Part 7: Graduation

                                    

                                          
That dreaded day finally arrived, graduation. I only had one day left to be normal, then I would have the most depressing summer vacation ever filled with goodbyes, then I would have to board a rocket ship and leave everyone I knew behind. I couldn't say that I would particularly miss high school, but at least here on Earth I had somewhere to run to. In space I would be trapped. I woke in my bed to the sound of my mother yelling for me. 
                          
"Rhiannon! It's almost 7:00! If you don't get up now, you're going to be late!" She called to me. I grumbled. Why was she still making me go? She knew that I didn't need a diploma for Providence. I could just skip out on it and not graduate. I could think of a million better things I could do with that time, like enjoying my final moments on Earth! I groaned as I heard my mother banging her fist on my bedroom door. 
                          
"Come on! Don't give up when you're so close to the end!" she ordered me. I heard my mother storm into my siblings' rooms and give them the same speech she gave me. I rolled out of bed and stretched my legs. I still felt incredibly groggy. I heard my mother banging on my door again. "Are you awake?" my mother asked.
                          
"Yes mom!" I groaned still stretching.
                          
"Good! I don't want you to be late for graduation! Wear something nice! Not the athletic clothes you usually wear. Put on a dress!" my mother ordered. I didn't hear her for a while, then she came back to bang on my door some more. "Are you dressed yet?" my mother asked.
                          
"Um...almost!" I said as I quickly picked out a white dress and laid it out on my bed. Life moved in slow motion as I got dressed. The thought of graduating seemed to put an extra weight on every movement I made. I put on the dress, some nice high-heeled shoes, and some jewelry. After I was presentable, I sulked downstairs into the kitchen and saw my father sitting, sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper.
                          
"Good morning, graduate!" he said greeting me cheerfully. His proud expression made my heart flutter. My cheeks burned as I thought of the crowd that would be at my graduation. All I had to do was stand up when my name was called by the head of my school, but I was still nervous. I hated crowds especially when the focus was on me, no matter what the occasion. 
                          
I looked through the cupboard and found some bland cereal flakes. As I poured a little into a bowl, my brother and sister entered the room. My sister, Carina looked exactly like a feminine version of our father. My brother, Glenn, had my mother's face and was taller than both of my parents. I on the other hand looked the most "adopted" even though I was not. We all came from the same parents, but somehow I always felt as if I belonged somewhere else. I loved my family and they were accepting of me for the most part, but I couldn't ignore the feeling of distance I had whenever I saw my siblings stand near my parents. I sat down at the kitchen table and slowly took in a spoonful of cereal flakes and sipped some coffee. Glenn put a pastry in the toaster and waited for it to pop out. He held his plate close to him as if he were preparing to capture the pastry after it rose to the top.
                          
"I can't wait to get this day over with." Glenn said. My mother and father both frowned at him. "What? I bet Rhiannon feels the same way!" he said.
                          
"Today is a very special day! The least you can do is act like you care! You'll miss your sister when..." my mother trailed off and began sipping her coffee again. I pretended to be indifferent to their conversation.
                          
"When she goes off to Providence. We know." Carina said apathetically. She was putting on lipstick using her reflection on the oven. I stared down at my cereal, unable to take another bite. My mother fumed at my sister, but when she opened her mouth to speak she appeared calm.
                          
"I think it will be a nice ceremony. I'm really looking forward to it. Then later on, we'll all go out to a nice dinner with Phoebe's family. How does that sound?" my mother asked directing towards me. I looked at her, but I couldn't speak. I was trying very hard not to loose it at breakfast. We hadn't even gone to school yet, and I was already freaking out. My brother caught on when he saw my panicked expression. He sighed.