“Okay.” I hop off the bed. I can feel her watching me as I slip into my sandals.
“You look pretty today,” she says.
I don’t believe her. I’m overweight. My mom calls it baby fat. That’s why her face is perfectly heart shaped and symmetrical. Mine is plump and round.
“Thank you,” I mutter.
Suddenly, she’s in front of me. When I stand upright, she takes me by my shoulders and looks deep into my eyes. Damn it. I’m forced to bite back tears. Why am I so emotional today?
“Darling, you’re a beautiful young lady, and you did nothing wrong last night. Don’t let it affect you anymore. Just let it go. We have.”
Pressing my lips together, I nod. The tears roll, and I can’t stop them, and for that, my mom draws me against her and holds me tightly. Nothing beats the scent of Mom.
Chapter Nine
The End of Hercules
Paisley Grove
The Ceremony
As covaledictorians, Aaron Isakson and I are to report to the stage. The rest of the 493 graduates will form two lines at the rear of the Dorset Grand Theater. They will then march in and take their assigned seats like we practiced on two occasions. I’m not delivering the valedictory—Aaron is. He was pretty insistent about it. He even pulled the “I’m liked by more people than you”card.
He’s been pretty quiet since we first took our seats. During practices, he talked my ear off, bragging about his relationships with our most popular teachers. He bragged about getting into Harvard and kept repeating that it was an older and more prestigious institution than the one I was going to. I counted them—seven times, he reminded me that John Adams went to Harvard too. But now, his hands are shaking, and he’s been reading his prepared speech over and over.
Mr. Petit introduces our class to the audience, and I rise. Aaron is slow to stand. He’s sweating and as pale as a ghost.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
He scowls at me.
I raise my eyebrows, determined to let him deal with whatever’s ailing him alone. I’m not offended by his slight. He’s a self-righteous prick anyway. As the graduates march in, I wait with bated breath for Hercules to walk through the wide-open doors. He’s supposed to be positioned between North Valente and Daniel Waterford. I inhale deeply when I see the two of them. The person who’s supposed to be between them is absent. My shoulders drop. Where could he be?
My family is seated in the front row. My dad grimaces as every now and then, someone’s family member snaps a photo of him and my mom. Sometimes, I forget that people are often interested in the two of them. My dad doesn’t like his photo taken without his express permission, and if it weren't my graduation day, he’d probably put a halt to it. Unfortunately, the other parents and guests can't keep their eyes off my family. One of the richest men in the world is sitting so close they could touch him, rub him, and fantasize about their own hands turning into gold.
Mr. Kleinman, our principal, takes the podium. The speeches have officially started, and Hercules still hasn’t arrived. I wonder if he’s coming. It would be so like him to just not show up for such a paltry ceremony. I'm not surprised he's not here. I bet graduating from high school is just too meager for someone as mature and exceptional as he is.
“Paisley,” Aaron mumbles, sounding like a drunken sailor. I immediately know something's not right. Before I face him, his palm lands on top of my thigh, and then the rest of him slumps against me. I wrap my arms around him to keep the both of us from tumbling out of our chairs. The crowd gasps.
“Aaron?” I cry.
Mr. Kleinman stops talking and turns. All the adults in the immediate vicinity close in on us. Aaron’s out cold.
* * *
The Valedictory
Principal Kleinman asked me to give the speech, and I agreed to do it. He said I could read what Aaron wrote, but it was mostly him overstating his achievements, so I decided to use my own words.
I can understand why Aaron passed out. My nerves are threatening to get the best of me too. We’re an hour into the ceremony, and now, I’m thankful that Hercules hasn’t shown up yet. I wonder where he is, though. But if he were present, I'd be doubly nervous. My palms are sweating, and that fluttering feeling in my stomach won’t go away. There's nothing I can do but look to my family for courage.
My mom watches me with a constant smile. She must know how nervous I am. Max’s chin is high, and he’s watching the festivities as if there’s no place he’d rather be. My dad glares down at his lap, irritated, because another flash of a camera just flickered in his peripheral vision.
Finally, I hear my name with the announcement that I'm giving the valedictorian speech. The applause is as steady as it has been for other speakers. I’m hot under my collar. Principal Kleinman turns and nods at me and then walks away from the podium. I take deep breaths through my nose to keep from hyperventilating. Adding insult to injury, my chair creaks, as if it’s happy I’m giving it some relief as I stand up.
I wonder if they’re judging me as I walk to the podium. I catch Greenly smirking. Two girls whose names I never knew whisper to each other and snicker. I open my mouth, and “fuck you, fuck you all” comes to mind. The shock of wanting to scream those word at every single one of my classmates hits me. I’m worried I’ll really do it. My eyes quickly shift to my mom’s face. She doesn’t look concerned. I can see it in her relaxed mouth and gleaming eyes. She thinks I can do anything.
“My mom…” I pause, taking notice of how my voice is amplified through the auditorium. I’m slightly dizzy, but I refuse to be the second valedictorian who passes out this afternoon. So I take a breath, straighten my posture, and tell myself I have no other choice but to make this damn speech.
