New Wings

by Donna Stanley

  “You think you’re so special,” she screamed like a rabid raccoon.

  I wanted to rake my fingernails down her face. But I refused to stoop to her level.

  As I moved my head around to see who might be able to help, I saw Eden and Christina staring at me. Ty’s fists were clenched as he glared at Vicki.

  “Ty, don’t.” I wasn’t sure why I said that. Every fiber of my being wanted to see Vicki in ultimate humiliation.

  “You’re crazy,” I said to her. Then I grasped her hand, trying to relieve the pressure of hair being ripped from my scalp.

  Vicki yanked harder at the wad of hair, but stopped when we heard a loud roar of a car engine.

  Startled, Vicki let go. I ran behind Ty. He placed a protective arm around me, clasping me safely behind him.

  Mike’s car screeched up to the curb, ran through a mud puddle, and showered dirty water all over Vicki. Dripping in mud, she shook with rage.

  I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.

  The small crowd that had gathered, probably hoping for a catfight, scattered.

  Mike jumped out of his Camaro. “I’m sorry, Vicki.” He reached into the backseat and pulled out a large towel with red beach umbrellas all over it. He tried to put it around her shoulders, but she ripped it out of his hands and huffed off, disappearing into the gym with it.

  “Nice timing.” Ty smiled broadly. “And nice ride.”

  “Thanks.”

  Mike gave me the once-over. I’m sure I looked dreadful. My hair was a tangled mess. No doubt my mascara was smeared from the tears that had escaped from my eyes.

  Mike pulled a white handkerchief from the chest pocket of his suit coat. He dabbed at the gunk under my eyes. Eden gently smoothed my hair from behind.

  Mike put the handkerchief back, fixed his crystal eyes on mine, then put his hands on my shoulders. “Good as new.”

  I sniffed, breathed deeply, and gave him a side smile. “Thank you.” I leaned my forehead against his strong chest for a moment. He rubbed my back.

  I feel like I have my own superhero.

  “See you Monday, Liv,” I heard Eden say from behind me.

  I spun around and threw my arms around her, then stood on tiptoe and gave Ty a peck on the cheek. When I withdrew, he blushed.

  “Don’t let this one out of your sight, Eden.”

  She linked her arm in his and tilted her head up to him. “I don’t intend to.”

  He leaned down and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

  Christina leaned close to me and whispered, “I knew we’d find a way to make this prom memorable. I just didn’t realize how memorable.” She giggled, then hugged me before turning and walking away from us.

  Ty and Eden laughed as they sauntered to the parking lot in search of Ty’s car.

  Relief overwhelmed me. Ty had come close to punching a girl. Thanks to Mike’s perfect timing, he had avoided doing something he probably would have regretted.

  Mike grasped my hand, guiding me over the mud puddle beside the car.

  “I don’t recall it raining today,” I said as I thudded into the passenger seat.

  “Me either. Weird.” Mike winked.

  Chapter 26

  ON GRADUATION NIGHT we seniors gathered behind the stage in the gym and put on our caps and gowns. At six o’clock we lined up in the hallway in alphabetical order with “Pomp and Circumstance" playing over the sound system.

  My heart raced. I teared up. I’d been looking forward to this moment for four years. I’d never be in high school again. Well, I wasn’t mourning that so much as I was looking forward to my future and all the things awaiting me in college next fall. Besides, I always cried when I heard this song, no matter who was graduating. Just like I cried during every wedding processional.

  Since my last name started with S, I was near the end of the line. The guy I was going to walk down the aisle with was the quiet type. We’d hardly exchanged two words all year. He sat next to me in freshman-year algebra. That was all I could recall.

  When it was our turn to join the procession I scanned the room, looking for my family. When I found Tessa, she waved at me. Dad smiled. That always put me at ease.

  I blinked at the cameras flashing at us from different parts of the gym.

  Sweat trickled down my back from the heavy robe.

  The trip down the aisle felt like it took forever. I was relieved when we were all told to be seated.

