Regrets Part I

Savannah Grace - Memphis

This place is magnificent! I have never seen anything like it! This day has been magical so far and we haven't even made it to the ceremony yet. After we get our room assignments and get settled in, I go exploring with some of the girls in the class. I wish my girlfriends at school could see this place! It would be so much fun if some of them were here but the girls that are in Audio Production with me are pretty cool, I'm sure we'll have a good time. A lot of them are seniors so this is a huge deal for them before heading off to college.

The girls and I walk around the Graceland Hotel for hours and hours! We go into a few shops, grab lunch, and just take in all the sites. I'm grateful that they are all so engulfed in taking in the sites of the hotel that no one pries me for gossip on Jackson, Brayden, and I. I know they are all curious, I saw all the looks when I walked into the airport. Brayden was already there, I i knew they were all surprised to see him but even more shocked when we all hung out and sat together on the plane. I didn't feel like getting into all that, I just wanted to have fun and take in all the scenery.

Before we know it, it's time to head back to our room to get ready. You know, it takes girls a little longer to get ready than the guys. Especially since four girls are sharing a room and a bathroom!

We get back to the hotel and I pull my dress out that I had purchased both for Wintercamp and for this event. Mom and I found this dress on sale at the mall and got a super good deal on it. It's gorgeous, purple satin that goes all the way to the floor with spaghetti straps and a loose neckline that falls perfectly on me. It's not tight but a little more form fitting than the other ones I had tried on. I can't wait to wear it again. I plug in my curling iron and sit on my bed with my makeup bag and mirror. After I've finished my makeup, I slip into my dress and fix my hair. I take one last look in the mirror, add some lipstick and grab my clutch purse I had picked out to go with this dress. Butterflies fill my stomach as I am so excited about the ceremony but I also can't wait to see the boys all dressed up. When all four of us are ready, we double check the map to make sure we know where we are going and head to the ceremony hall.

Brayden and Jackson are already there when I walk in to greet them. I can't help but notice both of them staring at me, their mouths slightly open taking in my appearance. I'm flattered and a smile spreads across my face. As much as we've all hung out, we haven't really had an occasion for us all to dress up so this is new for all of us to see each other in our finest. They both look amazing.

"You look beautiful!" Jackson says when he sees me. Brayden just kind of nods in agreement.

"Thank you" I say, "you two don't look too bad yourselves. Did you have fun exploring the hotel? Isn't it incredible?"

"Yeah, it's great, this is like a dream coming here." Jackson says.

"Ok guys, lets get some pictures" Mr. Allen says, no one even noticed he had come in. "After we are done with the group pictures, you all can take some of your own if you would like."

There are all kinds of things to take pictures with. The ceremony hall is complete with a red carpet with some pretty neat pretty expensive looking show cars.

After we've gotten group pictures, pictures with just girls and just the guys, and some other ones Mr. Allen requested, Jackson, Brayden, and I get some of our own before heading into the ceremony hall.

We walk in and are all in awe. The room is a lot bigger than I thought it would be. There are round tables set up everywhere with place cards stating which table every group would be seated at. We find the Evermore table and take a seat. Me in the middle and Jackson and Brayden on either side of me. This feels like a dream. The food they serve is amazing. I had chosen the roasted chicken with steamed broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. Everything is fantastic! We even got chocolate cake at the end for dessert.

Once all the plates have been cleared and our water cups filled, the ceremony begins. It's so neat to hear all the categories and see everyone accepting their award. They finally get to the student category and I discover that we are the only high school! The other candidates are all colleges. How excited that we are up against colleges as a high school.

"And the award for the student category goes to..." the announcer says as he opens the envelope. All of us are holding hands under the table anxiously awaiting his next words. "Evermore High!" We all jump up and go crazy! I turn and give both Jackson and Brayden huge hugs, we are still all on shock. With our table exploding with excitement, Mr. Allen goes up and accepts the award on behalf of all of us and says a few words.

"I am so proud of all my students who worked so hard to get us here." He looks at our table "each and every one of you should be proud, this award isn't for me, it's for everyone who put in countless hours, sometimes staying past school hours to get this done. This is your recognition and I could not be happier with your performance in my class. Thank you everyone!" He steps off the stage and heads to our table to pass around our award. I cannot believe we just won!

After the ceremony is over, we all get to have our pictures individually taken with our Academy Award as well as one with the whole class holding it. All the flashes and everyone looking at us turns into a blur. I don't know which camera to look at so I just stand there with the rest of my classmates smiling until everyone has gotten the pictures they wanted. Before we assemble to hear Mr. Allen's next instructions I text my mom and dad.

"WE WON!!!!!!!" Then I put away my phone, I know they will respond pretty quickly but there's so much going on right now, I'll have to check it later.

Mr. Allen gets us all together and tells us again how proud he is of us. "I know you have a curfew on your itineraries but forget that! Just go out and have fun! Stay inside the hotel and please don't cause any trouble. I trust you all and you all deserve this!" He's almost tearing up as he speaks to all of us. "Just be sure you are packed up and in the lobby by 9 tomorrow morning to check out and catch the shuttle back to the airport. Have fun and be safe." he finishes as we all disperse.

"That was amazing!" Brayden says "I can't believe we actually won, I'm so glad I was able to come on this trip."

"Me too, it was an incredible night" I say "What should we do now?"

"I'm going to go back to my room and get changed, what do you say we all meet back here in 10 minutes?" Jackson says.

"Sounds great, see you then!" I wonder back up to my room and find some clothes I had packed to sleep in and changed into those. Much more comfortable! I pull my phone out, check my messages and just as I thought there are texts from my mom and dad as well as a few missed calls. I call them back and they put me on speaker phone.

"Congratulations sweetie!" They say as soon as they pick up the phone. "We are so proud of you! How was it? Tell us all about it! We've been dying to hear ever since we got that text."

"Oh, it was wonderful. The food was amazing, the ceremony was unbelievable. I just can't put it into words!" I went on to fill them in on everything before saying "I'm meeting Jackson and Brayden in the lobby in a few minutes but I will talk to you guys tomorrow. I love both of you."

"We love you sweetie. Goodnight" my mom says "we were wrong to not help you pay for this trip. I'm glad you still got to go, it ended up being a wonderful experience."

I hang up the phone and head downstairs.