Kasey stood proud in front of her full length mirror. She wore a long black robe and a graduation cap. It seemed like it was only yesterday she had started going to this new high school. Wait, it nearly was. And now she was part of the graduating class of 2010.
Kasey sighed nervously as she straightened up her cap for the umpteenth time. The butterflies in her stomach were swarming and she was about to make her new parents and her bestest bestest friend ever very very proud of her.
Kasey twirled around in her long robe and then grinned nervously at her reflection. With a quickly blown kiss, she dashed out the door to show Kile her gown.
Kile had been just as nervous about Kasey's graduation as Kasey herself. She had worked very very hard to maintain her grades and earn her status as Graduate.
Kasey sashayed proudly up to Kile with the world's biggest grin.
"Kile, what do you think?" Kasey asked as she twirled a full 360 in front of him.
"Beautiful." He stated truly. There was nothing he didn't like about Kasey.
Kasey beamed with joy and bowed deeply. "Why thank you!"
Kile captured that moment on camera. Days like this needed to be remembered forever.
"Did you just take a pic?" Kasey asked with a grin.
"Yes. You look amazing." Kile admitted a little too quickly.
Kasey blushed. Kile could be such a sweetie and an awesome friend.
At that moment, Bonnie and Michael strolled up proudly. They both wore t-shirts that read…Proud Mom and Dad of a 2010 Grad. Kasey nearly laughed her head off.
"Hi Honey," Michael admired as he hugged his daughter tightly. "You look amazing."
Kasey beamed again with pride. It was great to see her Dad so amazingly happy. She hugged her Dad even tighter.
"Hey! Don't steal all the hugs." Bonnie laughed as she edged Michael out of the way and gave Kasey a huge hug.
"Kasey, I am soo proud of you." Bonnie whispered into Kasey's ear as she hugged her. "I didn't get to see you grow up into the amazing woman that you have become. But I will get to see my baby graduate high school. I cannot even relay how happy happy I am right now."
Kasey tried but failed to hold back her tears. Her mom was soo sweet. All she could do was hug her Mom tighter and choke out a 'Thanks Mom'.
Once she broke away from her Mom, Kasey took a step back. She realized how really really lucky she was. She was one of the few that made it out of the orphanage and she had found her parents. Yeah! She was really really lucky.
Bonnie instinctively stepped sideways and hugged Michael's middle and looked out toward Kasey. Her blue eyes were wet with tears of joy and she looked like she was going to pop if she didn't hug something.
Kasey stepped back and leaned against Kile's hood comfortably. Then with a quick clearing of her throat and a wiping of her eyes, she said very lovingly, "Mom, Dad. Thank You. Thank you for finding me, rescuing me, and making me part of your lives. Thank you for Kile. Thank you just…for everything."
That was too much for Bonnie. She rushed Kasey and gave her another HUGE hug. This time both Mother and Daughter cried happily.
"Saps!" Michael laughed from the sidelines. "Save some of that for when she is actually graduated."
Bonnie shot Michael an incredulous look and then gave Kasey one more tight hug.
"Okay…Okay…Save the mushy stuff for later. We are gonna be late." Michael laughed again as he literally had to grab Bonnie by the elbow and drag her away from Kasey. "KITT, where are ya Buddy?"
KITT came flying down the circle drive instantly. With a flair of a sideways slide, he came to a pause only feet away form Kile and Kasey.
"Kasey," KITT commented in his Bostonian accent. "You look positively regal."
Kasey blushed again. Then quickly, she dashed over to KITT's front and gave him a huge hug right at the scanner.
KITT would have blushed too if he could. "Kasey, you earned that cap and gown. Wear it with pride knowing full well that I am proud of your achievements."
Kasey blushed even deeper. "Thank you KITT. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"You are very welcome." KITT replied with a grin in his voice, a very proud grin.
"Oh No. Not you too?" Michael laughed. "Snap out of it KITT. We have to get to the ceremony on time."
Kasey laughed totally happy and got out of their way. Obviously, her dad wanted to get there early so that he could get the best seats possible to see her graduate. She totally loved her family!
"Baby! I'll see you there!" Bonnie yelled with a huge grin and waved. "I just can't believe that my daughter is graduating." She cried the last part.
"Ohhhh Dear." Michael laughed with an eye roll. "We are never going to get there at this rate."
Kasey laughed just as hard as her Dad and then dashed back over to him and gave him another huge hug. "I love you Dad." She whispered.
