I have to be honest, I am not a morning person. What can I say? Mornings are hassles for me.

I could sleep in until two if I want, but I guess I got to wear a uniform and try to graduate grade school. Yay.

Not sleeping in isn't the only problem at the moment. It's having to wear makeup. I don't mind wearing different colors on my face. Make me a rainbow if you want to. But I do mind if I look like I just got out from a drag queen contest.

There was a "picture-taking" session for graduating students. One with and one without our parents that we need to take before entering the school's gym. My mom, of course, figured having my face painted was the most essential thing on her itinerary for the day. 

The one doing this to me was our neighbor, Lily. She was around even before I was. She cut my grandma's hair when she was alive and she cut mine into an apple before I let grow out. She is the most wonderful thing that walked the earth. She was funny and silly and I loved her.

When I was younger, sometimes, I would be home so early that there wasn't anyone around to open the door for me. My parents hadn't trusted me enough to give me a key, so I would just sit on the steps of our apartment, waiting for anyone from my house to pass by. I waited for what felt like hours until Lily saw me and invited me to her house for snacks while we waited for my family. She had, apparently, already texted my mom that I was staying at her place. 

After that little incident, I let her babysit me whenever no one was home. Most of the time I go in her house, I would see her heavily putting on makeup on her daughter (which wasn't really an odd sight because she owned a beauty salon), I would always think to myself that I will never want that to be me. I enjoy her company, but I do not enjoy her sense of style.

She had silver on my eyelids. Silver eyeshadow is for parties, the ones at night. It was ten in the morning, and what will you expect in ten in the morning with silver eyeshadow? A shining shimmering eyelids, my good friend.

But as we were under the impression we were late for my graduation, what could I do? 

10 in the morning and we were speeding up to my school and to the gym, only to see the ten students with their parents.  When our presence was finally recognized, one of my classmates approached us. "For the first time, you're early," he said snickering. Yes, I was infamous for never arriving on time, but that did not stop me from wanting to punch his smug face. "The ceremony doesn't start until one," he continued. I wondered he was so early, but of course he would be, his mom was the PTA president.

I just shot him a look, then looked up to my mom--half expecting her to be disappointed, but instead, she just smiled and asked me where I wanted to eat brunch. I chose a Korean restaurant and we just talked about my mom's childhood and what it felt like being my age. 

When we got back to the gym, pictures were taken of us as if we were stars and they were the paparazzi. It was already crowded with parents accompanying students in white togas. 

The ceremony was as exciting as watching a washing machine turn and turn, until when the principal called out my name and one of the fans near the stage blew off my cap. I could feel my whole face burning up from embarrassment as I picked it up. After that, there was nothing else. We just saw the high school valedictorian cry while reading her speech. I almost did too, but I realized that I never knew her. Our batch's valedictorian just read his speech with a deadpanned face.

When the everything ended, people kept swearing that they'll meet each other as much as they could. Then it dawned on me, I was supposed to move to another school. I was never going to meet my friends again. I would be alone in a new school with new people. 

The thought of it made me nauseous, so I just tugged on my mother's arm and told her that we should go home.