We are expired. Description of the book We're Expired

Alexandra, Irina and Valentina

women

Only great pain brings the spirit to the last freedom: only it helps us to reach the last depths of our being, and the one for whom it was almost fatal can proudly say about himself: I know more about life ...

Friedrich Nietzsche

I woke up when the rays of the midday sun touched the edge of my hospital bed. After waiting for a momentary clouding of consciousness, I try to tear my head off the pillow, which seems to have become several times heavier. The room is so quiet that I can hear every beat of my heart. I'm trying to remember why I'm here, but it's not such an easy task. Little bits of memories pop into my mind, and I try to cling to each one. And when my gaze falls on my hand, which is pulled together by a bandage, all the memories add up to a single puzzle and finally give the long-awaited answer.

I tried to kill myself.

I've been looking forward to that evening for so long. While still in elementary school, I imagined what dress I would be wearing at the prom, with what jewelry and hairstyle. And when I was already dressed in the very dress that I dreamed of, and held in my hands a crumpled piece of paper with a solemn speech that I was supposed to read in front of the rest of the graduates and teachers, I smiled and was amazed at how quickly time flies.

I could not even imagine that that very long-awaited evening would suddenly make my whole familiar world collapse.

If you accidentally met me on the street, you would not remember me. I am ordinary, with an ordinary figure, with ordinary black hair, which, coupled with pale skin, makes me look like a vampire or a terminally ill girl. Absolutely unremarkable personality with its shortcomings and a handful of virtues.

But that evening, I was not myself.

I looked quite mature. Even the expression on his face changed. It was now so concentrated, serious. And this custom-made dress complemented me so much. Black, studded with microscopic sparkles. Luxurious, voluminous hem hid my legs.

For exactly three hours and fifteen minutes my mother circled me with a comb and hairspray. It was worth it. She turned my lifeless hair into beautiful curls. Mom is a stylist in the past, so she can turn a scruffy girl like me into a real princess.

Nina, my younger sister, sat opposite me all this time and watched my mother's actions.

Nina is only six, she is unconsciously in love with ballet, does not miss a single class at her ballet school, and all the walls of her room are plastered with photographs of famous ballerinas, whom she tries to equal.

“I want to be just like Virginia,” Nina yelled.

- Why? I asked.

– Because you are beautiful, smart and your boyfriend looks like Zac Efron.

I started laughing.

– By the way, where is this Scott of yours going to study? Mom asked.

He hasn't decided yet. But he'll still move to Connecticut to be with me.

“How nice,” Mom said caustically.

I dated Scott for two years, and all the most beautiful moments of my life were connected with this period. Before him, I had no relationship with anyone, because my priority was always studying and only studying. Scott and I went to the same school, but we never talked and met very rarely, and only at a birthday party for my friend Liv we met. Although "met" is a strong word. He and Liv dragged my drunken body home. Frankly, this was the first time in my life when I got drunk to such an extent that my consciousness passed out for several hours. Scott came to visit me the next morning, and only then did I get a good look at him. His short, light brown hair was pulled up, and he reminded me of a hedgehog. The upper lip is thin, the lower lip is plump. Cloudy sky eyes. Dark, beautiful. I never considered myself so beautiful that boys would like me, so I was very surprised when he noticed me. He has a peculiar sense of humor. Hot-tempered character, but it even attracted me to him.

Our interaction with Scott caused a dramatic change in my relationship with my mother. She probably dreamed from my birth that I would go to Yale University and devote my life to science. And, as expected, my mother considered Scott a direct threat to her plans. Often we had real family scandals when I was going on a date. Only dad was on my side, always told my mom that I was already an adult and could well make independent decisions. And even on that fateful prom night, he gave Scott and me his new convertible, since Scott's car was being repaired.

“Dad, are you serious?

Yes, today I am too kind.

- Thank you. I threw myself into my father's arms. - I adore you.

- Hold on. Dad gave me the keys to his new convertible. "I hope she's all right?"

- Certainly.