Michael hugged her tighter and whispered, "I love you too and I could never been a prouder than this moment." Then he softly kissed her forehead.
Bonnie took that moment to slam on KITT horn. "Come on!" She screamed over the blaring horn. "We need to stake our claim on the best seats NOW!"
Kasey and her Dad jumped like 3 feet and then bent over laughing so hard they couldn't breathe. It was all they could do to stay standing.
Bonnie honked the horn over and over again until KITT finally turned it off so that she couldn't honk anymore.
"Come on! Come On!" Bonnie urged loudly. "Hurry!"
Kasey laughed even harder and then pushed her dad toward KITT. "Go before you make me laugh even harder."
Michael slid into KITT and then within seconds they were out of sight.
Kasey turned her attention back on Kile. Her eyes were still filled with tears of laughter and she was still bright red from her belly laugh with her dad. She leaned heavily against Kile for support and patted his sun warmed hood.
Kile relished in her touch. He closed his virtual eyes and imagined just how the procession would go. Yep, this was going to be a huge day in the history books.
"Kile," Kasey asked distantly, peacefully. "What's next?"
"You walk with your graduating class and get your diploma." Kile stated obviously.
Kasey laughed and then climbed up on his hood and leaned against the windshield. In that same thoughtful tone, she asked, "No, I mean what's next? Do I join Mike and my Dad…or…Do I go to college…or do I get a 'real' job?"
Kile thought about her question carefully. They had been training now for over a year to join Mike and KI3T. But it still seemed too soon. Too Much.
"Worry about the future in the future." Kile replied academically. "Today is your day to relish in your accomplishments with all of your family and friends."
Kasey grinned from ear to ear and then slid off of Kile's hood. "And you will be there too." Kasey then gave Kile a huge hug right at his scanner.
Kile leaned into the sentimental hug. It was the best he could do to hug her back.
"Okay, I guess we had better go." Kasey announced a few seconds later. She straightened her flowing black gown and then strolled slowly to Kile's door. Yep, those butterflies were on their way back.
"WAIT!" Sarah yelled from the entryway of the Knight Mansion. "Hold on!"
Kasey ginned back at Sarah and just leaned lazily against Kile.
Sarah dashed down the stairs at full speed. She wore a bright pink T-shirt that read "The Greatest Grad a Sister ever had." Kasey pointed and laughed.
"I nearly missed you." Sarah panted as she came up closer. "Now turn around and let me see you in that gown."
Kasey gave Sarah a quick twirl and then posed next to Kile.
Sarah quickly whipped out her camera and took like 20 pictures in 5 seconds. "Gimmie one more spin."
Kasey sighed like she hated the attention but she loved it and gave Sarah another quick spin.
"Work it Kasey! Work it!" Sarah laughed as she took a load more pics.
Kasey laughed her head off. She and Sarah were almost like sisters. With a huge warm grin, she gave Sarah a tight warm hug.
Sarah hugged her just as warmly. "You look great Kasey. And you have probably heard this all day but you are gonna hear it from me too. I'm proud of you."
Kasey laughed and then hugged Sarah a bit tighter. "Thank You."
"Okay…Okay…now for a few more shots with the car and then you gotta go." Sarah announced as she stepped back and aimed the camera.
Kasey took like a dozen pictures with Kile. Every one was a keeper! She was having a blast.
"Hey! What's going on out here?" Mike yelled in false anger from the top of the stairs. "Ohhh, just another graduate photo shoot." He laughed.
Kasey laughed and waved him over.
Mike strolled down the stairs nonchalantly and then gave Kasey a warm hug. "Good Job Kasey. You earned every bit of the praise you get today."
Kasey hugged him tighter. "Thanks Mike."
"Say Cheese!" Sarah yelled suddenly and took a pic.
Both Mike and Kasey turned and posed with wide grins. Kile snapped that picture too.
KI3T suddenly sped up the drive and parked next to Kile. "We must make our exit now." He stated anxiously.
"Settle down KITT." Mike laughed and then patted KITT's roof. "We will get there in time. Plus, if I know my Dad, he has probably saved the whole row of bleacher seats just for us."
Everybody broke out into a huge laugh. Why? Because they knew that Mike was right.
Sarah slid into KITT quickly and then snapped a few more pictures from her newfound angle. At the same time, she yelled, "Kasey! Don't get lost on your way there!"
Kasey gave her a huge laugh and a wave. "I won't I promise."
