resplendent *gawsten* ✓

Chapter Seventeen

2.14.18
edit 8.25.20
i put my own graduation speech into this sksks 

awsten p.o.v.

i wasn't surprised when i learned that otto wood was the valedictorian of our class of 2010. i was, however, surprised when he got nervous about the speech he had to perorate.

"you'll do great, dude." geoff assured him. he draped his arms across our shoulders. "this is nothing compared to what we've been through in the past five months."

otto sighed. "you're right, you're right."

i smoothed down my skirt. it wasn't a miniskirt like what i admired. nonetheless, it was still a skirt. it was a black chiffon, knee-length skirt that i paired with a white button up. despite geoff and otto trying to get me to wear dress shoes, i still wore my black creepers. they were going to be hidden underneath the graduation gown anyway.

"sp-speech?" i asked otto as we walked backstage to grab our gowns. otto responded by holding up a paper or two. the principal came over to us and told us to sit in our spots on the stage. even though my last name started with a 'k,' he let us all sit together, for my anxiety's sake. it occurred to me a while ago that geoff and otto would always be next to each other in lines if the lines involved alphabetical order.

i held geoff's hand as we walked on stage. the ceremony was going to start any moment now. we made our way to our chairs and sat down. the principal walked out behind all of the seniors and walked up to the podium. he had a student named patty lead us through the pledge and national anthem, then we waited until the principal was done with his introduction and called for otto's name. i gave otto's knee an encouraging pat before he stood and walked over to the podium. he cleared his throat and shifted his papers before he spoke.

"we've all struggled; some of us more than others, but all the same, we've struggled." he started. "some of our struggles were academic; other struggles were mental and-or emotional. sometimes we felt as if we weren't goin' to make it. but we did.

"y'all-we made it." he told our classmates. we cheered for a few seconds before we quieted down for him to continue his speech. "through thick and thin, and through highs and lows, we made it through four years.

"thankin' everyone, from each other, to our family, and our school staff would be the least we could do. we could just thank the people that we have learned to know and care about, and who have made us the people that we are, just because we appreciate the time that they put into us, so of course we would want to thank them.

"but who said that we don't want to do more? who said that we couldn't do more to show them that yeah, we're going to prove that this is what we wanted and it's all because they believed in us.

"we aspire and desire, and are ardent about a few couple things. we are resilient; we are resplendent; we are ad infinitum-that might be in the wrong context but besides that-" he paused to laugh with many of us. "-we are more than enough.

"we doubted ourselves when all seemed to be useless or not worth our time. the promise of college kept us on our toes and kept us in hopes though. we all want to be somebody, and somebody great too. recognition is something that we strive for with determination. we often never realize that we don't need to be obliged to be greater than any doubts put in you.

"it's insane how much we have done to get where we are today, and we'll continue to amaze ourselves over the rest of our lives.

"it doesn't matter if we might have been high-school-has-beens, or the outcasts in the school. we're all going further that all that, no matter who we used to be, or who we still might be. we've grown as people - some of us more than others, what with being probably over six feet tall and all-" i giggled because i knew he was teasing me in particular about my height. "-and we've all improved in all ways imaginable.

"we understand that, yes-it is hard to be okay with that. it's difficult for us to slow down every once in a while and say to ourselves, 'hey, i've made it to this point, and i'm okay with that. i don't have to push myself until i can't go any further.' often times, we don't give ourselves the necessary break that we deserve.

"i've learned the incredibly hard way that some of us shut ourselves in and hide away, but that's not what we should do. it's not necessary for us to be purely focused on being the very best. take time for yourself and i promise you, you'll get more done than if you were unkind to your comfort zones.

"don't be afraid to be out there, though. do what you know deep down what you're capable of. don't diss yourself, and don't second guess yourself - but don't push yourself until you hurt yourself, either. know that you've made it this far, know that you will make it much, much further. know that you are enough, and that all it takes is you."