Tattooed Hearts

New Beginnings & Graduation Speeches

No matter what, I will always come back to Grace. It's inevitable. I choose her. I'll choose her over and over and over. Without a pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I'll keep choosing her.

Saying that she completes me may sound like an over exaggeration to some people. It may sound crazy, even. But, it's something you can't fully understand until you're in love. The reality of it is that thinking of Grace keeps me awake. Dreaming about her keeps me asleep. And being with her keeps me alive.

Just a mere thought of her being with someone else makes my chest hurt. I want to give her everything because that's what she deserves. She makes me want to be a better person. Not just for myself, but for her.

Love is when you can't be apart from someone for too long...you're always thinking of them, and when you're with them you never want to say goodbye. Love is far from simple. It's quite complex. It's a mix of everything. It's sadness, joy, passion, hatred, excitement, it's almost every feeling you can imagine and more. You know love when you find it, it's that person that when they smile it brightens up your day, you can't stop staring at them for fear of losing them, they're always on your mind, you daydream of being with them even if they are just across the room. And you can't stand it when they're not with you.

You can't tell when love will happen. But you know when it does. It's when you lay eyes on a person and never want to look away. That's love. Nothing less.

❁ ❁ ❁

3 Weeks Later

Another paper airplane hits the back of my head. I try to suppress a smile as I continue to solve out math problems. I hear the crinkling of another plane being folded behind me and then feel the soft thud of it hitting my back.

I spin around in my chair, catching Grace in the act of making another one. She freezes and then stuffs the papers behind her.

"Grace Baker, are you aware that I am still trying to pass senior year?" I ask.

She bites her lip. "Yes."

"And that no matter how much I hate it, calculus is required to graduate?"

She nods her head. "Come on, Isaac. There's just two more weeks left."

"I promised my mom I would at least try to end the year with decent grades," I sigh, setting my pencil down. "But I guess I could take a break. Especially because I need to give you this." I open my folder and pull out the envelope Mr. Guthery gave to me a few days ago. "It was my job to deliver this to you."

I hand it to her and she takes it, looking puzzled as she opens it and pulls out a single sheet of paper. Her eyes squint as she scans it, and then they widen.

She looks up at me. "Shut up."

"What?" I ask.

"Shut up!" She squeals, a huge smile growing on her face. "Look!" She hops off my bed and walks over to me, showing me the paper. Her finger traces the words. "We are pleased to inform you that you, Grace Marie Baker, have qualified for the title of Valedictorian of the 2016 graduating class. Please prepare a speech to deliver on May 24, you're graduation ceremony. Isaac, can you believe this?"

"I'm not even surprised," I laugh as she dances in little circles, and then hugs the paper to her chest.

"Looks like four years of locking myself in my room with nothing but books paid off! Isaac come dance with me!" She tugs my arm to get me to get up, trying her hardest to pull me out of my chair. I stand and she keeps hold of my hands as she shimmies her shoulders. I follow her lead, both of us acting like complete fools as we dance around my room in celebration of her paper.