Mike straightened up Kasey's cap and whispered, "You know what? I am really glad to have you for a sister. I'm lucky I guess."
Kasey's brown eyes threatened to cry again. She felt like the lucky one. And to show it, she gave Mike another huge hug.
Mike hugged her back brotherly and then pulled away to slide into KITT. "I had better get there before Dad hires KARR to clear out the whole front row of people blocking our view." He laughed.
Kasey waved from next to Kile and watched them take off.
"Kasey, are you okay?" Kile asked after a few moments of silence. He hadn't expected her to grow so quiet.
Kasey wiped the tears from her eyes and slid into the 2010 Dodge Challenger's driver's seat. "Yeah, I am just soo happy and scared."
"Scared?" Kile question totally confused. "What is there to fear?"
"The future is upon us." Kasey laughed humorously. "And I am not ready."
Kile grinned form ear to ear. "The day you were born was the day your future began. You didn't shy away from that."
Kasey grinned at Kile's VOX and gave his steering wheel a light swat. "You're crazy Kile. But you are right. Let's do this."
Kile fired up his huge new engine and roared it a few times just for kicks.
Kasey grinned from ear to ear. He was amazing! She was soo glad to have him as her best friend.
Within minutes, Kile and Kasey pulled up to the jam packed football field. The parking lot was filled beyond capacity and spilling out on the street even several blocks away. It was nearly impossible to get closer than 5 blocks away. Kasey grinned.
Kile used his GPS and other global surveillance capabilities to find a hole in the traffic jam to sneak up as close as he could. With only his cunning, he was able to park right up against the gate with a full on view to the procession.
Kasey grinned nervously. "I guess…Here goes nothing."
Kile locked the door. "Umm Kasey," He began in a low whisper. "If it means anything, you do look amazing and I am proud to call you my best friend."
Kasey blushed bright red and leaned in close to Kile's VOX. "Ditto Kile. Ditto." Then she gave him a quick peck on the very center of the VOX before she quickly unlocked the door and dashed out.
Kile shivered all the way down to his frame.
Kasey suddenly heard the music begin to play. She only had seconds to get in her place in line among her graduating class. She ran like the wind and made it just in time to walk in line with the other letter Ks.
Kile suddenly devised an evil scheme and worked quickly to have it done on time.
Pomp and Circumstance played loudly throughout the whole football field. It rang true and gorgeously for all to hear.
The whole crowd in the bleachers screamed, blew horns, beat cymbals, and called names all at once. It was intense and insane.
The whole class paraded slowly onto the football field. They all waved and called back to their friends and family as they made their way out onto the field. Uniformly, they stood in front of their designated seating and continued to grin and wave at their friends and family out in the bleachers.
Kasey waved wildly at her family in the front row of the bleachers. Sure enough, Michael had gotten them the best seats in the house. But not a one was using them. The whole Knight family was on their feet screaming waving and bouncing up and down. It was absolutely great!
Finally, a good 5 minutes later, the whole Class of 2010 had arrived. They stood nervously facing the stage to where the speeches would occur. Then in unison they took their seats and the music came to a stop.
The crowd in the bleachers continued to scream names and whistle. There was no quieting anyone for the moment.
Kasey peeked over her shoulder. And sure enough, the whole family was still on their feet taking pictures, waving, and just plain acting crazy. She couldn't help but blush and smile back.
Kasey then realized that she had made it. That she was now an adult. That she could do anything and be anything that she wanted. She thought back to her long days and nights in the orphanage. She remembered times when she had wished upon a thousand stars to be anyone other than Kasey Tanner. To have a family and a life. Now, she had it and more.
Kasey couldn't hear the speeches. She couldn't hear all the praise and motivational talks. All she could hear was her heart pounding and the words of everyone in her family.
Yep, she had made it! Kasey Knight had made it and there was no stopping her now.
"All Rise!" The principal of the school directed proudly.
The whole class stood at once.
"Congratulations Class of Two Thousand and Ten! You are all graduated."
The whole audience screamed at the top of their lungs. And Kile set off every car alarm and horn on every vehicle within a mile radius of him.
Every Senior Classmen including Kasey screamed at the top of their lungs, threw their hats up into the air, and hugged the person next to them.
They had made it through a huge step in their lives and they had the whole world open to them.
A/N: I wrote this as a graduating gift for Bucklewinner!
She has become a very good friend and has earned the status of Graduating Senior Class of 2010!
You Go Girl!
You Rock!