"Are you ready?" Lucas asked Riley, Farkle and I. We were backstage about to walk onto the stage for graduation.
"Yep." We all said simoltaniously.
The announcer started calling out names, in alphabetical order, and we all stood backstage waiting to hear our names.
I was tapping my heal in the floor and fiddling with my fingers when I felt Lucas' hand slip onto the small of my back.
"Nervous?" He asked quietly.
"Just a little." I admitted. His hand slipped around my waist and he pulled my body close to his.
"Don't be. We're all going to the same high school. Whatever happens we'll all be together, no matter what." I wrapped my arms around him and I sighed, knowing he was right.
"I know." I said quietly. "But I don't want to grow up."
"Then you don't have to."He smile down at me.
"Lucas Friar." The announcer called. I pulled away from him and he walked out onto the stage.
This is what it's going to be like when we graduate high school... except we'll be in caps and gowns, and we'll be getting diplomas, and we'll be heading off into the real world...
Riley walked over to me, putting her arm around my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her shoulder as well, and smiled at her.
"You okay?" Riley asked. I nodded as we listened to the list of names being called. I looked out onto the stage, seeing how small it was. The people being called were just walking across, shaking our principles hand, then walking off the stage onto the other side of the gym.
"James Harrilson."
"You're soon." Riley smiled. I looked out to the stage again as James shook the principles hand.
"Yup." I laughed nervously. Riley and I watched as a few more of our classmates were called into the stage and shook the hand of our principle.
"Maya Hart."
"Go get 'em." Riley smiled.
I walked onto the stage, not looking into the crowd of parents, I shook the announcers hand and the principles hand, then quickly got off stage and found Lucas waiting on the other side.
"We did it." He said in disbelief.
"We did." I breathed. "What do you think high school will be like?"
Lucas shrugged and looked at me. "I try not to think that far into the future. We have all summer to get through before we need to worry about high school."
"Yeah..." I don't understand how he could be so calm about all of this!
"Riley Matthews." We clapped and watched as she made her way across the stage, over to where we were.
"We did it!" She cheered. Lucas and I played along with her enthusiasm and laughed.
"I cant believe it. We're going to be in high school!" I nodded and tried to avoid the conversation, leaving Lucas to answer back to Riley's enthused statements.
"Farkle Minkus." Again, we cheered as Farkle made his way over to us.
"We did it! We're going to high school!" Farkle cheered.
"So I've heard." I said. Lucas pushed me slightly and looked down at me. I rolled my eyes and smile back at Farkle.
"What now?"
We all shrugged at Riley's question and looked around at all the people who were also moving up into high school.
"Lucas can I borrow Maya for a minute?" Riley asked. Lucas nodded and I walked away from him with Riley.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, why?" I asked, blowing off the fact that I was terrified of high school.
"You're nervous." She stated simply.
"Why- How do you know?"
"You read like a book." She laughed. We stopped in a corner of the gym and I shook my head.
"Everyone says that."
"Because it's true. It shows when you're sad, happy, nervous, excited or whatever. Why are you nervous?"
"I don't want to go to high school..."
"Why not, Maya? We're growing up, it's going to be a great time!" She tried to convince me.
"How can you say that? We're going to grow up and so many different things are going to happen! A lot is going to change..."
"Of course, Maya, but things change all the time. We're all going to be together through high school and we're all going to be there for eachother... all the time."
I looked down at my hands and started messing with the friendship ring Riley had given me.
"Ring power?" I said.
"Ring power." Riley grabbed my hand and smiled.
"Thunder-"
"Lightening." Riley, still smiling, though my smile had dropped.
"A little scared..."
"Me too..."