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"I will never leave him. It will always be like this, always, for as long as he will let me."
- Madeline Miller (The Song Of Achilles)
(Idk why I chose this quote, I just thought it was beautiful)
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That last summer was spent like all the rest; together. Min and I and our friendship, as it always was, as it always should've been, and we were fools to think otherwise.
We also spent that summer planning on what we were going to do when the next summer was over, and there came the dawn of the rest of our lives. What did our new day look like? Would we even be apart of each other's day? Will we be able to get to each other as our day bleeds into darkness? Will we be close through the coldest of nights? These were all questions we asked that summer, like it was our lifeline, and I was ready to know the harsh truth to.
"We've come a long way" is a phrase that was passed loosely between us, and we had little knowledge of its true weight on our lives.
Senior year ended as soon as it started. We struggled through exams like our lives were at risk, we applied to the same list of colleges, because most colleges known for business also had a good music program attached. It was a weird combination, but it kinda felt like fate. Min was the artistic one, I had the logistic mind.
Miraculously, we both got accepted into Berkeley, and there was nothing stopping us. And before we could stop it, we were tossing our caps into the air. I still remember how Min skanked off the stage after grabbing his diploma, and how he was the first one to throw his cap in the air, even though we were all advised not to. We ended up ditching grad night and went home to my grad party that Kyomi insisted on throwing for me. The last thing I remember from my graduation party is Min and I singing karaoke; American Pie by Don McLean.
That next summer was spent getting wasted, saying goodbyes, good riddance and breaking up with our respective partners. It was the right thing to do because who the fuck stays together after high school?
Min and I felt like we were on a higher plane of existence, leaving our safe planet and zooming off into a universe that was still expanding. It was great.
The day Kyomi dropped us off at the campus was the day I met Hoshi Takami.
Hoshi Takami was a sophomore at Berkeley, and was the co-president of the sorority that was associated with our frat. The name was Chi Upsilon Mu, C.U.M for short. She was one of the speakers at our orientation, and I still remember her beautiful voice that seemed the most genuine to me, how she had a tone of voice that made a room full of people want to listen, even if it was about the house rules that none of us were going to follow.
Even her outfit was something that demanded the attention of the sun and the moon; a white corset that hugged her waist over a white, silk dress, and white pearls draped her neck and limbs. Her big, green eyes never failed to meet the gaze of everyone in the room, she made you feel seen even though the spot light was on her.
Hoshi Takami was a star, that much was true. I knew at the moment the line of our gazes met, I wanted to spend the rest of my days looking at those eyes.
After orientation, she found me and Min, and invited us to the first party of the year, which was apparently a tradition at Berkeley. All the Sororities and Frats get together at Chi Upsilon Mu house for a party. I said yes, immediately, and embarrassingly soon, but I didn't care.
