“…please give a warm welcome to your Class’ Valedictorian: Shego.”
The din that erupted when Mr. Barkin stepped down from the podium and Shego stepped up to it was incredible. What was even more incredible was that the roar was coming from people who were applauding and cheering her . It went on for about 2 and a half minutes while Shego repeatedly tried to start her speech. She considered igniting her hand in her signature green flames, but decided on the better route. “People, please!” she protested, throwing her hands out in the “put ‘em down” motion. “This isn’t the State of the Union Address.” The remark got a whispering giggle from random people in the crowd. “Besides, you should save the applause and cheering for later, so it goes to the people who deserve it the most: Your children.” She paused, knowing some parents would ironically cheer that very statement. “I know that sounds weird coming from me, considering my past, but that’s why I’m glad to be giving you all this speech today. Now, unlike the State of the Union Address, I’m gonna try to keep this speech short as possible. Mainly ‘cuz I helped Kim work on the speech she’s gonna give a lil’ later - and I can tell you right now, it’s longer than a John Kerry opinion.”
She used the time during the light laughter that followed to adjust her glasses. “Ahem… A little over a year ago, I was the most dangerous woman in the world. I worked with a maniac bent on global domination. And I helped him in his master plan, which you all know about – that, oh, what was it – Lil’ Diablo incident. I don’t need to tell anyone how that plan turned out… I spent the next six months in jail – and then we surprisingly got out on a mistrial. Like usual, Drakken started scheming a new plan to take over the world immediately. Little did I know what that new plan would do to me. I – you’re gonna love this – mouthed off at him like I usually did – but something I said caught his ear, and the next thing I knew, he’d zapped my body back down to its 18 year-old shape and shipped me off to Middleton, saying it was nothing but me “going back to high school” as part of an undercover mission, to learn what I or he didn’t already know about Kim. I took the false name Shennen G. O’Reilly, we forged some documents, he used his Memory Modifier machine to get those documents where they needed to be, cooked up some rank fake backstory for me, and then sent me on my merry way. He failed to mention that’d he’d somehow arranged for me to be living with Kim while I was on this undercover deal.”
She paused again. “That day I walked into Barkin’s room, I thought for sure Kim would instantly leap out of her seat and dive-tackle me out into the hallway. Instead, she was one of the only three people who didn’t duck under their seat when I entered. And that surprised me. Greatly. But what struck me even further was that…she accepted me. Let me into her home. I was stunned. Even her parents and her younger brothers accepted me. For a short while, I actually thought they’d swallowed the fake backstory hook, line, and sinker. Yet, that actually wasn’t my worst fear about the undercover deal. What really scared me…was going back to high school. I didn’t like it at first. You see, I didn’t begin a villain. Oh, yes, my sarcastic sense was planted when I was born, but I wasn’t a villain then. I was a normal girl. But then a comet happened, and I ended up a girl who happened to be a superhero. I was a lot like Kim, actually. I balanced high school duties with hero duties. Big difference, though: I was not exactly a popular person in high school, despite being a hero. The ability to ignite your hands in green energy flames combined with a short-fused, sarcastic personality kinda put people off, ya’ know? I was a hero in Go City, but high school’s a cruel beast, and I was the freak loser who happened to save people a lot there And my first Senior year? A nightmare worse than the events six months ago.”
She looked around the crowd. “Being sent back to high school…it forced me to dredge up those memories, and others. They weren’t pleasant memories. They were painful memories. But as Kim later told me, she accepted me because she saw me dealing with those memories before anyone else. And I don’t know whether it was her acceptance of me or not, the true and plain fact still remains: All of you – eventually – accepted me. It took a few rumblings - and, later on, an undefeated State Championship football team - to do it, yeah - but all of you accepted me. I made friends. Lots of friends. I had no friends back in Go City High School. It was something I’d never experienced before. And then a few days later, that day happened. The one where Kim surpassed me as the most dangerous woman in the world. But it wasn’t the worst day of my life, believe it or not. It was the best. That night before she went to jail, Kim decided to confront me about my true identity. However, she didn’t burst in telling me I was joining her in jail the next day. She knocked on the guest room door, asked politely to come in, then revealed she knew “Shennen” was a false name, and that I was indeed Shego. And then she did something that still blows my mind today: She calmly asked me…for the truth. She knew about my Team Go past because we’d actually worked together – much to my chagrin back then - with Team Go to save my twin brothers before. But all she knew was that a comet had struck our treehouse and I’d ended up with superpowers, and that somehow, I’d ended up quitting Team Go to become a villain. But she wanted to know more. She wanted the full story. She wanted to know what really happened – what drove me to turn evil? What had she not been told by Team Go about how we got our powers? And…I told her. I told her all of it. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I couldn’t believe myself.”
Shego paused again, calming her nerves. “But because she’d accepted me – because you all accepted me – I found I trusted her. And when we found Drakken royally played us both for patsies, I re-discovered the side of me I thought I’d lost forever: The hero I used to be. The events that followed soon after – none of which I will reiterate, for we all know – helped solidify that part of me back onto my soul forever. I was welcomed with warm, open arms – and I can’t thank you enough.” Shego smiled - briefly. “And now, I actually get to the point here. Thanks to your acceptance of me, I’ve been given a second chance. You knew what I’d done in the past, but you – you all had the courage to forgive me. To trust me enough that you felt comfortable forgiving me. You gave me a new beginning. And that’s exactly what this ceremony is: The celebration of new beginnings. Oh, sure, we all call it Graduation, but look at the program you got. It doesn’t say “Graduation Ceremony.” No. It says “Commencement Ceremony.” And what does “commencement” mean? An act, instance, or time of commencing. And the definition of commence? To have or make a beginning.” Shego looked at the students seated in front of her. “I just told you part of my journey to this point. All of you seated right here in front of me have had your own journey to this day. Your own trials and tribulations. And that’s what you are doing today; is beginning a new chapter in that journey. I have only one thing say to you - my friends: Write it well. Thank you.”
