Elsa crawled out of bed and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. She had plenty of time. The graduation ceremony would not begin until 10:30 AM.

She was pleased to see a poster reading "Congratulations, Elsa!" in the kitchen. Not only was there a poster, but there was food set out for her as well. Specifically, there was a bowl of Cheerios with mint cookies on top of the bowl. Which meant she would have to eat the cookies first, and then the Cheerios. She did that, and she also ate an apple and drank a glass of milk.

Now to get ready. Normally Elsa brushed her teeth for two minutes, but today, she brushed them for almost five. If her valedictorian speech did not go well, as least her teeth would be white.

She brushed her hair and proceeded to get dressed. Her graduation cap and gown were both black. She also wore a blue honor sash for being summa cum laude, and a medal for being valedictorian. When she turned to look at herself in the mirror, the reality of what was about to come sank in. She began to tremble. Her hands felt cold as ice. Her mouth felt like cotton balls.

Elsa's mother knocked. "May I come in?"

"Yes," answered Elsa.

The door opened. "Elsa, you look so beautiful and accomplished! But don't get in the car just yet. Your father wants to take pictures first."

Pictures. Good idea. Posing for pictures for a single photographer could get tedious, but it sounded a lot better than making a valedictorian speech. Hey, maybe her father would get so focused on taking pictures they would lose track of time, rush to the auditorium, arrive too late and she would be barred from attending the graduation ceremony. As she posed for pictures, she wondered, If I am so nervous, how does Victor feel? Is he as nervous as me right now? She thought about asking if she could walk next door to talk to Victor, but decided not to.

Her hopes of missing her graduation ceremony were dashed when she heard her mother say, "Time to go," and she looked and saw the clock read 9:50 AM.

They all hopped in the car. Her parents sat in the back, and Elsa and her uncle sat up front. Halfway through the trip, ther had to stop at a railroad crossing. There was hope! Maybe the train would abruptly stop on the track, and it would be so long there would be no way around it. That would make for a more humorous newspaper headline. NEW HOLLAND VALEDICTORIAN MISSES GRADUATION CEREMONY DUE TO TRAIN.

But Elsa's hopes were dashed. The train disappeared. And before she knew it, she was being dropped off in front of the auditorium.

"Remember to make me proud," her uncle said sternly.

"You've got plenty of time," her father chimed in more cheerfully. "Congratulations. Have fun!"

Elsa hopped out of the car, thinking in response to her father's words, I wish I could.

Stay tuned for the next chapter...