  The principal started talking, but my thoughts about Mike, my friends—the whole year—clouded my mind. I didn’t catch a word he said.

  No one knew who was going to be valedictorian, but five people were in the running, including Eden and Ty.

  I tried not to fidget as our guest speaker addressed the class. I just wanted to get my diploma and run, not listen to the mayor drone on about our future and changing the world.

  I couldn’t help but peek at Tessa every few seconds. She climbed from one lap to another among my family. Whenever she caught my eye she made a silent clapping motion. I tried not to laugh.

  At the entrance to the gym, an usher handed a program to a blond guy in a black tailored suit and tie. It was Mike! And he looked amazing.

  He slid into the back row. Several girls stared at him. He looked hot.

  When the mayor finally finished talking, people applauded and our principal returned to the podium. “We will now present the diplomas to our graduates.”

  We all stood, moving in line as names were called.

  My pulse quickened as I got closer to the podium. I always hated being in front of crowds, except for the time I got to shoot T-shirts and water balloons at the festival.

  “Olivia Stanton.” I grabbed the diploma, waited for Mr. Klein to move my tassel, then went to the back of the line. That was it. I was officially a graduate.

  After all the names were called Mr. Klein said, “Congratulations to you all.”

  The applause went on for a full minute. We all continued to stand.

  “And now it’s time to announce our valedictorian.”

  Eden and I exchanged glances, and I winked at her.

  “Mr. Tyler Hudson, please come forward.” It was sort of funny to hear him called by his full name.

  I clapped hard as Ty stepped toward the foot of the stage and shook Mr. Klein’s hand, then leaned forward slightly as our principal placed a sash around his neck. Ty moved to the podium.

  I glanced at Eden. She was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

  Smart girl. I never thought to hide some tissues in my robe.

  “I didn’t prepare a long speech. But I do have a few people I want to thank. Mom and Dad.” He glanced in their direction. “Thanks for all those late nights helping me with homework and for always coming to my football games.”

  I thought of how close Ty came to dying on that football field this past fall. Most of these people had been at that game, and everyone had at least heard about it.

  “I want to thank all the teachers for their patience and help when I needed it.”

  Several people clapped, then more joined in.

  “Most of all, I’d like to thank God. If not for Him, I would not be here.”

  My eyes misted. How wonderful to see the most popular guy in school share his faith so openly.

  “Thank you for this honor.”

  The crowd stood, applauding. Ty took his place among the class. Many students slapped him on the back or high-fived him as he worked his way back to his seat.

  When the room quieted, Mr. Klein spoke into the microphone. “And now for our salutatorian.”

  I had no idea who this would be.

  “Would Miss Eden Jones please come forward?”

  My heart leapt with joy, and tears flowed. I clapped as loudly as I could.

  Eden looked around as if she thought Mr. Klein was mistaken. The girl beside her reached for her diploma to hold it. Eden rose and made her way to the podium. Mr. Klein gave her a hug, wrapped the honorary sash a
round her neck, then motioned for her to move to the podium.

  I wondered if she had prepared a speech. She hadn’t mentioned anything to me, and if she’d known she would have told me. I prayed for God to give her the words to speak.

  She pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of her robe. She was prepared! My humble friend must have suspected she might be honored but had kept it to herself.

  As the cheering died down Eden read from the paper. “Fellow students, faculty, and family. I have the difficult task of trying to say something that will keep your interest and, hopefully, be meaningful to you. I decided to give you a little advice that I’ve been raised with.”

  Eden spoke with such clarity and confidence. I felt proud to be her friend.

  “Do what makes you happy. Don’t let yourself be miserable in any aspect of your life. Only you know what you have a passion for, so don’t rely on other people to make the major decisions in your life. Live in the place you want to live, marry the person you truly love, work at a job you enjoy. Give yourself plenty of reasons to wake up in the morning.”

  I glanced at Ty. He was doing what guys do when they cry and try to hide it: he acted as if he was scratching his nose, when, in fact, he was dabbing at the tears there.

