Mimi scooted down the row so that Adam could slide in next to Cameron.
“Are you Claire’s boyfriend?” Cameron asked.
Zeke turned to hear Adam’s response. “Yes,” he said.
“Don’t worry,” Zeke said, “We already had the talk. Right?”
“Right,” Adam croaked.
Pomp and Circumstance began to play through the gymnasium’s loud speaker. On cue, the entire audience stood for the entrance march. There were only a hundred and two students in this year’s senior class, but they milked it for all it was worth. Boys placed their clasped hands above their heads in a Rocky style victory gesture, and girls waved cheerfully into the audience. Mimi looked for Claire but she couldn’t find her.
Allie tapped her on the shoulder. “Have you seen the program?” she whispered.
“No, I was too busy trying to get a good seat. Do you have one?” Mimi answered.
Allie’s voice hitched with excitement. “Why didn’t you tell me Claire was the class valedictorian?”
“What?” Mimi grabbed the program from Allie’s hand. There it was. Listed under Senior Achievements: Claire Grant, Valedictorian.
She showed the program to Zeke. “Did you know about this?”
He shook his head. Momma and Daddy began talking at once. Then the last of the seniors filed in, followed by their teachers, then the principal, and lastly Claire. She took a seat at the front of the podium, right next to the senior class advisor, Mr. March. She looked beautiful in her cap and gown, wearing the pearl necklace Momma and Daddy had given her for her sixteenth birthday, her dark hair flowing down her shoulders.
&
nbsp; The ceremony began, but it was like a blur. The principal welcomed the crowd, followed by a short speech by Mr. March, and then finally, the traditional valedictorian’s speech.
Claire walked serenely to the podium. She began by thanking the principal and the teachers and the parents and all the family and friends who’d come out to celebrate the graduation. Mimi’s heart pounded faster than a hummingbird’s. Pride and astonishment warred with one another. Why hadn’t Claire told anyone she was valedictorian?
Claire talked about the class as a whole, recalling some of the funnier incidents in their early high school years. The crowd laughed politely. Then her tone turned serious and Mimi felt this morning’s breakfast rise to her throat.
“When I asked Mr. March what I should speak about today, he told me to make it personal, because otherwise, it wouldn’t mean anything. Good advice, but for anyone who knows me, that’s the worst thing he could have said, because I’m probably the most private seventeen-year-old girl on the planet. But here goes.
“This year has been a difficult one for me,” Claire said. “As many of you know, with my father as chief of police and my mother as mayor, my parents are prominently in the town’s spotlight. Being that this is a small town, and everyone knows everyone’s business, I don’t think I’m out of line in telling you that, like a lot of married couples, they’ve also had their share of personal struggles.
“Being Zeke Grant’s daughter has never been easy. He’s your typical cop dad.” The crowd laughed. “Strict, but not unfair. Unless you’re seventeen and you know everything.” More polite laughter. “My mom, on the other hand, has always been that buffer in our family. The one you can count on to run interference. For years, she stayed home to take care of us. To drive us to soccer games and cheerleading practice. It never occurred to me that she would want more than that, but when she decided to run for mayor last year, I was really proud of her.”
Mimi shifted in her seat.
“Then suddenly, she was gone all the time working, and then my dad was gone, too, and everything in my life turned upside down. And instead of being the mature, thoughtful seventeen-year-old girl I liked to think I was, I’m ashamed to say that I withdrew into myself. I began to lie and hold things back from them. But by trying to hurt them, I only ended up hurting myself, and that’s just plain stupid.”
Claire paused and looked around at the audience. The entire gym was silent, waiting for her to continue.
“This past weekend, something happened that changed my life. I saw my parents, two people who’ve spent the last year fighting, come together for a cause they believe in. And I’m not just talking about them finding the stolen money from the festival, which, they did find, by the way. I’m talking about them coming together to work toward a mutual goal because no matter what else is going on in their lives, they love and support one another. They’re each other’s family. They’re my family. And I couldn’t be prouder to be their daughter.
“Many of my teachers have asked me what I plan to do next year and, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really sure myself until just a couple of days ago. But I finally know the answer. Even though I have this awesome boyfriend whom I’ll be leaving behind, I’ve decided to follow in the Powers family tradition and attend Duke University this fall.”
Momma clutched Mimi’s shoulder from behind.
Duke? Claire had been accepted to Duke?
“So…that’s about as personal as I can get, Mr. March,” Claire said, “In conclusion…”
The rest of the speech was wonderful. At least, Mimi thought it was, because she was too busy sniffling to hear anything else.
*~*~*
“To our high school graduate!” Daddy said, raising his glass of punch in the air. “And it pleases me to add, Go Blue Devils!”