BLACK ROSE

Four years of hell

Alex. 

"I still want to burn this place down," Parker says as casually as if he'd just informed us about the weather. His voice as flat as it possibly can get.

Ace, who's been predicting the catastrophes of tonight, just nods in an agreeing manner. "It's a desire that will burn on forever."

"No need to get all poetic," I say dryly and fold the join in my hand. Automatically I hand it over to Ace, watching him as he lights it up. Parker takes a quick photo of him, claiming it's for the photo album he's been working on. A surprise is all he says every time we ask him for further information. It's one of his countless projects he's been working on for over six months now. Six months of continuous work and yet no details shared with his friends.

"I would like to object," Ace snaps back. "There's beauty in..."

I interrupt him before he can share his deep, artistic and philosophical ideas with us on a day like this. "Are you really intending on being high today?"

The joint has been lit up, though it's still only loosely hanging between his fingers. Just a few more seconds and he'll have to light it up again.

"I need to be a little bit more cheerful on a lovely day like this, don't I?"

That's a lie, but I don't say anything. His cheerfulness surely doesn't stem from any artificial or natural substances transformed into... artificial sources of happiness and pleasure. He can channel enough cheerfulness and energy from somewhere deep within him, that even thousands of joints wouldn't equal.

He offers me the joint. "I'll pass today."

"A shame, you know that."

"I'd much rather watch you consider this," I jerk my head at the joint in his hand, "a source of your entertainment, mate."

He lets out a dry laugh. "What a sweetheart you are."

"Oh, anything for you." I wink at him and take a couple of steps back, to where Parker is taking another photo of what seems to be us from the back. With the horrendous building in the far background.

"I'm never going to get used to your constant flirting." He states, tone still flat.

I look over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Ace's figure before he lifts the camera to his eyes again. "That's a lie, and you know it. You've been returning it."

"It's contagious."

"And that's the beauty of it," Ace says, blowing a cloud of smoke in the air. A staged photo for Parker. A perfect photo, if nothing else.

A girl opens the door, shouting at us to come inside. A girl that's been in my class the past four years, but whose name I still don't know. All I know is that she's a physics fanatic. She possesses a natural curiosity, passion and deep understanding of whatever physics topic presented or discussed, and a strange ability to convert any physics law or problem to a real life scenario, instantly helping tons of people imagining the impact of physics in real life.

The three of us, Parker holding his camera like a newborn baby, Ace finishing his join and me, just wondering how I survived all these years, make our way back inside.

Let this disastrous ceremony begin.   

********

With no expectations, no hope and absolutely no will to be sitting here right now, I take my allocated seat. I should be at least partly excited for receiving the diploma confirming I did indeed survive these past four years of hell. Though nothing of that excitement can be found in me.