Phoenix ✔️

Chapter 1: Flourish

From a young age, I had always been given the nickname of "Phoenix." Why? Because, since the beginning of time, people had always noticed one thing. Whenever I had been brought down, I could always build myself back up again.

A phoenix, whenever it died, always regenerated itself from the ashes. My friends and my loved ones always said that whenever I had died on the inside, I could always regenerate myself from the ashes I had been burnt down to. It's a nickname that always stuck with me, and it probably will until the day I die.

No matter how many times I had been burnt down by those around me, it wasn't enough to destroy my wings. It wasn't enough to stop me from letting the wind flow through my wings, as I flew through the many obstacles to get where I was today. The wings of courage that I had grown myself helped me fly throughout this long, strenuous journey.

It was one that could've easily caused any phoenix like me to fall to the ground, defeated. I flew through storms of my mother's harsh words, strong winds of my peers' torments, and the lightning of lacking self confidence that attempted to drag me down.  But, here I was, at a place where I could grow even more as a person.

Glory and triumph was flowing throughout my body, as people were handed their diplomas. Through all the screaming, air horns, and loud music playing as we walked across the football field, all I could hear is my siblings' encouragement for me throughout this excruciating journey.

I never imagined that I'd be sitting there, in my cap and gown, hearing my teachers deliver their speeches about how much we've accomplished in our four years. But hearing my history teacher call out, "Nicole Wilson," when reading out the graduating class was the cherry on the ice cream sundae.

Frolicking up there, shaking his hand, and the feel of the diploma resting idly in my hands felt like bliss. The sound of my peers' applause balanced out the complicated mixture of emotions I was feeling at that moment.

My vision was blurred with the tears dampening my eyes, and the speeches from our superintendent seemed insignificant considering the accomplishments that I had done in order to get to my graduation.  Everything in that moment was perfect.

Amongst all of us, we all had a mutual thirst that was waiting to be quenched. We all had waited so long to let the feeling of sweet triumph overcome us, and our principal wanted us to have the same kind of patience when it came to the long awaited news. After the last diploma had been gifted to the deserving student, our principal announced, "I'm proud to say that this class has officially graduated."

As soon as he announced that, the harmonious sound of applause was replaced with the expected sound of accomplished cheers. My first instinct was to yank the cap off of my head and toss it up in the air. Soon enough, the hot, cloudless weather was replaced by the occasion of raining graduation caps.

Without another warning, my peers' families ran down from the bleachers to congratulate their children and friends. Immediately, my head craned to try and find my family, who was probably scrambling across the entire field in an attempt to find me. Surely enough, I saw two familiar figures bolting towards me, with piles of presents stocked up in their arms.

Without uttering a single word, my sister, Elena, just threw her arms around me and squeezed me like a tube of toothpaste. "YOU FINALLY DID IT, NICOLE! OH MY GOSH, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!" she squealed, as she continued to attempt to crush my ribs and possibly flatten my lungs in the process.

Her hand stroked my blonde locks, while Dominic's, my brother, hand clamped down onto her shoulder. Her breath, heavier than the burdens that had been placed on my shoulders throughout high school, repeatedly hitched as she stroked my back gently, unlike the crushing force of the hug.