Mr. Cheater and Ms.Valedictorian (20,000 words, English)

Used to be...

It’s already sunset when Grayson and Erin reach their neighborhood. Walking down their street, they see kids playing, riding their bikes, running around, laughing— the kids look so happy. The red-orange glow envelops them in warm feelings and fond memories of childhood.

“You know? This used to be us,” Grayson starts.

“What happened to us?” he asks.

“High School,” Erin answers without looking at Grayson.

They walk down the street to their houses without saying another word.

“Let’s start early tomorrow okay?” Erin finally breaks the silence as they part ways.

Grayson just nods.

---

A few years ago, when they were much younger, they were the best of friends. They were inseparable. After school they always went outside to play. They rode around their bikes. They ran around all afternoon long. They just played. They didn’t have to be taught how to have fun, they just knew and they always did it together.

In a typical afternoon, Grayson would go across to Erin’s house calling her out from the curb. He would just say Hi to Mr. and Mrs. Nieves when Erin came out. She would grab her pink bike resting from the side of her house and ride with Grayson and his blue bike. They were the king and queen of their village streets. They would ride around their village without a care in the world. They were young kids after all. It was only by sunset that Grayson and Erin would be called back into their houses by their parents. Every time their parents call out to them, they resist— always asking to be allowed 1 more round, always 2 more minutes.

This was especially true during weekends when they had the entire day to play. This is then multiplied to about two months’ worth of playtime during summers. They would try other fun things to do like rollerblades, skateboards and scooters. Whatever the latest fad was, they tried together. There were also times when both their families went to the beach or the pool together. Those were really fun times. Mostly however, in the hot summer days, they would eat ice cream together outside their houses. They would just sit in the curb and lick their ice cream from their cones. They would talk about things, about school, about the world, about their dreams and about their favorite cartoons. It was their world, their time— and it’s only populated by two.

During the rainy seasons, they would always ask their parents to allow them to play outside in the rain. Most of the time, their parents wouldn’t give them permission. Sometimes, they would cry their hearts out only to get disappointed. But during rare times, special memorable times, maybe during times when their parents decide to just let kids be kids— they would be given permission to run around in the rain. Grayson and Erin would feel their juvenile freedom in each drop of rain that hits their young faces. The only cue that it was already time for them to come back inside would be the sound of their chattering teeth or the sound of their parents calling out to them, warning them that if they don’t get back inside, they would catch the cold— which in a couple of occasions, they did.

Being sick with their bestfriend is maybe one of the best experiences that Grayson and Erin shared together. They would just sit in front of the TV all day long watching their favorite TV shows (mostly cartoons), eating their favorite foods, ice cream, cakes and hot chocolate. Everything was given to them— even their bitter tasting medicine. For each of Erin’s sneeze, Grayson would answer with two. They would laugh at each other’s snotty faces. Those were the best times of their friendship.

Even in school, the two of them were always together. During recess they would always sit together and share each other’s snacks. They would also play together during recess. After school, they would also sit beside each other during the bus ride home. They would just be together and everything would be alright.

Then puberty hit. Erin looked more and more like a beautiful elegant young lady which she acted like and Grayson became a typical teenage boy, which means that he’s still mostly just a little kid in a big boy’s body.

In high school, everything changed— well not at first, and not all at once. But it was clear that everything wasn’t the same as before; however, they did try to keep things the way they were. At first everything was as it was the previous year or the previous day even. They were together when they eat snacks and lunch. They were together going home; they even sat beside each other on the Greenvale High school bus until—

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Their classmates and peers started asking these questions making everything awkward. Soon afterwards, Erin would spend her time in the library to study. Grayson decided to stop going on the school bus. They would each start eating lunch with other people. It was supposed to be a “just for today” thing at first but it soon turned into the norm. They slowly became strangers. They no longer talked to each other nor wanted to see each other, not even in the hallways. They just drifted apart, out of each other’s lives until they were forced to stand next to each other in front of all the Greenvale High Seniors.