"And from the shoulders of giants, will we gaze out into our future. And from the clouds of our dreams, will we set our sights on the things to come."

Bobbi's knee only continued to bounce faster as one more vague illustration about the importance of the moment sent her gaze down to her phone to check the time. She hardly noticed which one of her neighbors spoke as they stared over her shoulder.

"That's the tenth time since she started talking. You got somewhere better to be?"

"Yup."

Bobbi kept her eyes peeled on the stage, focused above the sea of blue caps in front of her, hoping her stares would encourage the speaker to wrap it up. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and for the first time all night, she focused on something other than the time and the proceedings happening around her.

The high stadium lights caused a glare to flash in her eyes as she turned her head. She leaned forward, gazing past her only neighbor to the left and squinted her eyes to see beyond the seemingly endless football field.

The white minivan came to a halting stop and immediately three figures hopped out of the car. They stumbled for a moment and scrambled to keeping the cargos from spilling out onto the sidewalk. Then, safely slamming the car door shut, the contents stored securely enough inside, they walked to the chain link fence that encircled the perimeter and all came to rest against it.

Bobbi smiled and forced herself to look ahead again.
"Friends of yours?"

She glanced up at her companion finally, the first time all night despite the numerous comments he kept making on her fidgeting manner. His dark frame glasses caught the glare of the stadium lights as he smirked down at her.

"My ticket out of here, more like."

Suddenly the rows situated nearest the stage stood following the instructions from the speaker Bobbi had not been paying attention to. Bobbi's posture went straight and she was nearly standing as she tried to count the number of rows until at last it would be their turn. Her last name put her at the very last row of the seated students and her companion would be the last of her class to graduate.

"Oh my gosh. I can't believe high school's over! Are we really never going to see each other again?"

"Don't cry, Madison! It'll be okay!"

"Think Fred mainly stands a chance to get with Madison?"

Bobbi's designated sights had enlarged to now include the boys standing at the fence and her mother moving hurrying down the stadium steps to stand along the sidelines.
The first names were read out and the endless rounds of clapping begun. Bobbi turned towards where the high school cheerleader and lacrosse jock sat a row in front, the girl carefully dabbing at the corners of her eyes to preserve her eyeliner.

"If he plays his cards right, he might just."

Hank scoffed and Bobbi found him shaking his head when she turned to face him.

"They won't last."

Bobbi shrugged.
"I've known a few couples who have made it a lot longer on a lot less. At least they have they're mutual lack of drive and ambition on which they can build a relationship. Let me know how they turn out, will ya?"

The row before them stood, their cue to stand as well. Bobbi followed the figure in front of her, someone she was sure she knew of but wasn't quite sure of just who. The shapeless gowns acted as an equalizer among all students, the boys seeming the same shape as the girls. Even Bobbi in her ripped jeans and converses blended in with the neat summer dresses and high heels of her feminine peers.

"Alex Kent."

The boy three people in front of her crossed the small bridge, paused in the middle, turned towards the cheering crowd, then continued back to his seat. As Bobbi took a step closer to the end of the line, she turned back to Hank, passing him her phone.

"Well, Hank. This has been fun. Our 6th grade graduation, our 8th and now high school. Who knew we'd actually make it.?"

Hank stared between Bobbi and down at her phone as she started to unclasp the top of her robe and unzip the blue fabric.

"Bobbi, what are you doing? You could get in trouble."

Bobbi shrugged, taking her phone back.
"They could have kicked me out years ago. I doubt they'd do it now."

"Roberta Anne King."

Bobbi sent a final wink up to her old chemistry partner and turned back to the bridge.
A cheer consisting of less people than the other graduates was made up in energy and enthusiasm. Bobbi shook her head as she walked up the small ramp towards the center, the sight of the three boys prevalent out of the corner of her eye as they threw back their heads and howled to the sky.

"Yeah, Bobbi!"

"Wooo!!"

"Go, Bobbi!"

Her smile was wide as she made sure to pause in the middle of the walk way, her feet dying to carry her on and out. But with her diploma clutched in one hand and the other shaking the hand of some school board official, she turned towards where her mom stood.

The quick camera flash jumped started her adrenal and she took off running, leaving the walkway and a surely confused looking official behind her.

"See you at the reunion, ya?" Hank called out behind her.

Bobbi didn't slow her pace but turned back to smile.
"Doubt it!"

Facing forward again, Bobbi barely kept a grip on her diploma as she ripped the robe from her shoulders and hurried towards the sidelines. Her mom's arms were already out stretched when she got there. Throwing both her robe and her diploma into her mother's arms, she paused briefly to lean down and plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

"No time for that!" Her mom yelled in her ear as the principal stood up to the podium to speak. "Alfie will drive off with out you if you don't hurry!"

Bobbi saw she was right as the boys at the fence had already started to retreat back up the hill and into their minivan. Bobbi sent a final wave back at her mother before bolting down the sidelines towards the football field's exit.

"Go get 'em, Bobbi!"

"Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the graduating class of Boston High School!"

Her mother's yell was nearly lost among the cheers but rang loud in her ears.

The engine was already running, Sam and Alfie buckled up and ready to go in the front seat, as Bobbi hurried closer.

"Come on, Bob! We gotta go!" Alfie called from the drivers seat.

Bobbi's pace only slowed as she hit the grassy incline but was then nearly thrown into the only open back seat once she grabbed ahold of Theo's outstretched arm.

The car was in gear and hurrying down the street before the sliding door was shut properly and the school lights had already faded from view by the time Bobbi was seated and buckled in.

"When's our call time for the festival?" Theo asked, looking towards Bobbi. Sam turned back in his seat and Alfie glanced at her from the rear view mirror.

Bobbi caught a glimpse of the time, speaking while still trying to catch her breath.
"We go on at 11 in the morning. Check-in's in 3 and a half hours. "

"How long until Brooklyn?" Alfie asked, racing the car through the city streets.

"4 hours." Bobbi said, feeling a laugh rise in her throat.

Merging onto the freeway headed south, the lit up city started to fade behind them. Alfie's wide smile matched her almost perfectly as he looked from her to the open road before them.

"Then I guess we better hurry."