This fanfiction is dedicated to JamesSunderlandsPillow. He's a very good friend of mine that has helped cement my particular affinity towards the good girl that is Carol Pingrey, and is just totally awesome to hang around with and stuff. I had a lot of fun with him writing the Carolisa Collab (shameless plug for The meaning of Love lol), and this is just one way of saying thanks for being who he is. Enjoy!

"...more than ever, it's not about being the smartest person ever. Sure, you can memorize all the textbooks in the world and have a perfect understanding of literally everything that's ever been taught here."

Carol Pingrey currently stood in front of the podium, wearing a gown and cap while addressing the rest of the auditorium. She sported a white strap wrapped around herself with the words VALEDICTORIAN written on it in large capitalized letters. In the front of the auditorium were several rows of caps and gowns, while in the back, parents had their cameras prepared, ready to share the momentous occasion with their children.

With another deep breath, Carol continued. "But to really set yourself apart, you have to be a great person. A person that's not afraid to be an individual. A person that can lead and challenge preconceived notions we all take for granted. Even a person that you'd hang out with to have coffee after work," she said with a chuckle.

"Never forget your roots," she continued, regaining her composure. "You all have all these amazingly unique hobbies and interests you're passionate about, and you have so many experiences to share and offer everyone. Your creativity and individuality make you all who you are. That is what makes this world an amazing place to be. Don't ever just be a random statistic or number in the background. Be someone people will actually want to talk to. Be someone that can share their passions and ideas, get others excited about them. Be the change you want to see. But most importantly, be happy with who you are."

"Thank you."

With that, the room burst into thunderous applause. Carol beamed at the congratulatory gesture, flashing a grin for the crowd to see. She put her heart and soul into writing this speech, and it was truly blessed to see her efforts pay off. Her last act as top of the class was now complete, and a chapter of her story now came to a close.

She walked off the stage at that, returning to the empty front row seat she previously occupied.

"Grats Carol!" A student next to her said.

"Heh, thanks!" she replied.

"You did awesome!" a guy to her left said.

"Hah, yeah, I guess I did."

A few more words of congratulations were extended her way, which Carol graciously reciprocated. However, they were soon muffles in her mind, as her thoughts and emotions started swirling with a whole slew of thoughts and emotions.

This was it. That was the end.

All the achievements she garnered in her high school career, they all led up to this point. That was the magnum opus, being top of the class in everything. Her 4.0 GPA, running for class president, her scholarships to three different ivy league schools, speaking as as a valedictorian. These memories flashed before her mind and replayed over and over, representing the culmination of her entire high school life. They were certainly worthwhile achievements, and anyone that got to that point was certainly no slouch.

However, despite everything going for her, despite all the kind words she received, all the attention she got with her status, Carol still sighed to herself in her seat. None of that was going to matter soon. In due time, everyone would move on with their lives, and she would be but a mere fleeting memory. What was she if you took all her high school achievements away?

It was time for the principal to call students up to receive their diplomas. Carol glanced upwards at the stage, quickly fixed her posture, and forced a smile on her face, ready to clap for the first person to come up. It was the least she could do with her status and prestige slipping away. Everyone else deserved it.

The students all crowded in the gymnasium now, flooding the place by the second. Carol was one amongst many in the crowd, albeit without the same sense of joy emanating around her peers. Her head hung down slightly and a small frown manifested itself onto her face, walking slowly as several whizzed past her inside.

There was all sorts of laughter, cheerful conversation, and camera flashes going around the room, all becoming a blur in Carol's mind. Everyone else seemed like they were having so much, enjoying the moment. None of them had ivy league scholarships or 4.0 GPAs, but there was something they possessed which Carol could only dream of.

"Hey Carol!"

Her head suddenly jerked up as she searched for the voice around her, eventually landing her eyes on Chaz. She had talked to him many times over the years, and they were definitely on good terms.

Seeing this, a small smile formed on Carol's face. "Hey Chaz."

"Nice speech today!" Chaz complimented her.

"Thanks!" Carol flashed another grin at that. No need to constantly spout all her negativity and doubt. This was a happy moment! At least she could try…

"You must have worked hard!" He commented.

"Oh definitely, it took a few months and a lot of consulting with others," she said with a chuckle.

