CHAPTER 36
SMART COOKIE

GETTING ready on the morning of her graduation ceremony felt like the pits of hell had opened up. Both Margo and Jenny were running around the house, trying to find each piece to their outfits. Margo almost swore she lost her cap and gown for a minute, only to find them in the basement, hanging up beside her clean clothes.

Margo knew that barely anyone would see what she wore under her white gown, so she decided to wear her old dress from junior prom. She was surprised she still liked it, seeing as Margo had never been too keen on dresses. She didn't like how they showed off her knobby knees, but this dress was different. It was a dark red, which complimented her pale skin.

Jenny pounded her fist against Margo's door. Her niece had been in the midst of putting on lipstick, and upon hearing her aunt, the sound made her hand jump. She accidentally smudged lipstick on her face. "Dammit!" Margo exclaimed, wiping off the sides of her cheeks and beginning to line her lips again.

"Margaret Richards!" Jenny called. "We have to go! Graduation starts in an hour!"

"Well, I don't want to look like a hag in front of everybody!" Margo yelled back. "So let me put on this lipstick!"

Jenny barged through the door as Margo finished her makeup. She stopped short, taking in the sight of her niece as she stood up straight. Jenny smiled warmly, and she tried to shy away from the tears welling up in her eyes. Margo was so grown up now. It was finally hitting Jenny: her niece wasn't the same kid she brought home to Forks when she was fourteen.

"How do I look?" Margo beamed, tipping her white cap down. The gold tassel hung loosely at the top.

Jenny didn't answer. She could only run forward and hug her niece tighter than ever before. Jenny was pretty sure she was crying away most of her mascara, but in that moment, she didn't care one bit. Once she gathered herself again, Jenny leaned away, pulling up the top to her strapless blue dress.

"I'm so proud of you," Jenny whispered, holding her niece's shoulders.

Margo smiled and wiped away her aunt's tears. "Stop blubbering, you big lug." She laughed softly as Jenny did. "We don't want this mascara to go to waste."

"Yes, yes. You're right. Totally right." Jenny held Margo's face for a moment. "You're going to do great, sweets."

"I hope so," Margo replied, grabbing her note cards containing her speech. She shoved the cards into her robe's pockets. "But if you don't let me finish my lipstick, I won't be graduating any time soon."

•••

Margo tried her best to keep her cap on her head as she stood outside the gymnasium. Jenny had already taken her seat inside, amongst the other family members. Graduation started in ten minutes, but Margo waited outside, holding her arms around herself as she waited for her boyfriend. She didn't see the Rabbit in sight, or even his bike. She had given him a ticket to graduation a week ago. Margo really hoped he didn't forget.

She looked at her watch. The ceremony started in five minutes. She needed to get back, but Margo felt a hint of regret as she stumbled inside the cafeteria, amongst the hustle of other students. She saw Jessica and Angela jumping in an excited manner with Eric and Mike. Margo spotted Melinda with Bella and the rest of the Cullens. Once Margo entered the cafeteria, her best friend turned, as if she sensed her presence. Melinda ran forward, her curls and cap still staying in tact, as she engulfed Margo in a hug.

"I can't believe we're graduating!" She squealed. "A couple months from now, you'll be at UCSF, and I'll be at Florida State. We're finally getting out of this crummy town, Mar!" Melinda leaned back, noticing her friend's worried stare. "What's wrong?"

"The fact that I'm making a speech in front of hundreds of people just hit me," Margo muttered, "and Jacob isn't here. What am I gonna do? I'm gonna choke!"

Melinda frowned. "You're not gonna choke. Jacob's probably running a bit late. Don't stress yourself out on graduation today."

Mrs. Dooley clapped her hands from the front of the cafeteria, which was the signal for all the students to begin to line up. Both her and Mr. Varner, the math teacher, tried their best to line everyone up alphabetically. Because Margo was valedictorian, she had to take her place at the front, but would then have to come back in an alphabetical order to receive her diploma.

Margo felt a hand on her shoulder, and she spun around quickly. It was Mr. Varner, patting her shoulder carefully. He had a warm grin, which was one of the many reasons Margo had enjoyed his class sophomore year. "Congratulations, Margo." He said kindly. "You deserve this after all your hard work."

"Thank you, Mr. Varner. I appreciate that," Margo replied.

As Mr. Varner walked away, Margo released a breath of relief. Everything was finally falling into place. She was just a normal human now, attending her high school graduation. In that moment, she had a normal boyfriend. She wasn't a soul mate attached to an age-old ritual. She didn't know any vampires, and she wasn't thinking about a large, bloodsucking army coming to their tiny town. She was just Margo Richards, valedictorian of the Forks High School class of 2006.

She looked over her shoulder, spotting Melinda waving to her from her spot in front of Edward Cullen. Margo waved back before sending a wide grin over to the vampire. Although Margo Richards drove Edward crazy sometimes – especially with her racing thoughts running through his head, he grew to like her. He sent her a subtle thumbs up.

