Lydia's Valedictorian speech is totally Gwen Stacy's from 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'. I'm way too lazy to think something up on my own.
I own nothing.
In the time it took for graduation to come Lydia had become even more attached to Stiles than she was in the first place, if that was possible. There wasn't much time either to be lazing around with one another, but they managed to spend every possible minute together. Whether it was packing for College, buying for College or sorting out graduation arrangements- they were together.
And they felt like they were together too.
Not just physically but emotionally too. Although Lydia had yet to speak the three words, she had implied it, continuously.
However, graduation was on their doorsteps, which also meant Stiles was leaving two days after. Lydia was leaving a week after graduation, mostly because she didn't have it in her to leave her mom quite yet. She'd be on her own, defenseless against the supernatural. At least Melissa had Argent and the Sheriff had a gun but her mom? She relied on Lydia whose only defense was some Jujitsu that was beginning to fog up in her mind.
"I can't believe you're graduating," Her mother smiled as she brushed hair off of Lydia's shoulder. "You did it."
"Thanks, mom." Lydia returned her smile. Natalie's eyes slowly but surely swarmed with tears as she admired her daughter in her mirror.
Lydia was dressed in a cream, satin, slim-fit dress that hugged her curves nicely. Her neckline plunged and she was grateful she'd caught the slightest of a tan in the May sun. A pearl necklace sat prettily around her neck, along with matching earrings, which her mom had got her as a token of congratulations. Her hair bounced in waves down her back and her height was lifted by another four inches with her nude, strapped heels.
"Do you think that I can get away with wearing the cap?" Lydia joked. "I think it'll mess up my hair."
Her mother chuckled but delicately placed the blue cap on her head and carefully helped her into the robe. Her robe and hat were a brilliant blue, and Lydia hated it because it clashed with her hair.
Orange and blue won't ever be a good combination.
She also had a mustard yellow sash sitting around her shoulders with her gown. She was doing the Valedictorian speech at the ceremony, she was nervous just as much as she was honored.
Lydia picked up her phone and checked the time. "We best get going, don't want to be late."
The ceremony was being held outside and luckily it was a nice day otherwise it would've been hassle to rearrange everything. The stage was set up at the front, with rows of chairs sat behind the podium where the speakers would talk and the graduates would receive their diplomas.
It was cornily decorated in yellow and blue ribbons and balloons to match the school colors, and their gowns.
When Lydia saw how many rows of chairs there were in front of the stage her palms began to sweat and realized why she shouldn't of accepted the offer on doing that stupid speech.
"You look great," Stiles told Lydia in a low voice when the pack had met before the ceremony started. Even Malia, who was convinced she'd fail Summer School, stood with them.
"You don't look too bad yourself." She replied as she straightened his tie and ran a hair through his jelled hair. It wasn't a lie, he looked like a picture. He was smartly dressed in a white button down shirt, a black tie and black trousers (which she forced him to get tailored so they shaped nicely around his bum and legs) and his shoes were polished and new.
"Are you nervous?"
"Can you tell?" Lydia laughed lightly, but her heart pounded in her chest and she felt the room sway.
"If I didn't know you I'd say no, but seeming as I do," He pulled Lydia closer, a had cradled her neck. "Yes, I can tell."
Lydia was left breathless for a moment. Even more breathless than before.
"Your hand is shaking." Stiles smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I know."
"Make it stop."
"I can't!" Lydia sighed and pulled away, frustrated. Stiles smiled at her, he tried to conceal his laughter, and reached for her hand and pulled her back in again.
"Just breathe." He told her. "You'll be okay, I promise you."
"Guys, we gotta go." Malia interrupted them. She looked different dressed the way she was, but Lydia decided she loved it. Her dress was floral, a mix between the colors black, purple and red. It stopped at her knee, but the skirt flowed so that when she turned away from them it flew out in a dance. It was so unlike her that it actually suited her.