"Well, it definitely paid off," he said. "That was inspirational!"

"I aim for nothing less!" Carol said.

A few seconds of silence passed between the two at that. Turns out, a few seconds in class was a whole world of difference compared to trying to maintain extended conversation about something other than schoolwork.

"Well, I have other friends and family I wanna see." He took his cap off and waved it over her way. "Chaz out!"

"Have a good day!" Carol cheerfully replied with a wave as well.

With that, Chaz walked off to wherever he did, and Carol was left alone again. Truth be told, Carol was having a good time talking to him. She had a good time talking to all her classmates! She always did! But thinking about it now, most of the conversations never went anywhere. Sure, they were on good terms and called each other friends, but were they really friends? Would they still be after today?

"Hey Carol!"

She turned to see some other girl, who was a classmate of hers last year or something, she barely remembered. What was her name, Imani?

"Hey!" Carol put on the warmest smile she could, albeit just as forced as ever.

"You did great up there!" Imani said.

Of course she brought up the speech.

"Thanks!" Carol said. "How have you been?"

"Oh I've been doing okay! Can't wait to get out of here, am I right?" Imani joked.

"Yeah…" Carol muttered to herself. She really couldn't find it in herself to add much more to the conversation.

"Oh!" Imani turned her head to the side and waved in that direction, probably towards another friend of hers. "Gotta go! Nice seeing you! Again, great job!"

And with that, Imani ran off, leaving Carol alone again. All by herself to drown in her many achievements. To most people, that's all she was worth.

More and more, people came up to her and gave their congratulatory statements, whether it be about the speech she gave just now, or just to say hi and walk off again. As much joy as she derived from these interactions, by the end, they always felt empty and meaningless. Ultimately, after having achieved all she did, they felt meaningless in the face of what she truly yearned for.

"Carol!"

This voice was different. It was so familiar to her, and just hearing it made her heart flutter. She swiveled her head around looking for the source, eventually tracing it back to a certain blonde girl standing just a few feet away.

Seeing this, Carol's eyes lit up and she smiled the widest smile she had all day. Not forced, or insincere; this was something that truly filled her with the most purest of joy.

"Lori!"

She ran over with her arms open, and before Lori could respond, Carol threw her arms around her and locked her in an embrace that was returned. They squeezed each other tightly for several seconds, enjoying each other's closeness and company.

"I was looking all over for you! People were spilling into the gym and it was impossible to get anywhere!" Lori laughed as she finally let go.

"You're fine!" Carol laughed as well. "I found my own way to spend time, nothing to worry about!" Her tone took a barely noticeable downward shift at that.

"Oh my god, Carol, that speech you gave up there was literally perfect!" she started gushing. "It was so inspirational just listening to you, and the message was- wow, how can you disagree?!"

Listening to this made Carol's heart flutter even more, and she felt a little hot on the cheeks. Lori was someone she held in very high regards and really cared about, so hearing her talk in so much depth about the speech gave her a sense of happiness and reassurance that no one else could. This wasn't just your average throwaway 'nice!' or 'good job!'. This was Lori saying it, actually talking the contents, and what it meant to her.

"Shut up, I definitely could have done better!" Carol guffawed while waving a hand away dismissively.

Lori put a hand on Carol's shoulder and gave a reassuring gaze. "Trust me, if anyone could do it best, you can!"

The hand on the shoulder felt electric to the touch, and Carol's face reddened even further at that. She glanced away to avoid the eye contact, but she showed very little effort at hiding the blissful smile on her face. No one could make her feel confident in herself like Lori could. No one believed in her as much as she did, no one accepted her like she did, no one knew her as well as she did… no one could make her as happy as Lori could.

But why? What did she do to deserve it?

"Thanks…" Carol said, her tone dipping downwards. The smile on her face slowly disappeared, and she hung her head downwards now, unable to bring herself to face her friend.

Lori took note of this, and the smile on her face disappeared as well. "What's wrong?"

Carol didn't respond, instead using her other arm to brush Lori's arm from her shoulder, wincing a bit as she did so.

Seeing this, Lori's gaze softened as she gripped her arm with her other hand. "Did I do something wrong?" she worriedly asked.

"No, it's me," Carol sighed.

