Like Father Like Son

Graduation

This was it. My grades have shown up and now I was about to find out if I was going to graduate, or stay another year. I stood anxiously in the kitchen as dad brought in the mail.
"Waiting for this?" He asked as he lifted up an envelope with my name on it. I snatched it from his hand quickly and ripped it open. My hands shaked as I pulled the paper out and examined it.

My smile faded away as I read each grade.
"Well?" Dad asked.
"I failed German" I said sadly. "But I passed everything else" I started to smile again as I looked up at dad. He had a huge grin on his face.
"Proud of you son" he said as he pulled me into a hug.
"The others will be there, right?" I asked as I pulled away.
"Of course, they wouldn't miss it" he said, still smiling. Everything was feeling great again.

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Well, today was it. Dad helped me fix my tie as we got ready for my big day. I hated getting all dressed up.
"Excited?" Dad asked.
"More nervous than anything" I mumbled. Dad chuckled as he took a step back.
"You'll be fine. You look great by the way" he said. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my cap and gown. My cap was decorated to have lyrics from "second chance" on it with the birds from the sound of madness cover art on it.
"Let's just get this over with" I said as I slipped the gown over my suit. Dad and I left the house together, ready for my big walk across stage.

We got to the arena my graduation was being held at I watched nervously as students all hung out around the outside of the building. I really didn't want to run into Daisy or the boys.
"Go join the others, I'll find a seat for me the and boys" dad said. I nodded and stepped out of the car. We parted ways as I went to the door students used to enter.

A teacher checked me before I was allowed to enter. I guess students couldn't bring anything with them, not even their phones. I nervous held my cap in my hands as I lined up with other students. Different teachers walked around the halls, congratulating us. I smiled when I saw Mr. Dost approach me.
"Congratulations Parker. Are you excited?" He asked.
"Yes, a little nervous too" I said. He smiled and looked at my cap.
"I love the decoration. What does it say?" He asked. I turned the cap so it faced him more.
"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance. It's a lyric from one of my dad's songs" I explained.
"Looks great" he said before walking off to talk to others.

It didn't feel long until we were told to go take our seats. I placed my cap on my head and started to follow the line out. Music started playing as we walked into the crowded arena, but I was too nervous to hear what they were playing. I looked around the crowd, feeling worse with how many people were here. It did make me feel a little better to see dad, Eric, Barry, and Zach in the crowd cheering as we walked. I found my seat and sat down, nervously waiting for what's next.

A couple of speeches were done before we were to walk the stage, but I was too nervous to hear any of it. I kept glancing over at dad, who kept giving me a thumbs up. We were finally called up in groups to walk. Since my last name started with S, I was one of the later groups. I watched students walk across stage in confidence, grabbing their diploma and shaking everyone's hand before walking back to their seat.

"Parker Smith" my heart pounded as I heard my name get called next. I walked into the stage and moved quickly towards the adults. They handed me my diploma and I nervously shook some hands before rushing back to my seat. The moment felt so quick and I heard nothing. A I sat back and took some deep breaths, the room felt loud again.

I couldn't wait to get out of there. Once the ceremony wrapped up we all walked out in a straight line. We passed by all the teachers, who all clapped for us. I was starting to feel faint. As soon as we got outside, I rushed to dad's car. I just hope they knew to look for me here.

"Parker?" I heard dad's voice as I leaned against the car. I clutched my diploma close and took a deep breath.
"Yeah dad?" I called out. The four appeared looking worried.
"You okay bud?" Dad asked.
"Yeah, you look like you wanted to faint on stage" Zach said.
"I'm fine. That was just a lot I guess" I mumbled.
"Well it's over now. And we're all proud" Eric said, putting an arm around me.
"We got you this" Barry said as he handed me a white teddy bear. It wore a black cap and sash that says "congrats grad".
"Thanks, all of you. I really appreciate the support" I said. They all pulled me in for a quick group hug.
"Dad? Can we go home now?" I asked. "I want to change into more comfy clothes" the others laughed.
"Yeah bud, let's go" he said. I said goodbye to the others and thanked them again before getting into the car with dad.

"So I guess I can never perform on a stage, can I?" I mumbled during the drive home.
"It's okay to be nervous Parker. If you really want to be a performer, you'll learn and grow, and get used to it" dad said.
"I don't know that I want to be a performer. I think I like working behind the scenes on music" I said. I glanced over at dad nervously but saw him smile.
"That's fine room. Do what you love son" he said. I smiled and finally started to relax.

Once we got home I rushed into the house and into my room. I quickly changed into a comfy tshirt and shorts, placing a baseball cap to replace my graduation cap on my head. I placed my cap on my dresser next to some pictures and hung my gown in my closet.

I went downstairs and joined dad outside in the backyard.
"I want to have a graduation party this weekend for you, want to invite Daisy?" Dad asked. I sighed as I took a seat on one of our chairs.
"No, Daisy and I aren't friends anymore" I mumbled. Dad took a seat next to me and gave me a sad look.
"Sorry bud, not a good way to end school huh" he said. I nodded and looked over at him.
"I'll be fine. This is a new beginning for me" I said. Dad smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"That's my boy" he said. We sat outside together for a while, planning for the party and my future