Categories > Celebrities > Good Charlotte > One Messed Up Love Story
June 1998...
"Get in your positions, people!" yelled Grumpy Mr. Larson. Boy was I excited to be rid of him. Probably the most exciting thing about graduating. That and all the gifts I get. I waved at my best friend Kristy, who was at the front of the line on account of her last name, which is Adams. I was more in the middle of the line, on account of MY last name, which is McCormick.
I looked down at my graduation robe. Our school colors weren't even that bad. Black robe with a baby blue sash=nice combination. If I'd stayed in Portland, I'd be standing in a red robe with a royal blue sash right now...NOT pretty. Poor people who still were still attending La Salle...and they weren't even graduating for another two weeks. Losers!
The music began to play, and we all filed through the doors and to the folding chairs set up for us graduates in the Eisenhower High School gym. I took my seat between Charlie Martin and Sherrie McDuff. Sherrie was the class bimbo, and Charlie was the class weirdo - the kid who picked his nose and ate his boogers and didn't quite grasp the importance of the usage of soap. I smiled and wrapped an arm around each of them.
"I'm gonna miss you guys!" I said.
"Ew," said Sherrie, trying to pull away. Charlie farted.
I looked out into the crowd and located my mom and step-dad, grandparents, four sisters and two brothers. And even some of my cousins. I grinned and waved, and they waved back. My mother wiped a gistening tear from her eye. She never graduated high school. She'd gotten pregnant instead. With me. So she was a little emotional. My eyes panned a little to the right and I found Kristy's family. Her mom, dad, and step-dad, three sisters and single brother. Then I swiveled my gaze to the other side of the gym and located Nick Gigler's parents and Tony and Matt. I smiled at them, and they both waved. Tony would have been about five kids to my right in his own black and baby blue uniform, but he'd dropped out after his junior year. School wasn't for everybody; especially not Tony. If he hadn't dropped out, he would have been kicked out before graduation anyway. One of his favorite after school activities was toking up with friends [including me sometimes] under the bleachers at the football field. The administration never caught any of them, but they knew something went on under those bleachers, and, considering Tony's behavioral and detention record, most, if not all of the administration suspected he'd been part of it.
Just then, the valedictorian, Angela Wong, went up to the podium and began her speech. It was a very traditional valedictorian speech about memories of specific students and teachers. I was mentioned for my upbeat personality, flamboyant style, and my ability to befriend everyone. Okay then, I thought, looking at the people on either side of me. Sherrie rolled her eyes at me, and Charlie farted.
"Okay, buddy, you're going to have to stop doing that," I whispered to him. He stuck his finger in his nose. I made a face. The kid was disgusting.
Kristy was mentioned next in the speech for her crazy sense of humor and her creative mind, and Nick was mentioned for his unbelievably daring stunts, such as vaselining door knobs so teachers wouldn't be able to get into classrooms, and drawing obscene pictures all over Mr. Larson's car with washable marker. She left out the stunts he'd pulled that no one but Kristy, Tony, and I knew about, such as setting fire to the boys bathroom and taking a huge, disgusting dump all over the hood of Science Teacher Mr. Cranston's car.
Suddenly, everyone broke into applause, and I realized it was because Angela had finished speaking. I clapped, too, even though I'd hardly listened. Then they began announcing the students on the honor roll. Yay, me. Yay, Kristy. Yay, some other kids. Then they announced the students who received college scholarships. Yay, me. Yay, Kristy. Yay, about four other kids. Finally, they began calling people up for diplomas. Kristy was first, and all three families I'd located before erupted into cheering.
"Yeah, Kristy!" Tony yelled.
"You're hot!" Matt yelled. I laughed and looked over at him just in time to see Nick's mom playfully slap his arm. Kristy stood on the risors, looking both amused and slightly embarrassed. Vanessa, our somewhat-other friend, was called next. Then some other kids I'd never known were called, and so on. Hours seemed to have passed before Nick was called, and then a thousand more hours passed before I was called. I collected my diploma, shook Mr. Larson's hand grudgingly, and then blew a kiss at the crowd, sending them into cheer city again before taking my place on the risors next to Charlie.
"We graduated, Charlie!" I whispered to him excitedly. Charlie farted happily.
Unfortunately, we waited three bazillion more hours before Angela Wong, the last graduate, was called up, and then everyone screamed and stood up and applauded as we tossed our black and blue caps into the air in relief that the ceremony was over. Everyone was running around now, chaos everywhere, and suddenly I was enveloped into a giant hug.
"Congratulations, Razi!" Tony said, death gripping me.
"Thanks, Anthony John!" I weezed, hugging him back. "Congratulations to you, too, for having me as a friend!"
Tony unhanded me and dropped a kiss on my forehead before moving onto Kristy.
"Let's get ice cream!" he said, swaying Kristy back and forth. I was about to reply when I was enveloped into yet another hug. This time it was my mom, sobbing.
"Congratulations, baby!" she wept. "I'm so proud of you! And with honors and a half scholarship!" I grinned at her over-relief. She'd gotten pregnant with me when she was fifteen, and she'd had to give up everything in order to raise me. I was THIS close to following in her footsteps. I would have, in fact, if I hadn't aborted the baby in my uturus that was part of Matt Lovato's and my irresponsible sexy time. I felt a pang of sadness, but I pushed it away. It had been for the best.
I swallowed hard just as Tony slung an arm around my shoulders. "Congratulations," he said again. "But this is the beginning of our lives changing drastically, for better, for worse, I don't know. But things are definitely going to be fucking different from now on."
