Part 4-:
As the school year rushed by, Anna’s friendships deepened in ways she hadn’t expected. She, Janu, and Veda shared countless gossip sessions and secrets. Ram and Krish became her close companions too, and Prit—well, Prit was special. They laughed, studied, and shared small moments that felt so simple, yet so important. For Prit, each moment spent with Anna made him feel happier than he’d ever been, and he could see she felt it too. He thought this bond would last forever—or at least as long as they could stay together.
But one day, Anna came to school with a shadow over her face, her usual bright smile missing. Her friends noticed it right away, and Prit’s heart sank. *Why is she sad?* he thought, watching her. At lunchtime, he gently asked, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Anna took a shaky breath, looking down as if gathering the courage to speak. “Guys…” she began quietly, her voice trembling. “I… I have some news.” Her eyes filled with sadness, and everyone fell silent. Prit’s heart began to beat fast, a sense of dread building. *Please, not this.* “My parents…” she said, barely able to get the words out, “we’re moving again. Right after the end of term.”
Prit felt as if his heart had dropped into his stomach. Krish and Veda gasped in shock, shouting, “What?!” while Janu’s eyes filled with tears. Ram stayed quiet, his face tense. Managing to find his voice, Prit asked, “Moving? Where?”
“Back to my home country,” Anna whispered. “This will be my last few weeks here.”
The news hung heavy between them, casting a shadow over everything. They knew what it meant—no more shared laughter, no more study sessions, no more small moments that had come to mean so much. But, trying to lift the sadness, Anna managed a small smile. “There’s one good thing, though. We’re going on that school camping trip next week, remember? It’ll be my first camp—and my last.”
Prit forced a smile, heart aching yet determined to make the most of the time they had left. “Then we’ll make it unforgettable,” he said. And everyone quickly agreed, making plans to fill every moment with laughter and memories.
The camping trip was magical. They hiked through the woods, set up tents, and shared stories under the stars. All of them—Janu, Krish, Ram, Veda, Prit, and Anna—felt closer than ever, laughing and living each moment fully. They played games, roasted marshmallows, and stayed up late talking about their dreams, each memory feeling like a treasure they’d hold onto.
One evening, as they sat by the campfire, they wandered a little way off, sitting together on a log under the night sky. For a while, they sat in silence, just watching the stars. Finally, Anna spoke softly. “I’ll miss this,” she said. “All of it.” She looked at Prit, her eyes warm but sad.
Prit felt a lump in his throat, wanting to tell her how much she meant to him, how he’d come to cherish every single moment together. But he didn’t want to make things harder. “We’ll keep in touch, Anna,” he said. “No matter what. And when we see each other again... we’ll make more memories. Promise.”
At that, Janu and Veda couldn’t hold back their tears, while Krish and Ram, with misty eyes, presented Anna with small gifts they’d prepared as mementos. Anna smiled through her tears, nodding. “Promise,” she whispered, glancing back at Prit with a look he would never forget.
When the camp ended and they packed up to go home, the sadness felt almost overwhelming. They knew they were saying goodbye to something special. One by one, they hugged Anna tightly, promising to stay in touch, hoping to see each other again. As Prit watched her walk away, he felt both the weight of loss and a spark of hope—hope that maybe, someday, their paths would cross again.
For now, he held onto the memories they’d made, knowing they’d stay with him for a lifetime. 🌌✨
