Today was my day. Friends and family were coming over to celebrate my graduation. I forgot all my worries as I got ready in the morning. Wanting to look nice, I looked over my options in my closet.

I settled for a white dress shirt, black dress pants, and my black sneakers. I walked over to my dresser and pulled out my necklace to put on.
"Not losing you again" I whispered to myself. I put on a black beanie before leaving my room and heading downstairs to help dad set up. I found him in our front yard, tying balloons to the mailbox.
"Really dad? Does the whole neighborhood need to know?" I asked.
"That I'm proud of my son? Yes" he said. He walked back towards the house and followed me into the backyard. I pulled some extra chairs out of our shed while he put up some decorations. Some balloons next the house, streamers on the fence, I felt it was all too much.

I got the chairs set up and went to see what dad was doing.
"Need help with anything else?" I asked as I watched him start the grill.
"No, just relax until the guests come" he said. Once he grill was lighted he went into the kitchen. I didn't want to sit around waiting so I went to find something to do.

I walked over to our fire pit and started cleaning it out. We haven't used it for a while, but we still had firewood by the shed.
"Parker!" Dad got my attention before I could grab any wood.
"Yeah dad?" I asked as I turned towards the house. He was leaning out of the doorway to the house.
"I have to pick grandma, grandpa, and granny from the airport. Can you watch the grill?" He asked.
"No problem" I said. He gave me a thumbs up and left.

I forgot about the fire pit for now and walked over to the grill. Dad was going all out today, grilling burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and steak tips.
"Enough food dad?" I mumbled to myself.
"Anyone here?" I heard a voice by the gate and immediately recognized it as Barry.
"Back here!" I called out. Barry and his family entered our backyard so I greeted everyone.
"Thank god you're here first Barry, dad left me with the grill" I said.
"Let me see" he said. I lead him to the grill and let him take over before I burned anything. 

I talked to Barry's wife Lori was their daughter Stella watched her dad. It wasn't long before Eric and his wife Kellie showed up.
"What's up guys?" Eric asked as they entered the yard.
"Hey guys. Thanks for coming" I said with a smile.
"Nice to see you wearing that necklace again. Where's your dad?" Eric asked.
"Picking up the family. They should be here soon" I explained. Kellie sat down with us while Eric went to see what Barry was up to.
"Is Zach showing up?" Barry asked. 
"He should be here soon too" I said as I stood up and walked towards them. 

I leaned against the side of the house and chatted with Eric while watching Barry work his magic on the grill with Stella. I felt bad making him take over grill duty as he was our guest, but they were having a good time. 
"The Myers are here" Kellie called out. I looked over and saw Zach and his family walk through the gate. Oliver and Avery ran into the yard giggling as Bethany joined Lori and Kellie. 
"Be good you two" Zach called out as he followed his boys towards the shed.
"Hey Zach, I think I have some old toys in there they can play with" I said. I walked over to the shed and pulled out a soccer ball, football, and an old ring toss game from when I was little. 
"Thanks, this should keep them busy" Zach said. I may not always get along with Zach, but I try being nice to the boys.

Stella joined Oliver and Avery in kicking the soccer ball around as I hung out with the adults around the fire pit. 
"Hey Parker, are we lighting this up when it gets dark?" Eric asked.
"If you stay long enough, sure" I said with a shrug. 
"We're back" I heard dad's voice and turned towards the gate. As soon as I saw my granny I ran to her and gave her a big hug. 
"How are you Parker?" She asked with a big smile.
"Better now that you're here" I grinned at her and turned towards my grandparents. "I missed you two as well" I hugged them both before giving them a chance to settle in.  
"Mom, dad, you remember the others" Dad said as he gestured towards everyone in the yard. They nodded and went over to say hello, Granny following close behind. "Parker" Dad said, making me turn towards him. 
"Yeah dad?" I asked. 
"Why is Barry at the grill" He asked, giving me a stern look. 
"Cause he wants to help" I said with a smile. Dad just rolled his eyes and went over to say hello. 

I joined Granny at our picnic table as I've been looking forward to seeing her. Not many kids were lucky to have their great grandparent still around, so I wanted to make the most out of my time with her.
"So how have you been granny?" I asked her sweetly. 
"Oh I've been good Parker. I'm sorry I missed your graduation, but we are all proud of you" She said. 
"Don't worry about it, you're here now and that's what matters" I said. 
"That reminds me, I brought a gift for you. I think your dad left it in the car" She said. 
"Granny, you didn't have to get me anything" I told her. I hated gifts and really didn't want anything today. 
"But you earned if for doing so well in school" She said, making me feel warm. I felt so lucky to have her in my life, even if I didn't see her often.