Margo turned back to the door of the cafeteria, which led right into the gym. In just minutes, she'd be walking in there, amongst all the cheers and clapping, and she'd give her speech that she'd been stressing over for what seemed like years. Margo reached down, sifting through her pockets for her note cards. Her fingers didn't come across anything. Margo looked down, pulling out her gown's pockets. Nothing.

Her notecards weren't there.

Margo's breathing heightened. She felt herself panic. Oh, no, she thought. Not this. Not now. She patted her robe down. Her notecards were nowhere in sight. How could she give her speech now? There was no way she could do this. God, dammit! Her brain screamed. She could feel Courtney vibrating with anger. She couldn't do this –

The gym doors opened, startling Margo. She was blinded by the bright light. For a moment, she thought she was dying, but knew it was just her imagination when she felt Mrs. Dooley's aged hand push her forward.

From a few students back, Edward Cullen heard Margo's thoughts louder than anyone else's around him. His eyes went wide. He tapped Melinda's shoulder in front of him, whispering to her, "She forget her speech cards."

Margo almost tripped into the gymnasium, but caught herself in an awkward position. The rest of the students filed in carefully behind her as she made her way towards the podium. Principal Newman gestured to her, "Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated for our valedictorian, Margaret Richards."

Her hands were sweating. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Margo stepped up the stairs to the podium carefully. She needed to do this from memory. Margo remembered a few words from her speech from analyzing it, but she couldn't remember the whole thing. Her photographic memory didn't come handy in times of anxiety.

She was going to improvise.

The crowd had been cheering, but she hardly heard them. Margo almost dropped the microphone as she adjusted it with her sweaty hands. You got this, she reminded herself. But when she looked at the crowd, her throat closed up. She couldn't see Jenny at all, which made her more nervous. Her eyes found Melinda, who was holding her hands to her mouth as she prayed for Margo to do well. Margo's mouth hung open in shock. Sweat clung to her back.

Eventually, Margo's vision closed in on her aunt, but standing right beside her was Jacob Black, grinning big in all his glory.

Margo found the ends of her red-painted lips tugging upward. She grabbed the mic again, adjusting it to her mouth. The gym was eerily quiet, but leave it to Jacob to begin hollering at the top of his lungs and clapping. Margo chuckled softly, clearing her throat before beginning.

She could do this.

"My aunt used to tell me that we have an endless amount of opportunities," Margo spoke, leaning in close to the mic. "She said, 'You have such a long life. You will be given so many opportunities, so take them.' No matter what, I've always tried to take every opportunity handed to me, but these things can also come with mistakes. I know for us, as teenagers, we never want to make mistakes, but once we leave this gymnasium with a degree in our hands, it will be the time to make them.

"Go on a few blind dates, or ... stay out late when you have a paper due the next day. Change your major as much as you want. Maybe even take the wrong bus home." Margo tapped her fingers against the podium as her mouth scrunched up. "And especially, don't leave your speech notecards in your pockets, because you'll lose them and end up quoting a speech from memory, like I am right now."

The crowd laughed a bit, causing Margo to grin.

"Change your mind over and over again. That's what adulthood is all about: taking opportunities and making mistakes. Most of you guys – my classmates – aren't my biggest fans, and I'm certainly not one for advice, but I hope this speech from the bottomless pit of my memory taught you something. Stay young and never take anything for granted. Make mistakes now while you can, so when you're older, you won't have to anymore." Margo looked at her hands. "Thank you, and congratulations to the class of 2006."

All around her, the crowd got to their feet, erupting in applause. Margo stepped back from the podium in shock. Her eyes only focused on Jacob and Jenny in the crowd, both jumping up on the stands and clapping. Margo grinned as she found Melinda clapping, and then Bella, and then Edward, and so on. She did it. She really did it – without the notecards! Margo never felt more proud of herself, and that was obvious from the smile on her face.

She took her seat amongst her classmates as the ceremony continued on. A few students beside her clapped their hands against her back, startling her until they sent a congratulations. "Awesome speech, Richards," Eric Yorkie said from behind her.

The rest of the ceremony seemed to go faster than Margo thought, like someone hit the fast forward button on a remote that controlled her life. The multiple faculty members rushed through their speeches, and soon enough, Principal Newman started calling students up. He hardly paused in between names. Mrs. Dooley tried her best to keep up with handing out the diplomas at Mr. Newman's fast pace.

Margo watched Melinda ascend the stage with ultimate grace, her red heels clicking against the floor as her lips curled into a bright grin. Margo stood up and cheered louder than ever, even louder than Melinda's cheer squad members.