She had a standing ovation before she’d even looked down, much less stepped away from the podium. Barkin actually had tears in his eyes as he applauded. Kim came rushing onto the stage and hugged her as Shego stayed up by the podium for the next five minutes until the standing ovation finally subsided. “Shego, that was the most beautiful speech I’ve ever heard!” said Kim, once they’d retreated backstage.
Shego took one look at Kim. She kissed her lover, then grinned. “A hundred bucks yours is even better.”
So it was true.
He zipped up his parka, threw the hood over his head, and walked out into the frigid cold.
“…Some of us will never grow up completely. Two years from now, I’m willing to bet some of us will still be watching some cartoon and writing our own weird little twisted fanstories using the characters from it. I happen to know a few people like that – namely my cousin Larry - and Ron, to a degree…”
“Hah! Kim knows what’s u- hey!”
Monique, seated not far up from where Ron was, giggled at her boyfriend's protest.
Kim took a breath, and then continued. “But not growing up completely is a good thing. Not growing up completely means we’re always keeping a piece of the past with us. And one of the best things about the past is that you learn from it. As George Santayana said: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” I’ve seen this happen so many times with all the missions I’ve been on: Supervillains who repeatedly attempt to take over the world, not realising that though they may win some battles, in the end they’ll always end up in jail. When we look back at what we’ve done, we see the potholes. And the next time we go down that road? We know how to avoid the pothole – most of the time. Sometimes, we try our best, but we just can’t move out of the way. And that’s where the bumps come in – the bumps in life. But if we hold on to our past, we know to brace ourselves for those bumps. And pretty soon, we’ve passed over them, and the road is smooth sailing once again. We may not come out with all the luggage we had coming in – say, we lose a friend to an argument or misunderstanding - but we’ve learned. And learning is the one thing that will never stop. You can’t ever get rid of an idea once it’s been thought up. You can ignore it all you want, yes – but you can’t get rid of it. That’s how powerful knowledge is.” There was a smattering of applause for this statement, and Kim waited. When it was done, she sighed. “Going back a bit, we all know what that empty chair in the row of students was for: to commemorate Bonnie. But right now, I’d like to point out that there is not just one empty chair out there right now. There’s three. Now, one is Shego’s, who’s still backstage, and one is mine, yes – but for right now, no matter how much I know some of you are going to protest this - I’d like for mine to stand for someone else who couldn’t make it to this ceremony today: Tara.” Before anyone could get out a jeer or howl, Kim moved on. “Yes, Tara ended up a bit whacko, someone who even tried to end my life – but she was one of the few who hit that rare sinkhole in the road, and couldn’t escape. Before all that, I knew Tara as one of my closest friends, someone who was always a joy to hang around – one of those rare people, who always looked a difficulty that crossed her path with nothing but a wide smile before charging into it. So if you will, please – join me in a moment of silence for her.” She stepped back and hung her head. After it appeared people were getting fidgety, Kim stepped back up to the podium. “Now, I just wanna say one last thing: I may be a hero, yes. I fight bad people on a daily basis, practically. But I’m not the real hero in this world. Oh, you can argue that, but I don’t believe it. The real heroes are the ones who have used their knowledge to teach, help, and protect us all. Doctors. Teachers. Scientists. Police. Firefighters. Soldiers. When you go out into the world after today – tell them all: “Thank you.” I know I’m going to miss a lot of you guys. I’ll see a few of you again. But I’ll always have that piece of the past clinging to me, reminding me: I knew great people. Thank you very much.”
From the crowd’s response when Kim stepped away from the podium, one would’ve thought someone had just caught a last-minute, unprecedented Hail Mary for the win in a championship game. Shego came out to join her, and together they again waited as the standing ovation went on. Ten minutes later, it subsided, and Kim and her lover again went backstage. “I lost, Kimmie,” Shego instantly piped up, throwing out her hand in anticipation of the prize. “You owe me one crisp Benjamin Franklin.”
“No, Shego - you said a hundred bucks that my speech was-” She cringed, realising Shego was right. “Oh, damn you. Damn you…” she groaned as she produced her wallet and the requisite dinero. “Last time I take you up on a bet, Shego. You hear me, woman?” she asked the pale-skinned beauty.
Shego threw her head back and laughed. “I hear you alright – but I know you’ll do it again. Can’t resist a challenge, Pumpkin…”
Kim snorted in half-disgust. “You know – sometimes I hate the truth.”
“Speaking of the truth, our asses are gonna be fried if we don’t go back up there and watch everyone receive their diplomas,” Shego reminded her. “You remember what Barkin said, right?”
Kim rolled her eyes recalling Barkin's tirade after a few stupid morons had joked around at the Graduation rehearsal. “Don’t remind me.”
They both snuck back to their seats behind the podium just as Barkin was finishing up. “And now, let us watch the…competent…future of America receive their just reward for dealing with people like me on the battlefield that is the public school system…”
As he sat in the back of the cab to the hotel, he opened up his laptop to update the list.
Find her: Done.
Collaboration: Commencing.
END CHAPTER ONE