I walk up the steps of the stage and hand the lady reading name cards mine. She reads it and then says, "Dakota Waters".
I walk over to the Vice Principal and shake his hand, and then take my diploma. I can't believe it's finally happening.
I'm actually going to graduate.
There were so many times this semester when I didn't think I would get to see this day.
After I take my diploma I walk down the steps at the middle of the stage and at the bottom I see my favorite teacher, my choir teacher.
She's tearing up as I walk up to her to give her a hug.
As I hug her, she whispers in my ear, "I'm so proud of you Dakota".
When I pull away I smile and say, "thank you".
My choir teacher really helped push me to graduate toward the end of this year when I felt like giving up.
After I hug my choir teacher I go back to my seat.
I open my diploma and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.
"We did it", says my best friend and secret crush Lewis.
His last name is Watts, so we got seated next to each other.
I look at him and say, "Yeah, we did" and give him a smile.
I've secretly had a crush on Lewis since we met in Biology freshman year.
I wanted to tell by asking him to homecoming at the beginning of sophomore year, but when we got to back to school he told me he got a girlfriend over summer.
Her name is Sasha and they've been together ever since.
She's much prettier than me, I can see why Lewis likes her.
"So what are you doing tonight? Are you going to grad night?", Lewis asks as we near the end of the ceremony.
I hadn't even thought about if I was going to celebrate tonight. I probably would have just stayed home and watched a movie in my pajamas.
"Oh, um...I wasn't really planning on it", I say to Lewis. Lewis is the only other person I would wanna go with tonight besides my best friend Chrissy, but she lives in Los Angeles. I know Sasha is gonna be there tonight so I would just be third wheeling with them...then again not that I haven't before.
"Oh, well you should come with Sasha and I, it's gonna be fun!", Lewis says to me with a smile. I still get butterflies every time he smiles at me.
"I don't know...you know partying isn't really my thing", I say.
"Will the class of 2019 please stand!", says the Class President over the microphone.
"Think about it, okay?"
"Okay", I say and smile.
"Students, you may now turn your tassels from left to right".
"Shit!" Lewis and I say at the same time and look at each other, and then burst out laughing. We had our tassels on the wrong side.
We quickly switch our tassels from right to left, then left to right.
"Congratulations to the class of 2019!"
Everyone throws their caps in the air and cheers.
Lewis pulls me into a tight hug and I hug him back.
Suddenly something strikes in me and I blurt out, "I like you".
"What?", Lewis yells over the cheering crowd.
"I-I like you...I have since sophomore year".
"Oh Dakota...I"
I cut Lewis off before he can break my heart with what's coming next, "I just wanted to get that off my chest before you left for school. I didn't know if I would get to see you this summer".
"Dakota...I'm sorry. I love Sasha".
And just like, my heart shatters.
"You...you love her?"
"I do. I love her."