I held my hands together and tapped my foot to the beat of the song. I watched Lily as she stepped back from the mic and strum her metallic red Stratocaster, turning her body slightly away from us to face Miguel. Noah led the song as he sang and played his guitar. Watching them was nothing but nostalgic.

Bianca nudged me by my shoulder. "It hits different when they play together."

"True," I agreed.

Noah tilted his head to look at Miguel and after a few moments, he nodded at the latter. It was Miguel's cue to crash the cymbals to end their performance.

We all gave them a huge round of applause and some of our classmates even cheered and whistled.

"Thank you!" Noah mumbled in his microphone before they all left their spots.

"Oh My God," Brian murmured on the microphone, handing Lily bottled water. "I only have one word for you guys. Impressive."

Miguel bumped his fist with Brian before walking down the stage and returning to our table.

"I think everyone can agree that you guys still rock," Brian complimented as he waited for Lily to catch her breath. "It gave me chills just watching you here on the sideline."

Lily laughed, placing her bottled water on the rostrum and grabbing her microphone. "That is one of the things I miss the most about Eastview—being able to play here with my talented friends."

"Once again, that was a fantastic performance. The Band never failed to give us a show, and I believe we'll see more of that later."

"Yeah, we still have some more songs prepared for all of you. But now, may we call on our next speaker?"

Brian nodded and his gaze flickered to our table. "She's a former editor-in-chief of the Eastview Gazette, and she has been one of Eastview's brightest."

"And not only that but also one of Eastview's most loyal. In fact, she has two plaques of loyalty at home," Lily chuckled at her last statement.

"May we now call on Ms. Katherine Ramos on stage?"

"Go, Kane," Bianca whispered before I stood up from my seat.

I clutched my phone tighter as I walked towards the stage. Brian met me down the steps and offered his hand to help me walk up the stage.

I took a deep breath as I stood by the rostrum. I glanced at Lily and she hushed, "You can do it."

I nodded and unlocked my phone to open my notes. I stared at the pink digital notepad for a few seconds before looking back up at the crowd.

"Mr. Cruz, our honorable principal, Eastview faculty, classmates, and friends, a pleasant evening to all of you," I greeted, offering a small smile to everyone. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here tonight to celebrate our fifth graduation anniversary."

I cleared my throat. "Sorry, I kind of felt pressured speaking in front of you after a spectacular performance from our The Band. And I'm the one who made the flow of program."

I heard a few chuckles among the crowd, including Lily who was standing a couple of feet away from me.

"I should've put my name before the band," I chuckled, slightly shaking my head. I glanced down at my phone to read my notes and looked up immediately after.

"When Elisa had suggested I should deliver a speech, I was hesitant at first. I couldn't see myself as the right person to speak in front of all of you. I was feeling insecure and pressured since I think I haven't accomplished anything yet. I haven't even finished university yet."

I watched their reactions to my last statement. Some of them whispered to their seatmates, some were looking at me with their wide eyes, then I looked over to our table, and my friends gave me an encouraging smile to show their support.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself why I was standing in front of them. It was an opportunity for me to talk about the things I've been afraid to talk about. Seeing their various reactions were the very reason why we should talk about it more. There was nothing to be embarrassed about not graduating on time.

"Then Lily advised me to talk about something else but every time I have tried to write my speech, I always came up with nothing."

I tapped my phone's screen twice before continuing. "One day, I found myself staring at my laptop with a blank page of a document on the screen. Then I remembered someone taught me when I couldn't write a news article, I should look at something else. So, I did. I pulled out my old copies of the gazette and read each and every article I have written for the three years I've been part of it."

My eyes flickered from the empty registration table at the back of the gym to Vino, who was staring at me. A small smile played on his lips and he nodded his head. I bit my lower lip before glancing at my notes.

"And looking at my articles, I've realized that our student life wasn't always about the achievements. It was about the lessons we've learned along the way and the memories we've created. I should've realized that when we were younger. That realization inspired me to write this speech.

"I've also realized how much I've learned and grown through the years. I was that girl who enjoyed writing about sports even if I wasn't an athletic person. Who won the volleyball game? Who advanced to the semi-finals? Did the basketball team bring home the cup? Did Brian throw finger guns during the game?"

A few laughed at my last remark including Lily and Brian.

"Oh, come on, Kane," Brian mumbled, beaming at me.

"And Ms. Sanchez entrusted me with more tasks and different articles to write. I've also been honored to lead the gazette. And now I'm pursuing the degree I have wanted for so long. This is one of the best feelings ever—doing what I love," I continued, glancing at Ms. Sanchez, who was wiping the corner of her eyes.

"And now, I couldn't help but be proud and happy for all of you—for us. We're now building our future—starting your careers and doing what we are passionate about, and when we come to think of it, we're also living the days we only used to dream of while we were still in high school. We may haven't reached our destinations yet, but we've come a long way since then. We have come this far already. And it's only right to look back at where we've come from—Eastview.

"Eastview Academy isn't just a mere school for me. It served as my second home from kindergarten until I graduated high school wherein teachers became my second parents who taught and guided me. They are the ones who helped in molding me—molding us to be the person we are today. It's where I met my friends whom I consider as a family—friends whom I love with all my heart."

I took a deep breath and glanced at our table, and everyone was listening and smiling at me. I tapped my phone's screen twice again and peeked and scrolled to the last part of my speech.

"Eastview is where we began planning our future. It's where we discovered and honed our skills and potential. We may not feel like the most successful person in the room, but I assure you we are all changing and growing into the person we want to be—the person we're meant to be.

"And I've also realized that some of us have flown across the globe just to be here tonight. And that says a lot about how much we wanted to be here together.

"And it makes me happy because I know no matter where life takes us, we can come back to where we came from. I know we'll always have a home... a family right here." I picked up my phone from the rostrum and raised it in an awkward manner and said, "Here's to more memories together."

As if on cue, everyone clapped their hands for me. I stepped back from the rostrum, and Lily enveloped me in a hug.

"That was great, Kane. We knew you could do it," she whispered against my ear before letting me go.

"Wise words," Brian murmured as he helped me walk down the stage. "Should I thank you for mentioning me?"

I chuckled.

"Alright, thank you Kane for the heartfelt message," Lily's voice resounded from the sound system.

"And for mentioning me," Brian added, pointing a finger gun at me, and everyone laughed at him. "But Kane's right. We'll always have a home and family here in Eastview."

"Yup, and being one of Eastview's most loyal students as well, I very much agree with Kane. Eastview is more than just a school. And I think everyone can agree about how much we want to be here celebrating tonight. But moving on... I think we have another special person to call on stage."

"Sounds about right," Brian agreed. "May we nowcall on our former Prom King and Eastview Tiger's former ball captain, Mr.Vincent Oliver Williams for his royal speech? Vino, you're up."