Graduation Cap pt. 1

Rolling to the other side of the bed, the lavender sheets tangle on Katie’s legs, cutting the circulation from her pale legs. She furrows her brows in her sleep; her mouth is a hard, straight line. In her mind, she has a sudden urge to escape from an entity in her dream. She is running in the depths of the forest through the tight rows of trees with vines hanging in between their gaps. From behind, she feels a form behind her, and she begins to run, but cannot move very fast even though she pumps her arms. The creature's arms move like vines through the forest grounds as they wrap around her legs. The thick tentacles squeeze her legs.

“Ah!” gasps Katie.

She wakes to find the bedsheets tangled around her legs. She rolls around in bed to let herself loose from their grasp. Katie turned to look at the clock on her nightstand. The red lights flickered at five to five A M, twenty-five minutes before her alarm clock. She lay back on the bed for a minute contemplating going back to sleep for a few more minutes. From outside, the shrimps of the birds seep in through the open window's screen. Unable to turn off her mind to sleep, she frowns under her sheets. Ugh, she can’t go back to sleep. Although she should feel excited today, she feels like it is an ordinary day. By swinging her legs over the bed, Katie stands up.

The air seeps in from the outside. A fresh whiff of fresh summer air enters through with its scent of cut grass, dirt, and flowers. From the window of her bedroom, Katie looks outside into her neighborhood. The houses face each other in the cul-de-sac; her home is in the middle. All is quiet in the light hue of the sunrise. The color starts to illuminate the surroundings in a pale yellow light. On the front lawn of her neighbor, the sprinkler is viciously moving from one side to the next over the green, even lawn. The lawn remains immaculate even throughout the influx of hot summer days. She stares at the front of her lawn and sees the patches of yellow on green. The few flowers her mother planted are the only thriving live plants in her front yard; their pink buds are open.

Katie looked in her closet to find her outfit for the graduation. Today is her high school graduation. In the dress section, there are mostly spring and summer dresses of pale and happy colors. She picks out a polka dot dress that has a smooth fabric. She came to her knees. From her other drawers, she gathers the rest of her garments and heads into the main bathroom.

The house is quiet except for the sound of the coffee pot brewing. The coffee drips inside the coffee pot in a rhythmic pattern. Pat-pat-tat-tat. The color of the dark brown liquid looks delicious; Katie’s mouth moistens. Her father or mother must already be awake as they usually make the coffee. Waiting until the coffee fills to the top of the pot, she turns off the machine on the red button. Inside a white mug, the brown liquid swirls inside. She sets it on the table and heads to the bathroom.

She checks her phone.

Five twenty-five A M.

Jessica will arrive in about half an hour, thinks Katie. She turns on the hot water slightly and steps inside. The shower head sprinkles water on her head in a steady stream. The water hits her body and relaxes her. She thinks graduation is coming up in a few hours. Her thoughts start to cloud up, so she focuses on the water falling from above. The soothing sensation cleared her mind. Mother and father have been asking her to decide on her school choice already. Many of her classmates have already made their choices before the end of the spring term. But she is unsure of her path. The bathroom mirror began to collect steam. From around the curtain, Katie grabs the towel. She dries and changes very quickly into a cotton t-shirt and shorts. This will not be her final outfit as Jessica will help her with the selection of her clothes.

The house is begging to come to life. A low stream of voices comes from the living room, her father sits in front of the daily news broadcast on the television. Katie passes her mother flipping pancakes on the stove.

“Good morning dear, big day. Isn't it?” asks her mother.

“Yes, Mom!” says Katie, reaching for her coffee on the table.

Katie takes a sip of her coffee as she watches her mother stir the bowl of batter. The stove is turned on to a low setting.

“Are we having pancakes?” asks Katie.

“Yes, I thought I'd make some for everybody,” says her mother.

“Oh, did Jake arrive?” asks Katie.

“Yes, he is here,” says their mother.

