"Ladies and Gentlemen, let's put our hands together for our graduating class of 2010."
The seniors in forest green gowns, cheered in happiness as they move their cap tassels from the left side to the right. This so call special day is celebrated by Miami's Edison High School Senior class and their families. As the now young adults leave their high school years behind them, and go out into the real world. Usually every graduate is happy or relief to be out of here. But I can't say I am.
A few rows ahead of me seats my best friend and high school crush, Ally Dawson. Right now as I continued to admire the woman with wavy brown hair; I couldn't help but noticed how happy she was talking to her best girlfriend, about her next stop after high school. Her dark brown eyes showed how ecstatic she is to be leaving this place, on a free scholarship to N.Y.U. (1) in a few weeks. Meanwhile a smile spreads throughout her small thin pink lips. Ally's family and my own just celebrates the acceptance letter yesterday without showing her how we felt about her departure. I guess the reason as to why is because we weren't sure how to react to the news. Take me for example, at first I was hurting on the inside on letting her go. But then again, I realized that I didn't have what Ally really needed in life. And so in the end I decide to just congratulate her as I take the moment to think over on where I was going after high school.
I, Austin Moon am going to stay here in Miami and get a major in Music. What can I say? Music is the one thing that I love in life. And I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. It is everything that I am. Plus it is the only thing I have left of Ally. A smile spreads through my pink lips as I remember the dreams I used to have when I was a freshman in high school. The dreams would always start out with how Ally would decide to stay Miami and we decide to become a couple. As the years go by, our feelings for each other would grow stronger as we pass each day together. And as of right now, I could just picture it as everyone around me gives their friends goodbye hugs. Ally's flawless white skin tone body would be seated down right in front of a baby grand piano, while her small hands compose one of her latest songs. It is the one thing Ally always did whenever she had time off. In fact that is exactly how I meet her.
It's the one memory I would love most about growing up. It all started when I turned ten years old. My twin sisters had to go shopping for some sort of high school dance. And my sisters were only allowed to go to the mall, if they brought me along. At first my sisters really didn't want to take me. But at the last second, they decided to take me with them because they knew how much our mom wanted some alone time. So once we got to the mall, I wondered off on my own around the mall in hopes to find something interesting to do. Meanwhile my older sisters went off to different stores to try on dresses. I walked around the stores of Miami Mall until I started to hear music being played from a closed off music store. I remember figuring out a way to open the locked door by picking it with a bobby pin. Don't ask me how I got the hair pin from, but let's just say that it was one of my sister's pins. After picking the lock, I sneaked into the store quietly as I could. I of course made sure that no one saw me breaking into the business store before continuing on my quest. I didn't stop on my tracks until I made it up the stairs to the second floor of the music store.
My yellow converses walked slowly up towards the door to see a small room full with boxes and orders of unassembled instruments. In the corner of the room is a piano with a girl around my age. She was seated on a worn out piano bench while her hands continued to play on. I couldn't see much of the girl except for her pink dress that she was wearing and her long brown straight hair, which was pulled back into a half ponytail. I was in awe as I watched her hands play along the ivory keys from my hiding place. The girl put so much emotion on the song while she continued to play. And I have to admit that it was the main reason as to why I started to take classes at Sonic Boom. I didn't know why or how it was possible because I never knew the girl, until she spotted me from behind the unassembled boxes. Ally as she told me to call her, freaked out and almost runs out of the room due to her stage fright. But after that one encounter at the store, we started to get to know each other over the years and became friends.
At such a young age, I have always spent my days either practicing the piano or talking to Ally about music. During the time we were in seventh grade, I started getting asked by guys my age, why I was friends with her. I never really question our friendship and I didn't need to. Ally and I just knew that we could count on each other on anything and that was all that mattered. Over the years of growing up, we did almost everything together and were always there for each other. In the end of elementary, we became the best of friends, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Nothing really changed between us until we reached the beginning of our high school years. It was during the middle of the semester when I started to develop stronger feelings for Ally. It was one day doing a causal jamming on the piano together in the practice room when my left hand accidently touched her right hand and I felt something different. I don't know how to explain it but maybe I will tell you what happen. From the second our hands came in contact, I felt some sort of electric shock coming through my veins, and my heart started speed up. I took one good look at my teenage best friend Ally and that's when I realized… I wanted to be more than just friends. I wanted to get closer to her in every single possible way. And that's when I started to accept that fact that I have fallen madly in love with her.
