Finding Laila: Some Changes are Necessary (28 page)

“Hey, I’m going to the quarry,” I tell my
parents, who are watching a movie with Luka.

“Don’t
be too long,” Dad warns. “Big day tomorrow.”

I
nod my head and disappear through the front door, and make the short walk to my
favorite spot. It’s not quite dark out yet, but I have my flashlight with me in
case I need it. The air is warm and sticky, but thankfully it’s not too
unbearable. I just really need some alone time to get my head sorted out.

Today
has been a hectic day, with rehearsal, senior breakfast, and pretending that
I’m going to miss my classmates. Tomorrow we graduate, and after that
everything changes. Joey will be moving to New York and Cole will be in South
Carolina—our crew is breaking up and there’s nothing I can do to stop it
from happening.

I
make my way through the clearing but stop abruptly when I spot Joey sitting on
the rocks alone. I clear my throat before calling out his name to get his
attention, and he waves me over with a smile.

“I
don’t want to interrupt,” I say, as I get closer.

“You’re
fine,” he answers. “I was going over my speech.”

“Oh!
Can I hear it?” I sit next to him and try to peek over his shoulder.

“Nope,
you’ll hear it with everyone else,” he says, moving the paper from my view.

“But
I’m your best friend,” I remind him.

“Yeah,
but I’m still not going to show you. Haden meeting you out here?” he asks,
looking around.

“No,
I needed to get away for a while,” I admit.

“You
okay?”

I
look out into the distance and focus on a tree that looks like a mere speck of
something. Finally I lean my head on his shoulder and exhale loudly.

“Remind
me again why all of this change is necessary,” I say to him.

He
puts an arm around me and laughs. “I’ve never seen you like this. Didn’t we
knock all the whiny girl things out of you by now? You’re supposed to be chill
and cool with change. Damn, I failed you,” he deadpans.

I
nudge my elbow into his ribs and he feigns discomfort.

“Okay,
fine,” he drags. “I hate to tell you, kid, but we’re growing up. And you’re
going to have to face the world, with or without us. But I know you, you’re
going to own it.”

“I’m
glad you’re so sure of it, because right now, for the first time in a really
long time, I’m terrified. Terrified of failure, or maybe success. It’s safe
knowing I have Mom and Dad there to catch me if I fall or to know that I have
you guys in my corner if I need it. But I’m not going to have anyone there when
I get out to the real world.”

“We
might not be right there, but you know we always have your back—but I
don’t think you’re going to need it.”

“See,
that’s why you’re my favorite,” I smile.

“Told
you,” he says out loud when he hears someone walking toward us. “I’m her
favorite.”

“She
told me the same thing yesterday,” Braxton says as he joins us on the rocks.

“What
are you doing here?” I ask.

“I
called your house when you didn’t answer your cell, and your mom said you were
out here.”

She’s going to kill me for
leaving my phone.

“You
ready for tomorrow?” he asks Joey, who simply gives him a single nod. “Good
deal.”

“What
about you? You ready?” I ask him.

“All
I have to do is show up and look like this.” He raises his arms up to show
himself off. “That one has to talk in front of hundreds of people.”

“That’s
true,” I agree and look as I turn to look at Joey. “All those people staring at
you, hoping you say something funny and inspirational. Are you sure you don’t
want to read your speech to us to make sure it’s good enough?”

“You
suck,” he says, standing up and dusting off his shorts with a smirk.

“Do
I? Because, as your best friend, I think it’s my duty to look after you and
make sure that you don’t make a fool of yourself. I really think you need to
let us hear it,” I tease and try to reach for the paper.

“She’s
right. What if it’s really bad?” Braxton joins in.

“Then
I’ll tell everyone y’all switched my epic speech with a piece of garbage that
you wrote yourselves. Sabotage,” he declares, and I narrow my eyes at him.

“I
could write a speech. I could write the hell out of a speech, but you’ll never
get to hear it,” I mope jokingly and grab Joey’s wrist to look at his watch and
note the time.

“Yeah,
I told your mom I’d send you home,” Braxton says, looking at his own phone
screen.

“Let’s
go,” I agree and wait for Joey to join us, but he stays behind.

“I’ll
call you later. I’m going to stay here a little longer.” He winks and waves us
off.

* * *

“Do
you have your valedictory speech with you?” I ask Joey, who looks the picture
of calm. He lifts his hand up and flashes the piece of paper that I tried to
take last night, and then slips it back in his pocket. When Braxton and I left
him last night, I had a feeling he wanted to run through his speech some more.

I
could have easily hidden to listen to it, but I figured I’d be a huge jerk if I
did that.

“Don’t
put me to sleep,” Cole jokes, and Braxton points at Joey to remind him of his
own comments last night.

“Ree,
text him every few minutes to make sure he’s awake. I wouldn’t want him to miss
out on my epic speech,” he says, to which Ree salutes in response.

“How
much longer do we have to stand out here?” Bailey asks. “It’s crazy-hot.”

“Graduates,
please find your place in line. Commencement will begin in two minutes,” the
principal announces over the megaphone, as if answering the question just for
her.

I
hurry to pull out my phone so I can get one last picture of everyone. They
smile as we squeeze together for a selfie and I check the shot to make sure it
looks good. Bailey steps aside and grabs the phone from me to take a shot of me
with just the guys and hands it back.

When
I look at the picture, it’s hard to fight the smile on my face.