Katie takes the coffee in her hand and walks across the living room. Her father is sitting on the couch; he nods in her direction. Katie waves her hand. She walks to the far corner of the house toward her brother Jake's room. A low noise can be heard outside the door and blue lights creep under the door. She knocks on the door.

“Come in,” says her brother.

Holding the cup of coffee in a tight grasp, she steps inside the room. The bedroom’s main light is off. The two monitor lights and the decorative lights along the wall flashlights on her brother Jake. He sits on his computer chair with a game controller in hand. He’s wasted no time starting to play, thinks Katie.

Walking behind him, she sits on his bed ledge. He plays his current game and moves his headphones to the side to hear her.

“What is it,” asks Jake.

“I just came to say hi,” says Katie.

“Hi,” says Jake, turning slightly toward Katie.

Katie looked at the flashing lights of the room along the corners of the wall. Before his brother came home from college, they had been turned off throughout the school semester. She takes a sip of her coffee while looking at him playing his video game. It is a zombie survival game. She checks her phone.

Six with one A M.

Jessica should be here by now.

“You are coming to the ceremony?” asks Katie.

“Yeah, I am,” says Jake.

Buzz. Her phone vibrates. It is Jessica at the door.

“Jessica is here. I need to get ready,” says Katie, exiting her brother's room.

“Later,” says Jake from behind her.

Katie sets her empty coffee cup in the sink and hurries to open the door all the while texting Jessica: I am on the way.

“Slow down Kat,” says her mother from the kitchen.

“Yes, Mom,” says Katie, taking measured steps into the living room.

She unlocks the front door. In front of Katie is her best friend Jessica, dressed in a blue dress. Jessica is scrolling on her phone when she looks up.

“Hey, girl, hey,” says Jessica, flipping a strand of dark locks from her face to the back of her shoulder.

“Hey, come in,” says Katie, stepping aside to let Jessica in.

The girls head into the kitchen.

“Jessica, it is nice to see you dear,” says Mrs. Heard, Katie’s mother.

"Hello, Mrs. Heard!" exclaims Jessica, setting her bag on the kitchen chair.

“Please join us for breakfast, and sit down,” says Mrs. Heard.

“Thank you. I will, what are you all having?” asks Jessica.

Katie walks over to the stove and says, “It is pancakes and eggs.”

“Yum,” says Jessica.

Jessica and Katie sat down next to each other. They talked about the ceremony to come. A plate full of pancakes and eggs is set in front of each of the girls. They begin to eat. Jake comes into the kitchen after Mr. Heard, it is a full table.

“Hello, Jessica,” says Jake, nodding his head toward Jessica.

“Hi,” says Jessica with a long smile.

It is like I am almost not here, thinks Katie, almost laughing to herself. The family eats breakfast with Jessica.

“It is so nice you came to help Katie get ready,” says Mrs. Heard to Jessica,

“It is a pleasure,” says Jessica.

Six thirty A M.

Katie checks the time on the kitchen clock.

“Look at the time, we should hurry to get ready,” says Katie, standing up.

“Oh! Right, let’s go get ready,” says Jessica.

The girls enter Katie’s room, locking the room behind them. Jessica pulls the makeup from Katie’s cabinet and begins to work on the transformation. Katie only trusts Jessica to do a good job on her makeup. The smoothness of the foundation is blended into Katie’s face as she tries not to laugh at one of Jessica’s jokes. Her phone vibrates. It reads Raul: Ceremony in one hour smiley face.

Katie replies: Yeah! Smiley face. See you there.

“Close your eyes,” says Jessica.

The bristles of the eye brush run across Katie's eyelid. The sensation is so relaxing she almost drifts into a nap until Jessica calls her to attention.

“Have you decided what you’ll wear,” says Jessica, adding some blush to Katie’s checks.

“Hmm, no I can’t decide,” says Katie, pursing her lips for the lip gloss.