It's the last day of school. June 6, 20XX. Perfect weather(placebo effect) for my elementary school graduation. After climbing up the hierarchy for the past 5 years, it is time to move on to greater and grander things.

This is the 1st graduating class of our school. Pioneers, we are. Nothing precedes us except our own glorious ambitions. And we are quite a small class. Only a meek 6 other students. However, I think we have all gotten quite close over these past 5 years. I'm feeling a bit sentimental, having to leave all these great memories behind. My bestie Cadence, a genius in linguistics who produces dog noises more soulfully and with more heart than most dogs ever do in a lifetime. We've had a lot of fun roleplaying our favorite show, Paw Patrol, with me as the main boy and Cadence as the 6 or so working class dogs. Ah, the memories. Oh, and how can I forget about þ. I don't know her real name, but we've been through heaven and hell together, and there is no one I'd rather be stranded on a deserted island with than þ. Okay, but enough reminiscing. A new frontier is upon us, and there is no greater beginning than this graduation!

After hyping up my graduation in my head, I hopped out of my sleeping bag. I had made an effort to spend the night at my school as a show of what I believe to be my cardinal virtue, my punctuality. That, and that the classroom had a roof. I'd been sleeping at the local park for a few months, and though I was able to stare at the stars as I fell unconscious, the rain was a bit annoying. I had set up a mechanism for a while, where I used a bit of Elmer's glue I got from the school to attach the hook of an umbrella to one of the gaps in the side of the bench, which was large enough to cover my head. However, the glue was subpar, and I woke up many times in the middle of the night as a result of the umbrella falling on my face, to the point where my body naturally wakes up in the middle of the night even now. Regardless, I am happy to have this sleep in this classroom.

I checked the analog clock that sat on top of the teacher's desk. "5:51". I used inductive reasoning to assume that the clock meant "am", and mentally shifted the time up by 2 minutes to get "5:53" as another show of punctuality, which is the belief that early is on time, and on time is late. The classroom had the light fragrance of whatever branded perfume my classmates were using the day before. Quite a nostalgic smell to wake up to, I suppose. I moved back the two desks I had set next to each other in order to place my sleeping bag on. More memories swam back to me. The desk that supported my head was used by my classmate Lum, a bit of an egomaniac but a kindhearted soul at that. I wiped the dust off of the desk to show my respect to Lum. The desk that supported my feet was used by none other than Mika, a bit of a slob but punctual and full of integrity. I wiped the dust off of this desk as well to show respect to myself. Now, the classroom was in order, and I took it all in one last time. The almost rosy colored floorboards whose creaks have been mistaken to be of a well-tuned woodblock. The square windows that hugged the left side of the room showered me with a light that I'm sure would be yummy if I could photosynthesize. The mannequin seated at one of the desks was a bit ominous, but I guess the company might be nice to some. The 7 desks that sat in a 2x3 formation, along with the last one in the very back. We had been so close of a class that we had decided that every week, we would all rotate desks, and so everyone would have an equal amount of time sitting at this isolated desk, in order to make sure everyone was equally alone. And of course, the teacher's desk. It was usually cramped with strange trinkets and junk food, but it was empty today. After all, he was going to be retiring today, after teaching us for the past 5 years. I feel just as close to him as I do the other 6 students.

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I left the classroom at 6:15. It was dark out, and graduation wouldn't start for another 45 minutes, so I decided to take a quiet morning walk, continuing to reminisce. Ah, the class president, Amy. She was unanimously voted for the role on the second day of 1st grade, against her own will. Fortunately, I believe it unlocked her true potential as a leader. After all, she is the one who proposed we even have a physical graduation event. Originally, our teacher was just planning on just leaving after the last day of instruction. Oh, and her bestie, Milly. A bit of a delinquent, but he bought me a cute Kuromi themed pencil pouch for my 8th birthday, which I still use today. It's actually his birthday today, and I'm sure no one is really caring about it since it landed on the same day as graduation. However, I wish to repay his kindness today, so I crafted him a bracelet using Rainbow Loom. I'll give it to him when I see him.

Oh, and the last student, Inda. He actually only comes on the first and last day of every school year, so I don't know him too well. It is a bit annoying, as it is quite a difficulty to perform our seat rotations when he is missing every day, but we eventually crafted an origami mannequin to sit in place of him every day. I do hope he comes to this graduation.

After this day, we will all go our own separate ways. I really do hope we can all stay in touch. In fact, just for today, I purchased a smartphone! Even if it can't be as often, I still do hope I can keep in touch with them. They really mean a lot to me, and it would be so sad to just let it all go. Even if we all eventually drift apart, I feel that if I at least have their phone numbers, even a thin strand might still connect us.

I got to the school's entrance, figuring that it might be nice to greet everyone there as they came. And waited.

And waited.

And wai- hold on... why is everyone so late!?

It's our damn graduation! I spent the last 30 minutes monologuing about how much I cared about you guys and was going to miss you! Did... did you guys never care about me!? About us!? Was our relationship just a speck of dust lying in your room, and only now you brush it up!?

I started sobbing. How could it be possible? We had spent 5 goddamn years together! Cadence, þ, Lum, Amy, Milly, Inda! I thought we had something special together. I...I really did. But... I guess it was one sided. I mean, of course it was! Everything always is! Everyone is always such a fake! How can everyone accept that? Is it fun to put on a mask everyday? Is it fun to imagine me crying on the day of graduation? Is this what makes you happy? Sick, vile disgusting creatures you are. You call yourselves humans? Or am I wrong? Is being a deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent creatures what makes you human? I... I bought a phone! You know how much that costs? These phone plans... oh my god! I've been eating weeds in the school yard for weeks just to save for this! I've learned to digest grass like a cow! The lawnmower industry would collapse if I was introduced to the market! God! I hate it all! This phone!

As I started to taste the salty aftermath of my sorrows, I pulled out the phone, tears falling on its potentially non-waterproof screen. June 6, 7:15 pm. And still no one is co-... wait. pm??? As in post meridiem? I looked up at the sky. Darker than before.

And then, still standing up, I fainted.