I snorted. Nahhhh.
"Get in your positions, people!" yelled Grumpy Mr. Larson. Boy was I excited to be rid of him. Probably the most exciting thing about graduating. That and all the gifts I get. I waved at my best friend Kristy, who was at the front of the line on account of her last name, which is Adams. I was more in the middle of the line, on account of MY last name, which is McCormick.
I looked down at my graduation robe. Our school colors weren't even that bad. Black robe with a baby blue sash=nice combination. If I'd stayed in Portland, I'd be standing in a red robe with a royal blue sash right now...NOT pretty. Poor people who still were still attending La Salle...and they weren't even graduating for another two weeks. Losers!
The music began to play, and we all filed through the doors and to the folding chairs set up for us graduates in the Eisenhower High School gym. I took my seat between Charlie Martin and Sherrie McDuff. Sherrie was the class bimbo, and Charlie was the class weirdo - the kid who picked his nose and ate his boogers and didn't quite grasp the importance of the usage of soap. I smiled and wrapped an arm around each of them.
"I'm gonna miss you guys!" I said.
"Ew," said Sherrie, trying to pull away. Charlie farted.
I looked out into the crowd and located my mom and step-dad, grandparents, four sisters and two brothers. And even some of my cousins. I grinned and waved, and they waved back. My mother wiped a gistening tear from her eye. She never graduated high school. She'd gotten pregnant instead. With me. So she was a little emotional. My eyes panned a little to the right and I found Kristy's family. Her mom, dad, and step-dad, three sisters and single brother. Then I swiveled my gaze to the other side of the gym and located Nick Gigler's parents and Tony and Matt. I smiled at them, and they both waved. Tony would have been about five kids to my right in his own black and baby blue uniform, but he'd dropped out after his junior year. School wasn't for everybody; especially not Tony. If he hadn't dropped out, he would have been kicked out before graduation anyway. One of his favorite after school activities was toking up with friends [including me sometimes] under the bleachers at the football field. The administration never caught any of them, but they knew something went on under those bleachers, and, considering Tony's behavioral and detention record, most, if not all of the administration suspected he'd been part of it.
Just then, the valedictorian, Angela Wong, went up to the podium and began her speech. It was a very traditional valedictorian speech about memories of specific students and teachers. I was mentioned for my upbeat personality, flamboyant style, and my ability to befriend everyone. Okay then, I thought, looking at the people on either side of me. Sherrie rolled her eyes at me, and Charlie farted.
"Okay, buddy, you're going to have to stop doing that," I whispered to him. He stuck his finger in his nose. I made a face. The kid was disgusting.
Kristy was mentioned next in the speech for her crazy sense of humor and her creative mind, and Nick was mentioned for his unbelievably daring stunts, such as vaselining door knobs so teachers wouldn't be able to get into classrooms, and drawing obscene pictures all over Mr. Larson's car with washable marker. She left out the stunts he'd pulled that no one but Kristy, Tony, and I knew about, such as setting fire to the boys bathroom and taking a huge, disgusting dump all over the hood of Science Teacher Mr. Cranston's car.
Suddenly, everyone broke into applause, and I realized it was because Angela had finished speaking. I clapped, too, even though I'd hardly listened. Then they began announcing the students on the honor roll. Yay, me. Yay, Kristy. Yay, some other kids. Then they announced the students who received college scholarships. Yay, me. Yay, Kristy. Yay, about four other kids. Finally, they began calling people up for diplomas. Kristy was first, and all three families I'd located before erupted into cheering.
"Yeah, Kristy!" Tony yelled.
"You're hot!" Matt yelled. I laughed and looked over at him just in time to see Nick's mom playfully slap his arm. Kristy stood on the risors, looking both amused and slightly embarrassed. Vanessa, our somewhat-other friend, was called next. Then some other kids I'd never known were called, and so on. Hours seemed to have passed before Nick was called, and then a thousand more hours passed before I was called. I collected my diploma, shook Mr. Larson's hand grudgingly, and then blew a kiss at the crowd, sending them into cheer city again before taking my place on the risors next to Charlie.
"We graduated, Charlie!" I whispered to him excitedly. Charlie farted happily.
Unfortunately, we waited three bazillion more hours before Angela Wong, the last graduate, was called up, and then everyone screamed and stood up and applauded as we tossed our black and blue caps into the air in relief that the ceremony was over. Everyone was running around now, chaos everywhere, and suddenly I was enveloped into a giant hug.
"Congratulations, Razi!" Tony said, death gripping me.
"Thanks, Anthony John!" I weezed, hugging him back. "Congratulations to you, too, for having me as a friend!"
Tony unhanded me and dropped a kiss on my forehead before moving onto Kristy.
"Let's get ice cream!" he said, swaying Kristy back and forth. I was about to reply when I was enveloped into yet another hug. This time it was my mom, sobbing.
"Congratulations, baby!" she wept. "I'm so proud of you! And with honors and a half scholarship!" I grinned at her over-relief. She'd gotten pregnant with me when she was fifteen, and she'd had to give up everything in order to raise me. I was THIS close to following in her footsteps. I would have, in fact, if I hadn't aborted the baby in my uturus that was part of Matt Lovato's and my irresponsible sexy time. I felt a pang of sadness, but I pushed it away. It had been for the best.
I swallowed hard just as Tony slung an arm around my shoulders. "Congratulations," he said again. "But this is the beginning of our lives changing drastically, for better, for worse, I don't know. But things are definitely going to be fucking different from now on."
I snorted. Nahhhh.
Sign up to rate and review this story