Today was graduation day. I was really nervous about it at first, but once the ceremony started, I calmed down. The 103rd graduating class, that was us. 124 students, all graduating today.
It would be good to finally be out of high school. The stairs, the noise, the stares, the fake smiles and overdone niceties, all those would be behind me. Today I close this chapter of my life and begin with a fresh start.
I could barely see the stage when the others stood up, but that was only at the beginning and end, so I doubt I missed much. Besides, my family were recording the day. I can always look back at the video.
The ceremony was long, tedious, and boring to some extent. But the guest speakers were inspiring. I felt like I could take on any challenge after hearing them talk. Everything in the world was permitted; every opportunity waiting for me. I found a new vigour for life today.
When we collected our diplomas, the crowd clapped and some cheered. You could hear different sections of the onlookers and students cheering loudly for their graduate. Others received more modest salutes.
I didn't have many friends, but my family made a lot of noise, that more than made up for the civil clapping of my peers. I heard one voice among the students yelling loudly. My best friend, Teri.
He has always really supportive and genuinely friendly with me. He said he knew what it was like to be in a wheelchair. He had to for a while when he was a kid. We bonded at first over that shared experience, and our friendship grew based on our similar tastes in so many other things.
Teri was in the 7th row. He was standing, whistling and clapping louder than the rest of the student body. What a day!
At the end, when we tossed our hats, I felt so free and alive. I couldn't wait to get started on the next phase of life. But I needed to retrieve my hat first. The downside is that everyone else had already picked up all the hats within 3 rows of me, so someone definitely swiped mine.
Out of nowhere, Teri ran up to me with 2 hats. He'd picked up an extra one for me. He was so happy and filled with energy that he was jumping around when he handed me the hat. His joy was infectious. I couldn't help but dance in my chair with him.
He had seen where my family was and offered to push me to them. It's good to have a friend who's got your back, even more so when you're in a wheelchair.
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