Graduation.

So Saturday, June 26, I graduated from my high school.  We will be going through everything that happened that made that day the way it was.

So it started the day before, Friday.  At one o'clock I went to my graduation rehearsal.  It was a complete waste of time.  We learned where to sit.  It took an hour and a half.  We also got our caps and gowns.  Green for boys, white for girls.

Now, looking at graduation photos, I have always wondered how those dang caps stay on everyone's heads.  They look so unstable.  So I open my package with my cap and gown and take a look.  Turns out, my cap CAN'T stay on my head.  It's just a piece of cardboard on a little fabric circle. There's no way.  I'm nervous for the whole rest of the day, "How on earth is that stupid  cap going to stay on my head?!"  I try looking online.  "How does do you keep the graduation cap on your head?"   There are almost no answers.  Most of them say, "How to decorate your graduation cap," and the rest of them say, "Hairstyles best for graduation caps."

Well I finally find one little thing that says, "Use some bobby pins to keep your hat in place."  Thank goodness!  I found something useful, but I was a little embarrassed that I didn't think of it.  The next problem was that I didn't have any bobby pins.  I used to have a ton, but I threw them away, I never used them.  But after I read that I searched the house frantically for something to use.  I finally found one little red bend snap clip with a red flower on it.  It stood out.  Not a lot, but it did.  I would clip the cap on the opposite side of the tassel, for balance.  It barely worked.  I had to keep very still, I couldn't look up or down.  After I partially solved my problem, I went to bed.

The next day I got ready and we went to pick up my friends to get there an hour early.  Ladies and Gentlemen, here's where it gets ugly.  I have a major problem, where I get so nervous that I get really nauseous.  I also have a big fear of throwing up.  Put those together and you get an awful cycle that eventually leads to vomit.  Well, that's what happened.  I wasn't PARTICULARLY nervous.  I didn't want my hat to fall, I didn't want to trip, I had to sing that day, but I wasn't too nervous, but nervous enough.  (Turns out I was a little sick too, we had a thing going around the family.)  But yes, I threw up.  I feel really bad because my friend and her mom were in the car too, but I've thrown up in front of a majority of my friends.  Heh.

We get there and I'm still feeling ill.  I see everyone already wearing their caps and gowns  so I get mine on.  I work to get my hat on, and we walk to the building.  Tons of people are out talking and taking pictures and I start looking around.  Other people's hats look different than mine.  They look like they have elastic and better fitting.  People aren't walking around like they're holding books on their heads.  Turns out, my hat was DEFECTIVE.  I was furious.  How dare they give me a defective hat!  I was so angry.

Well, I was supposed to be there an hour early to get lined up.  We were late, but it turned out that it didn't matter.  Which also angered me.  I hate waiting for something that I don't want to do.  I stand there and make chit chat with random people dreading the ceremony.  We all have no idea what we're supposed to do and I feel like I'm going to throw up again, so I'm looking for quick exits.

We finally start walking into the auditorium.  Students and teachers go on the stage and family and friends sit in the audience.  The aisles we have to walk down are really narrow and the floor feels really weird, I guess old.  Then we have to climb some really rickety steps.  The problem with this whole walking up thing is that I have no idea where to walk, so I want to look down BUT I CAN'T!  My horrible cap will not handle it.  AND my huge sleeves from my gown gets stuck on rails and banisters so I have to stop and unhook it.

We get to our seats and we stand for the longest time.  Then the choir has to sing the National Anthem.  I have to walk BACK down the stairs (without looking down or holding my hat like a dork) on to a dark floor where I have to keep looking down to not fall.  We sing, we go back up, my sleeve gets hooked.  I sit back down and sweat.  It was so hot.  So many people and bright lights with multiple layers of clothing.  I was dying.

Some people give some pretty awful speeches and then the choir has to go back and sing "Breakaway".  We did well, but those stairs - horrible.  We sit down and listen to more speeches.  Then we finally get our empty diploma cases.  I get up, shake hands, take pictures - fine.  Then I'm going around to get back to my chair and I bump into a whole row of chairs and make a racket.  The audience didn't see, but all of my peers did.  One kid even said, "Well that's embarrassing."  I just laughed and kept walking like a loser.

To end it all:  I didn't throw my hat and it took me forever to find my family again.  I was expecting it to be bad, and it was.  It wasn't like, "Oh well it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."  No, it was worse.  It was horrible.  And now I have to go back to my awful school to get my diploma.

It sucked - it's over.
The End.