My Home Town

Graduation

On the day of their graduation, best friends Payton and Macie, knew that they were going to have the best year ever. They had everything planned out. They were going to move into their new apartment this afternoon and then their grad parties were this weekend. Of course they were having them together. They did everything together. From starting junior high and then high school, to dating guys who were also best friends and now to living together. The girls were inseparable.

As Payton's name was called to walk across the stage, she could hear Macie yelling excitedly for her and she would do the same when her name was called. Reaching the middle of the stage, she heard a strange noise from the back of the auditorium. When she looked out she saw an odd shadow that seemed to be crawling up the back wall, nobody else noticed it though as they were all focused on the new graduates.

Once the ceremony was over, Payton brought it up to Macie and asked if she had heard or seen anything unusual when she was on stage. She hasn't though, "Maybe it was just the lights playing tricks on your eyes. You know those things are set way to high."

"Yeah, I guess your right." Still uneasy about it, Payton was quiet on the walk to her car. "Hey, didn't I pick you up this morning?"

"Yeah why?" Macie asked, confused.

"Isn't that your car right there?" Payton continued to look around the parking lot for her own baby blue VW Beetle, but it was no where to be found.

Looking up, Macie realized it was her car. There was no mistaking it, she drove a black 1970 hearse. "How the f**k did that get here?! You picked me up, I don't even have my keys. " As she said that though, she pulled her keys out of the pocket of her jacket. Watching as Payton scrambled to find her keys in her purse, they both started to panic. Her keys were now missing.

"I guess we're taking my car back to the apartment to help our dads unload the trucks." As they got in the car, an uneasy feeling came over them.

What was going on? How did her car get here and mine disappeared? Payton thought. As they drive back to their new apartment, the uneasy feeling started to disappear and excitement sunk in. This was their first home without their parents being there, without anyone to tell them what to do, all on their own.

Pulling up in front of the buildings, they saw the trucks waiting with the first load of each of their belongings. After taking their bags from graduation up, the made the walk back down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. It was a beautiful day and the town had trees that bloom white flowers lining the street. This time of year, right between spring and summer, the petals start to fall while the leaves begin to bud. Their building was an older red brick one with white wood trim, beautiful in its own way.

Macie grabbed a box from her dad's truck and started the walk back up to the second floor. As she walked onto the second floor landing, the lights went out and she dropped the box. In the dark she scrambled to try to grab her stuff, but with the wooden floors it was hard to see anything. I think I've got everything that fell, I guess I'll find out when the lights come on.