# Story Seven - Graduation Is Here

Today was a special part of the year where seniors got to graduate. Everything had been leading up to this, especially for the esteemed Principal of Volcano High. Right now he paced back and forth in his small cubby spot behind the auditorium’s curtains, trying to psyche himself up for the approaching dread of graduating his beloved students.
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“Hoo-oooohkay, you can do this, Anon! You’re the damn Principal for a reason. You’re not some fuckin’ autist anymore. Deep breaths...we’re all gonna make it, brah.” Finally getting his nerves under control, he was surprised by someone coming into the back room, almost causing him to squeal like the brave man he is. His fear instantly vanished, seeing the beautiful visage of his amazing wife, Lucy. Calling out happily to her, he embraced her tightly, peppering her face with kisses.
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“Nervous, dweeb?” She always knew the words to make him relax, but she was right on the money for this. Anon sighs, slumping down into a free chair, looking up at her pitifully.
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“I’m gonna have to be honest with you, hun. I… I’m just so damn nervous! This is...thi-this is a new chapter in these kids’ lives I’m presenting, for everybody to see. For some reason, I’ve graduated classes before this, but-”
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“You mentored these ones. I know you don’t like playing favorites, but it’s obvious how much you care for the seniors this year. You pretty much helped raise them, into great kids no less. You’ve helped prevent some from making mistakes some of us almost made.” Lucy looked Anon in the eyes, never once wavering, smiling at him with pride in his achievements.
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Giggling, Lucy of course remembered to remind him of his other escapades. “There’s also the time you helped the newer human students feel welcomed when you did that human history presentation, about conflicts and...love and all that gooey, sappy stuff. Then you used a picture of me and you, with our family. Showing just how far people have gone to accept each other.” She then punched his arm lightly.
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“Of course, next time use my permission to use photos of us, you handsome bastard.” The pout in her voice faded almost immediately as she teased Anon. Both of them well acquainted with one another's' shenanigans. Anon laughed heartily, embracing his wife even tighter.
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“You got it, Lucy. I promise. Now…” He looked out to the auditorium, Stella was there, trying to keep the audience’s attention.
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“What say we get this thing on the road? Best to rip off the band-aid now than to let it stay there.” Right on cue, Stella announced Anon.
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“With all of those pleasantries outta the way, here to greet you all and get this graduation on the road, none other than Mr. Mous, Principal of Volcano-High!” The crowd clapped, a good few dozen cheers. Anon strutted out, all smiles, waving to everyone and even a finger-gun or two went out to the crowd. The applause and cheers extended all the way to him getting to the microphone. Testing it once, then twice, making sure not to kill everyone’s ears if it may malfunction. Ever since the roomba incident, Anon’s been weary of tech a bit, but hey, microphones aren’t dangerous, right? Not wanting to let that thought sink in further, Anon got on with his speech for the graduation celebration.
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With a big huff of air, Anon looked over the crowd one more time, then looked back at the students standing there, garbed in their graduation gowns and caps. A colorful motley crew of different kinds of dinos and even a few humans speckled in there for good measure. The gowns had a brilliant purple to them that resembled a royal purple hue. Anon was a personal fan of how the gowns looked, but he couldn’t shake the realization that when students wore those gowns, it meant an end to a generation’s school life, and their beginning to adulthood. Looking back to the crowd in front of him, he prepared himself for his speech.
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“I never thought, personally, I’d ever make it this far. There’s one thing I want to be, and that’s honest. Well, that’s my honest outlook on this. Now that’s not to say I don’t enjoy being a principal. It’s the extreme opposite. I love being the principal here. I love it so much, and I would never change it for anything in the world! Looking back, I realize just how much has happened in four years. When I took the mantle, I had a fresh batch of nervous, shy, curious kids coming from middle school.” Anon smirked and looked back at the group of seniors before him, taking the microphone with him.
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“If only your past selves could see you guys now. They’d revel in the fact of what they’d turn into, and I mean that one-hundred percent. I’ll tell you all for a fact that these past four years have been...interesting. Definitely exciting, when you think about it! I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with some of my...odd antics at this school. Going from basically frying over a third of the school’s computers, to suddenly making the school one of the more prestigious schools to study at. Trust me, if I knew the answer to my own stupidity, I would’ve solved cancer by now, but enough about me. Can I just tell you how proud I am of the seniors right here in front of me?” Anon pauses to give them all a silent stare, all of them looking right back at him. Many faces showed compassion and excitement, but he could see a few were nervous, scared. They tried, and they tried well to hide their emotions from him, from anybody.
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Anon knew better. He could see right through their act. He mentored these kids, after all. He settled himself down, just enjoying the brief silence he had with them. “Not a lot of principals get to be so involved with their students, some take it for granted, but here, I made sure everybody felt good about me being there. I made sure they knew I wasn’t some authority figure to fear, but somebody to come to for their problems, whether they be social, or educational. These kids mean the world to me...it’s...hard to see ‘em go.” He let out a sigh, smiling wistfully at his students.
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“Whether they’re here like the freshmen, the sophomores, or the juniors. Whether they’re moving on with life as seniors, to adults. They always got a home here. To come back and visit, to share stories with new, fresh students.” He looked at everyone, smiling for his last catcher. He knew they’d love this one.
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“After all, everybody at some point needs to...say “Goodbye, Volcano High”.” With one last wink to the audience, the applause came, almost deafening. Students threw caps in cheer. The rest of that day was spent bittersweet. While it might’ve been farewell, they all had life to look forward to, and for Principal Anon, he had some new students to greet. After all, while there’s always a goodbye, there’s also a warm welcome, and he knew he’d give one every time.