Avalanche

| the top graduate |

I pulled my hair into a slick bun behind me, scrutinizing it in the mirror to make sure there were no lumps or unevenness.

I brushed off the imaginary dust off my white naval dress uniform. I readjusted my hat, making it even on top of my head.

Everything had to be perfect.

Today had to be perfect.

❅

Vice Admiral opens the ceremony by saying, "Congratulations to this year's graduating class at the Navy's Fighter Weapons School. You are the future of our pilots. You are the best of the best that we have to offer to the world. Come up to the stage and receive your papers."

He steps back, and we all stand at attention. I'm in the middle of all of the pilots, Bradley is at the front, and Natasha and Jake are near the back.

Nevertheless, we file in together, and receive our certificate of graduation, just like a high school graduation. But this Top Gun graduation paper will mean more to me than that ever will.

I shake hands with my superiors, and we all find our way back to our seats.

Now for the part we've all been waiting for.

"Our top graduate for this year, Avalanche, Lieutenant Zoe Kazansky. I'd like to invite her to the podium to share a few words." Admiral Bates announces, and then leaves the stage to me.

I walked up with an air of confidence, as usual.

"I'd like to thank all of our commanding officers, maintenance and engineering teams, members of the faculty, friends and families of our graduating class for supporting us in this next step of our careers. Top Gun was a humbling experience to say the least. It was like the naval academy all over again." I got a few chuckles at that. "Getting a wink of sleep if we were lucky, learning and flying, but we wouldn't have it any other way. And our futures don't stop here, we all will separate from this place, and serve on missions, deployments, and detachments across the world. But one thing will always remain the same. This ceremony today, marks the day that we graduated the Navy's Fighter Weapons School. This is the day we became Top Gun graduates. Thank you."

There's a light round of applause as I salute my commanding officers, Admiral Bates and Vice Admiral Simpson, and then I make my way back to my seat.

The rest of the ceremony is short, but filled with congratulatory speeches for our graduating classes.

Soon enough, it's over, and I make my way to my parents.

"Dad! Mom!" I said, hugging them both.

"Zoe, I'm so proud of you." My mother said, brightly beaming at me in my crisp white uniform. "Now I have a two Top Gun graduates."

"I thought I would always be your favorite." My father jokes, his voice still raspy.

"Dad, don't talk if it hurts. I don't want to..." I can't finish my sentence.

My father and my mother give each other a knowing look.

"What?" I ask.

"Should I tell her or should you?" My mother says.

"I will. The cancer in my throat is shrinking. Since we caught it at such an early stage, the doctors think it'll be gone in less than a year if I keep doing radiation and chemotherapy."

A tear slips out of my eye, and I hug him tightly, and he does it back. I think this is one of the only long hugs we've had that wasn't when I was a little girl.