Scott, are you a good driver? Mom asked. Her cold tone sent chills down my spine.

“Umm…of course.

“Just don’t think anything, we just entrust our daughter to you.

“She'll be all right, Mrs. Abrams.

I sensed that Scott was beginning to get nervous. He gripped my hand so tightly that I almost yelped.

“Well, I think we should go,” I said.

“Have fun out there,” Dad said.

I should have realized long ago that my relationship with Scott is not what it used to be. We rarely saw each other, called each other. Scott became secretive, stingy with revelations. But then it didn’t bother me at all, it seemed to me that everything that was happening was due to stress due to exams.

The ceremony began. Our director Clark Smith came to the center of the stage and began to speak his memorized speech. He was lisping, and because of that, half of what Clark said was incomprehensible. At the end of his speech, the director put a smile on his face and left. Next, Mrs. Verkhovski, Deputy Director, appeared on the scene. The screen behind her showed photos of the school's best students. Among them, I found mine. Verkhovski began to talk about what this year had been like. I, like everyone else, could hardly keep myself awake. But it turned out that this "fun" event did not end there. Every now and then some important people came on stage with congratulations written down on paper, then each of them told about how he studied at school. My eyelids stopped listening to me, I felt that I was about to fall asleep on Scott's shoulder, but then my name came from the stage.

– And now we give the floor to one of our best students Virginia Abrams.

I stood up to the sound of applause. How scared I was. Public speaking is not my thing. I already know in advance that I will definitely stumble somewhere or even worse, I will fall, rising to the stage, because my legs treacherously give way due to trembling. When I got on stage, I started looking through the eyes of Liv or Scott. Everyone stared at me intently, and with trembling hands I took the microphone and forced myself to speak my rehearsed speech.

“Hello everyone, I… want to congratulate all of us on our graduation.” We've all been waiting for this day for a long time, and it's finally here. I want to thank the teachers who have been patient with us for so many years. Now we all begin a new stage in life. When we were at school, we had two concerns. The first is how to quietly write off the control. - Everyone started laughing, it instantly gave me confidence. - And the second - how to sneak out of a physical education lesson unnoticed. And now new problems begin, new worries, and they are much more serious than those to which we are all accustomed. I wish all of us to cope with all the difficulties that we have to face. - After a second pause, I continued: - I love you, school, and I will miss you very much. Thank you.

Everyone started applauding me again.

Twenty minutes after my speech, the solemn part ends. The crowd has again gathered in the hall, everyone is hugging, kissing each other on the cheeks, taking photos of the teachers as a keepsake.

“Virginia, can I have a second?” I hear Mrs. Verkhovski's voice.

“We'll be waiting for you in the car,” Liv said.

I approached Verkhovski.

- Great speech.

- Thank you.

"I heard you're going to Yale?"

“Although I am sure that everything will work out for you, I still want to wish you good luck. You have a great future.

At that moment, I was doused with heat, to such an extent I was pleased with her words.

- Thanks again. - We hug each other.

All the graduates, including me, Liv and Scott, headed to the party of the twin brothers Paul and Sean. These are famous party-goers throughout Minnesota, in whose house the most noisy parties of the state are held.

Although no, this is not a house, this is a real palace. Three floors, two buildings. The house itself is made in a strict classical style, but multi-colored lights, stuffed with almost every window, make it not so ascetic. They also have a swimming pool, which caught my attention as soon as I stepped outside the gate. He's huge! Blue water mixes with snow-white foam. Near the pool is a bar, with shiny bottles of alcohol standing on the shelves.

I vaguely remember the details of what happened at the party on that fateful day. It will also be difficult to remember the amount of alcohol that I consumed. I wanted to enjoy the last time that sweet period when you are no longer in school, but not yet a student. I remember that Liv got a couple of joints somewhere, which I could not refuse. I also remember how my friend and I, in the company of several of the same drunken graduates, simultaneously jumped into the same pool. I was already in such a state that I did not care about my dream dress, hair and makeup. And this is probably the most vivid memory of that evening.

