J U N E
I am back to my normal life thanks to a prosthetic leg and 2 months of agonizing therapy following the accident. I also had a lot of interviews with investigators and the police following my kidnapping.
I made up a story.
It's the least I can do for him.
I left him and everyone with him out of it.
I lied for him.
I told them that it was all Raymond's doing and no one else's. I told them about the barn.
But apparently, when they got to the location of the barn, it was burned down with their bodies in it. Police closed the case and they didn't expect that I could've done it since they found evidence that the fire started after I left the barn.
Which brings me to one conclusion... He must have done it.
I eventually went back to school. Everyone crowded me on the first day back. They kept asking me if I was okay, what happened and blah blah blah. And I would tell them all the same thing... I'm fine.
Now I see how celebrities feel when they get bombarded by the damn paparazzi!
Sara and Kelly felt that it was their fault that I got kidnapped because they didn't walk home with me on the day of. I always had to tell them that it wasn't their fault and we would always end up having some sort of a group hug. But of course, they still wouldn't listen! They constantly followed me around like a lost puppy asking all sorts of questions like, "Do you need help with this?" or "Let me get that for you." or "Are you sure you are okay?"
Like seriously!
I'm not an invalid! I can still do things but they wouldn't take no for a freaking answer!
Anyways, I continued school as if nothing happened and I tried to avoid any memories of him.
I also tried to avoid anyone who would ask me about my kidnapping.
As for my leg, well.... let's just say that this fake one worked better than my real one.
I mean honestly!
Don't get me wrong, there are some disadvantages but I'm happy that I'm alive.
The next topic. James.
He has a new girlfriend. Her name is Sabrina and they are so cute together. Of course, when he heard that I was back, he felt kind of bad that he was dating while I was held up in a barn as he heard on the news but I told him it was okay and we were cool.
School for me was a breeze. I maintained my grades. Only God knows how or why.
At home, it was just me and mom, against the whole world.
She redecorated the house and she now has a fling for my Australian English teacher, Mr. Jones. One parent-teacher conference and boom! Sparks started flying between them.
And last but not least, there's my phone.
Mom couldn't find it and I told her that Raymond must've gotten rid of it.
And every time I mention the bastard's name, she always makes this 'pissed off' face for what he did to me.
She bought me a new one, an iPhone six might I add but I quickly went back to the store to change it to a Samsung Galaxy S7.
He has the new iPhone. I don't want to remember him. I don't even know how I'm gonna survive when everyone around me has an iPhone.
And that was basically my life.
That is until graduation.
Graduation.
The word plays on my lips.
An expression took after by unverifiable expressions that ask me, "What do I do now?" In different circumstances, tears would spill down my face, showing that I'm being miserable to leave the security of the high school, a place where everything has its place.
But instead, a blissful little grin appears at the prospect of at long last having the capacity to leave this exhausting, dreary life.
I've burned through twelve long years learning things that left me disappointed. A long time of belligerence with teachers over the appropriate response of a question that, as you would like to think, is out and out dumb.
In a function before teachers, more youthful understudies and guardians, I got my endorsements. I sat through and watched movies where individuals embraced and cried and I thought, "I'll never be like that when I graduate."
At that point, I would quit attempting to keep down my tears. It's no utilization. As I check out my friends, I always see the characteristics of the individuals that I have put in the previous twelve years with. I've seen them go from silly little children who were convinced that young men were disgusting and young ladies had cooties, to dubious youths who might preferably invest energy in the web than doing schoolwork.
After those kids in movies proceeded with each other, I started to understand that it's true, "We're all in this together." Like what they sing in High School Musical, in spite of disparities.
Flashes of stories start to impact through my brain; interesting accounts about dumb things that Sara, Kelly and I have done together; stories about us pulling together as one when things appear to be excessively extreme.
That day will be of grins and tears. I will say my farewells to my teachers. I'll embrace my mom as she cries about her child growing up too quickly. At that point, I will understand, it's an ideal opportunity to clear out. Everybody will be chattering animatedly as they walk excitedly to the school entryway. But I'll stop.
I'll realize that I've achieved the entryway and the acknowledgment has at last and genuinely hit me and the blow will resemble a sledgehammer.
That will be it.
There will be no words to portray it. One more stride. One little small stride, and I'll jump from life as a secondary school understudy who has nothing to stress over other than homework, to adulthood.
One more stride and my life authoritatively begin.
This will be a radically new experience.
Oh yes.
I'll venture forward.
***
"Kelly Anderson!" Our principal says on the microphone and the crowd starts cheering. Sara and I get up and clap when she gets on the stage.
"YEAH! GO KELLY!" Sara screams at the top of her lungs and I giggle. Kelly takes the diploma out of the principal's hands, shakes it and flashes a smile at us and the crowd before coming off the stage.
Other students are called up for their diplomas and we all clap. They're doing it by last names, in alphabetical order. Finally, the principal calls up Sara.
"Sara Johnson!" The principal says and Sara goes up to get her diploma while we cheer for her.
"YES, GIRL!" Kelly and I scream and clap.
A few other people are called up including James. Then before I knew it, I was up next and when the principal calls my name, everyone cheers. I get up and smile making my way up the stage to get my diploma. I just started getting used to my new foot. The principal smiles at me and shakes my hand, congratulating me and I look out at the crowd smiling.
Everyone has grins on their faces and they look so happy. I see my mom leaping for joy with tears in her eyes.
I did it.
I graduated high school.
I turn away from her to see in the corner of my eye, a shadow.
Standing at the far back of the crowd, watching me.
The figure is leaning against the doorframe. I can't see the person's face but it looks like they noticed me watching them because they turned around and started to walk away.
I come off the stage and I go back to my seat.
"Are you okay, girl? You look pale." Kelly asks me.
"Yeah. I'm fine." I reassured her. Who was that?
"D-Do you mind holding my diploma? I gotta go use the washroom." I ask her.
"Yeah, sure," she says and I hand it to her. I quickly slip out of the hall. The crowd is still cheering on the other students that are being called out.
I gotta find out who that was.
When I come out into the hallway, it's empty. I run down to the open doors at the end and I see a silver car driving away into the cool dark night.
Who was that? I ask myself again.
I suddenly jump when I feel a hand touch my back. I turn around quickly.
"Honey, you okay?" My mom asks me.
"Yeah." I gasp and she hugs me.
"I'm so proud of you!" she says happily and I lightly smile even though she can't see me. We stay like this for a few seconds. She rubs my back gently.
"Well, come on then. They're almost done. Just a few kids left." She says letting go of me and turning around to walk back down the hallway.
I look out the doors one more time before following her back into the hall. I take my seat clapping along with the others.
"There you have it, everyone! Your class of 2016!" The principal says on the microphone. The crowd starts to get up from their seats and clap. Then all the students, including me, get up and clap, throwing our blue caps into the air.
"Yes! We did it!" Sara says excitedly.
I smile at her.
"Let's go celebrate, bitches!" Kelly says and we all go to find our parents in the huge crowd.