Eli
"You both have worked very hard, and it is so impressive that you've made it this far," our principal spoke with pride.
It was the beginning of May, and we were four weeks away from graduation. Javi and I had still not been told which of us was going to be valedictorian and who was going to be salutatorian.
We had been working hard to keep our grades up to ensure that no one else swooped in at the last minute to take our spots while also simultaneously trying to outdo each other. We came to an agreement that we wouldn't compare each other's GPA’s so that the surprise of who came out on top would be greater and more impactful.
Now we were in the principal's office to find out who had the highest grade out of our entire senior class. Of course our Principal Montgomery couldn’t just tell us, she had to give us a long and drawn-out speech before she revealed it.
"You'll both have to give a speech in front of the school, though I'm sure you already knew that. You represent our school. You represent what all of our students are capable of. We're all extremely proud of both of you and your classmates aretoo." She clasped her hands together as she paused for dramatic effect. She wanted us at the edge of our seats. "Your GPAs are close, but there is a distinct winner. In the end, it always comes down to hundredths of a point."
My leg was bouncing with nervousness as the anticipation ate at me. I looked at my boyfriend who was waiting seemingly calmly, but the twitching of his fingers that rested on his knee told me it was just as nerve wracking for him as it was me.
"Javier, you've earned the title of valedictorian. Congratulations!" Principal Montgomery said excitedly, her hands flying up in cheer. With the same enthusiasm, she turned to me. "Elias, you're our salutatorian. Congratulations to you as well!"
"Holy shit," Javier mumbled to himself with a scoff of disbelief.
"Elias, as salutatorian you'll give the opening speech to start our ceremony." She handed each of us a special golden envelope. "Javier, being valedictorian and class president means that you get to give the closing speech. Inside of that envelope you will find all of the information that you need to develop your speeches."
I opened the envelope and took a quick look at the papers. It was basic information like the length of our speech, when they needed it to be done, and other things that I would look at later.
"You boys should be very proud of your accomplishments as many would love to be in the position that you are in now. Congrats again!”
Our principal shooed us out of her office so that we could hurry back to class. The moment the door to the office shut behind us, I wrapped my arms around Javier in the empty hallway.
"Congrats, Javi." I rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you."
I felt his hesitance to accept my hug, his body slightly stiff and arm carefully pressing against my back. It was as if he was nervous. Oh, he was nervous of my reaction.
“I’m proud of you too,” he said, his free arm rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I know you worked really hard to get the number one spot and I’m sorry you didn’t get it."
I had tried my best. I did everything I could to better my chances at achieving the title of valedictorian. In the end, it didn't work. Javier's grades were better than mine, it was as simple as that.
I could not say that I was not disappointed. When you're that close to being at the top, losing it by a little felt like a sucker punch to the gut. Though, it was not exactly like the overwhelming feeling of failure that I was used to experiencing when I lost. This felt different—still disappointing, but not as demoralizing.
That change in feeling was because of the proudness I had for the guy standing next to me.
I scoffed as I pulled back from him so that I could see his pretty face. "Babe, are you kidding? You worked just as hard as I did. And guess what? I get to say thatmyboyfriend is valedictorian. I get to say thatmyboyfriend is smarter than every other person in the entire school."
Javi’s blue-green eyes softened as his head tilted. He feared that I would be upset that he came out above me. I could not blame him for thinking that since I did have a track record for taking loss worse than a child who was just denied candy from the grocery store. I had a tight, endearing grip on both of his arms as I spoke to him meaningfully.
"I get to say that my boyfriend beat me fair and square and got the title that he definitely deserves."
Javi’s eyes were filled with endearment. “Thanks, Eli.”
"I get to stand on stage in front of a huge crowd of people with my boyfriend right next to me. My boyfriend is valedictorian, and I am salutatorian."
"You're abusing the hell out of the words 'my boyfriend,'" he chuckled.
I folded my arms to my chest. "As long as I had to wait to be able to say it, I think I have the right to do that."
The next two weeks were spent with the both of us working on our speeches and at first we worked on them together. We did that until Javi made a joke about his being better than mine. I was nothing if not a competitive freak, so I challenged him to a competition of who could write the better speech. I was well aware that Javier never backed down from a challenge.
We stopped helping each other and worked on them separately, even going as far as to work in different rooms so we did not overhear. We would get to hear each other's speeches the same time that everyone else did: at graduation.
I turned to Ricky for feedback on my speech. I needed someone to bounce ideas off of and to help determine if it sounded decent or not. He was willing to help even though he didn't know the first thing about speeches.
"'...and high school has been a journey for us that has been filled with lots of ups and downs. We went through many changes and they have shaped us into who we are today,'" I read from the paper in my hands. I looked up to Ricky. “How’s that part?”