I remember Liv and I laying on the grass in wet dresses, looking at the night sky, laughing and talking about something. I don’t remember what exactly, perhaps, about our future, that soon we will no longer see each other due to the fact that we will be in different states. Liv wanted to go to Chicago and audition for one of the best dance companies in America. She has been dancing since childhood, and I dare say Liv is one of the best dancers in Minneapolis.

Hey, have you seen Scott? I asked one of the graduates.

I think he's in the house.

- Thank you.

On the way home, I ran into four people who were just as drunk as me. I don't know how everyone has the strength to keep dancing and drinking. I manage to find one of Scott's friends among a huge crowd of people.

“Luke, have you seen Scott?”

My head began to spin. I got to the left side. It was so quiet there, only the laughter of secluded couples could be heard behind the doors. I call Scott again.

- Come on, pick up the phone!

Current page: 1 (total book has 20 pages) [accessible reading excerpt: 14 pages]

Stace Kramer
We're expired

Alexandra, Irina and Valentina

women

Only great pain brings the spirit to the last freedom: only it helps us to reach the last depths of our being, and the one for whom it was almost fatal can proudly say about himself: I know more about life ...

Friedrich Nietzsche

I tried to kill myself.

I could not even imagine that that very long-awaited evening would suddenly make my whole familiar world collapse.

But that evening, I was not myself.

Nina, my younger sister, sat opposite me all this time and watched my mother's actions.

“I want to be just like Virginia,” Nina yelled.

- Why? I asked.

– Because you are beautiful, smart and your boyfriend looks like Zac Efron.

I started laughing.

– By the way, where is this Scott of yours going to study? Mom asked.

He hasn't decided yet. But he'll still move to Connecticut to be with me.

“How nice,” Mom said caustically.

“Dad, are you serious?

Yes, today I am too kind.

- Thank you. I threw myself into my father's arms. - I adore you.

- Hold on. Dad gave me the keys to his new convertible. "I hope she's all right?"

- Certainly.

Scott, are you a good driver? Mom asked. Her cold tone sent chills down my spine.

“Umm…of course.

“Just don’t think anything, we just entrust our daughter to you.

“She'll be all right, Mrs. Abrams.

I sensed that Scott was beginning to get nervous. He gripped my hand so tightly that I almost yelped.

“Well, I think we should go,” I said.

“Have fun out there,” Dad said.

– And now we give the floor to one of our best students Virginia Abrams.

Everyone started applauding me again.

Twenty minutes after my speech, the solemn part ends. The crowd has again gathered in the hall, everyone is hugging, kissing each other on the cheeks, taking photos of the teachers as a keepsake.

“Virginia, can I have a second?” I hear Mrs. Verkhovski's voice.

“We'll be waiting for you in the car,” Liv said.

I approached Verkhovski.

- Great speech.

- Thank you.

"I heard you're going to Yale?"

“Although I am sure that everything will work out for you, I still want to wish you good luck. You have a great future.

At that moment, I was doused with heat, to such an extent I was pleased with her words.

- Thanks again. - We hug each other.

Hey, have you seen Scott? I asked one of the graduates.

I think he's in the house.

- Thank you.

“Luke, have you seen Scott?”

My head began to spin. I got to the left side. It was so quiet there, only the laughter of secluded couples could be heard behind the doors. I call Scott again.

- Come on, pick up the phone!

I walked down the long corridor, still holding the phone to my ear. Stopped abruptly. I thought I heard Scott's phone ringtone. Walked a few more meters. I went to each door and listened, and a few minutes later I stopped in front of another door. There the sound of the ringtone was clearly audible. I opened the door. It's dark in the room. She turned on the light, noticed Scott's phone lying on the dresser.

– Scott? I asked quietly.

Laughter. I heard laughter. It came from the bathroom. I cautiously crept up to the door and opened it. And at that moment, I would really like someone to hit me on the head, so that the memory would leave me forever. I don't know how to describe what I felt then. This pain is comparable to the pain that occurs if you fall into a hole filled to the brim with broken glass.

