Chapter 152: School trip

Aveline's POV

The giant charter bus pulled away from our school in Connecticut just as the sun was coming up. For the first hour, nobody talked because everyone was too tired. Milo was asleep with his face pressed against the glass, and Landon was trying to read a book under.

But by the time we hit the highway toward the airport, the whole bus was buzzing. This was our official senior trip to Minneapolis. It felt strange to see our familiar suburbs vanish through the window.

It felt like the real countdown to graduation had finally started.

"We are officially in motion," Milo said, waking up and leaning over the back of his seat to look at me and Kieran. He held up a plastic bag full of snacks. "If anyone tries to steal my sour gummies on the plane, we are going to have a serious problem."

"Nobody wants your candy, Milo," Landon muttered without looking up from his book.

"Kieran wants them," Milo insisted, tossing a small bag into Kieran's lap. "He looks like he needs the sugar. Wake up, captain."

Kieran let out a soft laugh, but his fingers were tight around the strap of his carry-on bag. He took a slow breath, tightened his grip, and shoved his phone into his pocket. He looked out the window, his jaw quiet. I knew what he was thinking. This trip was supposed to be a fun break, but it was also a giant reminder that our high school days were running out.

The airport security line was long and noisy. Milo got pulled aside because he forgot he had a giant metal protein shaker in his backpack, which made Landon laugh so hard he dropped his boarding pass.

We finally got onto the plane, and the cabin was filled with the sound of our classmates arguing over window seats and swapping rows to sit next to each other. I ended up by the window, watching the clouds pass underneath us.

For a few hours, the heavy weight of Crestwood felt far away.

The flight to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport went by fast. The second we walked out of the terminal and got into the downtown shuttle, I found myself looking at the city. The buildings in downtown Minneapolis were huge, the streets wide and clean. It looked completely different from Connecticut.

Our teacher led us into the lobby of an old, upscale historic hotel right in the middle of downtown. The ceilings were high, and the floors were made of polished marble.

"Listen up!" the teacher shouted over the noise of the senior class. "We have the room assignments locked in. No changes. If I catch anyone in the wrong hallway after eleven o'clock, you will spend the rest of this trip sitting in the lobby with me."

The moment the teacher handed out the plastic key cards, total chaos broke out.

"There is no way I am sleeping next to Landon for three days," Milo yelled, immediately grabbing Landon's card. "He snores like a broken chainsaw. Let's swap."

"Give that back!" Landon barked, chasing him toward the elevators.

The girls were doing the same thing, trading cards to make sure they were with their best friends. Everyone was running up and down the historic carpeted hallways, slamming doors, and throwing their suitcases onto beds.

The carefree holiday energy was everywhere. Within an hour, the room-swapping confusion was finally over; everyone gathered again, Katty said, with a thick white paper booklet in her hand.

"I got my approved official itinerary from the guidance office,"

Katty announced, tapping the paper against her palm.

"Tonight is just a casual dinner downtown. Tomorrow morning we tour the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. We have a strict schedule, so nobody better make us late."

"If you're set on Boston, why are you so excited about tomorrow's tour"? a girl from the cross-country team asked.

"I've been looking at schools in Boston for months," Katty said, lifting her chin. "I can't stop thinking about them. But that doesn't stop me from touring."

I slipped my phone into my pocket and walked out into the corridor to find Kieran. He was waiting by the elevators, wearing a dark gray jacket that made his shoulders look even bigger. We walked out of the hotel together, letting the rest of the class move ahead of us down the sidewalk.

The city lights were starting to turn on, reflecting off the glass buildings.

The city felt like a place where I could finally be Aveline again. It felt completely separate from the ghosts of my past, the constant panic of the athletic board, and the heavy lie I had been carrying in my brother's shoes. Out here, nobody knew the name Asher Carter. Nobody was looking at me to see if my heart was failing or if my chest was bound too tight. I was just a regular person walking down a clean, bright sidewalk.

"It's nice here," I said quietly, stepping on the pavement.

"It is," Kieran agreed. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "It’s a great sports town. The hockey culture out here is huge."

"Are you still set on the University of Michigan?" I asked, looking up at his face.

"Yeah," Kieran said. He took a slow breath, his voice sounding steady. "Michigan gave me a full-ride athletic scholarship, and I love the team structure there. Plus... it's the Hampton legacy. My dad went there. My uncle played there. I’m going to study business and play hockey full time. It's the path I've been training for my whole life."

He stopped walking for a second, turning to look at me under the glow of a street lamp. You should apply to Michigan too, Ave. Your grades are good enough. We could start over together." You'd love the atmosphere."

A heavy, sad feeling hit my stomach. He was talking about staying together. I was thinking about starting over. For the first time, those dreams didn't seem to lead to the same place. The reality of that gap hurt.

"Milo is planning on applying to Michigan as well," Kieran added, trying to sound cheerful, but I could hear the worry in his voice. "He wants to stay on the line with me. We could keep the group together."

"Nothing is decided yet," I reminded him softly. "Nobody has signed the final papers."

We turned the corner and saw the rest of our classmates gathered outside a restaurant. The conversation around us was loud, but it only made me feel the terrifying reality of what was coming.

Everyone was talking about different futures.

Landon and Cassian were standing by the menu board, arguing about classes. They had both received early offers to Cornell for engineering, and they were already looking at dorm maps.

Further down the pavement, Reed was talking quietly with Daphne.

"I'm definitely applying to Notre Dame," Reed was saying, his voice easy and calm as he looked at her. "The campus is exactly what I want."

Daphne looked down at her boots, her fingers twisting the fabric of her coat. "I applied there too, Reed. But I haven't gotten an offer yet. I'm still waiting on the mail."

Reed didn't pressure her. He just reached out and gave her a small, supportive smile.

I watched them, and then I looked back at Kieran. The pure anticipation of the trip was still there, but under the fun city vibe, a deep panic was growing. We were all standing on the edge of a cliff. We were talking about separate colleges, separate states, and losing touch. For the first time, graduation didn't feel exciting. It felt like a countdown to goodbye.