The Final Project

Chapter 17

Ivy

We've been driving for the past few minutes, and finally, the car comes to a stop.

We're at our school.

"Why are we here?" I ask Aaron. He just looks at me and grins, running out of the car.

I run after him, and he stops at the rickety old ladder on one side of the building.

I look at him, shaking my head. "There's no way-" And he starts climbing.

"Don't worry; it's more sturdy than it looks," he says while the ladder's literally creaking from his weight.

Fuck it.

I start climbing slowly, making sure I don't look down.

I feel the ladder move a little, and almost have a panic attack in the middle of the climb.

"You're almost there," he reassures. I get to the top, grabbing Aaron's hand at the last few steps.

I feel myself breathing heavily, and he wraps me in a hug.

"Hey, you're okay. You're okay." He rubs my back in an attempt to calm me down, and finally, I feel well enough to look at my surroundings.

The city lights sprawl across the sky, everything looking beautiful and small and insignificant.

It's tranquil, and it reminds me that my problems aren't really the be-all and end-all. I'm just another speck in the universe.

But I'm a speck that now exists alongside him.

I look toward Aaron, his delicate features lit by the city sky. I study the dips and curves of his face, the hollows of his cheeks, his beautiful smile.

As we lay on the asphalt, watching the stars, I can't help but feel grateful; for him, for this moment, for my life.

And all because of one Final Project.

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the end... for now ;)