Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Paris

Being at the end can be sad, but it also can be a good thing. The end, in some aspects, means the beginning of something new.

The end of a good meal most times leads to a great dessert. The end of a good movie typically gives a chance to start a new one. As for me, the end of high school opened the door to new opportunities in life.

It was a sad moment in some sense. All those years of high school have been a journey. The nostalgia was almost overwhelming, but it was all worth it. I had good times and bad times. I had tons of fun and shed a lot of tears too.

But high school was where I met some of the most important people in my life, so it will forever be one of my favourite places.

University was a big step from high school, but I suppose I was somewhat ready. The months of getting acceptance letters were terribly nerve-wracking.

However, it wasn’t too bad, because my friends and I wouldn’t be too far apart. It so happened that Colton and Fabian got accepted to the same university, all the way in Manchester. The thought always made me laugh. Maybe now they will become friends. They tolerate each other for my sake but barely ever share anything more than a curt nod.

Then again, The University of Manchester is a large campus. I doubt they will ever cross paths much. Plus, with Colton studying politics and Fabian studying engineering and architecture, the tiny chance of sharing a class went straight out the window.

It didn’t quite bother me, though. I wasn’t the one to force them to become besties. They’ve come a long way in four months. Plus, if anything should happen, I wasn’t more than an hour and a half away in York.

At first, the distance bothered me, and I was tempted to go to Manchester with my boys. But I got into the Literature Program at the University of York, and I was elated. My mother got her second degree there in Literature, and I always wanted to do the same. It was a tough choice, but I didn’t regret it.

Besides, I won’t be entirely alone over there. I met a new friend a couple weeks ago, and somewhere in the conversation, she revealed that she would be studying there too. I was relieved, of course, that I would know someone when I began.

Fabian swore to visit me every day, though I knew that was impossible. However, we’ll make it work. I loved him too much to lose him, and distance certainly wasn’t a problem, but we both knew that university is an entirely different environment.

It’s easy to lose your way there, and it will get hard. But I believe that our love will overcome it. Then in four years, we’ll not only be university graduates but overcomers of the stigma of ending relationships too. You’ll see.

“Paris! What are you staring at? We’re ready.”

My best friend’s voice snapped me from my thoughts, and I was brought back to consciousness by his beaming smile. I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I shifted my gaze from the view of my high school. We were standing on the roof of the art building with helium-filled balloons ready to be released.

It was a tradition here at Reagan High that the leaving sixth-formers would release red and white balloons as our way of saying farewell to high school. Since we already graduated two years ago before joining the sixth-form program, the school board apparently didn’t see the need for another school leaving ceremony, even though we were indeed leaving high school.

Nonetheless, we made the most of what we had. It was a fun event to plan. We, the upper sixth-formers, decided to keep our theme simple this year, so the females wore white dresses, and the males wore white button-down shirts, black slacks and a red bowtie. They all looked so grown up and intelligent.

In fact, I was probably one of the only people who was still 17. Most of our year group turned 18 this year. My birthday was only a month away, so at least I would start university as an adult.

My point was that I was incredibly proud of us all. I joined my year group at the centre of the roof, where they were all gathered. I walked carefully, cursing myself for wearing heels on a three-story building, but the pictures I took earlier were definitely worth it.

The cool breeze tickled the nape of my neck as I moved towards our class president as she handed out the balloons. I took one red and one white before joining Colton, Shanae, Nick and Ariana at the back.

As always, Nick and Shanae were eating each other’s faces off. At least they’ll get to do it every day at Yale. Turns out, Shanae will be joining him in America this fall. I’ll miss her a lot, but there will always be holidays to see each other.

Ariana, on the other hand, will be taking a gap year. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life yet, and that’s totally fine. I knew, however, that she loved Biology. She was my partner for two years, after all. And even though we didn’t become friends until lately, I could always see her passion for the subject.

She once told me that for the next year, she’ll travel and learn more about animals. Who knows? Maybe she’ll become a zoologist.

“There you are,” Colton said as he pulled me in a hug, making crushes in my dress. The light in his eyes showed just how excited he was. It made me smile too.

“I was just reminiscing on it all, you know?” I said as I fell in line.

“Yea, I’ll miss this place.” He sighed as he rested his head on mine, and I didn’t bother pushing him away like I always do.

“Maybe in ten years, we can have a reunion.”

“Not gonna happen,” Ariana scoffed. “Have you met these kids?”

“They won’t be kids anymore,” he shot back. “It’ll happen; you’ll see.”

“I’m looking forward to where you two will be in ten years,” I teased as they started arguing again.

Over the months after Colton and I became friends again and hung out more, these two have always been at each other’s throats. I believed they slept together once, but I didn’t dare to ask. It was a movie night when Colton left to refill our snacks, and Ariana went to the bathroom.

I don’t know what happened, and maybe it wasn’t intentional, but something definitely changed that night when they both returned flushed and flustered, with Colton bearing no snacks as he promised. We never spoke of it, but the chemistry and tension between them never faded.

Escaping from the spit wars, I shifted to where Shanae and Nick were, breaking them apart with one slap.

“I need a selfie,” I said as Shanae pulled away to glare at me. But her expression soon softened as she nodded. She received a lot of hate for her decision to follow Nick.

I admit, even I was a bit sceptical. But soon, I understood. If Fabian was leaving to go across the world to study, I probably would’ve followed him too.

“Of course,” she said as she shoved Nick away. He rolled his eyes with a chuckle before joining some of his male friends a few feet away. “Say cheese!” she sang, and we flashed pearly whites before snapping countless pictures, ensuring to keep our grasps on the balloons’ strings.

Soon, they started the school song, and we stood at attention as we worded each lyric from our hearts. Some people cried, and I was surprised that I didn’t, but I was far too anxious for it to end, more than I should’ve been. It was a special day, not only for the school but for Fabian and me too.

After the school song ended, our Head girl and boy stood on our makeshift stage to give a somewhat valedictory speech before bidding us an extraordinary life. Then, we huddled in our groups of friends and released our balloons, and that’s when my tears finally came.

Slowly, the sky was littered with red and white ovals as the wind dispersed them above us. It was a beautiful moment indeed.

Friends remained pressed to one another as they watched the balloons go, some cried on the shoulders of their for-lifers, and most of all, no one uttered a single sound. I stood awhile as I watched them float away.

I didn’t even take a picture because I knew the moment would forever be instilled in my memory.