Lori reached over to Carol's chin and lifted her head upwards to meet her in the eye. Her face was filled with doubt and uncertainty, and it was clear there was more to the story.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Lori reassured her, accompanied by the warmest and most genuine smile.

"I don't know if I deserve any of this…" Carol muttered.

"What? That's literally ridiculous! Of course you do!" Lori exclaimed.

"Do I though?" Carol wondered. "I mean, I did all this stuff for our high school! Class president, valedictorian, got scholarships to ivy league schools, I pushed myself so hard…" she paused to take a deep breath. "None of that actually matters though. I know what I said in the speech about being an individual, being someone you can talk to, but I'm such a hypocrite…" her voice trailed off.

"Carol, what are you-"

"Look at me!" she interrupted. "Everyone knows who I am now, but does any of that matter!? What am I other than just some dumb blonde that did nothing but study!? Who's gonna remember me!? I mean, look at you!" Carol threw her hands out in front of her. "You have 10 siblings that all look up to you! You have a boyfriend that loves you, people love you! You're responsible, you're actually caring for people, you're making a difference!"

Lori stared with concern in her eyes, listening intently to every word that came out of her friend's mouth.

"I've always wanted to be loved... " Carol said softly. "A lot of people like me… but they don't care about me. They don't care about who I am, they just care about what I did."

In this moment, she was so vulnerable, exposing herself by pouring her heart and soul out to her best friend. If someone said the wrong thing, that could easily destroy her.

Lori knew this all too well. She glanced away, taking a moment to consider what to say. "Carol…"

A sniffle escaped Carol as she blinked to avoid outright sobbing in public.

To her surprise, Lori reached in and encapsulated her within her arms, squeezing her tightly to herself.

"I care about you Carol," Lori said with a comforting tone. "I know you're not just a blonde girl that does well in school. You're a really fun person to hang out with, you're really smart, you always have something interesting to say, I could go on and on!"

Carol felt a burst of warmth emanating from Lori, both in her words, and in her physical presence. Her heart beat rapidly at that, and she blushed at the display of affection.

"I don't care what other people think, Carol. That doesn't matter. You're perfect just the way you are. We'll have plenty more great memories together. I just know you're gonna go out and do all these amazing things, you're too amazing of a person not to!

Tears started welling up in Carol's eyes, which she tried to fight back by blinking several times. This really wasn't the time, especially in front of so many, and she had a reputation to uphold nonetheless!

"Just remember, I love you, and I always will."

The reassurance and comfort Lori brought her slowly chipped away at Carol's shell. That was just enough to form a crack in the well of tears, as a light streak rolled down her cheek. She couldn't help but return the gesture, trembling as she threw her arms around her beloved best friend as well.

"You're too good to me Lori…" Carol blubbered. "I don't deserve this, you're too nice to me, what did I do…"

"It's okay Carol, let it all out," Lori said, patting her back a few times.

They held that embrace for several seconds, before Carol eventually loosened her grip. Lori took note of that, and together, they slowly let go of each other. Now, they were staring at each other, Carol with tears and ambivalence, and Lori with a smile and reassurance.

"Thanks Lori," Carol said with a hushed tone. "Thanks for being a good friend."

"No, thank you for being friends with me," Lori responded.

With that, the corner of Carol's lips curved upwards. "Wanna go to the mall after?"

"Ooh! I heard there's a discount at the Groovy Smoothie if you go at 4:00 today!" Lori said.

"I still think pomegranate berry is better than honeydew almond," Carol chuckled.

"You're allowed to be wrong!" Lori retorted with a smirk. "But can we at least agree strawberry banana is the best?"

"Shut up!" Carol laughed.

She was now outright smiling again, all doubts and worries flushed away from her mind. Sometimes, it was just about the little moments you spent together. But a true friend was someone that accepted you for who you are, and would always be there for you. Scholarships and GPAs be damned, a true friend was literally priceless.

Someone like Lori.

Thanks to LoudAutomata16 for quickly reading over this story I wrote in like 3 hours before submitting this dumpster fire! no u

Thanks to the readers for, well, reading! As always I'd be interested in hearing thoughts if you have any!

And finally, thanks to JamesSunderlandsPillow once again for being awesome! I had fun writing this, I hope you enjoy this as well!