"Tara Carpenter!"
There was silence in the audience. The principal told the audience not to clap until after all names got called. Tara walked across the stage, wearing a graduation robe. As Tara took her diploma, she looked into the audition.
Sam gave her a thumbs-up. She was sitting alone. Beside her was an empty chair from where Tara had invited her mom. She didn't mind. Ever since Amber and Richie revealed themselves as Ghostface, Tara had been on the outs with her mom. She only invited her because she felt like she had to.
Tara took her diploma and shook hands with the principal. She walked offstage and rejoined the rest of the fellow graduates. The names continued to go on. "Amber Freeman," the principal called.
Tara looked over at the empty chair. They decided to announce all the deceased students, even the one who killed her classmates. "Boo," a few vocal members of the audience yelled. "That murderer deserves to rot in-"
"Anyway," the principal interpreted. "Leslie Garrett."
Tara hated that she had mixed feelings about Amber. Amber tried to kill her. She was still Tara's best friend for most of her life. Before Chad, Mindy, Liv, or even Wes, it was her and Amber. She hated Amber, but not as much as she felt she should.
"Wes Hicks," the principal announced.
"Woo," Chad hollered, being loud and proud. "Go, Wes!"
Wes Hicks. Tara looked over to his chair. After Amber, he was her first friend. They met when Wes started getting babysat by Sam. He went to a different school than Tara. The first day he came over, Tara and Wes became quick friends. Everyone expected they'd become a couple one day, but nothing came out of it besides awkward flirting and going to one middle school formal together. They ended up hanging out with the twins and Amber the entire time.
"Chad Meeks-Martin," the principal announced. Chad made a big deal about walking across the stage. That got a few noticeable chuckles from the audience. "Mindy Meeks-Martin."
Mindy made less of a big deal about getting the diploma. The twins came quickly after Wes. Until Liv came around right before their junior year ended, their group stayed the same. They had other friends, but they were each other's core friends.
"Liv Mackenzie," the principal announced. Tara found her eyes on Liv's empty chair. She had hardly known Liv. They went to school together but didn't get close until they got the same job. Liv was the only person at the workplace Tara didn't find obnoxious. Tara wished she met her sooner.
"Class of 2022, please stand up," the principal said. Tara stood up with her classmates. "Please move your tassel to the other side of your hat. Now, on the count of three, please toss your hats into the air."
Everyone moved their tassels. Tara tossed her hat into the air with everyone else. The emptiness of those seats never felt heavier. Wes, Dewey, Judy, Liv, and even Amber, were memories now. An arm around her shoulders snapped her out of her thoughts.
"We survived," Chad said.
"We did," Tara responded. Now it's time to thrive, I guess. How do you do that after the year we went through?