High School Graduation

The day is finally here, our high school graduation day. Rumors abound of what will happen. Last year the stage collapsed, although no one was hurt, it still scared a lot of people. Come to find out, a bolt was loose in just the right place. The year before that, the caps and gowns did not show up until the day after graduation. You want to talk about a disaster? Let a bunch of high school boys be able to wear day clothes to a high school graduation. The stories go back for years and years. I don't think we have ever had a graduation day go smoothly. The junior high that is attached to our high school, that is a different story altogether. Their graduations have always gone off without a hitch.

The bolts have been checked on the stage, the gowns have arrived, and the food is ready for the reception afterwards. The principal, walking around checking everything, looks like his blood pressure is ready to go through the roof. I am almost wondering if our disaster this year will be the principal having a heart attack. After all, he is retiring next year anyway. Hopefully, everything will go as planned without an issue.

As we get ready to walk down the aisle for our high school graduation, we all are anticipating something to go wrong. To be honest, we look like a bunch of nervous hens, our eyes darting from one place to another, expecting the worst. No one smiling, you can see the strain in our faces, wondering what will happen this year, what disaster will visit us. No one speaks, for fear that by breaking the eerie silence that surrounds us that we could cause whatever disaster is destined to strike this year.

After the valedictorian speaks, the principal and honored guest, meaning the most famous person our principal could get, the head of the school council, we are ready to breathe a sigh of relief. I thought that I was going to pass out from holding my breath. Up to the stage, accepting our diplomas, it seems like we are all in the clear. Eyes darting, looking for something to go wrong, we nervously accept them and walk back to our seats. Maybe nothing will go wrong this year, maybe we are in the clear this year.

The last diploma holder given and our graduation is finally finished. We stand up, cheer and throw our caps, normal high school graduation stuff, and head over to the reception in the auditorium. There, we see this year's disaster. A stray dog has gotten into the food and now not only is there nothing left for us, but there is a big mess to clean up.

Well, now you know the curse of Lake Wood High, how our high school graduation days are always a disaster. At least this year, it waited until we were officially high school graduates. I was starting to think someone was plotting against us.