Princess Wrapped in Leather

Chapter 3

I wipe my sweaty palms on my gown one more time. Count to ten. My eyes find my dad in the crowd—he's already standing, already grinning like he knows exactly what I need right now. Bobbie's next to him, Knox too, all of them watching me like I'm the only person in this auditorium. That helps. That grounds me.

But this is something I need to do. Something I have worked so hard for. I can hear my father cheering along with the guys. I smile as I look over to see them all standing and clapping and cheering me on. They know how hard it is for me to be in front of this many people; that is part of why they all showed up to support me.

I get to the stage, I shake hands, and grab my diploma. I turn and smile at the photographer. Then there is a bang, bang, bang, followed by a few screams and dead silence as we all look around. Security is already walking over to my father and his friends.

Through the smoke and confetti, I can see my father shaking his head with a grin.

Knox and Bobbie are both laughing as they hold their hands up in the air. I am not sure how they got them into the venue's security, and it's probably better not to know. But they are both holding up a cylinder tube, confetti blasters. I giggle as I walk off the stage.

Security took the two of them out of the building, and I see my father on the phone already making the calls that are needed to make this disappear.

The rest of the ceremony goes on without any issues. It is finally over. Oh, I hope my father is ready to make another call, I think to myself as others and I reach into our gowns.

"Congratulations, class of 2024!" The principal calls out.

Caps go flying in the air, and people are cheering and yelling. Some are hugging and others are crying. It is such a beautiful moment of chaos. But the chaos has not started just yet. As we all start to line up in the rows to be ready to be dismissed row by row to our waiting families.

"This is most likely the last time you will all be in the same space. Some of you will travel to other states, other countries and some will stay. But not all of you will move in the same direction and that is okay; all of you have a bright future. You just have to make it happen." The Assistant Principal says.

More cheers and applause.

Then....

Bang! Pop! Bang! Pop!

This goes on for about five minutes, the class of 2024 is rushing out the building laughing and smiling as they run past their families.

Security can't do anything because it is now uncontrolled chaos, seniors running out of the building, and families running after them.

There is so much smoke and confetti it is hard to see clearly. About half of the senior class decided we were going to go out with a bang, so we snuck the blasters in under our gowns, knowing that we didn't have to go through the security checkpoint. Which is why I am still curious about Knox and Bobbie getting them in.

I make eye contact with my father and see a real smile on his face. I walk over to him and wrap him in a hug. That's when I notice the lump in his sleeve.

"I thought I heard three bangs when Bobbie and Knox set of their blasters," I say as I pull away from him.

"Well, I'm also pretty sure that I seen black glitter come out of your gown." He says with his eyebrow raised.

I just shrug, "Let's go get the guys so we can celebrate!" I say, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door.

We walk outside and I see Knox and Bobbie sitting on their bikes. I look up at my father.

"I made the calls already. They just werent allowed back inside." He says with a smile as he looks down at me.

"To bad, they missed a great ending for a new begining." I say with a laugh as I skip over to them and hug them both.

"Princess, do you really think we would miss the class of 2024 going out with a bang?" Bobbie asks me as he turns his phone.

On the screen, I watch the confetti and smoke blasters go off before all of the chaos.

I feel a presence behind me before I hear the footsteps—that shift in the air when someone's about to speak. I turn slightly, catching a glimpse of the principal approaching through the crowd, his expression unreadable.

"Who recorded that and sent it?" I ask, shocked.

"That would be me. Now, do you know whose idea it was to go out with a bang? I heard that random notes started to pop up in the senior lockers over the last week. But no one actually knows who started it; they just all thought it was a great idea." I hear the principal say from behind me.

I turn and look at him, trying to hide my smile.

"Sam, it has been my pleasure to see you grow and to see all of the great things you can do when you put your mind to it." He says as he pulls me in for a hug.

"Thank you uncle." I say with a smile as I hug him back.

Standing here with him, with my dad and Bobbie and Knox still straddling their bikes in the parking lot, I realize how weird this all is—and how perfect. Most people probably have their parents and maybe some aunts and uncles at graduation. I have a whole crew of men who've shown up for every single thing, who know me well enough to orchestrate confetti blasters and sneak them past security. My uncle, the principal, coordinating with my dad like they've been planning this all along. It's chaotic and unconventional and completely them. And instead of being embarrassed by it, I'm grateful. This is what family looks like for me—not traditional, but real. Not by blood, but by choice and loyalty and showing up, over and over again.