The Truth Of Graduation

The sweat is rolling down my back as I take the stage, the one I will cross again in exactly 23 minutes. If everything goes to plan. I have waited four long years for this moment. The time where all the attention is on me, not my sister, not my best friend, not my team, me. I worked my ass off to get here. I want to stay here, right here for as long as I can but the crowd is starting to stir. I should begin, it’s time to move on. “Hello class of 2023! Can you believe we made it this far? I would like to begin by saying I am honoured you chose me as your valedictorian.” I earned this, I bled and cried for this. “Through the last 4 years we have gone through so much together, we have made friends, loves, and occasionally enemies. But it was all worth it to be here today, to celebrate our successes and to discuss our futures.” It was all worth it right? Of course who am I kidding, this is what I’ve always wanted. “I don’t have enough time to thank everyone who has helped myself and the rest of us to get to this point. Because everyone in this room has affected all of us graduates” some more than others. “The next steps are going to be great new adventure for all of us” also terrifying, Emma shut up they can’t know. “Some of us are entering the workforce, or starting families, and some of us like me are going to university and college. Possibly going super far away from everything they’ve ever know.” Breath, Emma you got this. “And although that can seem nerve racking…” Emma breath. Breath. “…” FUCKING BREATH. “WHO AM I KIDDING! This is going to suck, we’re leaving our entire lives behind, we’re going to lose touch with everyone we care about and look at the people who we love move on through a fucking screen. We’re going to promise to come back every year but that’ll happen what once. None of you will be my friends within a year. I am standing up here pretending to be confident in our futures when the truth is half of us will drop out, another 20% of us will get pregnant or get someone else pregnant, and the rest of us will go start new lives without you all. Our highschool friendships won’t last and guys guess what highschool sweethearts aren’t real. So fuck this speech because none of you will remember who I am in 5 years anyways.” I did not just do that.