My eyes closed for a second before having them reopen again. In the moment I couldn't help but focus my attention, on my angel of music. My heart started to speed up as her brown eyes connected with my hazel gold brown eyes as she walked my way. Ally gave me one of her happy day smiles meanwhile I tried my hardest to give her one back. Once she stood right in front of me, she stop moving and look at me. I was about to say something when I saw her put hand out towards my forehand and brushed her small hand across my blond highlighted wavy bangs. As she did this, I couldn't help but get lost of words as she waits for me to greet her.
"What is up Ally-cat?"
I asked the beauty in front of me in a cool tone as I embrace her white skin tone body against my tan skin body. Her face touches the back of my white neck as my hands grabbed a good hold of her slim waist. We stayed in this position for a few minutes as I felt myself going into my center of peace. Ally removes her small hands off me before removing her body from my hold.
Ally gives me a concern look as she asks, "Why don't you tell me what's going on… Austin?
I gave her a confused expression as she continues on saying, "Ever since I asked you about getting into Juilliard(2); you have been on this sort of depression boat. And then whenever I tried to talk to you about acceptance letters; you just change the subject. Come on Austin! Tell me what's wrong?"
Seeing how worried Ally was about my strange behavior, I couldn't help but feel happy. I guess the reason why is because it showed me, how much she cared for me. And yet at the same time, it made me feel guilty because I haven't told her the bad news of not becoming one of the top five candidates to go to Julliard. I was planning on telling her last week. But to see her happy with the fact that I was going with her to New York made the whole situation harder for me to say. So now I have Ally here looking up at me with hope of an explanation in a short period of time. My upper body starts to tense up as my mind reminds me that I was leaving her alone to live in a whole new world, without a friend or family member to help her. But then again my heart tells me that I had to tell her the news at some point. But then again I guess today would be my best chance to tell her before she hears it from someone else. So here it goes.
"Austin are you alright? You look pale and you're sweating a lot." Ally commented towards me with a freaked out expression.
I snap out of my train of thought as I swiped the sweat away from my forehead with my gown's sleeve.
"No I am not fine. There is something I need to tell you. And I don't know how to tell you." I said softly towards her. So only she could hear me.
"Just spit it out Austin! I am big girl. I can handle anything you tell me." She responds back towards me in a calm tone.
"I didn't make it to Juilliard." I said slowly towards her in a painful tone as I look down at her.
It hurts so much to admit it to Ally but she knows how much I wanted to go there. Not only that. But the fact that all four generations of the Moon's family have graduated there didn't make me feel any better. My brother Kurt was the class of 1991 and now he is in a professional Digital Media Arts B.A. And then there is my twin sisters Keely and AJ. Who both recently graduated from there and are now under a record label as duet singers/ guitarists. The more I think about how much going to Julliard means to the family… the more I realize how my life was going to be for now on.
Ally on the other hand was just as disappointed as I was. She gave me a shock and yet sad expression as she gives me another hug. The only difference between this hug and the one before is the fact that she was giving me this hug as a way for her to comfort me. I accepted this hug without saying another word.
"Then I won't go to N.Y.U." Ally states back into my right ear.
I pulled her body away from mine immediately before staring back into those dark brown eyes of hers. The next thing that came out of my mouth shocked me. But I couldn't stop myself from saying those words in a harsh tone.
"No you are not going to throw your dream out the window. I won't let you do that to yourself. "
Ally gives me a hurtful expression before seeing a tear roll down her right cheek. I give Ally a sorry expression as I place my hands around the top of her small shoulders. Ally accepts my apology as she waits for me to continue on.
"Allyson, N.Y.U has always been your dream! And I am going to make sure you get on there; even if it means that I have to drag you there myself." I respond towards her in a soft tone as I try not to cry in front of her.
Ally gives out a small chuckle as she states back, "But it won't be the same without you. Who's going to be there when I need it the most? I can't see my life without you."
"We can always Skype one another." I responded back towards her with reinsurance.
Ally gives me a small nod of agreement as she states back with fear, "Promise me that you will Skype me each and every day?"
I embrace her once more before stating back with confidence, "I promise."
