to give the famous speech. We all sat down as he took the stage and waited for him to begin.

"Four years ago we embarked on our adventure to survive High school. We had our special moments, our awkward ones, we got labeled with stereotypes, made enemies, made friends that we'll remember forever, ate crappy cafeteria food and studied the night before a test. But today our days as high scholars comes to an end and a new journey begins. We are adults now with new responsibilities, expectations to fill, experience to gain and mistakes to make. We'll grow up, get jobs and live our lives but we'll never forget our epic days of high school. Our days at Jackson High have come to a finality but this doesn't mean we'll stop being students. Life is a school in itself, time is our teacher and we never stop learning. So I encourage you to never stop learning, don't limit yourself, never give up and never stop growing.

Try to be the change that you want to see in the world. Don't wait for others to take the first step just go for it. Listen to your instincts, follow your heart and always forgive because by hating and being vengeful you are only harming yourself. Forgive but never forget. Don't be afraid to love even if you get your heart broken because love is the most beautiful thing in this world. And finally I just want to say that I hope each and every one of you guys has a happy life and a successful future. Thank you Class of 2014!!" he shouted at the end and every single person stood up from the chairs and applauded. Some of the jocks wolf whistled and girls cheered. I smiled up at Will and watched him descend form the stage.

After everyone was done receiving metals, the principal gave a speech and the ceremony was over.

Most of the students were going to fancy restaurants with their family to celebrate their big day and some of the popular kids were having parties. But I had other plans. Unlike everyone else, I was anxious to get home and start packing. Instead of heading off to college like everyone else was doing, River and I had other plans. We had signed up for a volunteer program to work with endangered animals and species in Costa Rica for the duration of two months. We were more than excited. My parents were a bit worried but they had felt better when they found out that River would be accompanying me as well. They could tell he would protect me if anything happened.

Will, on the other hand, was going off to Duke University (his dream school) with a sports scholarship. We promised each other that we would continue our friendship even if we were miles apart and that was enough for me. We also had Facebook and skype to keep in touch. He made me swear I would check in with him every once in a while just to make sure that I hadn't been eaten by some wild bear in Costa Rica (even though there are none where we're going) and I could do nothing but laugh.

My friendship with Hazel was over though. There was nothing to be done about that. No way to repair the damage she had caused between us. She could blame Tara all she wanted but that didn't excuse her behavior. She had changed over the course of the year and she wasn't the same girl I once knew.