I saw Scott standing with his back with his pants down, and his arms around some girl. I caught my breath. The body simply refused to obey me, I stood rooted to the spot and could not say anything.

Soon a couple noticed me. At the sight of Scott's frightened look, I felt disgusted. Acid rose in his throat. I took a few steps back, still looking at him, then turned around and left the room.

"I do not believe. No. It is not true. I'm drunk, I'm high, I'm dreaming, it's not real," flashed through my head. I leaned against the wall and slowly rolled down. I wanted to take off and run, but my body did not obey me, I just sat in a stupor. Scott and the girl left the room.

- Well, what are you silent? Will you tell her yourself or what?

- As you say. Just don't forget to bring my panties.

- Gina ... - Come on, tell me that this is a mistake, tell me that you love me, come on. “I have wanted to break up with you for a long time.

- Her name is Pamela. We have been dating for several months, I wanted to tell you about it, but ... but I did not want to look like a bastard! I like you, I really like you, but you, your parents and me are two different worlds. Find yourself smart, rich, someone your parents want to see next to you. I can not take it anymore. I'm tired.

I remember getting up from the floor, going up to Scott, looking into his blue eyes, because of which I fell head over heels in love with him, looking at his lips, the softness of which I liked so much, and which I longed to kiss again and again, but now on they show traces of Pamela's faded pink lipstick.

“You're not a bastard, Scott,” I said, clenching my hands into fists. - You're worse.

I turned around and walked away.

I did not hear the music, the figures of people blurred before my eyes. Everything inside me was trembling, it seemed that somewhere there, in the depths of my soul, there was a bomb that was about to explode. His whole body was shaking with hatred and pain.

I remember pushing the crowd aside, getting out into the street and running to the parking lot. Leave. All I wanted was to leave. I wanted to get home faster, lie down in a cold bed and fall asleep. I hoped he would call me the next morning. I was just sure that he would call me. He will apologize, say how much he loves me. To make excuses that at the party he was drunk and did not understand what he was doing and what he was saying. I didn’t think much then, but my condition was such that my lungs were compressed. I could not breathe, and every beat of my heart was reflected in pain. I got to my dad's car, turned the key, the engine started. With a loud screech, the cabriolet pulled away. I remember the noise ringing in my ears, which grew louder and more irritable. The highway doubled in my eyes, the car now and then wagged to the right, then to the left. Tears covered her eyes in a transparent veil, everything blurred. At some point, I realize that I started to sob out loud. My hands were trembling, I completely lost control of myself. Tears fell into my mouth, their salty-sour taste was so disgusting to me. Then I hear my phone's ringtone coming from my bag. Mother. Well, of course, it was my mother, because it was quite late, and she was worried. I was unable to pick up the phone because I felt that I would not utter a single intelligible word. The loud sound of the ringtone continued.

“Enough… enough, enough!!!” I shouted.

I turned onto the main road, there were a huge number of cars. My heart began to beat even faster with fear. And the phone didn't stop ringing, which made me even more furious.

Then I heard the sound of a siren. It turned out that I had two police cars on my tail.

- Your mother! I shouted.

Apparently I've gone way over the speed limit. Nothing smart came into my head, except how to put even more pressure on the gas. I did not see anything in front of me, I was driving, one might say, blindly. I remember how I press on the gas even harder, the speed only causes the release of adrenaline into the blood. It seemed that there was a turn ahead of me, I turned the steering wheel with all my might to the left, and then the bright light of the headlights of a huge truck blinded me. My body was numb with fear. I remember a truck driver signaling to me, but blinded by the bright light, feeling that fear had completely taken control of me, I dropped the steering wheel and closed my eyes.

The dim sun, small clouds scattered across the blue sky. I was surrounded by incomprehensible lilac flowers reaching to my knees. I ran with my arms outstretched, touching the wet stems of the flowers with my fingertips. I did not understand where I was, but one thing I can say for sure, I liked it there. It's very good there. I ran forward, the warm wind caressing my hair.

