Hype

~Chapter 25~

             I shook like a ball of nerves in my spot on line.  This is it.  After a crazy year, I had somehow made it to June thirteenth: graduation day.  I was having a hard time comprehending what was going on.  It seemed so surreal to me− maybe it was because I imagined graduating with my Mercy friends for all these years.  They finished their high school career last week, without me.  I was thinking about going to their graduation, but it seemed too awkward.  I never want to see Reverend Dave again.  At least had lightened up between my Mercy friends and I.  I was talking to all of them again for a few weeks now, which was nice change.  No more tension.  We went to the movies a few times.  Fran got back to normal over time and started talking to me again.  The day of the senior prank when I went home all elated, she finally told me: “You look pretty happy there.”  Things have been going fine ever since.    

           As for Hope and Mai, Hope didn’t get in any trouble for the senior prank, like I was praying for.  The last thing I needed was for practically one of my only friends to get expelled.  Everything had just been focused on graduation for the past few weeks.  We’ve all been counting down the days, and it just felt so good to know that our countdown was at zero.  I’m done with high school−done.  This horrible mess was finally going to come to an end.  The line moved up again.  Basically, they were calling the names of all five-hundred of us seniors, and we were supposed to walk across the stage and get our diploma. 

           Now, you may be wondering: “How could I have possibly gotten a cap and gown on such short notice?”  That was a simple solution.  We called the school about it and they said that they had leftovers, spares and such.  Everything worked out, just like the Bible says it does.  The line moved again.  I was only a few steps away from entering the dark area behind the stage curtains.  The line of us flowed from the stage and down two hallways.  There were so many people behind me.  I was lucky that Freeman was more towards the beginning of the alphabet.  I heard another name and got a glimpse of Mai walking across the stage to get her diploma.  She was about six or seven people ahead of me. 

           My heart started to race.  Well, it was already racing, but now it was going even faster.  More names.  Five people before me.  I tried to take my mind off of everything for a second.  I thought back to that morning.  I got up, and you will not believe what was in my room.  There, in my doorway, was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen: the absolute, most perfect, awesome present I’ve ever gotten, and most likely will get, in my entire life.  Can you guess it?  It was the giraffe.  The giant, five foot tall one that I had been wanting for months to buy.  I literally just flipped out, running over to it and screaming.  That caused everyone else to run up to my room.  For graduation, some people get a laptop for college or a new car, but no−I got something way better.  What more could you want than a giant stuffed giraffe?   

           Three people.  I looked out at the woman on the stage who was handing people their diplomas.  I had no idea who she was.  Hey, it’s a big school.  There are probably at least a thousand people in the faculty.  Two people in front of me.  I wiped my sweaty palms on my dark blue gown.  One person in front of me.  I moved up.  Nobody in front of me.  I’m next…I’m next.  And then I heard it. 

            “Freya Freeman…” 

           I strode out onto the stage.  There was the same amount of cheers that there were for everyone else.  Overlooking the dark crowd below, I realized that there was no point in trying to look for my family.  There were at least a thousand people sitting out there.  They couldn’t even hold all the people at the school.  You know your high school is big when you need to have your graduation at an arena−that’s for sure.  I went over and shook the unknown woman’s hand as she handed me my framed diploma.  Just like we had rehearsed, I turned, showing my diploma and smiling to the audience.  In a few seconds I walked off, and that was it. 

                                               *           *           *

              Hope fumbled with the hat she picked up off the ground.  “How do I know which one is mine?” 

            Like all the graduating seniors do, we had just thrown our hats into the air.  I remembered to put my name in mine, but I couldn’t find it at the moment.  I guess it just got lost in the sea of everyone else’s.  Hope caught a hat, unsure if it was hers or not.  Does it matter, really?  They all look the same.  Mai had managed to find hers.  All of us were standing outside, waiting to go and find our parents.  Everyone was excited.  I mean, we did it.  High school is a thing of the past now.  To think that at the beginning of the year, I was dreading for high school to be over.  Man, can your opinion change on something in only a couple of months.    

           I gazed down at Hope, who was looking up at me, a bright smile across her whole little face.  All year, I had these worries.  Mackenzie, my Mercy friends, and then the fact of getting expelled altogether.  I wasn’t sure of how I was going to get through.  Honestly, my first day at Newpoint, I didn’t know if I was going to graduate in one piece.  I thought that going to public school was going to be this dreadful thing.  I mean, yes, there’s been a lot of hard things that I had to adjust to.  No way has it been even close to easy.  But then, I met someone on my tour of the school−and look, I made it out even though I didn’t think I was going to.  This year has been a big challenge for me, but I was able to get through it.  All I needed was a little hope.