"Food's ready" Barry called out. Everyone walked over to the table full of food and started filling their plates. I watched with a smile as Zach helped Oliver and Avery get what they wanted. 
"You know, I remember you being that small" Eric said as he came up behind me. 
"I think I miss being that small. Now I have to prepare for the real world" I whined. 
"You'll be fine" Eric said while nudging my shoulder. "Besides, you still have us to support you"
"Yeah, I guess I am lucky" I smiled at him. I put some grilled chicken and fruit on my plate before walking back to the picnic table to sit with granny. 

We all sat close enough to each other to talk and laugh as we ate. I hated the fact that most of the stories were about me, but I wasn't really surprised as it was my graduation party. 
"Remember when he got his first skateboard? Brent, you had to hold his hands while he figured it out in the parking lot" Zach laughed. 
"Remember his first day at the studio? We couldn't pull him away from the instruments, he was in love" Barry said. 
"What about that time him and the girl skipped school to go to a music festival, not knowing we'd be there?" Eric added. "We thought they were dating until he came out to us"
"That was a interesting day" Dad said. I was ready to get up and leave, and granny could tell. 
"Alright boys, that's enough" She scolded them. 
"Thank you" I whispered to her. 

The kids went back to playing after we all finished eating. My good mood was gone after all those stories. 
"Hey Parker, why don't you open presents now?" dad suggested. 
"I don't want to" I mumbled. "I told you guys not to bring anything"
"Don't be that way" Dad gave me a stern look before walking into the house. He came back out with a small bag. "This one's from granny"
Of course he would start with hers, he knew I'd open it. I pulled the tissue paper off the top of the bag and pulled out a rolled up tshirt. When I unrolled it, I saw the front had my graduation year and school name on it. 
"Thank's Granny, I love it" I said before hugging her. She was so happy as I put it over my shirt and wore it. 
"It's custom made. Your father helped me with it" She said. 
"Well then thanks dad" I said, flashing him a quick smile. 

"Us next" Grandma said with a smile. She handed me an envelope as she said it was from both her and grandpa. I opened it to find a sweet graduation card they signed and 50 dollars inside. 
"I love you two, but you didn't have to give me money" I said. 
"It can go towards your next steps in life" Grandpa said. I got up to hug both of them before taking my seat next to granny again. 
"We got you something too, but it's at the studio" Eric said. 
"It better not be another guitar, I said I'd replace that myself" I said to him. 
"Better" He said with smile, making me nervous. What did they have planned now?

We all hung out in the backyard until it got late. Zach and his family were first to leave as the kids got tired, and then Barry and his family as him and Lori didn't want Stella up too late. 
"I'm going to bring grandma, grandpa, and granny to the hotel" Dad said as the sun started to set. I said goodbye to the three of them and gave them all a hug, thanking them for coming. 
"Are you two leaving or did you still want to light the fire pit?" I asked Eric and Kellie as we were the only three left. 
"We can't stay too late because of the dogs, but we can stay a little longer" Eric said. He helped me light up the pit while Kellie moved four chairs around it, leaving one for dad when he got back. 
"So, you ready to get to work soon?" Eric asked. 
"I've been ready, I wanted out of school so badly" I said. 
"I'm sure you'll be a great addition to the team" Kellie said. 
"Thanks, I'm really looking forward to it" I said as I stared into the flames. Now that things have calmed down, I was starting to feel at peace again. 

Dad came back just as Eric and Kellie were getting ready to leave. 
"Thanks for coming" I said as I walked them out. I put the fire out before following dad into the house. 
"Hey bud, I have one last gift for you" He said. 
"No more dad, it's been a long day" I whined. 
"Just wait here" He said. I watched as he ran up to his office before reappearing with a hoodie. He tossed it to me and watched me unfold it, looking at what was printed on it. The front had the Shinedown logo printed large on the chest, and the back said "Official Shinedown Crew"
"Thanks dad" I said. I placed it on the table before walking over to hug him. 
"We all look forward to working with you" He said as he held me in his arms. This was going to be the best summer yet.