Graduation
I stood in the dimly lit theater of my high school, listening to the buzzing voices that swarmed around me. I wished that I could join in the festivities but my jaw remained clenched and my knees shook nervously as I waited nearly an hour for my graduation procession to begin. My hands were sweating, dampening the crumpled speech I clutched in my hand, and then I felt myself beginning to get dizzy. I needed air, I needed water.
I bolted towards the large wooden doors and pushed my way through the crowd into the hallway and down the plastic coated steps in to the gymnasium. Blue and yellow banners covered the walls and the room was packed with hundreds of people anxiously awaiting the ceremony. I glanced over top of the crowd and spotted my father's bald head that stood nearly two inches above anyone else. Upon spotting him, I darted through the crowd and down the aisle with my white dress swaying lightly below my knees.
When I reached him, he and my mother appeared shocked to see my blushing face. They both hugged me and wished me luck, but graduating was no longer my main concern. I turned to my mother abruptly and asked, "Where is Greg?"
My brother was nowhere to be found and my high school graduation was moments from beginning. My stomach twisted in a knot, Greg and I had never been extraordinarily close siblings, but we had always been there for each other. How could he miss my graduation?
Soon a voice boomed over the loudspeaker, requesting that all seniors report to the theater immediately. With my jaw still clenched, I waved goodbye to my parents and made my way back through the crowd, up the stairs, and into the theater. Once inside, I found my classmates forming procession lines. I found my place in the line and slipped slowly in, hoping my tardiness would go unnoticed.
After a few more adjustments were made, the large theater doors swung open and a pianist began to play. The two students at the front of the line...
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