Chapter 45

Despite feeling a little guilty, I’m still so proud of us. Seeing my friends like this makes me wonder why I spent so much time obsessing over Britney when I could’ve been creating moments like this. Zara is glowing. Arya and I love every second of it. I want to remember that smile forever.

I know our time together is almost over. I can feel the countdown everywhere, each tick of the clock echoing in my ears. This isn’t the end for us, I know that—but I promise myself I’ll be there for them, whether they need me or not. And I’ll lean on them when I feel alone.

We’ll be apart for a while, and that reminds me of Britney. I told her before she left the country, ‘This isn’t forever—soon we’ll be together.’ But I didn’t expect she will be gone forever.

We find a little café about fifteen minutes from school. I had no idea there was a pizza place so close. We sit near the window—Zara’s favorite spot in any restaurant or café. And of course, we order Hawaiian pizza—everyone’s national favorite.

We talk about graduation and what’s next. Zara’s heading to music school to focus on singing—her mom’s idea. Her dad isn’t on board, but her mom always gets the final say. Still, we don’t really know what Zara wants. Arya’s taking Psychology. She got accepted into one of the most prestigious Catholic universities in the country—her dream school. She was so happy when she received her acceptance letter. And me? Everyone thinks they know what’s next for me, and they’re so happy about it. But I’m not sure I like it. You can call me ungrateful, but I believe we should work hard for our dreams before we reach the top. In my case, I didn’t do anything to deserve this. Even if I don’t want it, I can’t back out now. Mom’s already excited—she’s even sorting out our passport.

After lunch, we head to the bus station. We let three buses pass by—we don’t want to go back to school and get detention. But honestly, what’s the worst they could do? Stop us from graduating? Take away our diplomas? We’re so close to the finish line, it doesn’t matter.

The bus we hopped on was already playing a Taylor Swift song — one from her latest album. Naturally, we started singing along, half-laughing, half-belting the lyrics as we searched for a vacant seat. It felt like the perfect soundtrack to our little adventure. When the song ended, the next track started… another Taylor Swift song. We paused and glanced at each other, wide-eyed.

“No way.” I whisper.

“Driver’s definitely a Swiftie,” Arya says with a grin.

It was uncanny — as if the universe had conspired with the playlist to score our moment together. And honestly, it felt kind of magical.

My house is the closest to the stop, so I’m always the first to get off. I kiss both of them on the cheek before hopping off. I get home around 5:30 PM and head straight to my room to look for my phone.

I have five texts from Harry, two from mom, and some from my friends. I check mom’s messages first:

4:43 PM: I will be out.

5:19 PM: Cook dinner. If you don’t want to get dinner with Harry. I’ll be home late, so don’t wait for me.

Lately, I’ve been suspicious of mom. She’s always out. Maybe it’s for work or meetings—but every night? Still, it’s her life. Not my concern.

But then—wait. She mentioned Harry. Is the band back in the country? Why is she talking to Harry?

I open his texts next.

3:17 PM: We’re in Manila now. Wanna have dinner with the guys? They missed you—and your friends.

3:18 PM: Oops! I forgot to say I miss you…

3:20 PM: Just text me when you get home. I’ll pick you up.

3:22 PM: I talked to your mom. She said it’s a good idea.

5:00 PM: I’ll wait for your reply.

I quickly reply: I’m home.

He responds immediately while I’m changing clothes.

Harry: Okay, will be there.

He says I should invite my friends, so I ask them if they want to come. Within seconds, I get a group call. They’re freaking out. Of course, they want to go—it’s The Pedal. It’s a great idea… but I already know I’ll be awkward and quiet the whole time. And I keep wondering—what will people say when they find out Harry and I are dating?

“Did Harry invite us?” Arya asks over the phone. Even though I can’t see her face, I can imagine her eyes sparkling.

“Oh my god, I don’t know what I’m going to wear, Elise!” Zara says.

“Come on, guys, it’s just a dinner with the band.” I laugh, and the phone goes silent.

“How dare you say that!?” Arya snaps.

“What the heck, Elise?!” Zara chirps.

“Are you sure you’re my friend?” Arya asks.

“I will skin you alive!” Zara accuses.

“Do you want to end our friendship?” Arya warns.

“Think before you speak!” Zara says.

I’m laughing so hard while they’re talking all at once, I can’t clearly hear what they’re saying, but I know they want me dead now. I can’t even answer Arya’s question because they don’t give me a chance to talk. I can’t breathe from laughing so hard, but they don’t care—they’re not done with their empty threats yet. My attention shifts to the door when someone knocks.

“I’ll hang up, guys. I guess Harry’s here.” I say, then hang up before they can react.

I see the tie he’s wearing and quickly look up to his face to make sure it’s really him—it’s the first time I’ve seen him in formal attire. Oh god, I miss his eyes. Before I notice it, I widen my smile at him.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

“I don’t know what to wear.” I reply honestly.

“You can wear jeans if you want.” he says.

I open the door and let him in. “I don’t trust your tie that much!”

I close the door and turn to look at him, but suddenly I’m pulled in by his arms and kiss passionately. I smile and kiss him back. That’s the perfect five seconds of my life. I push him away from the kiss, savoring the taste of his lips that I missed: stars, blooming flowers, fireworks — the feeling every time I kiss him never gets old.

“You can’t just pull me like that.” I say.

He laughs. I can’t help but look into his eyes again. That’s my favorite moment with him. Back at camp, I used to hate whenever he was around or when we accidentally met in the treehouse, or those times I felt like he was following me. Now it’s different, and I love that he’s here right now. I still don’t know what we are, but I like it this way.