Dedicated to you reading this right now.

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"What in the world are you boys doing up on till now?" My dad screamed from downstairs.

"Just a minute." I screamed back.

It was graduation day and my dad and Lucy had volunteered to help out with the decorations early on. Jayden's dad was downstairs while his family was coming later.

"Pass me that gel." James screamed.

I tossed the gel towards him as I helped Jayden style his hair while I tried to curl my hair and make it bouncy.

"Do I look okay?" James asked.

Jayden and I looked towards him and gave him a simultaneous 'okay'. After thirty more minutes of chaos we stepped out with the presents I had gotten for Joy and Karla. I passed the mirror and stopped, admiring my hot self.

The adults were already out and waiting in the car. I rushed out and locked the door before going back and opening it again. Lily growled at me as she emerged from the door and trotted to the car like the little diva that she was.

"Sorry your majesty." I laughed. James lifted her up and placed her in Lucy's car. My dad's car was filled with decorations and Jayden's dad sat in the front with him. Jayden went up to him looking worried.

"He'll be fine." My dad whispered and his dad laughed in reasurance.

Jayden smiled and moved to over to Lucy's car with us.

"Looking fine boys." Lucy said as we got in.

We chorused a thank you and James took a million pictures on the way, half of which Lily photobombed. As we rolled up to the school a collective gulp could be heard from the car as we saw the girls standing at the gate and glaring at us.

James whistled and came out the car. "Looking hot ladies." He said.

Lily scurried under my leg and rushed to Karla. "Sorry we took so much time." Jayden said.

"How can you guys take more time than us to get ready." Karla asked.

"Aren't you seeing how hot your boyfriend is looking." I said moving closer.

I heard my dad scream something about not being ready to become a grandfather before he walked towards the school with Jayden's dad and Lucy.

Joy rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her dress. "Just shows the amount of ugliness that needed to be rescued."

I flipped her off and Annabelle laughed before talking to us. "Let's go to class. They're about to start."

We nodded and started moving. I complimented Karla on her look and she smiled while Joy vented about having to stand in the sun for so long. Emerald high had a particular tradition that it had maintained for a very long time. Every graduating student had a customized yearbook that held a section for well wishes and quotes. It had been passed around last week and they had been so strict that I didn't even glance at my name.

I saw the hoard of students that filled the classrooms. After a battle through the crowds I had gotten hands on my year book and I went to the empty cafeteria to sit with my friends while we waited for the event to start. James had ordered food online and we ate it while we scanned the comments on our year books.

I looked in shock at the comments in my yearbook. I wasn't expecting so much comments.

Thanks for a being a friend,
Andrew.

You little psycho, I now have to go to the therapist because of you. But thank you for not giving up on me.
Sean

Thank you for tutoring
Mick

Gonna miss watching you draw
Liz

I can't believe I didn't speak to a fellow thriller watcher until it was graduation.
Mira

Never gonna forget how you paid for my lunch when everyone else ignored me.
Brenda

I laughed as I read the comments, my heart grew warmer seeing people thank me for doing things I just considered being human.

I did make an impact

I looked round the book until I saw my friends letter. They had joined it together.

We don't really know where to start,
Cuz you're a case that doesn't have an end.
A little crazy but we love you all the same,
Got a heart of gold
But a brain that is so freaking stubborn
So all we can say is thank you.
Thank you for being my friend.
Thank you for never giving up on me.
Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for being my special hater.
Thank you for being our little star.
Signed with boundless love,
Your crazy little family.

I felt my eyes well up and I looked up at them to see them brandishing little boxes at me.

I wiped my eyes. "What are those?" I said laughing.

"This is from Jayden." Joy said passing me a little box.

I opened it and saw a beautiful bracelet. I gasped and I ran my hand through the gold bracelet decorated with little trinkets. The trinkets were a tennis racket, a microphone, an ice cream cone, a little forest and a fork- all countless memories we'd made.