  “Put your heart into everything you do. You can accomplish things if you’re passionate about what you’re doing.”

  I had a passion for God. As for my career in life, I hadn’t really decided yet.

  “Don’t let anyone make you feel worthless. Not everyone is going to like you. That doesn’t mean you’re inferior to anyone else. Always remember, you are a wonderful person.”

  To hear the absence of self-loathing in Eden’s speech showed evidence of God’s healing in her life after the horrible abuse.

  “Always have compassion for other people. You never know what someone is going through. Henry Longfellow said, ‘Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.’ No matter how strong we think we are, there’s going to come a point in time when we need to be held and comforted. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Just be sure to offer to other people what you want to be offered back to you. There is no such thing as being too kind.”

  How true. I wanted to be “too kind.” What a great thing to strive for!

  “Life can be hard, and sometimes you’ll feel like giving up. You may feel alone and abandoned. But bad things happen to everybody. That’s why we have to reach out to each other. Don’t turn your back on someone in need. You never know when you’ll want a shoulder to cry on.

  “Smile a lot, laugh a lot, and be nice to everyone you meet. Above all, love your life. It’s the only one you’ve got. My fellow graduates, I wish you the best of luck. And most of all, thank You, God.”

  Everyone stood and clapped. I used the sleeve of my robe as a tissue.

  Mr. Klein returned to the microphone. “I’d like to ask for a moment of silence for two students who are not with us tonight. Toby McCarty and Greg Monahan.”

  We all bowed our heads for thirty seconds in remembrance of our departed friends.

  How I wished they were here.

  “Pomp and Circumstance” played again, and we began our recession. Once we were out in front of the school, we tossed our hats in the air and cheered.

  I sliced through the sea of graduation robes to find Eden and Ty.

  Christina was already hugging them.

  I threw my arms around Eden. “Great speech. You deserve the best of everything. I love you.”

  “I love you too, dear friend.” She wouldn’t let go of me.

  Ty tapped her shoulder. “I think you need to let go so Olivia can breathe.”

  I embraced Ty, then did the same to Christina.

  “I’m so glad we’ll be together next fall. You guys are the best friends in the world.” All of them smiled back at me.

  Grabbing her stomach, Christina said, “I’m starving. Let’s head down to the cafeteria and get something to eat.”

  As we walked across the lawn I felt a hand on my arm. I turned and saw Mike looking into my eyes as if to say, “Aren’t you going to wave me over?” Ty, Christina, and Eden stared at him.

  Could they see him again like at the dance? The expressions on their faces hinted that they did.

  “You remember Mike, right?” I motioned for him to come closer.

  Ty held out his hand toward Mike. “Good to see you again, man.”

  “Congratulations on your award and speech.” He returned Ty’s shake.

  Christina nudged Ty to the side and stepped in, her willowy hand extended to Mike. “Well, I’m Olivia’s best friend. So how come it took so long for us to meet?” She shot me a look that seemed like a warm challenge. She winked.

  “Yeah, you never introduced me to him to me either, until the dance,”

  Eden said with a twinkle in her eye.

  I looked into Mike’s eyes, searching for any hint of caution. He seemed totally fine with my friends seeing and talking with him and inclined his head slightly as if to assure me all was well. I could only blink quickly a few times as a nervous response.

  “I’ve known Olivia for some time, actually, but we’ve only just recently been reunited.”

  Not one of my friends challenged his answer, to my surprise. But I could imagine that Eden and Christina were jumping up and down on the inside, knowing who he actually was.

  Christina shrugged. “Well, we all look forward to getting to know you better.”

  Ty and Eden responded in unison, “Yeah.”

  Will Mike begin appearing in human form to my friends more often now? Why?

  “Let’s go.” Mike put his arm around my shoulder in a familial way and squeezed me slightly. “You all must be starving.”

  I left out a heavy sigh at the convenient escape from a conversation that caught me speechless.