All of the Cullens came next. Alice danced across the stage as she received her diploma, throwing the crowd a perfect smile. Edward walked across with his usual sullen attitude, but still managed to beam the slightest bit when he saw Bella giving him a standing ovation in the crowd. Emmett and Jasper took their time, but the larger of the step siblings released a loud, "WOO!" The last was Rosalie, who looked as pretty and delicate as ever when she took the diploma in her hands, like she had done this so many times before. Margo assumed the Cullens had graduated from almost every high school in the continental U.S., depending on how old they were. She wondered how many diplomas they had.

Finally, Margo's row was told to stand by Mr. Varner. Margo was last in her row, and she waited by the stage sheepishly. Cracking her knuckles, Margo felt her nerves hit her like waves washing on and off the shore. How did everything finally come to this? Hard work and constant dedication. She knew that once she left Forks after this summer, she'd no longer be Margo Richards: valedictorian and self-proclaimed smartest student at Forks High School. She'd just be Margo: new kid (and also girlfriend to a soon-to-be Alpha werewolf, but that's for a later time).

"Margaret Richards."

Even though Principal Newman's voice was muffled from breathing too close to the mic, Margo heard her name loud and clear. Cheers swelled the gymnasium, but Margo's ears only heard a ringing. This was it: the end of an era. Everything moved in slow motion when Margo ascended the steps to the podium again.

As she turned to look out at the crowd, she watched Jenny and Jacob jumping in the air as they cheered. She even saw Bella throwing Edward's arms up to cheer with her. In that moment, Margo almost wished her parents could've been there too, cheering her on as she walked across the stage. But when Margo looked back at Principal Newman, she realized she didn't need her parents. She had everything she needed. Forks didn't give her a life she wanted, but it was one she grew to love.

"Congratulation, Miss Richards," Principal Newman mumbled. His voice broke Margo out of her day dream. She suddenly heard the cheers again as Mrs. Dooley handed the principal her diploma. The clapping engulfed her ears loudly.

And as Principal Newman pressed the diploma into her hand, Margo knew she made it.

•••

Margo ran into her aunt's arms as quickly as she could. She pushed through her former classmates in the crowd, spotting Jenny in the far distance. Once she found her in the middle of the packed gymnasium, Margo hugged her so tightly that Jenny swore she popped a muscle in her arms. She almost squished the diploma in her hands, but as soon as she leaned away from Jenny, she handed her the paper so she could see it.

Jenny squealed before turning to her niece and laying a hand on her cheek. "You're such a smart fucking cookie," she smirked. "I can't believe you lost your notecards and had to come up with a speech you planned months in advance!"

"They don't call me valedictorian for nothing," Margo giggled.

Suddenly, another pair of arms wrapped around her torso. Margo spun around, greeted by the face of her boyfriend smiling down at her. He kissed her fast, pulling her slightly away from the crowd so others wouldn't watch them. "You actually pulled that speech from your ass, Mar!" He exclaimed, followed by a cheerful laugh. "You're by far the coolest chick I know. Congratulations."

"I sure hope I am," Margo teased and poked his chest. It felt like warm steel.

Jacob leaned down again, pressing his lips to hers like a fever had taken over him. Margo knotted her hands in his short hair and relished in the sweet taste on his lips. Ever so quickly did she pull away as embarrassment flushed her cheeks a bright red. A clapping sound appeared from behind them, and the two turned their heads in the direction of it.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Melinda grinned. She walked towards her best friend as Jacob released his large arms. Melinda hugged Margo, swinging their bodies from side to side. "I guess I was right before. That speech wasn't just epic. It'll go down in the history books. It'll change –"

"You've made your point, Mel," Margo laughed loudly.

As if she was being surrounded by a blanket of people, Bella, Edward, and Alice Cullen approached with large smiles. The rest of the Cullens kept to themselves in the back of the gymnasium, and Margo noticed Jacob sending glares their way. She hit his chest to stop him, but that only made his scowl land on Edward and Alice.

Margo hugged Bella quickly as she said, "Awesome speech. I feel totally invigorated to now make as many mistakes as possible." That earned a chuckle from Margo.

"Congratulations, Margo," Edward muttered with a soft beam.

"Thanks, Eddie," she replied, nudging his elbow. "Hopefully, you'll remember this one graduation for the rest of your life."

Edward knew the joke was about his stock of high school diplomas over the years. If only she knew how much his family really had. He cleared his throat awkwardly as Alice snapped her fingers in an excited manner. "I hope to see you all at the party tomorrow!" Her eyes shifted to Jacob's, who was already frowning at her. "You too, Jacob. Bring your little ... buddies as well."

Before Jacob could open his mouth, Margo placed a hand on his chest. "We'll be there. All of us."

Bella waved and walked away with her boyfriend to see Chief Swan. Margo scoffed lightly to see Jacob still glaring, so she clapped her hands to get his attention, as well as Melinda's. "And with that," she said, "let's go get some pizza."