Meet Me After Class

Chapter 52: Graduation Day

Today officially closed one chapter of my teenage life, but Dear John, it felt bittersweet. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my cap and gown, shaking my head at my reflection.

The morning leading up to graduation was pure chaos. We all overslept, then couldn't find Belle's good shoes, and ultimately got stuck in traffic. By the time we pulled up to the high school, I panicked, thinking we were going to miss everything!

We rushed from the parking lot into the crowded auditorium just as "Pomp and Circumstance" was starting up. The procession of gown-clad seniors filing down the aisles was already in motion.

I quickly spotted Melissa up near the front of the line with a gleaming valedictorian medal around her neck.

What?!Since when was she valedictorian?

I made a mental note to get the full scoop later from Penny.

I hurried to squeeze into a seat beside my best friend while my family filled the row behind me. I smoothed my bright red gown, my heart still racing from our mad dash inside.

The ceremony flew by in a blur of speeches, awards, and plenty of tears as we relived the last four years. About halfway through, I spotted some drama unfolding a few rows ahead of me when Megan moved her tassel in front of her face as Mason and Claudia kissed and took selfies.

When it came time for our row to walk across the stage and accept our diplomas, I saw Mason pretend to trip on his way up the steps. A few muffled laughs came from his buddies in on the immature prank.

Yup, some things definitely don't change after high school.

Finally, we all threw our caps elatedly into the air as graduation came to a joyful close. The energy in the room was electric. As friends and family flocked onto the field for pictures, I felt Megan tap my shoulder.

"Hey, Wendy, I just wanted to thank you again," she said with a warm smile. "The play you wrote really meant everything. You know, it brought me to Brinson."

I returned her smile happily. "I'm happy for you!" I said as she pulled me in for a quick hug.

Wow!

After the ceremony, my mom went picture-crazy, too, determined to document "Wendy's Big Day" from every possible angle. She pulled me from one random classmate to another random classmate, cheerfully arranging photos despite my protests.

"Ooh Wednesday, let's get one with you and this handsome fellow!" Before I could react, she had grabbed a tall guy I vaguely recognized from my physics class last year.

"I think I was your lab partner once?" he said, clearly also unsure who I was. "I'm Justin."

I gave him an apologetic cringe. "Right, uh, sorry about this," I muttered through my gritted smile.

He gave me a polite smile as we both internally cringed for the camera.

After the click, my mom immediately spun around, looking for her next target. "Wednesday, come! This young lady says you had math together!" she exclaimed, waving over a petite girl in big glasses.

"No, mom, I definitely don't know her," I insisted. But the girl was already next to me.

"Oh yeah, we sat near each other in Geometry sophomore year," she said politely. "I'm Katie."

I blinked at her blankly before forcing another awkward grin for my mom's camera. Katie and I had maybe said three words to each other ever.

As we turned to leave, Belle couldn't hold in her giggles any longer. "Oh my god, Wendy, mom is really digging deep into the acquaintances list today," she whispered loudly.