Temptation

Chapter 84

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~~~~~

Today was the day we all had been waiting for. I was nervous. I couldn't directly pinpoint why my heart was pounding so loud. Was it because I was sitting on stage, facing hundreds of my classmates? Oh God, there were many celebrities here. Trinity offered four invitation tickets per graduate, and I didn't think so many people would come. I was so dumb, of course, that many people would come. It was Trinity Fox after all.

I looked for comfort among the graduates. Eventually, I found Xavier; he was sitting in the second column, middle rows. Agea was further than three rows back. They sat them in alphabetical order of their last name. We smiled at each other, and I could see he was a little sad. Unlike Agea and Julian, who invited their whole family, he had no one to invite. I heard he gave away his tickets. He even gave Julian an extra one, because this motherfucker wanted to invite his nanny. Today was his precious day, yet he was alone.

You heard that right. His long-term nanny.

I invited Frenchie, Maddie, and Chris, which made me a thousand times more nervous. I rushed my makeup this morning, and I completely forgot about my speech. I just hope I looked a little decent, because there were so many eyes on us and cameras. They filled the back of the rooms with photographers and paparazzi. Our graduation would be live on TV and YouTube.

Julian reached for my hand and squeezed it.

"Nervous?" He smirked.

"Nervous? I'm going to shit myself. I had a debate class, but this is worse. Do I at least look decent?" I am stressed.

"You look absolutely gorgeous. You have nothing to worry about."

We still had a few minutes before the graduation started. They were making sure everyone was in their seats. The last four rows were still empty. Our gowns were black, with the trim embedded with small red and green flowers. Those flowers also decorate our caps. We could customize our gown and caps as long as the original design was intact.

"This is my first big speech." I simmered in my chair, making a rattling noise.

"You'll be fine. After all, this will not be your last, you know? You're supposed to be a CEO in a few years." He smiled with malice.

"That did not help!"

The Trinity Fox anthem played, and my heart sank. Oh shit, this was happening. Oh my God, they were starting. Thank God, I took a shit before this ceremony. We couldn't keep holding hands because of the distance between us. I took a few deep breaths and repeat the lines Agea told me this morning.

"I don't have to be nervous about anything. This is my stage. This is my speech. I am the one sitting up there. This is my moment. Nothing can happen to me."

I thought to myself again and again.

The ceremony started. The first principal took the mic and began with the speech. After minutes of talking about the school's history. It quickly replaced my nervous stress with boredom. The second principal replaced him on the mic, and it went on again for a while. I was very close to falling asleep at this stage.

It was time for Julian's speech. The applause and Leonel standing up from the crowd to scream his son's name woke me up quickly from my boredom trance. It warmed my heart to see how excited he was for his son. I wished mine were here to see my accomplishments. But I knew he was watching from heaven.

The applause stopped, and the crowd silenced so he could speak.

"Thank you. I have so much to say, but I don't think I know where to begin with. Today, we reunite as one to celebrate our academic accomplishments. I won't lie to you. This year was hard for some of us. We had our losses, we were hurt, and in pain, but mostly we conquered those trials, and we struggled our way to the top. I... it's a privilege for me to be standing before you on this stage. You didn't see me for an entire year, but I came back to you. You saw me in the halls. Most of the time, I put on a mask to hide my feelings, my pain, and my cry. Because that's what I believed made me superior, made a man before you. But I was wrong. Four years together and a lot of you don't know me. I tutored, talked, joked, and befriended some of you, and today, we will part ways. You will never know who I am truly. You won't know that I love philosophy. I am a Bad Bunny fan. I love to cook and read. You'll just know me as Julian De Elvero, the second son and successor of De Elveros and, my biggest regret leaving here is never opening up more. Maybe there are a lot of things I wouldn't have missed or I would have caught way earlier."