Humiliating Graduation Memory

My graduation wasn't exactly how it was supposed to be. Six years ago I graduated from high school. It should have been the best time of my life, filled with parties and congratulations. My graduation in reality was filled with disappointment and humiliation.

It was May 2005, my entire graduating class was lining up behind our school bleachers for our outdoor graduation ceremony. The sun was already bright and was heating up my neck. The boys next to me were goofing around and talking about what they wrote on the top of their caps with masking tape. It was hard to believe that the huge mass of students standing there was only a portion of the kids I started out with freshman year.

I noticed that my heels (we were required to wear) were sinking into the soft ground. It has rained the night before; I had to pull my feet out of the mud. What a great start to my graduation, I remember thinking. Finally, after what seemed like hours of standing there the procession finally started. I honestly can't remember the song that was played as we all walked out. I only remember every few feet sinking into the mud and my heels getting stuck. Girls behind me were giggling, I was pretty embarrassed.

We all took our seats and then the ceremony started. I watched as my friends started going up and getting their diplomas. It was a line of red, one after another in a single flowing row they shook hands with our principle and deans then walked down the other side of the stage. I knew my turn would be soon. My row got up to join the others in line. I watched as we got closer and closer to the stage. Finally I was up on the stage myself. I shook the hand of each of the deans and then it was my turn to shake the hand of the principle. Just as I was shaking his hand and getting my diploma, I lost my balance and fell backwards off of the stage. Falling into a guy I had known since freshman year. He was a big guy, played on the football team, however much like me wasn't exactly popular. I must have turned the same red as my cap and gown when he caught me. I got up right away and hurried back into line with the rest of my class and sat down.

I couldn't believe I had actually fallen off of the graduation stage. Well, okay I almost could. I was very clumsy, pretty sure if anyone is keeping track I hold the school record for injuries. I nearly spent all of high school with something broken, sprained, twisted, or some other injury. Crutches were as common to me as a backpack. Still this was my graduation, for once I just wanted to be like everyone else. Normal.

Now sitting there watching the rest of my class go up and get their diplomas, I felt horrible. All the pretty and popular girls were talking about me falling, as if I wasn't already humiliated enough myself. High school for me was never going to be good memories. Graduation was finally over and we were released to go to our friends and family. Even the kids I had called my friends for the past five years weren't interested in hanging out with me. I just found my family and left. I knew there were supposed to be graduation parties over the next few days. I believed I would see my friends then.

I was wrong, not only did I not see them I wasn't even invited to their parties. I was hurt but that was something I was becoming used to. Now it was my party, I thought my friends would at least come to my party. Again I was wrong. No one showed up except some kid I barely knew, he made a plate of food, took a huge piece of cake that happened to be right in the middle of the cake, and then he left. These were my high school and graduation memories. They were not what I was told graduation would be like. Disappointment and humiliation pretty much sum up my graduation on that day back in May 2005.