3.

"-And I am ever-astounded by what these bright, intelligent, and kind young adults have done for not only this school but for everyone in the community. So without further ado, I give to you this year's valedictorian Miezi-, M-Mizaslaw Stilinski. . . Coleslaw? No, uh, sorry, I present to you, Stiles Stilinski!"

Hearing the clapping resound around me from parents, students, and staff alike, I rise from my seat at the front of the first row of graduates, smiling and waving to the crowd. My smile is genuine and filled with uncontained joy at this occasion, despite how minuscule it is in the grand scheme of things. Middle School Graduation. One landmark on the road of life, marking a point in time where kids start turning into young and impressionable adults.

Despite having gone through graduation once already, it's already different this time. First and foremost, I'm the valedictorian. A title that is given to those who have the highest academic achievement in their class. This feat wasn't easy, especially when considering all the extracurriculars I partook in. Community clean-ups, fundraisers, art competitions, book club. Yes, I am in a book club. It's fun to read books I actually enjoy and share what I believe is going to happen next or my take on certain parts of the books we read.

Indulging myself in as many events as possible while they're still available to me is the whole point of growing up. And having fun, of course. In addition to all these events, I also began working out. Not the intense training regimes I'd seen in fictional stories and shows, but the realistic, grueling, and slow-progressed building of the body done by everyone. There was a time in my previous life when I wanted some motivation to head to the gym, to put in the work, the hours needed to achieve a physique I could be proud of; and so I went on youtube and looked up "Motivational speeches for working out."

In the long run, these videos weren't very practical, short-term motivation to workout then when that motivation is gone you'd have to look up another video on the same subject, hoping it'd give you the same spark the first one had. Eventually, that'll get old, and the videos that once inspired you to better yourself only become dull promises that go unfulfilled.

Despite this, I'd found myself latching onto a quote I'd heard in one of those videos, by someone whose name had long faded from memory. "Regardless of where you're from, regardless of where you're at. Now, people can't use crutches saying they ain't got this or they ain't got that. Everything else is material, and as long as they have their physical form in their minds. Whatever they want to happen can happen."

My desired form was unlike anything I had achieved up till that point. Beyond any previous benchmark I'd reached. In every PE class, I tried, hard. I sprinted baton races, ran the best miles I could, and did as many pushups and situps as possible in the time given for tests. I never played a sport though, unfortunately. I wanted to play football, however, I knew realistically, that if I wanted to keep doing what I had been doing previously after school. My book club, charity events, and community cleanups. Then football would hinder that, even if only for a short time.

So I didn't sign up. And eventually, time flew by. Summer would shift into spring and school would be out again. Year after year I was adjusting, constantly doing activities to further my limits to their utmost capacity, and then I noticed something crucial that I overlooked. Friends.

It's not like I don't have any, in fact, I'd say I've done very well in regard to gaining and maintaining relationships with my peers and adults alike. However, I don't have that one friend. That one person who, no matter what is happening at that moment, would drop everything and come to your aid. Would lend you an ear when you are in distress and need someone to listen to you. When the accumulated stress from everyday life finally reaches its tipping point and overflows and you need someone to help you.

I don't have that. . .again. For the first time in this second life of mine, I haven't achieved something I couldn't in my previous life. I got fit, joined clubs and plays, got incredibly close with my father, and achieved the valedictorian status most people could only dream of obtaining. And yet, I still can't do everything. It. . .almost is physically painful to realize. Taking a deep breath to center myself, I realize all this internal monologuing is distracting me from this moment I've worked so hard for. So, skipping all the stairs up to the stage I keep my smile bright and free. Not letting my short moment of distress show on my face.

"Thank you, everyone! Thank you." I begin, adjusting the mic down to my height and pulling the speech I've previously prepared out of my pocket. Coughing a little off to the side and into a closed fist, I force the nervousness invading my system out through sheer willpower. Kinda. It doesn't really work but, eh, whatever. I was going to ace this anyway.

Gripping the edges of the podium in a firm hold, I wait until there are no more claps resounding in the area before speaking in a jovial tone. "Now, before I begin I want to have another round of applause for Principal Rocksherd and the amazing staff who have guided not only my class but others previous to me and those of us yet to come." Giving an example to help speed this part up, I begin to clap softly to the left of the microphone. Not wanting to hurt everyone's eardrums by producing loud, sharp sounds of collision caused by rough skin-to-skin contact.

The effect is immediate as people begin to cheer for the aforementioned staff, with occasional whistles coming from that one overly enthusiastic father whose incredibly deep love for their child is present whenever an event like this happens. Even when the cheering isn't for their kid. Recognizing my train of thought is going off the rails again, I focus on my paper waiting momentarily for the cheers to quiet down.

Hearing them fizzle out after a few seconds, I grab the first page of my speech and face it up more toward me, making the words become more defined and easier to read aloud. "Disclaimer to everyone listening here and now, I am no master crafter of speeches, nor do I understand what it means to be anything but a student, a learner. But, as of now, at this point in my incredibly short-lived life, I believe any of us can achieve anything. And with this belief, I implore you all to never stop trying.

Never let momentary victories or regrets define the rest of your lives. Never stop moving forward. Never be satisfied with everything that's happened now because we don't know what will happen or can happen unless you give every aspect of your life it all.

As I'm sure some of you know, I give it my all. Every single day. Because I know that if I don't, life will pass me by and I will regret every waking moment not trying my hardest. And because if I didn't try as hard as I did then I would've never gotten this title. The Valedictorian. Something that many of my peers and I wanted so badly, we spent as much time as possible cultivating ourselves for this.

And for that I'm sorry. To everyone here that has been affected by me gaining this title and taking it for myself, you have my sincerest apologies. However," I take a breather, grabbing my now-read page of two and stuffing it to the bottom. Clearing my throat I continue using the same, soft-spoken tone I've used throughout the entirety of this speech.

"I don't regret it. I don't regret achieving something I've worked so hard for. I don't regret the fact that I've never stopped trying. But, something I do regret is overlooking my fellow peers and denying opportunities to make meaningful relationships with all of them. Because that is something that really matters. At the end of the day, after you've achieved something you've worked so hard for, returning home and celebrating those victories with those around you is the whole point.

So, in parallel with one of the biggest days we can celebrate in our lives, I really hope I can get to know every single one of you. From staff to parents, from high schoolers to recently graduated middle schoolers and anyone in between. Everyone, thank you all for listening to this short speech of mine. And I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day. Thank you." Stepping back and bringing my sheets of paper with me, I walk toward Mr. Klementine whose holding my certificate. Proof that I've graduated from middle school.

Hearing the cheers erupt from those around me, I can hardly hear Mr.Klementine's words of congrats as I usher myself off the stage, eager to get away from the spotlight.

~~~~~~~~~~

(I'm not sure how to write a speech because I've never done so before. However, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. The spacing between when I last posted to now is extremely long, so if you feel like the personality of this character is somewhat different from how he originally was, please let me know. Also, thank all of you who helped me decide what to do with the large skip in time. I appreciate it.) Unedited.