“Virginia, what are you dreaming about?”

Mom and dad are sitting in front of me, looking at me and smiling.

“About a new bike,” I answer.

– What else do you dream about? Or about someone? Mom asks.

- I dream of a dog ... Did you buy me a puppy? I happily ask.

“No, baby, mom will soon give you a brother or sister,” says dad.

Will I have a younger sister?

One of my best memories. I was twelve years old when my mother announced her pregnancy. Then I was just overwhelmed with a sense of joy. I have always envied those who have younger siblings, and now I will have a little treasure of my own.

Mom was already in her ninth month. One of my favorite things to do was to watch Nina pushing her legs and arms in her mother's belly.

Mom sits in a rocking chair, I go up to her.

Mom, can she hear us?

- Certainly.

I lean into my mother's belly and begin to whisper.

“Hey little sister… you haven’t been born yet, but I already love you.” We will play with you, I will comb your hair, and then, when you grow up, I will teach you how to paint.

Mom laughs. I kiss her on the stomach.

It was winter. Me, Liv and Scott were having a snowball fight. We run and laugh like little children. Hands already reddened from snow and a frost. Scott knocks me into the snow and grabs my wrists with his hands. His eyelashes are covered with frost, which makes him look very funny.

Scott, I'm cold.

Scott leans toward me and our stiff lips find each other. At first, it seemed to me that I had turned into an icicle, but after the kiss, I felt how I began to slowly melt.

- And now?

- Warmer...

Our lips close again, and now the kiss lasts much longer. I forget about the frost of minus thirty, that my clothes are soaked with snow and now they can be wrung out. It seems to me that they put me in a bath filled with hot water, and in an instant I feel good.

“Now it’s hot,” I say.

This time the flash was brighter than the previous ones. I open my eyes. I'm blinded by white light again. My eyelids feel so heavy, I don't want to blink because I'm afraid to fall back into that unearthly space where I was a few seconds ago. Five minutes pass before I realize that I am in the hospital. The body feels uncomfortable. The muscles of the back and arms ache, the mouth is dry. I notice an IV tube stuck in my vein. A bandage tightens his head, a mask of an artificial lung ventilation apparatus is on his face. I see my mother sleeping next to me, sitting on a chair. It's like I've been asleep for eternity.

“Mom…” I whisper, “Mom, Mom.”

Her eyelids lift, and when she sees me conscious, my mother instantly jumps up from her chair, grabs my hand and begins to examine.

“God, God… Virginia, how are you… how are you feeling?” Mom starts to stutter from excitement. She takes off my mask.

- Fine…

- I'll call the doctor now.

Mom runs out into the hallway. I feel some heaviness in my body. It seems that all my muscles are ossified. In some places, the skin is very tight, probably there are stitches or something else. About what happened to me while I was unconscious, I can only guess.

Mom comes into the ward in the company of a doctor. Its outline blurs before my eyes.

“Well, hello, Virginia, how are you feeling?”

“She said she feels fine,” my mother answers for me.

Do you remember what happened to you?

I nod. God, how much the neck is numb, it is very painful to turn it.

- I ... was driving a car and ...

And got into a terrible accident. But you are very lucky. In rare cases, people survive in such accidents. You've had three surgeries, spent several days unconscious. But now all the terrible things are over. You will recover very soon and go home.

I look at my mother, her eyelids are full of tears.

- Mom, why are you crying? - Pronunciation of each word is given to me with difficulty. The voice is hoarse, the lips are completely dry.

- Yes, I'm so ... from happiness. I thought I would never hear your voice again.

I feel severe pain in my spine that prevents me from taking a deep breath. At that moment, a new feeling came over me. It is not a feeling of pain, not a feeling of discomfort. It's such a strange feeling that I'm missing something. It feels like my body doesn't belong to me at all. It's only a few minutes later that I finally realize what I'm missing. I don't feel my legs. I can't move my feet and it feels like they're not my feet at all.

