Taking Chances (Remember to Forget Sequel)

Chapter 29

Delilah's POV

Ashton comes running over to my locker, his bag bouncing with every step he takes. He grabs my shoulders and shakes me.

"The last day of school is officially over!" he says excitedly. "We are officially seniors."

I pull his arms off of me and laugh. "Finally."

Michael comes over, breathing heavily. "Y-you... Can't just... R-run away that fast..." he says to Ashton, taking deep breaths.

Ashton laughs. "You gotta workout or something, Mikey. It wasn't that far."

Michael shakes his head and leans against the lockers. "There was l-lots of stairs. Give m-me a sec."

"So how many days is it until you're in Australia? Ten?" Ashton asks me.

"12 days."

"That's so exciting! You're gonna see Luke after so long. Are you excited?"

I smile. "Of course! I'm nervous though." I shut my now empty locker and turn towards Ashton.

"Why? There's nothing to be nervous about!"

"Is it the p-plane?" Michael asks. "I d-don't like flying either."

I shake my head. "I dunno. What if it's not the same? What if he met someone better?"

"I doubt he's met someone better because he lived there for years and only had one girlfriend. Plus he loves you. Don't worry. It'll be fine," Ashton tells me.

"I know, I'm sure it'll be okay. It's just been a really long time."

I think until I'm actually in Australia, looking at Luke, I will be nervous. It's been months since I've seen him. A lot can change in a few months. Feelings can fade and people can change. Luke and I may find that we're not compatible anymore. Maybe he has met someone else. There's so many things that can happen. 

In the past few months, I've watched everyone around me change. Michael has gotten more talkative and his stutter has improved. Ashton has gotten a girlfriend. Lucy has grown at least three inches. I don't know how much Luke has changed. I don't think I have changed, but the whole world seems to be shifting all around me.

What if being at home brought back a bunch of unwanted memories for him? Luke is fine over the phone, but he could be pretending so I don't worry. What if his mom is doing really badly? He said she's doing well according to doctors. There's so many what ifs...

I'm sure everything will be fine, but there's still a lingering doubt. 

Ashton puts his arm around my shoulders. "Well, let's go do our end of the year tradition."

All three of us walk down the hall and outside to the parking lot. Ashton gets into the passenger seat of my car and Michael hops into the back.

"H-how long have you h-had this tradition?" Michael asks.

"Since middle school," Ashton tells him. "Now you're a part of it."

Our end of the year tradition isn't anything extraordinary. We've done it so much now though that it would feel weird to not do it. Ashton thought of it when we were in the seventh grade. We get all kinds of food, have a bonfire, and talk about everything that happened throughout the year. Ashton usually gets out some anger that has piled up throughout the year and burns some of his schoolwork. 

When we get to the store to buy food, Ashton quickly gets out of the car.

Ashton turns to Michael when he gets out of the back. "Okay. Here's the rules. We each have $15. Spend it wisely. This is a cheap store so you can get a ton of stuff. We have ten minutes. Whoever gets finished first doesn't have to pay for their portion. If your portion is over $15 or you take over 10 minutes, you have to pay for everything. Meet in front of aisle eight. Got it?"