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giedinghagen90

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“I give you, the graduating class of 2008!!”

With whoops and cheers, 237 black caps flew into the air. We had done it. We weren’t the first, and we wouldn’t be the last, but we still made it through. I looked for my cap in the bunch that floated gently to the earth, and after picking it up, I looked at the people around me. These people I had spent the last ten years of my life with. We had laughed together, cried together, fought, found and lost friends. Even though I couldn’t stand half of my graduating class, I knew the memories I had both bad and good, were worth every minute of it. A tear threatened to leak out as I remembered so many things. But before the water works really began, strong arms swept me up from behind, spinning me in them at the same time I was turned to face the person.

“Carson James!! Put me down this instant!!!” Unfortunately, I couldn’t say it without laughing. After whisking me in circles that looked more like ovals, Carson set me down and touched his forehead to mine.

“We did it,” he said. “We actually did it! We got through it and made it. That’s all that matters.”

I smiled up into his eyes, knowing how much I wanted it to be so, but I understood things would change. I was going to Hannibal for college; he would stay here going to either Missouri Technical institute, or Rolla. I wouldn’t stand in the way of his dreams, but I wished they involved being closer to me.

He must have noticed how I faded out, because he looked at me with concern. I shook, my head indicating I was fine, and told him I was just thinking. I grabbed his arm, smiling to show him I wasn’t lying, and we made our way to our parents. I scolded myself all the while, slightly embarrassed that I had been caught so easily, that my wall was torn down. Then again, Carson was the only one who could see through any masquerade that I attempted to put up. Not even my mom, the only other person on the planet who had the slightest chance of reading my expressions, could get past my wall when I put it up. I just didn’t like to get hurt. And knowing that Cars could do that didn’t make matters any better.  Pushing aside those thoughts, we walked arm in arm to meet our parents as official graduated students. It was weird. According to the school, we were legal adults. But to the rest of the world we were still just kids.