– Doctor… why can't I feel my legs? Is it some kind of anesthesia or something else? My voice is trembling, and I realize that I don't want to hear the answer to my question.

The doctor is silent for another minute and looks at the floor.

“You see, Virginia, as I said, the accident was serious, and that you survived is truly a miracle. But, unfortunately, every accident entails consequences. You had a severe displacement of the lower vertebrae, the spinal cord was damaged, all this caused paraplegia, in other words, paralysis of the lower extremities.

His words pierced my chest like hundreds of daggers. I can't say a single word. The tongue refuses to obey me. I just close my eyes and force myself to sleep. Most likely, this is some kind of terrible dream, I will wake up, and everything will return to normal again.

- Doctor, but it's not forever, is it? After all, you can have an operation ... we will pay any money. I hear my mother start to sob.

“Unfortunately, we did everything that depended on us. I know a couple of cases where people with the same diagnosis as Virginia got back on their feet, so maybe she'll be lucky too. In the meantime, before she is discharged, you must prepare your house. Make handrails, equip stairs, buy a toilet chair for the disabled, and, accordingly, a comfortable wheelchair.

DISABLED. I open my eyes wide and start breathing through my mouth. The physical pain is completely overshadowed by the pain that his words inflicted on me. These are not just words, this is a sentence. I tightly squeeze my mother's hand.

- No no no! This is impossible! I scream through the pain.

The nurse immediately rushes into the room.

- Give her a sedative immediately.

- No! This is mistake!

The blood is mixed with a dose of sedative. Instantly my muscles relax, I let go of my mother's hand. Freeze in one position. The last phrase I hear before falling asleep is the doctor's phrase:

“I'm sorry, Virginia.

Title: We're Expired
Writer: Stace Kramer
Year: 2016
Publisher: AST
Age limit: 18+
Volume: 330 pages
Genres: Contemporary Russian Literature

About "We're Expired" by Stace Kramer

There are moments in life when a person for a long time can be in a state of apathy, complete indifference to the surrounding reality. Stace Kramer's novel, Expired Us, is a story of pain and despair about finding ourselves in a new, now for us, world. The body continues to function somehow, and the mental shell slowly dies from the burden of psychological problems. It is like a purgatory between heaven and hell, an intermediate state. When you realize that you have nothing to live for. It just doesn't make sense anymore. Nothing to grab onto. What made you happy before, everything disappeared without a trace. And was there anything good at all if it just burst like a shiny soap bubble?

The main character of Stace Kramer's book Expired Us is only 17 years old. It would seem that all the roads of the world are open to Gina: she has a good family, a younger sister who idolizes her, a two-year relationship with a handsome young man. She is one of the smartest students in the school and has far-reaching plans: to enter the elite Yale University. However, overnight everything collapses like a flimsy house of cards. At graduation, Gina finds out that Scott has been cheating on her for two months. She sees her boyfriend having sex with another girl. For Gina, such a betrayal becomes a real shock, because this is not even a fleeting affair, but a full-fledged long-term relationship. A strong shock after the betrayal of a loved one led to even more nightmarish events in the life of this girl ...

A car accident, a wheelchair, a suicide attempt, treatment in a rehabilitation center, where doctors gave her a terrible sentence: it is unlikely that she will ever get back on her feet - the main character of Stace Kramer's book "We are Expired" will face all this. . Gina's life turned around overnight180 °: she hated the creaking of the wheelchair, because it reminded her that she would spend the rest of her life in this wheelchair. She was annoyed by the sympathetic faces of her loved ones, she did not want to see anyone. The limit of her despair reached the extreme point. However, when you feel very bad, this does not mean that all this will last forever. Having passed all these trials prepared for her from above, she will eventually find true friends and a person who fell in love with her beautiful soul ...

“We are expired” is a subtle, sad story about how difficult the situation may seem to us, we are forced to courageously carry our cross to the end. You need to love every day and appreciate every moment of your life. After reading this book, you think about how stupid and petty those problems that we invent for ourselves ...

