Chapter XXVI

                                    

                                          
.Age 18. Part 7.
                          
Graduation.
                          
The day has come. 13 years of school has lead up to my freedom date. June 2, 2016. My graduation date. I had my blue cap and gown on just waiting for Dad and Grandma to get ready. Carrie is going to be coming to my ceremony too. My old babysitter, remember? I haven't seen her in a while so it will be nice to reconnect. I look at my phone and check the time. 3pm. My ceremony is in two hours and for some reason I felt sad. As much as I hated school; mainly thanks to math class, I will kind of miss seeing my friends everyday. I can only hope the true ones stay by my side forever. My friends are pretty loyal. Carlee I know damn well won't ever leave, she's my oldest friend. Haven and Morgan I know for sure won't and Ashton swears she won't either. But what about Kyle? I don't know where our future lies just yet.
                          
One hour later. 
                          
Carrie pulls up and we all get into my Grandmas silver ford focus. The drive is short and traffic was terrible. When we entered the church I was stunned as to how big it was. Bethesda church has to be the biggest church I've seen. Soon I find my friends and we line up in the order we want to be seated. First was me, then Kyle, then Ashton. The lighting in the auditorium was dim and hard to see. All I could see was the lit stage reading 'Congrats class of 2016'. As we take our seats the ceremony began and they began calling names. 
                          
Soon it was my rows turn to line up on stage. A photographer took everyone's picture before going up the four wooden steps to the stage. Once on we told the announcer our name. 
                          
"What's your name?" He asked me.
                          
"..."
                          
I stop myself. This is the beginning of the rest of my life. A new life. It was time to leave my life of drugs and abuse and neglect behind me and start anew.
                          
"Lightning"
                          
He nodded and called my name.
                          
I heard all my family cheering along with my classmates and friends. I shake the board of educations hands and accept my diploma and walk off stage. 
                          
Soon the valedictorian speech. The last part of the ceremony. 
                          
Almost there.
                          
Her speech was beautiful saying that we are all individuals and we all have our dreams. Not to give up on our dreams because the longer you sit on them the faster they became less likely to happen.
                          
Next I see blue and white caps fly into the air and we were done. We had done it. Graduated high school.
                          
After the ceremony my Mom, Grandpa and Sister caught up to Carrie, Dad, Grandma and I. Something had happened between Carrie and my Moms side and they don't get along much since the divorce. Carrie had asked Grandpa, Mom and I to pose for a picture. It apparently was to much to ask to have one day go smoothly without pettiness or drama. Instead of being polite and proper my Grandpa looked away because he didn't want  to take a picture taken by her. 
I talked to him about it later and he apologized. But still. One picture." 
                          
We left the church and I knew, somehow that would be the last time I would see some of those people. And I was perfectly okay with that. But also I knew that this was a fresh start for all of us. Including people I was close with. They will be starting college soon. Get married. Have kids. Not specifically in that order but hey, I can't judge anyone after what I've done. What if they never talk to me again because they will be to busy. I get it but I hoped they would have made an effort. It hit me after the ceremony how disliked I was in school for being different. There was a couple of people out of the closet in school and everyone loved them. And yet I still had no gay friends. But when I came out, people just seemed to dislike me more. I waited around to try and get a picture with Kyle, Doug, Ashton, Tisha, Ruth, Lexi and the others but no one was looking for me, Except my friend Steve. Steve and I had talked majority of the time we were wondering the halls. He was about the same height as me, which at the time I stood at six feet tall. He had tanner skin and dark brown hair and black glasses. 
                          
"Hey, bitch you better not leave without getting a picture with me." He said jokingly.
                          
"Wouldn't dream of it." 
                          
We took our picture and I was ready to go, for it only being June it was hotter that shit outside, The humidity was just horrible. 
                          
Well, It's over. High school was finally over and now I had to make a decision on what I want to do with my life. College? Work? Family? I have to figure it all out because I am a adult now. All of my friends seem to have a plan for their lives except me. I got a acceptance letter to Indiana Tech University but with how things were going with Kyle. I thought Maybe i'd stick around for a while longer.