Perks of Being a Fangirl

Chapter 14: Graduation

Emily, Vinny, and Brooke stood there staring at themselves in the mirror.

"This is it. The final day of our high school career." Emily says, still not believing it. 

"I remember the first graduation we had. Kindergarten and we made the cardboard pink van. We have a picture of us in that van still." Brooke smiles, not able to take her eyes off the girl in the mirror directly in front of her. 

"It's hard to believe it's been thirteen years already. Seems like just yesterday we were drinking juice boxes and watching Barbie movies." Emily smiles, and smooths out the invisible wrinkles that plagued her dress. 

"Um... Em? That was yesterday. We were very emotional...." Vinny laughs, and starts smoothing back her straightened hair. 

"It doesn't matter. It's hard to believe we've come this far." Brooke smiles and slips on the heels she would be wearing. 

Emily heard a small beeping noise coming from her phone. 

"Ello! You've reached the girl who wishes she was British, Irish, and Japanese. How may I help you?" 

"Hey, It's Liam." 

"Why hello there Batman!" Emily smiles, and turns towards the mirror again, paranoid about one hair being out of place on one of  the biggest days of her life. 

"I just wanted to wish you good luck with your speech." He states, playing with a bouncy ball that Lou had given him to distract him. 

"Thanks, but I am sure I will fail. Just wish you could be here! It would make me feel a little less nervous and maybe someone could try to keep my parents in line." Emily sighs, knowing that something could definitely happen that could ruin the ceremony for her if they happened to sit anywhere near each other. 

"It'll be okay, love." Emily blushed, and looked down loving the sound of Liam calling her love even if that was just what he always called girls. 

"Well you know they say high school never ends. Unfortunately." Emily says, lying down on her bed, carefully. 

"Hey, maybe this summer you can come on tour with us." He suggests. 

"That would be so much fun, but I don't want to be a pain to you guys." Emily smiled, and looked over at Vinny who was now applying the last of her eyeliner. 

"Where are you guys playing tonight?" She asked, looking over at Brooke. 

"Madison Square Garden." 

"I am so proud of you guys. I remember hearing WMYB for the first time and I loved it. It helped me through some shit and I guess thank you for that. Wow. This conversation took a really serious turn really quickly." Emily lets out a small laugh and gives a little smile to the girls sitting on the other side of the room. 

"CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON THEY'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE! LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REST DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!" Brooke and Vinny decide to scream at the top of their lungs leading to both Liam and Emily bursting out laughing. 

"Hey! Brooke will you put on I Got a Boy?" Emily asks her, and Brooke grabs her phone, plugging it into the portable speakers in the corner of the room. The Korean words blast through the room and eventually spread throughout half the house. 

"What language is that?" Liam has to scream for Emily to hear him. 

"Korean! No idea what they're saying, but it's catchy!" Emily yells back. 

"Em! Which song next?!" Brooke yells at her, making her glance her way. 

"Do you want '80s, pop punk, punk, or 90s?" 

"What about Classic Rock?" 

"There's an entire playlist. It's called Pour Some Sugar On Me." Emily responds and turns back to the mirror. She was still paranoid about everything. She had aced all her classes, but she had this nagging feeling she wasn't going to make it to graduation. 

"Em? I need to go now. I need to do soundcheck." 

"Wish I could be there. Good luck." She says, and smiles. 

"Bye. Good luck to yourself." 

"Send New York my love." You say before hanging up. 

"Are you guys ready to walk down that aisle? to know this portion of our life is completely done with?" Vinny says sitting down, staring at her reflection in the mirror. 

They all sat there, just pondering what was coming next. College, then a job, then marriage, then kids, then just bliss I guess. Either that or, like Emily's parents, divorce, but they choose to focus on the positive. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They sat there, one by one names were called out. Most of them people they hoped they didn't have any more contact with, but they were just anxious to hear their names called. 

"Vinny Barker." The principal calls out after a while. This is it. Vinny thought. This is all there's ever gonna be. As of tomorrow, they would all simply be alumi, and all taking on their different careers. So many different choices, and she didn't know what to choose. Brooke and Emily already had everyhting planned out. Brooke wanting to work in agronomy, Emily wanting to save animals all over. This was the scariest moment of her life, and it was exhilirating. Vinny took long strides to the stage and went to accept her fate and take life by the horns, and ride it like a broken horse. She took the diploma and beamed as she walked off the stage. 

"Brooke Evans." He again calls out after a bit. This is it. As of this summer she will be preparing for college with Emily, and all three of them will be living together until they went their seperate ways. This was all moving way too fast for her. She had no idea what to do, she knew what she wanted to do, but she knew she couldn't. She needed to get a job, get a headstart, start looking for apartments, and part time jobs hoping to make ends meet as full time students. She was plunging head first as she walked to the stage, knowing everything would work out for them in the long run, and all they could to was rely on faith, love, and a bit of pixie dust never hurt anyone. She took the diploma from his hands and smiled, knowing all this was the end of her high school career.

"Emily Pensiotti." The Principal calls out. Emily stands and starts walking towards the stage, the place where her entire high school career seemed to be over, and as with tradition, she seemed to be looking back at high school with a new light. Everything she hated about it now seemed completely irrelevant, because she wouldn't have a chance to make memories like this again. This is it, and I couldn't be happier that its with the ones I love. She smiled as she took the diploma from his hands and pumped it in the air in triumph. 

"We did it!" They yelled when the ceremony was over. "We fucking did it!" They started crying and hugged each other.