On our literary site, you can download the book “Expired We Are” by Stace Kramer for free in formats suitable for different devices - epub, fb2, txt, rtf. Do you like to read books and always follow the release of new products? We have a large selection of books of various genres: classics, modern science fiction, literature on psychology and children's editions. In addition, we offer interesting and informative articles for beginner writers and all those who want to learn how to write beautifully. Each of our visitors will be able to find something useful and exciting.

Stace Kramer

We're expired

Alexandra, Irina and Valentina

women

Only great pain brings the spirit to the last freedom: only it helps us to reach the last depths of our being, and the one for whom it was almost fatal can proudly say about himself: I know more about life ...

Friedrich Nietzsche

I tried to kill myself.

I could not even imagine that that very long-awaited evening would suddenly make my whole familiar world collapse.

But that evening, I was not myself.

Nina, my younger sister, sat opposite me all this time and watched my mother's actions.

I want to be just like Virginia, Nina yelled.

Why? I asked.

Because you're beautiful, smart, and your boyfriend looks like Zac Efron.

I started laughing.

By the way, where is this Scott of yours going to study? Mom asked.

He hasn't decided yet. But he'll still move to Connecticut to be with me.

How nice, - said my mother caustically.

Dad, are you serious?

Yes, today I am too kind.

Thank you. I threw myself into my father's arms. - I adore you.

Hold on. - Dad gave me the keys to his new convertible. - I hope she's all right.

Certainly.

Scott, are you a good driver? Mom asked. Her cold tone sent chills down my spine.

Erm... of course.

You just don't think anything, we just trust you with our daughter.

She'll be all right, Mrs. Abrams.

I sensed that Scott was beginning to get nervous. He gripped my hand so tightly that I almost yelped.

Well, I think it's time for us to go, I said.

Have a good time there, - said dad.

And now we give the floor to one of our best students, Virginia Abrams.

Hello everyone, I ... want to congratulate all of us on our graduation. We've all been waiting for this day for a long time, and it's finally here. I want to thank the teachers who have been patient with us for so many years. Now we all begin a new stage in life. When we were at school, we had two concerns. The first is how to quietly write off the control. - Everyone started laughing, it instantly gave me confidence. - And the second - how to sneak out of a physical education lesson unnoticed. And now new problems begin, new worries, and they are much more serious than those to which we are all accustomed. I wish all of us to cope with all the difficulties that we have to face. - After a second pause, I continued: - I love you, school, and I will miss you very much. Thank you.

Everyone started applauding me again.

Twenty minutes after my speech, the solemn part ends. The crowd has again gathered in the hall, everyone is hugging, kissing each other on the cheeks, taking photos of the teachers as a keepsake.

Virginia, can I have a second? I hear Mrs. Verkhovski's voice.

We'll be waiting for you in the car," Liv said.

I approached Verkhovski.

Excellent speech.

Thank you.

I heard you're going to Yale?

Although I am sure that everything will work out for you, I still want to wish you good luck. You have a great future.

At that moment, I was doused with heat, to such an extent I was pleased with her words.

Thanks again. - We hug each other.

We're Expired Part 1

Stace Kramer

Only great pain brings the spirit to the final freedom: only it helps us to reach the last depths of our being, and the one for whom it was almost fatal can proudly say about himself: I know more about life ...

Friedrich Nietzsche

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Probably every person at least once in a lifetime visits a special feeling. It comes suddenly. It permeates you from head to toe. Reaching deep into consciousness. Although, this is not even a feeling, but something else.

One day, I asked myself the question: “What if something happens to me tomorrow?”. Strange question, right? Usually seventeen-year-old girls think about something completely different. I hope you understand me. So, I asked myself a question and began to think. I have a lot of plans, of course, very soon I have a graduation, and then admission and the choice of a specialty, which will determine the direction of my whole future life. But what if I get hit by a car tomorrow? Or will a maniac attack me? Or get bitten by a dog? I have so many plans and one accident can wipe everything out in an instant. At any time, your "expiration date" can expire.

