Judgement Day

May 20

The last day of my high school career included two near-expulsions, several bruises, and tripping over my own graduation gown. It started out innocently enough. My friends and I gathered in the cafeteria before classes and discussed the relative merits of how to spend our summer. Sam was planning to take flight lessons (Amir had gotten her in touch with a pilot), TJ was getting a part-time job at a museum, and Jack had won a scholarship to go to a camp for promising young musicians. "Riptide is going too," he said, his gaze growing dreamy like it always did when he mentioned his girlfriend.

     "What are you doing?" Blitzen asked me.

      "Hopefully getting a part-time job," I responded. "You?"

     "I've been commissioned to make a dress for one of my mother's actress friends," Blitzen said. "The dress will appear in a Netflix series."

     "Whoa," I said. "That's almost as cool as binge-watching Doctor Who."

     Blitzen smiled. "You and your sarcasm, Magnus."

    Hearthstone signed about how Blitzen had been sketching the dress in our AP History class. "And Odin didn't notice?" I asked.

    Blitzen smiled and shook his head. "You're one crafty dwarf," I said.

    "I know," he agreed. "I know."

      We didn't have our first two classes of the day because we were practicing for our graduation ceremony in the auditorium. Odin began by giving a speech about the importance of education and how we were a crowd of bright, promising adolescents. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," he said. "Whatever obstacle is in your way, you can defeat it — even if you have to trade an eye and hang for nine days on a tree to learn knowledge, or wait for nine hours in the freezing cold to get an iPhone."

     I turned to my friends. "What is he talking about?"

     Sam shrugged. "I don't even know half the time."

After giving his bizarre speech, Odin brought out Sif and Thor to demonstrate how to walk up and receive our diplomas. "There will be no charging, tripping, dueling, wrestling, spitting, or shoving," Odin said. "You will only come up when your name is called and you will walk gracefully. Watch how Sif does it."

Sif walked like a model strutting on a runway. "There's no way I'm walking like that," Halfborn grumbled.

     Unfortunately, Sif heard us and the entire senior class was forced to practice her style of walking: a gait that involved 49% more swaying of the hips than I was comfortable with. When the assembly ended, we were released to third period. Sif spent the entire time gushing to Alex about Pottery Barn. "The Museum of Fine Arts wants to show it in its upcoming ceramics exhibition," Sif said. "I'm currently negotiating the price with them for you; you should be receiving a hefty sum in your bank account soon."

    After she'd moved in with us, my mother had helped Alex set up her own bank account, seeing how her father had disowned her. It was one of the many practical things I would not have thought of.

It was in AP Biology that the fight broke out. Mimir was letting us study whatever we wanted and most people were using it as an opportunity to chat or play computer games. Hearthstone was building a medieval-style castle on Minecraft. It was engrossing watching how meticulous he was about every detail. He was just building a drawbridge for the moat when the fateful words were said: "Flåm sucks."

The next moment, Halfborn was up and pummeling a wiry junior. "Never. Insult. Flåm."

He punctuated each word with a blow. "Boys!" Mimir said, standing up. "Cease all violence now!"

Two of the junior's cronies stood up and began pummeling Halfborn. Mallory threw herself into the fight, raking their skin with her talon-like claws. "She truly is a banshee," Jack noted.

"Students!" Mimir shouted. "This is quite enough."

But Halfborn wouldn't calm down. It was like his anger had become him entirely. I tried to reason with him, but I ended up getting hit by one of the juniors, enraging Mallory and Halfborn more. In the end, it took the custodian, Thor, and both the vice principals to break up the fight. "All of you to the principal's office," Thought said. "Now."

     No one bothered arguing with him. Odin was called down and he fixed his one eye very sternly on all of us. "I understand you all got into a fight."

      "They were insulting Flåm!" Halfborn said, his fists clenched.

    Mallory patted her boyfriend on the shoulder. "I'm sorry that my idiot of a boyfriend got into a fight, but the juniors are fine."

   With their busted lips and black eyes, the juniors did not look fine. Neither did the three of us. Mallory's lips were bloodied and Halfborn's face was peppered with bruises. The bump on my head was swelling by the second. "Magnus was only trying to get us to stop fighting," Halfborn said. "He shouldn't be punished."

Mallory nodded in agreement. "Beantown should graduate today."

Odin's pursed his lips. "You all should graduate today, which is why I am graciously dropping all charges against you six."

"But he gave me a black eye!" the juniors who had insulted Flåm said, pointing to Halfborn.

"Would you prefer that you six all be suspended?" Thought asked.

The juniors exchanged glances. "Fine. You're lucky you got off, Gunderson. Flåm sucks."

Both Mallory and I held Halfborn back. "You'll make your mother and hometown more proud by graduating today," I said.

Halfborn nodded and the tension seeped out of his body. "Leave," Odin said to us.

"Why can't we leave now?" one of the juniors whined as we departed.

"I'm not having you five go at it again," Memory answered.

***

Alex and my mother fussed over me that night. "A bump on your head and right before graduation," my mother said, shaking her head.

Then she smiled and ruffled my hair. "I heard about what you did, trying to break up the fight. I'm proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too," Alex said. "Proud enough that I made a piece of pottery to commentate your great battle exploits."

I groaned and Alex grinned. "Just kidding, but I'm glad you're alright. I was afraid you would have to graduate over the summer."

I gulped at that idea. I got cleaned up before the ceremony. Blitzen came over and used some concealer and a strategic hairstyle to minimize the look of my bump. "With the cap on your head, it will hardly be visible," he said with satisfaction.

"Thanks Blitz," I said. "You're a lifesaver."

"I know kid," he said. "I know."

The ceremony began with a musical performance by all the Valkyries who were not graduating. While they performed, we seniors were lined up alphabetically. After some squabbling, a few death threats, and a lot of pushing and shoving, we were ready.

We marched forward as the band began playing "The Halls of Ivy." There were dozens of blue-backed chairs for us to sit in. We were a sea of black-clad graduates and I wondered how any parent could identify their kid among us. Odin gave the first speech, saying how proud he was of our travails and accomplishments.

    There were three commencement speakers. The first was Gunilla and she spoke about the unity she felt among the Valkyries. "I will always call Valhalla High my home," she concluded.

    The next speaker was Jack. His speech was structured around Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do." Naturally, he concluded his speech with some singing. The last speaker was Sam and when she spoke about finding acceptance and challenging ourselves, I started to cry a little. Her speech was the one that garnered the most applause.

      It was time for us to receive our diplomas. It took half an hour and as each student's name was announced, Odin gave their family and friends ten seconds to clap and cheer as loudly as they could. Some parents wept, while others had brought posters with their kid's face on it or were wearing bespoke t-shirts for the occasion.

    When it was my turn, I tripped over the hem of my gown. You see, it was a little long and I was still feeling dizzy from getting pummeled in the head earlier. There was a tittering in the crowd and my face burned, but I got up and received my diploma.

    When all the diplomas had been handed out, we were released. My mother took Alex and I to Fadlan's Falafels to meet up and celebrate with the rest of our friends. As we waited for our food to be cooked, I gazed at my group of friends: trustworthy TJ, affectionate Blitzen, gutsy Sam, daring Jack, dependable Hearthstone, proud Mallory, brave Halfborn, and the unrivaled Alex Fierro. I didn't know what the next chapter of my life would hold, but as long as I had these guys, I knew I'd have fun writing it.