This might be my favorite
picture ever.

I’m
standing between Joey and Braxton with my arms wrapped around their necks. Cole
is standing next to Joey lifting his leg in the air with a stupid smile on his
face and Haden is next to Brax giving bunny ears.

This is my barmy.

I
hug each of my friends and run off to find my place in line, but not before
hearing Kasey Daniels decide to get one last jab in at my expense.
Of course, because what is the end of high
school without your tormentor making her presence known?

“Excuse
me?” I ask, giving her a chance to repeat her idiocy.

“Just
another perk of graduation: not seeing you anymore.”

“I
couldn’t agree more,
Kase
. See, the thing is, most of
us have grown up and moved on. But you’re the same pathetic, sad, mean person
you have always been. I hope that someday you do grow up, and hopefully your
kids will never experience the hell you have inflicted on everyone else. Good
luck out there.”

I
offer my most genuine smile and leave her standing with her jaw open. From this
point on, high school and jerks like her are behind me.

I’m moving on and letting
go.

The
line begins to move and I find my spot, following the classmate in front of me
to our seats on the floor of the arena. The place is packed with parents,
siblings, other relatives, and friends—and it’s still hot as if the air
isn’t circulating.
Great!
I hear my
family scream my name, and wave in their direction as I take my place next to
two students I’ve never spent any time getting to know.

When
everyone has taken their places and the music is done, the principal stands at
the podium to say a few words before introducing Joey. There is light applause
as he takes his place and puts his glasses on so he can read.

He
looks calm, but the way he clears his throat and fumbles with the paper tells
another story. He takes a deep breath, looks out at the crowd with his
trademark smile, and lets out a nervous laugh.

“My
fellow classmates,

“For
four years, we have been waiting for this day. Freshman year, we realized that
our time at South River was limited so we worked hard, although I’m sure some
of us played harder. We grabbed high school by the horns and made it
our—well... you know what we made it.

In
four years, we tried different sports, studied foreign languages, and attempted
classes that were beyond our comprehension. But through it all we
learned—about life and ourselves. Mr. Tredway once told us, ‘if you learn
one thing, just one, from every teacher you have, you are an educated person,’
and I believe that to be true.

“Our
teachers have provided life lessons that will carry us through the rest of our
lives. Some of us will take their words and apply them in our lives, while
others will decide to learn for themselves with firsthand experience. These
teachers have spent four years preparing us for the real world and sharing
their experiences with us.

“Ms.
Brightman
made sure we understood how to write an
essay that would catch the reader’s attention. I think it’s safe to say that anyone
who was in her class used those skills when writing your college entrance
essay.

“And
Mr. Gibson made himself available every morning to students struggling with
calculus. He never complained and always had a smile on his face, even when
working with the most difficult student. His goal was to make sure we had the
tools necessary for college.

“And
there was Mrs. Simmons, who throughout her battle with cancer showed us how to
live life and do it with integrity. I, for one, am fortunate to have been in
her class, and I will miss her greatly, as I’m sure everyone else will as well.

“The
faculty and staff have been our biggest cheerleaders and I think I speak for
all of us when I say to them—thank you. Thank you for believing in us and
pushing us to be our best.

“Now
I have something to say to you, my classmates. I’m going to make this short and
sweet because I think we can all agree that I don’t have a wealth of experience
to draw from because my life experience isn’t vast. Yet.

“Whether
it’s college, joining the military, taking time off to travel the world, or
maybe entering the real world now—we are ready. We are moving on; this is
what we have prepared for in our education.

“We
have made friendships we will have for a long time, while other friendships
have come to an end. Hearts
have been broken, only to be
patched
up when someone new comes along. We made mistakes—lots of
them. But we learned. We fought. We laughed. We partied. We did everything we
should do in high school. We lived.

“A
friend came to me and pointed out how much things were changing. When we become
comfortable with what we know, changes—big or small—can be hard to
accept. But for us to grow and become the adults we are meant to be, we have to
adapt. Life is change, but it doesn’t mean that we forget.

“Our
experiences here shaped who we are, and hopefully we like who that person is.
The great thing about growing up is that if you don’t like who you see when you
look in the mirror, you can change it. Your fate is in your hands. So surround
yourself with people who make you a better person, who expect your best and
celebrate it with you.
There
will always be someone
who doesn’t like what you become, but do it anyway. This is your
life—your chance to do anything you dream.

“When
we leave today and venture out into the real world, we’re not starting a new
chapter; we are starting a new story. This is our opportunity to write our
lives and our characters in any way we want. Who do you want to be a part of
your story? What will your legacy to this world be?

“Wherever
your path takes you, remember your roots. Success isn’t measured in the amount
of money you make, or the people you step on to climb to the top.
It’s measured by your integrity, humility, and class
. Think
of those who help you get to where you’re going—take them along for the
ride, because the ones who were with you in the beginning are probably the ones
you can trust the most.

“Today
marks the end of our time at South River, but it’s also a beginning. We stand
with our friends, people we have known our entire lives, to celebrate our
academic achievements, but to also accept the next phase of our lives. My hope
for everyone here today is a life filled with friends, family, and happiness.

“Congratulations
class of 2014.”

The
entire class stands up to applaud and I join in, smiling so big my cheeks hurt.
Joey refused to let me read his speech because he wanted me to hear it for the
first time with everyone
.