AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nodded, my gaze falling to her mouth and those lips I had grown to know so well. “I am. Are you?”
“Definitely. But I’m not the one giving a speech,” she reminded me, then leaned in for a kiss. “This is your time, Bare,” she murmured against my mouth. “Your big moment, so enjoy it.”
After Principal Bell introduced me, I stared out into the mass of people. Half of them consisted of my peers and fellow graduates, all dressed in caps and gowns—a sea of green. While their family and friends filled the seats of the football stadium—a captive audience.
I took a deep breath and unfolded the paper containing my speech on the podium in front of me, though I wouldn’t need it. I knew the words by heart. I’d practiced them endlessly in my down time at Bake and Batter, rehearsed it in front of the mirror before I went to sleep, and finally, the day had come where I could share them.
Lifting my gaze, I surveyed the crowd in front of me, easily finding my mother among them as I adjusted the mic and a sense of calm washed over me.
“Good evening, everyone. Fellow classmates and graduating class, it is an honor to be standing before you today. For those of you who don’t know who I am, my name is Barry Glick. Few of you might know me as the boy enchanted with the stars.” I winked at Ella. “Or more recently, the boy who transformed at the masquerade ball and bravely took out a Royal with his right hook.”
I paused as a low hum of cheers rippled through the crowd. “Sorry, not sorry,” I said, meeting Luca’s gaze, and the class laughed.
“But most of you know me as a nerd. The Chess Club geek. The slightly awkward boy sometimes called Casper, who kept to himself most of his academic career. I think it’s fair to say I spent the majority of my junior high and high school experience feeling as though I didn’t fit in, like I had very little in common with my peers. And despite my stellar academic record, college essays, and the countless papers I’d written over the years, when I sat down to write this speech, I found myself tripping up. How could I compose something profound, something relatable to all of us, that would inspire when we were so irreparably different, you and I? It made me feel . . . inadequate.”
I took a deep breath and continued, aware everyone was hanging on my every word. It was probably the only time in my entire life I had a captive audience.
“But then I started thinking about how different we are, and what life—school, the whole world—would be like without them, and I realized it would be boring. Because it’s our differences that make us special. It’s those pieces of us that will be remembered long after our years spent in these halls. It’s those things that make us so great. That make us interesting. Yet despite this, I knew I still needed to appeal to those inner parts of us we did have in common.”
My gaze shifted and landed on Penelope, who I knew endured her fair share of torment over the years, and I continued, “This got me thinking about one of my favorite quotes. One that completely summed up my high school experience. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,by the great Charles Dickens. For some, like me, far worse than others.”
The crowd chuckled, and I smiled.
“Then I thought about my friends, and I realized, in many ways, this quote is probably relatable to all of us.” I winked at Penelope, then shifted my gaze to Topher. “It likely sums up your experience as well, because you can’t have the good without the bad. We started in these halls as little more than children. Fresh-faced, eager to learn and make friends. We moved through the years where your cool factor was determined by who had the latest gaming console or threw the biggest birthday party. Then we made it through the awkward phases of middle school.”
I lowered my voice and added, “Some of us took longer to leave this stage than others. And by some of us, I mean, me.”
Again, the crowd roared. Among them, I heard someone scream my name and my gaze followed the sound to find Thorne, beaming, hands cupped around his mouth.
“We grew up in the age of streaming. Where binging our favorite shows sometimes became a weekend event. Where we grew used to having everything at our fingertips with the internet. Instant gratification spoiled us, along with two-day and even same-day shipping. I’m looking at you, Amazon Prime.”
Laughter swelled through the crowd once more as I plunged forward. “We grew up in the age of social media, where our lives are broadcast to the world. Where we’re scrutinized or praised by the aesthetic of a picture or how many likes we get. Where sliding in to DMs became a thing. Miraculously, we made it to high school. Stronger cliques formed. Cool factor was determined by many things. The haves and have-nots. Suddenly, classmates were divided into two groups, the scholarship kids and the elite wealthy of Lakeview. Physical appearance reigned. Many spent Friday nights in the fall at the Lakeview football field, late-night weekends hanging at Mary’s diner, or most recently, The Broken Record.”
I tilted my head and grinned. “Unless you’re me. Then you spent it in your bedroom or at the state park, with a telescope glued to your eye.”
My gaze found Ella, and she shook her head, chuckling. “The car you drove and the clothes you wore mattered. And most of all, your hierarchy in the high school food chain was determined by your place in these cliques. For some of us”—I coughed—"the Royals—the best of times were more abundant than the rest. You might say you and I are too different to relate. But even you had dark moments.
“Again, that right hook comes to mind.” I nodded toward Luca. “Moments where the girl you were after picked someone else.” My gaze flickered over the crowd until I found JT. “Times where a close friend chose another path.” Then I zeroed in on Topher. “I’m lookin’ at you, Topher.” Laughter surrounded me as I spotted Gabby, sitting with her arms crossed, a scowl on her face and I winced. “Or when the Hollywood heartthrob rejected you for someone way less cool.”
Thorne whooped again from his seat in the crowd and I lifted a hand in the direction he was sitting. “Thorne Roberts, everybody.”
I leaned back, taking a moment to compose myself as the ensuing ruckus died. “I’m done with the Royal jokes, I swear.”
More laughter followed my words.
“And then there were moments that could only be defined as the best. Like winning an award or having your hard work pay-off. Getting a scholarship.”
My gaze lifted to Ella’s and I swallowed, a swell of nerves rising in my chest. “Or falling in love.”
Her cheeks pinkened and her mouth parted. She looked so beautiful in that moment I was half-tempted to leave the stage and forget the rest of my speech.
“But for all of us, there have been moments in which this experience was hard. Where we thought the worst of times would never end. Where the blows kept coming. But you know what? We got through it. We survived! All of us together. Now we embark on the next chapter of our lives, and so much of the focus is on success. Success at school. At our new jobs, boot camp, or living independently. And it’s the lessons we learned in these halls, good or bad—the best or worst of times—that we take with us into the next phase of our lives. They made us who we are and will determine how we handle adversity in the future. These life lessons determine our choices, our path. Success isn’t going to the best school or making a million dollars. Success is defined by how we deal with the worst of times. And we all got a lesson on that here.”
I paused, my chest and heart full as I focused on my friends and family in the crowd, letting the moment sink in. The classmates clinging to my every word. The lush green grass of the football field. The mass of caps and gowns before me. Teachers and faculty, with the school as their backdrop. And I shared my parting words. “We all stand on the cusp of possibility, the rest of our lives. Today, we move forward.” Then, as a nod to Thorne, I said, “So let us go boldly, and without regret.”
An hour later, I held my diploma in my hands after receiving it from Mr. Bell, along with my friends, and when he congratulated the class, everyone threw their caps into the air, but instead of celebrating like the rest, I made a beeline for Ella toward the back.
I found her halfway through the rows of students celebrating, cap still in place, and before I could even say anything, she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Barry, that was . . .” She shook her head, beaming up at me as she met my eyes. “Amazing,” she murmured.
“You think so?” I pressed her against me, my palm on her back as I stared at her mouth. All I wanted to do was kiss her.
“I know so. And Barry . . .?”
“Yeah?” I focused back on her face.
“I love you too.”
My face split into a wide grin and I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers with a sigh. “Yeah, but I loved you first.”