And that's when I was visited by this feeling, I became scared.

Or maybe it's a premonition?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

"Silver pendant"

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Well, what are you doing there, Gina? I hear Liv's voice behind the dressing room curtain.

Now, a little more, - I say and at the same time straighten the dress.

My heart is beating like crazy. Graduation tomorrow. It's so hard to comprehend it. I bet that every graduate wants to say goodbye to school as soon as possible, but at the same time, does not want to enter adulthood. It is not so easy to stand up as an independent person, able to bear responsibility for each of his actions. On the eve of graduation, you realize how quickly time flies, and you dream of returning to childhood again so as not to face the cruel adult world.

I look at my reflection in the mirror and for a couple of minutes I don't recognize myself. I look quite mature. Even the expression on his face changed. It is now so concentrated, serious. And this custom made dress completes me so well. Black, studded with microscopic sparkles. Luxurious, voluminous hem hides my legs.

My hand trembles as I pull the curtain and walk out of the fitting room.

I turn my attention to Liv. Her tired expression is quickly replaced by an enthusiastic one.

Wow! Stunned! - she runs up to me and begins to feel and examine me. - This is the dress!

Judging by the exclamations of Olivia, it was not in vain that I suffered so much time with this dress, - Mary, the seamstress, comes up to us.

Thank you Mary, it's beautiful,” I say, then step back to the mirrors and start examining my dress again.

Summer in Minneapolis is not felt at all. Forecasters continue to repeat to the townspeople with one voice that all the coming days will be overshadowed by precipitation. While all the normal people are running like crazy, holding their huge umbrellas, Liv and I are walking slowly, completely wet, our clothes can be squeezed out. It's good that prom dresses are securely packed in a bag and nothing threatens them. We hide under the roof of the bus stop.

Finally, all this hell will end, says Liv.

And in my opinion, everything is just beginning. University, work, family, pension, death. That's all life. Probably even more interesting in hell.

God, Gina, if you listen to you, you immediately want to throw yourself under the bus.

We are laughing. Laughter mingles with shivering and clattering jaws from the cold.

I'm going to Chicago soon.

For what? I ask.

I found out that there is a casting for dancers, and if I'm lucky, I will be in one of the best dance troupes in America.

But what about the university?

Why is he to me? God gave me a beautiful body and a sense of rhythm, so my calling is the stage and fame, and not boring lectures and sleepless nights before the next exams.

I've always liked Liv's determination. I am amazed how a person with such a situation in the family can make such grandiose plans and not be afraid of anything. Liv's parents divorced when she was five years old. She lived with her mother. But very soon it turned out that the divorce of parents is not the worst thing. Her mom got cancer. She found out about it when it was too late to take any action. After the death of her mother, Liv moved in with her father, who became addicted to alcohol, it happened that he even beat her. But Liv is one of those people who doesn't give up. A man with a steel rod inside. She enrolled in dance school and is now one of the best dancers in Minneapolis. The dance helped her forget about the pain, about the loss. This brown-eyed brown-haired woman has always been my role model.

Liv and I are very close. And the mere thought that soon we will part ways in different states makes me uncomfortable.

Well, what are your plans?

My parents want me to go to Yale.

Parents ... they always decide everything for you.

I know, but I guess if I was in control of my own life, it would only get worse.

As befits the Law of Meanness, as soon as Liv and I got to my house, the rain stopped.

And they taught us this movement at the ballet school - Nina, my younger sister, shows her mother a plie.

Nina is simply in love with ballet. At six, she has learned short biographies of several famous ballerinas, and dreams of becoming as successful and talented as them.

My clever.

Mom notices us, gets up from the couch and walks towards us.

Hello Mrs Abrams.

Hello, Olivia, - Mom starts to burn us with her eyes, then she goes to the shelf and takes an umbrella. - So, Virginia, tell me what it is?