My Brother's Graduation Speech: Give It Back !

“Give it back!” I shouted, reaching for my stolen baseball cap. The hat, one of my old baseball team, was swinging from its adjustable strap within the clutches of an upperclassman. That upperclassman, a leader of my section for marching band, was my older brother, Eric. This was my first taste of it. The taste of independence as well as high school. Tasting bittersweet, almost like a banana not quite ripe enough. Not everyone was going to mistreat me the same as my brother, but I knew high school, the first step to the rest of my life, wasn’t going to be as smooth as anything in junior high. Starting my high school career before most others was a bit exhausting. It wasn’t with the first ring of the bell or even the first day of school.

We all bring our own large containers of ice water. There’s silence as everyone takes a long drink. After rehydrating, we talk to each other about the most pointless things. Making fun of each other and laughing together while telling jokes. For most of the people participating in this band, this is what keeps them doing it; the friendships and bonds you build between everyone. We spray ourselves with more sunscreen to protect us from the beams of sunlight radiating on us and head back out onto the field. As we run through the drill more and more, picking apart every last detail almost to perfection, the time flew by. My brother, a senior in our section gives criticisms to some of the freshmen on their playing while a junior named Julia shows me where I’m a bit off compared to the others, while tying in a playful insult to it afterward. I went into this week thinking I was going to regret my decision of even considering marching band as a fall activity. I threw away this previous thinking without even a trail thanks to these people I’m with. The other seniors included Ryan, who was tall and responsible, Brandon, a short tempered, but lovable doofus, and Drew, the “captain” of our crew who was too kind for his own good. All of these seniors were the ones who cultivated the team that we are today. They helped put our team on the right track and taught us what to do. These are the people I’ll never