What if? | Frank x Brenda

Chapter 03

The stadium was packed, every seat filled with excited, chattering graduates, all of them buzzing with the thrill of finally reaching this moment. Brenda stood at the podium, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked out over the sea of faces. The crowd quieted as she began to speak, her voice steady and clear despite the nervous flutter in her stomach.

"Today marks a new beginning for all of us," Brenda started, her eyes sweeping across the stadium. "We've worked hard to get here, and now it's our turn to take everything we've learned and use it to make a difference in this world—a world that's been through so much but still has so much potential."

The graduates listened intently, nodding in agreement as Brenda spoke about their journey, the challenges they'd faced, and the hope that they could be the generation to lead food-kind into a better future. Her words were filled with passion and sincerity, reflecting the deep care she had for the work ahead. The audience was captivated, hanging on her every word.

As she neared the end of her speech, Brenda couldn't help but think about Frank. The time they had spent together the previous night had stirred up old feelings, reminding her of the person she had once been and the dreams she had once shared with him. But today was about more than just the past—it was about looking forward and embracing the future.

"And now," Brenda concluded, her voice filled with determination, "let's go out there and build the world we've always dreamed of. Together."

As she stepped back from the podium, the stadium erupted in cheers. The graduates, dressed in their caps and gowns, stood up in unison, tossing their caps into the air in celebration. The sky above the stadium filled with a whirlwind of colors as the caps soared, symbolizing the bright futures that awaited them all.

Brenda smiled, a sense of accomplishment and pride swelling within her. She had done it. They had all done it.

But even in this moment of triumph, a part of her was still back at the grocery store, standing beside Frank as they watched the sunrise together. She wondered where he was now, what he was thinking. Had he watched her speech? Had he heard the words she wished she could have said to him in person?

Far away, in the ruins of the old grocery store, Frank stood alone, leaning against a crumbling wall. The sun was high in the sky now, casting long shadows across the deserted aisles. He had watched Brenda's speech on an old, flickering screen, the one working relic he'd managed to salvage from the wreckage.

As the caps flew into the air on the screen, Frank couldn't help but smile—a small, bittersweet smile. He was proud of Brenda, proud of everything she had achieved. But he also knew that their lives had taken different paths, paths that might never fully cross again.

He took a long sip from the bottle in his hand, the taste of cheap liquor burning in his throat as he swallowed. The celebration on the screen faded as the broadcast ended, leaving him alone in the silence once more. The grocery store was his home now, a place full of memories, but also of ghosts.

For a moment, Frank considered reaching out to Brenda, sending her a message to congratulate her. But he knew that this was her day, a day to celebrate her success and the bright future that lay ahead of her. And who was he, really, to get in the way of that?

So, he turned away from the screen, the sound of the graduates' cheers still echoing in his ears, and walked deeper into the store, disappearing into the shadows. As he did, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, there was still time for him to find his own path, a way to move forward instead of dwelling in the past.

But for now, he would let Brenda shine, as she always had.

After the ceremony, the jubilant graduates gradually dispersed, gathering their things and saying their goodbyes. Brenda stood near the stadium's exit, watching as her fellow buns and friends prepared to leave town. Sammy, always the laid-back type, was leaning against the side of a bus, a cigar hanging lazily from his mouth as he chatted with a group of buns. The smoke curled around his head in lazy spirals, blending into the cool afternoon air.

"Ready to head out, Bren?" Sammy asked, catching her eye as he took another puff of his cigar.

Brenda nodded, though her mind was elsewhere. "Yeah, I'm ready."

As she looked around, Brenda's thoughts drifted back to Frank. The image of him standing alone in that dilapidated grocery store weighed on her. She imagined what it might be like if she stayed—if she chose to be with him. They'd shared so much history, fought together in the revolution, and even shared a few fleeting moments of something more. 

But the more she thought about it, the more uncertain she became. What would her life be like with Frank? Would she be happy, or would she be stuck in a cycle of what-ifs and missed opportunities? As much as she cared for him, Brenda couldn't shake the feeling that her future lay elsewhere, away from the ghosts of the past.

She envisioned them together, living in the ruins of that old store, trying to rebuild something out of the rubble. Would she be able to keep pursuing her dreams, or would she be caught up in the nostalgia of what they once had? The idea made her uneasy, a knot of doubt forming in her stomach. Brenda was a leader now, someone who had responsibilities and a vision for the future. Could Frank, with all his unresolved issues and lingering pain, fit into that vision?

Disliking where her thoughts were taking her, Brenda shook her head, trying to clear the fog of indecision. This wasn't the time to get lost in fantasies of what could have been. She had worked too hard to get here, to build a life she was proud of, and she couldn't let her feelings for Frank hold her back. He was part of her past, but her future was something she had to forge on her own.

"Brenda?" Sammy's voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present. He flicked the last of his cigar to the ground, crushing it beneath his heel. "You coming?"

Brenda hesitated for a moment, glancing back toward the town. She considered going to find Frank, to say goodbye properly, but something inside her stopped her. Maybe it was fear—fear of getting pulled back into a life that no longer suited her, or fear of hurting him by making it clear that they were on different paths. Whatever it was, she knew she couldn't go back now.

"Yeah," she finally said, her voice firmer this time. "Let's go."

Without looking back, Brenda joined Sammy and the others as they boarded the bus that would take them out of town. The engine roared to life, and as they pulled away from the stadium, Brenda felt a strange mix of relief and regret. She didn't contact Frank, didn't leave a note or send a message. She simply left, letting the past stay where it belonged.

As the town faded into the distance, Brenda stared out the window, the landscape blurring as her thoughts raced. She wondered if she had made the right decision, but deep down, she knew that she had to keep moving forward. There was a whole world out there, waiting to be rebuilt, and she couldn't afford to dwell on what might have been.

But even as the road stretched out ahead of her, a part of Brenda couldn't help but wonder what Frank was doing at that moment, and whether he, too, was thinking about the life they might have shared.