Young Adult / Chapter1: Graduation Pt2

We arrived in the parking lot twenty minutes pass the time I was supposed to be there. All thanks to the insane traffic of Atlanta, Georgia. The car came to a smooth halt inside a handicap parking space. My dad, Brandon, pulled out an old handicap tag from the passenger side compartment. The tag once belonged to my Grandpa Mike who recently stayed with us until my parents had grown tired of his midnight streaking through the neighborhood, and decided a nice retirement home would suit him best. But, the expiration date had yet to expire on his handicap tag and my father said it was only to be used in emergencies when there was no close parking space. I looked outside my window and saw row upon row of parked cars. Yup, this was an emergency. I just prayed nobody would notice three full-bodied people walking from a handicap parking space.
        My mom, Niecey, fussed at me to hurry into the auditorium. I hopped out the car hurriedly hoping I wasn’t the only one who was late. As I ran across the street I felt a huge smack against my side. I felt my self rolling and then hitting the hard rough pavement. Through the pain I was able to lift my head of the ground to see a car stopped next to me. I heard the zipping sound of a car window being rolled. I looked up a little higher and saw the plastic face of Tanya, the most popular girl in school. Her face was filled with annoyance. Her shrill high pitched voice blasted into my ear drums, “Gosh Zita! Can’t you look before you cross the street? Ugh, keep going Quincy.” I looked over her shoulder and saw Quincy , my former crush of eight years. He was laughing in his absurd obnoxious laugh. They drove off and left me there in the street.
        I felt a pang of stupidity for actually liking that self-absorbed, self righteous, shallow, little bas¾ “Baby! BABY! Oh my gosh! Are you okay”, my mom asked terrified. She was standing over me helping me off the ground. My dad rushed over to help. “Who were those kids? They didn’t even stop and help you”, he said with anger rising in his voice. My parents asked me a dozen questions and after five minutes of reassuring them that I was fine and I didn’t need to see a doctor, they let me go inside. I pretended like I didn’t know who ran over me because I didn’t want any trouble or to ever have to see them again after today. Besides…it was technically my fault for running into the street. But, they still could have helped me.
        I walked to the back entrance of the auditorium were they trying to line up a class of six hundred and fifty six seniors alphabetically. When I entered it seemed like the loud chit chat of the room seemed to turn to whispers. Were they all staring at… me? I took a deep breath and walked over to an administrator who was pointing out directions. “Name…F’s should be right about there…to your left…your other left”, she sighed and pointed another student to where they should be. I approached her calmly. “Name”, she said with a bored tone. “I’m…um…uh…”, I said with my words stumbling. The demon creature in my stomach was getting to me. She looked up from her clipboard. “Oh…your Zita Maycott”, she stated. Not asked. How could she know my name but I had never once been sent to the office? Why was it that nearly everybody in my school new my name but I didn’t know half the people in my grade? “You should probably be close to where Miss Mayton is standing. You know who she is right”, she asked pointing to the girl I hated the most. I nodded and stood in front of “Miss Mayton” and behind a girl with the last name of Masil.
        “Miss Mayton” better known in my mind as Tanya, was standing around talking with her followers. I was standing alone, quietly drifting my thoughts to happier place when she stood in front of me with a smirk on her face. Tanya and her friends started snickering and whispering something I knew had to be about me. “Zita…I love your outfit”, she said smirking. I looked down at my robe. The blue metallic fabric was now all covered in dirt and oil stains. It looked horrible and my mouth dropped. This seemed to amuse Tanya and her friend seeing as they roared with laughter. They reminded me of hyenas from the animal channel and that thought saved me from breaking into tears.
        I tried to just ignore them but there hurtful comments ripped through my ears. “She looks so weird. I mean what did she do? Take a bath in the trees.” “Zita’s feet are so big! Gross!” “No matter how much make up she applies, she’ll never fix that ugly face of hers.” Tears burned like an inferno in my eyes. I wanted to cry but I didn’t want to let them win. Why did their opinions matter? They were only a group of pampered, annoying, plastic, little whor¾ “Wholey Moley Zita! What happened to your robes?” I turned and Mr. Gifford, the head administrator was gawking at me. Again how he knew my name I wasn’t sure. Tanya and her friends quickly went back to their assigned positions. I shrugged as he approached me with a look of disapproval. “We can’t let you go on stage looking like this”, he said. My heart did a back flip with excitement. I wanted to hug him and run shouting down the street but I kept still to hear his instructions.
        “I knew something like this might happen. Go over to that box in the corner and put on a different robe”, he said sternly. I felt a whole new heap of despair as I walked over to the box, undoubtedly being watched by several pairs of eyes.  I opened the box and groaned. Inside were old graduation robes. The blue metallic color had faded and lint ravaged the robes. I pulled them out one by one looking for one that would fit my small figure. After I found the smallest size possible in the box, I switched the robes. I sighed glumly as I looked down at my robe. It was to long to fit my five foot five frame. I walked back to my space in line trying my hardest not to trip on the robe. Tanya and her friends started their rant about me again but I cleared it out my mind. I let my thoughts drift away to the beach resort I saw in an ad in the newspaper. This thought calmed me but then I heard the heart wrenching sound of someone speaking into a megaphone.
        The administrator told us to file into the auditorium. As we entered the large room I scanned across the room and saw my mom waving wildly and my dad taking a million pictures. Their presence comforted me and I took my seat in the reserved rows.
        The ceremony started and I found myself daydreaming during the hour presentation of speeches and dull performance of the “Star Spangled Banner”. They started calling up names to the front of the stage. As I got closer to the stage the monster in my stomach danced sending my breakfast to my throat. I gulped trying to push back it back down. “Look at Zita. She looks diseased”, I heard a piercing voice say. I looked over at Tanya who was snickering with her friend. My queasiness seemed to turn to pure anger. I hadn’t done anything to her and yet she insisted on making me feel like hell. They called her name and she walked across the stage. My anger was boiling now and electricity seemed to flow through my fingers.
        A gust of wind ripped open a side entrance. In flew a very large raven who made it’s way over to Tanya. It picked and pulled at Tanya’s hair. She shrieked and ran off the stage. The crowd gasped and murmuring voices filled the room. I looked shocked but then I laughed a little to myself. The electricity in my fingers was gone.
        My new found amusement eased my nerves. I walked across the stage to receive my diploma glad that nobody was paying attention. They were looking towards the door were Tanya had run out screaming.
         After about a hundred more names were called things settled. I heard Quincy’s name get called. Watching him strut across the stage sickened me. He had that same “I’m too sexy for my body” smirk on his face that I once found adorable. The memory of him yelling out “APRIL FOOLS” rang in my head. I could start to feel electricity in my fingers again as anger built up in my chest.
         He reached out his over-lotioned, manicured hand to get his diploma but another strong blew open the side entrance. In flew not one, but four ravens. They circled over his head. I had never seen Quincy so afraid. The corners of my mouth started to turn in a smile but I suppressed it. One raven swooped down and put droppings on his robe. Two other ravens followed in suit leaving Quincy looking shocked and disgusted. He looked up at the last raven who swooped down and planted a dropping right on his face.
        My self control betrayed me. I went off in my loud cackle and my sides began ripping at the seams. The look on his face was too priceless. I could see through tears people looking over at me. I didn’t care because this was the last time I would have to see any of them and their sharp stares. Quincy wiped off the white liquid that was dripping down his cheeks. He then squealed like a five year old and ran off the stage. This made me laugh harder. After a few minutes everyone settled down again. I sighed smiling. A perfect example of Karma in it’s prime.