A Family Of My Own

The End Of High School, The Start Of A New Chapter

Chapter Seven... The End Of High School, The Start Of A New Chapter

Four weeks after the accident where I escaped with a minor head injury, I was awakened early in the morning.

Turns out my excited fiance couldn't wait to be finished high school today...

Once upon a time, I'd been a child both scared and excited about starting elementary school. Now, I was graduating high school. Time had flown since I was five years old!

Just like my mother before me, I was chosen as Valedictorian. I had aced my exams, so I'd learnt. And Noah wasn't far behind, placing third in our entire senior class of almost two hundred students. I wasn't keen on giving a speech, though.

"They could have chosen someone else," I frowned.

"Oh, it's an honour, Becca," mom argued. "And it's not as hard as it seems. You just have to say something... inspirational. And wish everyone good luck."

"Yeah, because that sounds easy," I rolled my eyes. "How did you do it?"

"I used my own personal experiences," mom smiled.

"Did you stand up on stage and say 'I got knocked up at fifteen'?" I asked skeptically.

"No need to be cheeky," mom frowned. "They chose you because you're smart, popular and very charismatic. Be happy for that."

"You forgot opinionated," I said sarcastically.

"And stubborn," mom muttered, walking over to the back door. "Becca, they wouldn't have chosen you if they thought you couldn't do it."

"Your mother gave an amazing speech when she was the valedictorian, Bec," dad said, walking to sit down at the dining table with me.

"I don't remember that," I frowned. "Was I even there?"

"Of course you were there," mom chuckled. "You sat on your father's lap, and I could see you from my seat on the stage. It was a great day... graduating high school."

"Yeah, you guys are only grateful I'm not graduating pregnant," I joked.

"And we wouldn't have a problem if you did, Becca," dad sighed. "I don't get why you think that we would."

"Because what parent wants to admit that their teenage daughter is going to be a parent?" I explained. "People want to be proud of their kids, but they don't want their kids to grow up so fast that they miss out on their own youth. I get it."

"See?" dad chuckled. "They chose you for a reason."

"They could have picked anyone," I sighed. "But they chose me. I mean, it seems odd. I'm not the most popular girl in school, just the top of our class. How does that define everything?"

"She's nervous," mom said warily. "Don't push her over the edge, or we'll never get to hear her speech."

"It's gonna suck anyway, you're probably better off," I groaned.

"Rebecca," dad said, capturing my attention. "Our family is so proud of you. Your grandparents are coming all this way to see their eldest granddaughter graduate. Don't ruin it for us, because you have been given a great honour. And after today, you make your own choices for absolutely everything in life. Don't let your own fears weigh down on everything in your life."

"Cam..." mom frowned.

"What?" dad asked, confused.

"She's like me, and you know it," she sighed. "You can't force her."