"I'll see you after, good luck." He squeezed her hand and pecked her lips, he lingered a beat too long and left her to take his seat which was too many rows behind her. They were sat alphabetically, which meant Lydia was sat next to this smelly girl with greasy hair and a boy she didn't know the name of. It wasn't fair. She needed someone she knew by her, to calm her. Specifically Stiles.
There was a lot of talking and so many speeches from people in their school that were supposedly 'important'. Lydia tried to savor every minute of it, this was graduation after all, she'd dreamed of this forever, and it was finally hers for the taking. Although she couldn't stop the shake in her leg and the twitch in her hand every time she thought about her speech.
"For this years Valedictorian please welcome, Lydia Martin!" The principal introduced her. Her palms collected with sweat and suddenly her throat formed a lump and she wasn't sure she could do this.
But when did Lydia Martin ever let big crowds put her off? So she stood, held her chin high and walked calmly over to the podium and gracefully climbed the stairs. She ignored the wobble in her heels.
"Good morning, class of 2017-" Lydia started, she tried to imagine she was alone in her room, practicing in front of her mirror. "As Beacon Hillss High's brightest, it's an honor to be standing up here today and having the privilege to deliver this speech to you."
There was a small chorus of claps so Lydia used this time to clear her throat and skim her notes again. It took her weeks to write this speech, took her weeks to edit it because she wanted to do herself justice, wanted to go out with a bang and be remembered by everyone in High School. She wasn't sure when she decided she'd write a speech that came from her heart, that came from her time being in a pack, but she knew it felt right when she write it.
"I know that we all think we're immortal, we're supposed to feel that way, we're graduating." She smiled. "The future is and should be bright, but, like our brief four years in high school, what makes life valuable is that it doesn't last forever, what makes it precious is that it ends. I know that now more than ever." She caught Scott's eye at some point during this, and she was glad, that was aimed at Allison.
"And I say it today of all days to remind us that time is luck. So don't waste it living someone else's life, make yours count for something. Fight for what matters to you, no matter what because even if you fall short, what better way is there to live?
"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too, and there'll be days where you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most. Keep it alive. No matter how buried it gets, or lost you feel, you must promise me, that you will hold on to hope and keep it alive." She looked at Malia then, which earned her a wink from the girl.
"We have to be greater than what we suffer," She finally held Stiles' gaze then. His eyes intently bored into hers and she almost lost her way for a moment. "My wish for you, is to become hope. People need that.
"I know it feels like we're saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything that we do next, to remind us of who we are, and of who we're meant to be. I've had a great four years with you, and I'll miss you all very much." She finished and when she did the audience stood and applauded.
Her speech was supposed to go for five minutes, but she didn't want to bore them with bullshit. She wanted to enlighten them. And she did. She wanted to remind people, that no matter what happened in Beacon Hills to them, that there is always the promise of hope, rebirth and survival. A life much greater than one they may of had here. She wanted to promise them, and herself, that all scars can be healed no matter how bad.
After the applause had died down, Lydia was awarded her diploma, which would seem like nothing when she would get her degree in Mathematics and win the Fields Medal. She couldn't deny how special she felt when it was handed to her, when she heard Stiles 'whoop' really loudly.
After her moment was over the class of 17 then received their diplomas. She felt an odd surge of pride go through her when she saw them all collect their scroll and shake the principals hand and hers (like she was actually that important).
When Scott collected his, he winked at Lydia and hugged her instead of shaking her hand, which took her by surprise but nevertheless she loved it. She actually had a vision of him getting his qualifications as a vet, being happy and getting married. This is why she needed him to stick to his College plans and go to U.C Davis, he needed a better life somewhere else and he needed closure.
Then Stiles was next, his eyes glistening with pride and happiness. Pride because the girl he loved just made the best possible speech and happiness because he was finally getting away from Beacon Hills. He accepted his scroll, shook the principals hand and then dived in for a kiss with Lydia. She knew he'd do this. She should also be mad, because he was making a fool of himself on stage but she didn't mind, all she could think about was how lucky he was getting when they had his dorm to themselves when they moved him to D.C.