I immediately wore it laughing and thanking Jayden who looked away embarassed. I looked at their wrists and saw they were all wearing the same bracelet.

"Tada!!!" Annabelle screamed handing me a book.

"This is one is from the girls." Karla said.

I opened it to see that is was a scrapbook filled with countless pictures I didn't even know were being taken. "We realized that the bracelets may not hold all the memories but the scrapbook would and would hold even more." Joy chimed.

"I took the pictures." Karla said.

"And I designed them." Annabelle added.

Joy flipped her hair proudly. "And I had the brilliant idea."

I laughed as I went through some of the insane pictures that were stored here. "The event is starting guys." Annabelle said.

Joy squealed and checked herself in the mirror as I dragged Karla to the event as we put on our gowns. Everybody looked in awe at the courtyard and football field. It was so beautifully decorated with lawn chairs and festive decorations, I could see proud families beaming as they sat down waiting for the class of twenty-twenty-four to make their entrance.

Funny how life turned out. The twists and turns during our performance at high school. I looked towards my parents - by the end of Novemeber hopefully now my dad and Lucy with Lily waving at me as I walked to my seat. Relationships I had never wanted blossomed. I looked towards Liam who had come with his friends. And people I had thought would never leave had spread their wings. I glanced at the morons who were moving in front of me. People I thought I would never speak to were the ones I shared this moment with and I looked at Karla walking beside me. And a girlfriend that I had never imagined getting was by my side. In short it had been a crazy ride. It might have been hard, exhausting, thrilling and exciting all in one go. But what made it special to me was the fact that I had experienced it all with my friends. Or better yet, the family that chose me.

I sat down on a comfy chair and everyone kept quiet as Blake took the stage to give his valedictory speech and after he was done the principal came up to give his speech.

"The class of 2024," He paused to laugh. "There's only one thing I can say about this set – a group of people that never ceased to surprise. If I was asked to pick a valedictorian I would say they should all share their story. Every single student has excelled in not just academics but art, sports and so many things. These children have made me immensely proud and I couldn't be happier to retire with this astounding set." He looked at us directly. "Class of 2024 keep on proving the haters wrong."

The principal's speech was ending with a sounding ovation and after that he presented us with our certificate.

"I've finally escaped this sanitorium." Annabelle said looking at the building.

I looked towards it, a house of memories at this point. "I kind of liked this sanitorium." I breathed.

"Yeah. I met you there didn't I." Karla said looking at me.

I smiled back at her and then remembered that I hadn't given her the present I had gotten for her. "Here you go." I said passing the bag to Karla.

She opened it smiling while I fidgeted with my thumbs, it was an unusual gift after all. "A flower pot and some bluebell seeds." She said smiling at me.

I rubbed my neck embarrassed. "Bluebells signify eternal love so I was hoping if you plant them and when they bloom and you look at the flowers you'll remember me." I said nervously.

She beamed and kissed me. "A thoughtful gift from an amazing boyfriend. Am the luckiest girl in the world."

She pushed a box into my hand. "It has an app that enables me to send messages to you when an missing you."

I smiled and held the box tightly. Before mine to Joy. "I know you're a hugger. So I got you a customized pillow." She grabbed the pillow decorated with ice cream and my name and immediately gave it a tight hug.

She gave my package over to me. "It's friendship candles. When I touch mine yours changes to tell you am thinking about you."

I smiled and collected my own. James and Jayden came up to us. "Let's move to the dance floor you guys."

We laughed and moved to towards the dance floor and started dancing like no one was watching. You see, graduation was a funny thing. It was sad leaving your friends and the memories you had made behind with the scary prospect of growing up. But it was also joyous since we going to experience new things. In total I don't think graduation could really be summed up into one word, it was just a feeling.

And so as I round up my story. No as I round up this chapter, I would like to give my own thanks. If I started to thank all the people who made this possible I would never stop so I simply want to tell you thank you for reaching this point.

Thank you for listening to this normal boy's story.

THE END

OF ONE CHAPTER IS THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER.