Graduation

"Alexander Jackson," The fat, balding principal, Mr. Weber, called out.

Standing up, Alex began to move toward him. His stomach was churning as thoughts raced through his mind.

He had planned this moment for months, and now it was time!

His hands began to feel heavy and shook in anticipation. Slowly, he raised them as he approached the aging principal.

"Congratulations!" The principal handed him a diploma, with a smile plastered across his face as he extended the other arm.

"You know, I'm not sure why you followed us to high school, but I'm glad you did. Thank you, Mr. Weber!" He accepted the certificate as the principal moved the tassel on the proud young man's cap. He was officially a graduate!

[Annual Quest: Graduate High School - Completed]

[Congratulations, Alexander!

[For a while, I wasn't sure you were going to make it.]

'Seriously? Sure, I got in some trouble at times, but I never was in jeopardy of failing.' The sudden honesty from the system was met with skepticism from its host.

[It wasn't failing that I was worried about.]

He stepped off the stage and was nearly tackled by a woman with a beautifully sculpted figure.

Her vibrant blue eyes were brought to life by the curled brown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her elegance was enhanced by her perfect skin and the makeup she wore that day. A tight denim skirt and white blouse amplified the effects of her curves and drew the attention of all the men in the room.

He had always loved this look on her, and she knew it.

"Layla, get your paws off my boyfriend!" A short, petite woman wearing an elegant gown as black as night pulled at Layla's arm.

The height difference made her appear like a child in comparison to Layla.

"Come on, Vikki! We both know he only dated you because he couldn't see me during school. Since we're all adults now, why would he stick with the looks of a goth 12-year-old from the early 2000s?" Layla teased Vikki as she pointed to her chest.

"Layla, we've been over this. I've been with Vikki for four years, and I love her." Alex sighed as he brought the girls to the outskirts of the crowded gym.

"We're all friends; can't we get along for once?" It wasn't the first time he had gotten in between the two close girls, and sometimes he wondered if they only argued in an attempt to make him uncomfortable.

"Congratulations, class of 2022!" Principal Weber's voice echoed throughout the gymnasium as graduation caps began to fill the air.

"Layla, why do you keep bothering with that guy? I told you, give me a chance!" A chubby young man maneuvered toward the group.

"I promise I'm special, too!" Trent Zierwick was the final student to receive his diploma, finally catching up to his friends.

"Trent, I told you she's crazy! You know what they say about crazy!" Vikki stopped trying to pull the hugging Layla off her boyfriend and slid in front of the cheerful newcomer.

Now that they were all gathered, Alex intended on interrupting their silliness.

"So, we are all agreed then?" He asked, prying Layla off of him.

Her face puckered as she pouted and nodded her head in agreement.

"We'll meet at Vikki's house at 5 pm?" He then wrapped his arm around Vikki's waist, pulling her to his side.

No one required any changes to the plan, so everything went smoothly. He gave Vikki a short kiss, causing her cheeks to flush in front of Layla as the group parted to prepare for the evening.

The women were a year older than the boys, so they had already graduated and enrolled in a local college. They had taken it upon themselves to throw the man of their mutual desire the best graduation party possible with the help of Vikki's parents.

Trent and Alex, on the other hand, had to separate in order to prepare for the party. After a quick goodbye, Trent met with his mother and left the venue.

Alex and Vikki had been a couple for his entire time in High School, which led to high expectations from her parents. His studies had finally become serious, and they expected him to attend college with their daughter. It may have been local, but the rankings were the best.

Hosting his graduation party at their estate was to reward his accomplishments.

The young were-rex knew that he would have to be careful, especially if alcohol would be involved. Years had gone by, and he hadn't had another incident. Thankful, he inspected his system and confirmed his remaining daily quest.

[Daily Quest: Run 10 miles]

'Perfect, that should be just enough to get me home.'

The women may have dressed up to celebrate his graduation, but Alex found himself wearing sneakers and shorts under his gown. He couldn't bear the thought of spending the long day under the hot lights in anything more formal.

Years may have passed, but his spontaneous terramorphosis was always on his mind.

Exiting the gymnasium, he glanced back at the familiar sight of his high school. It was a small school, only a single story. This didn't stop it from stretching wide and having separate wings for each school year. The final wing was added for electives and in the center of it all was the cafeteria.

Everyone always joked about how the school kind of looked like a turtle.

When he first heard the news of their graduation, he was disappointed that their class couldn't afford a fancier location for the ceremony. He began to have a change of heart as the day arrived.

While others may not fully appreciate it, Alex took the last opportunity to gaze at his school through the eyes of a student. Strolling casually through the campus, he began kicking a stone as he absorbed his surroundings for the last time.

It wasn't an overly impressive sight, but he had memories that he didn't want to lose. He grazed his hand over the picnic tables where he first asked Vikki out, remembering how intimidated he was by her pale makeup and spiked clothing.

The old oak tree where he and Trent used to spend their lunch was another seemingly uninspiring location that he held in his heart. He recalled the nerdy conversations they would have about dinosaurs or the card games they would play while trying to destress from morning exams.

After he had become serious with Vikki, she even started joining them under that tree, where the faint heart surrounding VC+AJ could still be seen.

Even if a certain TZ attempted to cover it up with his own design.

He let nostalgia hit him for a while longer as he breathed in the fresh air. His run home would take him about an hour, leaving plenty of time! Ever since he started following the daily quests, he found himself forced into shape, maintaining a near-perfect physique even with his voracious appetite.

Removing his graduation robe and placing it under his arm, he stretched his legs out before him. He loved where his journey had taken him but looked forward to what new experiences laid ahead.