  Christina and Eden exchanged a glance, their eyes wide, smirking at each other as they shared a similar look of pleasant surprise and amusement at Mike’s second bodily appearance. Ty squinted and stared at Mike as if he was about to play a big-brother role in approving of this guy I was with . . . or something manly-like of that sort. How could I blame him? Actually, I found it adorable. At least I had nothing to worry about. Mike would never disappoint.

  As we entered the cafeteria my family approached us. Mom, Dad, Brian, Diane, and Tessa all hugged me, then shook my friends’ hands and offered them all congratulations. They all responded with their thank yous.

  “Hey, where’s your friend Mike?” Christina asked.

  Darn it, I just turned my back. Now where is he?

  “Oh, he has a way of disappearing sometimes.” I was relieved I didn’t have to figure out how to explain Mike to my family. “He, um, must have left to find the restroom.”

  Eden and Christina snorted. Ty eyeballed them both, wrinkling his brow in confusion. Perhaps he felt left out of the inside joke we were all sharing.

  Ty, Eden, and Christina scattered to find their parents and relatives.

  Tessa handed me a rose.

  I bent over and grasped the bloom and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks, squirt.” I picked her up and swung her around as she giggled. I buried my nose in the petals and inhaled the aroma. Then I smelled fresh-brewed coffee and decided to go in search of it.

  After setting Tessa back down, I said, “That coffee smells heavenly. I’m going to grab a cup. Anyone else want some?”

  “I’ll take some,” Dad replied.

  No one else made a peep, so I hurried to the table where the large coffee thermoses sat.

  With such a loud hum in the cafeteria due to all the people in conversation, it was difficult to talk to anyone. My family and I stood and nibbled on cookies, drank punch, and sipped coffee until Brian and Diane said they had to go home to get Tessa to bed. They gave me a good-bye hug and left me standing with my parents.

  Dad put his arm around me. “Congratulations, my
little angel.” I giggled inside at the new pet name. Would I live up to it?

  “Thanks.” As I leaned my head on his shoulder I scanned the crowd, thinking I may never see some of my classmates after this night. My heart sank at the thought, but at least my closest friends would be in my life come fall when we’d all be starting college. No doubt we’d hang out often.

  “Congratulations, Olivia,” Mom said as she leaned in to peck me on the cheek. “Have you seen Andy’s mother?”

  I’d caught sight of him and his parents out of the corner of my eye a few moments earlier and had been intentionally keeping my glances away from that direction. I pointed. “Over there.”

  “I’ll be right back, you two.” And off she went, weaving through the crowd.

  Dad and I found some folding chairs against the wall and sat down.

  “I love to watch people,” Dad commented, then wiped his napkin over his face, crunched it in his hand, and stuffed it into his empty coffee cup in his other hand. I remembered other times Dad and I had done the same thing at the mall. We could sit for almost a half hour in silence, watching people. I’m not sure why we found it so fascinating.

  Finally Dad stood up. “I’ll find your Mom so we can leave. Are you ready?”

  Annoyed that Mike had never returned but at the same time relieved, I said, “Yeah, sure.” Dad went off in search of Mom.

  Ty, Eden, and Christina found me again.

  “Let’s all keep in touch this summer, OK?” Christina said as she sat down next to me. Eden and Ty sat down on the other side of me.

  “Of course. We better,” Eden responded.

  “Hey, did you guys get that job at Rehoboth Beach?” I asked Ty and Eden.

  “Yeah, we both found a job at Grotto’s.” I knew the pizza shop well as a famous landmark restaurant on the boardwalk. Everyone at school looked for jobs at the beach for the summer. The ones who didn’t find them worked locally at fast-food restaurants or retail chain stores. I never liked the beach much, so I never sought employment there.

  My heart sank at first, but I reassured myself that it would be only eight weeks until I saw them again.

  “How about you, Christina?” I asked.

  “I’m going to stay in town and volunteer more often at the homeless shelter. Plus help my aunt at her floral shop, as I usually do.”