He pulled away and smiled, and she had a hard time not kissing him again but she nodded, tried to remain professional and winked at him as he walked off with a hint of pink on his lips from her lipstick.
Finally it was Malia. Malia Tate. Initially, she held out the wrong hand to be shaken so she growled and swapped them again. But Lydia didn't miss the happiness in her eyes when the scroll was gripped tightly in her hand and the thin film of tears that were in her eyes as she enthusiastically shook Lydia's hand.
When Lydia saw her friends, her family, her pack all lined up in front of her she'd never felt more pride than she did in that moment.
"One more picture and that's it!" Lydia's mom practically begged as she was getting to grips with her new IPhone and reveled in how much storage it had for pictures.
The mid-day sun was starting to get to Lydia, the back of her dress was sticking to her and she could feel sweat gather in her hair line which made her fear her hair would look greasy.
"Mom you've taken like one-hundred." Lydia sighed but nevertheless tilted her head and smiled at her mother as she snapped another shot.
"This is your big-day!" Her mother tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"You're talking like this is my wedding day." Lydia joked, because it was true. Her mom fussed too much, and if this was just her graduation, she didn't want to think what she'd be like for her wedding.
"What's this about your wedding day?" Stiles was in her ear, his timing impeccable, as always. Something fluttered in her chest and made her knees turn to jelly, maybe it was the way he said it or maybe it was because she'd hoped they'd marry too, one day.
"I'll leave you to it." Natalie said and left to go find the Sheriff and Melissa.
There was something so sweet about the way Stiles was looking at her, his grin lopsided and his tie loosened because of the heat, that she unexpectedly pressed her lips against his in a gentle dance of love.
"What was that for?"
"I just-" Lydia smiled, and she was going to tell him she loved him, but the timing seemed off. This wasn't how she imagined she'd say it, and she isn't sure he'd expect it.
"Love me?" He finished for her, she ran a hand through his hair and nodded shyly at him. She wished she wasn't so scared of being in love, it made her vulnerable and exposed. But she gave herself to him, he deserved it, they deserved this.
"But I didn't love the stunt you pulled on stage." Lydia tugged playfully at the hair that curled around the nape of his neck. She felt the sweat on his neck and wondered how he still had his blazer on and his gown.
"I don't know what you're talking about," He smiled into her lips as he spoke. He tugged her in closer, his hands rested on the zip of her dress which he just wanted to rip off. "I was just letting everyone know you're my girlfriend."
"You could've done it more subtly." Lydia chided, but she couldn't help the smile that was on her face, he smiled back at her.
She didn't know how she was going to leave him in a few days time, she wasn't sure she'd be able to face saying goodbye, to leaving him in his dorm room and driving back all by herself knowing he was there. But she would do it, they had to make long distance work because this was their future.
"I didn't feel like it." He pecked her lips and she smiled and wished for just a second that she wasn't in love with this boy because he'll ruin her. They were interrupted when they heard the click of a camera.
"You guys are so cute." Scott beamed as Malia stood beside him, an arm casually linked with his.
Stiles smiled and Lydia hid in Stiles' arms, trying to hide her blush.
"I hear your dad's treating us?" Malia looked pointedly at Stiles and so Lydia looked at him too.
"Treating us to what?" Lydia asked, curious.
"Food." Stiles licked his lips and Scott groaned, a hand clutched his stomach.
"I thought you guys were broke?" Lydia half joked, although she was partly serious. Money has always been an issue with Stiles, Lydia had never ignored that, so she felt partly bad that they were going to spend his money. Especially with Stiles going to College.
"We can afford a meal." Stiles told her, but she raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, Lyds."
But when he said it, it wasn't like he was asking her to trust her on what he was saying, that they could afford a meal. It was like 'trust me that when you allow yourself to fall, I'll be there to catch you'.
So with a nod and a chaste kiss, Lydia trusted him.