Scars of the Present Read Online Free PDF Page A

dress that went to my knees and a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals that matched perfectly. After doing my hair and make-up, I left my room to find my friends. Amanda was in the living room talking to Josh, her light green dress looked great with her long, red hair flowing down her back in waves. Amanda was the tallest out of the three of us and so I wasn’t surprised to see her long, toned legs in flats.
    Amanda turned when she saw me and smiled. “You look great, Syd.”
    Josh nodded in agreement and I smiled at them both. “Thanks, so do you guys.”
    Josh was wearing a nice suit with a pale pink tie and I reached over and pointed to it. “What’s with the pink tie?”
    Maddie came from down the hallway in a dress that was the same color of Josh’s tie exactly and she grinned. “That’s my fault. I thought it’d be cute if we matched.
    Amanda rolled her eyes and smiled at me. “They’re so disgusting.”
    I nodded in agreement. “They really are.”
    After we were all ready, we piled into Josh’s truck and he drove us to the campus. All three of us said goodbye to him and walked slowly to where the rest of our fellow students were putting on their caps and gowns. As I zipped up my blue gown, I suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu, having dong this just four years prior with both Maddie and Amanda.
    I helped both of my friends pin their caps to their heads and we stood in a small circle, none of us speaking. Maddie’s eyes watered and I shook my head frantically.
    “Don’t, Mads. Once you do, we will too.”
    She smiled and took a deep breath. “I love you both.”
    I moved towards both of my friends and pulled them both into a hug. We stood there like that for a few moments until we heard a lady calling for everyone to line up alphabetically. I dropped both Amanda and Maddie’s hands and found my spot among the other people whose last names ended with either ‘L’ or ‘M’. I stood between a girl that I didn’t know and a guy that I’d shared most of my classes with. He smiled at me and nodded as I took my place in front of him.
    “Excited, Sydney?”
    I turned to look at him and gave a small smile back. “Sure. Are you?”
    “Oh yeah. I’ve got a job lined up in Seattle and I can’t wait to get started. What about you?” He fidgeted restlessly and I wanted to tell him to calm the hell down.
    I shrugged a non-committal shrug. “Grad school for now and we’ll see later.”
    I was happy when the line started moving and I didn’t have to make the small conversation anymore. I followed the girl in front of me out into the bright sunlight, keeping my eyes down as we found our seats. The ceremony was held outside in the football stadium by the time they were calling our names it had warmed up considerably.
    Amanda’s name was called first out of us, and I stood up as I whistled and cheered at the top of my lungs. I could hear a cat call behind me and I knew Maddie was doing the same thing. Amanda grinned proudly at the two of us and gracefully strolled off the stage. Less than ten minutes later, I walked up on the state to accept my diploma and beamed as I saw my two best friends on their feet, cheering the loudest out of everyone. After it was over and caps were thrown, we found each other and broke into laughter as we shared a three-person embrace. When we pulled apart, we walked through the football field as we looked for our families.
    We saw Linda and Craig first and Linda’s eyes were red as if she had been crying. Amanda’s mom stood with her and, although she was smiling, she looked lost. The live-in nurse, Jenny, had come to provide support and to be a familiar face. She stood next to Karen and gave Amanda a proud look as well. Josh was with Sean and Maddie’s older brother, Matt, all of them smiling as we approached. It took me a moment to realize that my own parents were standing behind Linda, especially since I hadn’t expected them to come.
    Before we could hug anyone Linda held up her