From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel

Chapter 368: Graduation (4)

As he sat in his assigned seat behind the other teachers on the stage, Ari did his best not to look bored or even to doze off as Principal Matador began talking.

He often saw PD Emily’s camera turn toward him, and didn’t want to be caught making weird faces that would probably be spread online for posterity.

The principal welcomed the students and their families once more, then began droning on about the school year before going off on a tangent on a topic that Ari didn’t care to listen to as he felt his brain cells begin to mold from boredom.

He just stared straight ahead, his eyes blank, since he couldn’t even pull out his cellphone because the PD’s camera was trained on the direction where he sat.

What was on the schedule again?

The opening remarks were done by the principal, then more remarks, the class president was supposed to speak, then after him, it would be Ari’s turn, then the real speaker, who was also principal Matador, would give the talk, then finally, names would be called to pick up the diploma.

Sigh.

It was going to be a long day.

[Toughen up boyo, this is a once in a life time opportunity.]

And I feel like I’ve already aged a lifetime while sitting here.

Ari subtly flicked NOVA’s blue screen away before zoning out once more until he snapped back into his body when somebody began shaking his shoulders.

It was Principal Matador, his handlebar mustache twitching quickly as he spoke.

"Hein?"

"Security is dealing with complaints that lots of students’ families aren’t able to get good seats due to the sheer number of people who came to support you. Security has tried to deal with the issue by asking people to relocate with no success, so if you could say something to your supporters and get them to move, it would be much appreciated."

"Pardon?" Ari repeated again, a bit dumbfounded.

Why was the principal telling him this?

Since the principal was the adult in this situation and was the one who had plotted with PD Emily to make this such a big event while inviting everybody under the sun, shouldn’t the two of them be handling it?

Why drag him into it?

"Do you mind speaking to them? And asking them to make space for those with family and friends tickets," Principal Matador gestured toward the podium with an expectant expression.

Clearly, I don’t have a choice.

"I guess?"

Giving the principal a fake smile, Ari stood up before walking to the podium.

As he stood there, he scanned the stands once more to see if he could spot anybody he knew.

The seating area directly behind the stage was blocked off, but the rest of the seating looked pretty full.

How many people came today? There had to be at least a couple thousand.

Crazy.

Starting from the bottom left, his eyes scanned each row until he spotted Jamie, Benjamin, and the rest pressed against the front railing and waving at him with wide smiles.

Waving back, Ari continued scanning before his eyes locked onto two old ladies standing awkwardly by a railing.

The older woman to the left was wearing a fancy red dress and leaning heavily on a bright pink cane, grimacing, while the older woman with long silver hair standing beside her supported her by the arm.

Grandma Kim and Grandma Lisa.

It seemed that the principal was right; they couldn’t get seats.

That wasn’t acceptable.

Forcing a smile, Ari adjusted the microphone to the right height before beginning to speak.

"Good morning, how’s everyone doing today?"

- goooooooooooooooooooooddddd

- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

- I love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

At the louder-than-expected response, Ari blinked before speaking into the microphone again.

"That’s good to hear. Before we get deeper into the program, we need to come together and do something. I’ve been informed that some of the families and friends who were invited by the graduates weren’t able to get seats due to the sheer number of people who came to support me. While I’m grateful that you all took time out of your day to come support me, I would appreciate it if some people could get up so that those who are here to support the graduating students could get a set." Ari announced as calmly as he could, while staring from one end of the seating area in the arena to the other.

While there was some murmuring and a few people shifted, for the most part, nobody moved and stayed in their seats.

Grandma Kim and Grandma Lisa were still standing.

Laughing to himself so he didn’t say anything crazy, Ari leaned back over the microphone.

"Right, so let’s try this again. If you do not have a friends-and-family ticket, please hold your ticket up so I can see it. Hold it nice and high, please."

As he spoke, Ari saw a sea of lime green tickets being raised in the air.

.....what the heck?

All he saw was a sea of lime green that outnumbered those without tickets.

Why were there so many people?

"There....is a lot of you. Wow. Uh....Thank you all for coming and for your support. I really do appreciate it. Now, please get up and move to the back so that the friends and family, those who were personally invited by the graduates, those who supported these graduates, can move to the front and see them shine on their special day. Apart from that, I would also like it if you prioritized the elders, families with children, and those with disabilities to make sure that they’re comfortable and have good seats. There are enough seats for everyone, although some people might not get priority seating. Please, let’s make this a good event for everyone that’s here."

As the murmuring got louder, Ari continued saying what he wanted to say, "I’ll close my eyes and count to 20 so everyone can safely and calmly relocate. If I open my eyes and nobody has moved, I’ll be taking my leave since I’ll receive my diploma whether or not I stay for the full ceremony. I’ll just apologize to the principal, my classmates, and their families for disturbing their day. Please note: I am not joking. This is not a threat; it’s a matter of being respectful and conscientious. I’ll simply leave because no matter how much you want to support me, I cannot support my fans obstructing others who value this moment. My eyes are closed, and the countdown starts now. One."

Ari shut both his eyes and held his hands over his ears, simply trusting that he remembered where the microphone was so he didn’t hit his mouth on it.

Truth be told, he was a bit annoyed that the principal would put him in a position where he had to scold the people who came to support him instead of planning ahead to handle situations like this, but what was done was done.

He just hoped people would forgive him for being a bit harsh and do the right thing, but if they didn’t, he was prepared to walk out.

He wasn’t somebody who believed in empty words.

"Two."

And as Ari stood there, those in the stands wondered whether he was serious and began whispering, looking around nervously.

- Is he really going to leave? He looks so serious right now.

- I bought my ticket the same as everyone and camped out to get a good seat. Why do I have to move?

- If the families really cared about their kids, they should have come here early.

"Three." Ari’s calm voice sounded out, breaking through the complaints and drawing the attention back to himself.

Although some people were a bit bitter, many didn’t want to risk it and began moving strategically toward the back, allowing those with the bright pink family-and-friend tickets to move to the front while still trying to retain a good spot.

"Ten."

But it wasn’t enough.

Many people stayed still until two groups of people began to act.

First, the group of boys recognized by those who watched Pop Star Academy began running up and down the stairs, helping those with family and friends ticket move forward while shuffling those without them back.

Then a group of girls began doing it in another section until finally-

"20. I really hope that everyone found a seat that they’re happy with." Ari said lightly before opening his eyes.

As he glanced around, he noticed that almost everyone was sitting nicely.

Granny Lisa and Granny Kim were now sitting where Benjamin and Jamie were previously, and the rest of the boys were standing against the rail.

In other sections, it looked like everyone had found a satisfying seat.

Phew.

"Thank you all for being considerate and kind. You all deserve a round of applause." As Ari began clapping earnestly with a wide smile, slowly the rest of the audience and students joined in.

Turning to give the principal a thumbs up, Ari went to go take his assigned seat on the stage.

Then the ceremony continued.

The principal continued with his really boring speech, and by the time he left the podium, Ari was already getting sleepy and wanted it to be over.

Then, the class president, an Asian boy who also happened to be the Salutatorian, gave a long speech about working hard and achieving your goals, and leaving your mark in the world.

"And now, a word from our valedictorian, Ariel Matisse. Please come forward."

As Ari was called forward, he thought about his speech writing process which was more difficult than he expected.

While writing it, he wondered what type of message to say to all the people who would come.

Whether he wanted to be inspirational, motivation, or laid back.

Whether he was even qualified enough to advise people just because he got good grades.

Whether someone would follow his words and then later accuse him of ruining their lives.

Lots of thoughts went through his mind as he wrote his speech.

In the end, he decided that-