The Tale of Your Ordinary Girl

Chapter 27- Luciana

"Luciana dear, come on, let's go." My mother calls up to me. "We've got a drive to get to the school in time."

I fix my dress one more time before reaching for my earrings and necklace. I quickly put them on and head down to the door. I grab my cap and gown. Heading outside to my waiting parents. I slip into the back seat and fiddle with my graduation gown which lays in my lap with my hat and cord. "Are you excited sweetie?" My father asks me smiling in the rear view mirror at me.

"Nervous, but, yes. I feel a bit of excitement."

"You'll be brilliant sweetheart." He tells me stopping at the school. Ashton was already standing with the pool of seniors waiting to go inside. His hands stuffed in his pockets. "Good luck darling. We're rooting for you." I kiss both parents on the cheek before getting out of the car. I smile to myself before launching myself onto Ashton's back.

"Hi." I greet him excitedly my arms wrapping around his neck so I don't fall off. He grabs my legs so I don't fall off.

"Hi yourself." He greets walking into the football stadium. He begins to walk in the stadium where graduation ceremony takes place. I was excited when they asked me to be the valedictorian. Ashton will be giving a speech too. We're both honors society, so we've both got our honors cords. I was lucky to receive many full ride scholarships to big ivy league schools including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and a few other schools. Ashton received sports scholarships to Duke, Dartmouth, Columbia, Princeton, and some other out of state schools. I'm thinking pre-law. He's focusing on high school athletic director. He never told me he played sports. But one day, he invites me to watch a few and he's spectacular. He plans to play through college to keep his scholarship, but he promises that he'll be focused on the high school athletic director position after college. I hop off his back once we're in line to step onto the stage.

"Will you put my cord and cap on for me?" I ask Ashton standing in front of me my gown over my favorite dress from NYC I found it at a vintage dress shop during spring break with our parents. I wore it as prom queen. And  to a wedding this past month. I hold out out the white cap and my honor cord.

"Only if you do it for me as well." He agrees. I nod my agreement with a smile. He gently takes the cord from my hand everything seems to fade away leaving just us two in our own little world. He puts it around my neck and makes sure it's perfect. "And I need some help with my tie."

"Of course." I answer with a smile taking the tie and tying it with ease thanks to my father letting me tie his ties before church when I was little. I have him put on his gown before taking his honors cord on for him. My hand rest on the cords after I align them. I press a soft kiss to his cheek before the rest of the seniors head to find their seats. I quickly fix his hat on his head and let him do the same for me.

"I love you." We both tell each other as pomp circumstance plays. We make our way to the stage where we'll be to make our speeches. The principal makes her speech before introducing Ashton to speak. He speaks of kids, and my cheeks heat up as I avert my eyes to the stage floor, but I can't help but smile.

The names are called. Ashton was one of the first names called. Then there was me, toward the end. Finally, after waiting anxiously for my turn. It's time for my speech.

"Graduating class of 2015, let me congratulate you for making it this far. We are a class of many talents and gifts. Your athletes who bring strength, bravery, cunning skills, and agility to the school. Your scholars who bring the gifts of outside the box thinking, novelties, logic, and new ideas. Your artists, dancers, thespians, and musicians who bring the gift of serenity, peace, and tranquility through their art. If you look at the graduating class there is no one way to classify us. We are all unique. If you were to look at one of us and decide,'This is who this years graduating class will be identified.' Then you cut out so many people who aren't like that one person. In this graduating class has 100 blonds, 100 brunets, 50 redheads, and 50 people who's hair color is uniquely their own. You have 200 athletes, 100 thespians. 90 painters, sculptures, and designers. 60 people that speak English as their second language. 100 scholarships recipients. 45 computer geniuses. So if you try to class us all together as one unique group, you cut out so many of our defining traits. We're all going different directions. Our scholars will be going to school. Our military recruits will be joining the armed service. They'll be the ones fighting for your freedom one day. The people that aren't going to college, are going right to work, with internships, and job opportunities that the rest will be looking for later. After college. High school is different for each of us. For me it was about getting the right grades so I could get into the right school. Friendships I forged were about making connections with people who had goals like mine. I learned so many things from this school, that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else. Not just in class, but watching the students interacting after class. Between classes. During lunch. How some students would stand up for others, or how they'd walk by and pretend not to notice. So fellow graduates, I want to wish you luck as you continue on your journey. Remember, you aren't defined by those around you, you are defined by what is uniquely yours."

I finish my speech and sit back down as the principal continues the ceremony.

"Ashton you were brilliant!" I praise him after the ceremony. I throw myself into his arms. My hat falling off my head and my hair coming down.

"I loved your speech too." He tells me twirling me around a few times. We agree on going to a small Asian restaurant on the edge of town for post graduation dinner. We're walking and meeting our parents there. He laces our fingers together and we begin walking. Ashton carries both hangers with our caps, gowns, and cords on them. I send him a smile as we walk on.

"I leave for school next month." I tell him. "I got the summer internship."

He pulls me off course. Not saying anything about my internship. Of course, being me I ask a couple dozen questions. I bet he doesn't remember my internship. It doesn't really matter. We'll be on the same campus by fall. He walks nervously.

"I have to ask you something," He announces. I give him a nod to continue. "How serious do you feel we'll be in the future?"

I don't say anything for a while, I give him a smile and spontaneously kiss him, putting in every ounce of love I feel for him. "I hope," I begin, "That we'll be together forever."

"You know I love you with all my heart. So I'm going to ask you. Will you promise, that when we're older. After college. After we're settled with jobs. And when we're both ready to do it. That you'll do me the honor of becoming my wife? That we'll start our family together." I didn't see that one coming.

"I promise." I tell him. "I love you. I don't want to be with anyone else." He pulls out a small box and opens it. My eyes are watery. Please Luciana, don't cry. Not now. Inside the box is a simple solid silver ring with an infinity sign embedded with diamonds. He puts it on my left ring finger before kissing me gently. We both smile as we pull back. "We need to head to dinner. Before our parents send out a search party."

I kiss his cheek before sending him a devious smile and taking off running toward the restaurant. I hear him behind me. I make it to the restaurant and open the door to the restaurant when he catches up and wraps his arms around my waist. "Caught ya." He whispers to me as we join our parents. I sit on his left keeping my left hand under the table.

"Did you guys get lost?" My dad asks

"No daddy, we just stopped by the bookstore a few minutes." I answer him, the ring catching the light and sparking for a moment under the table.

Conversation flows smoothly and we both sit content with how things are going. High school is over, and now our story is starting a new chapter together. Amazing things are still to come, I can tell.