Friends Forever, huh?

Chapter 43 | whirlwind

They say your last year of high school goes by insanely fast. As it turns out, they're right. It was December and then I blinked and it turned into May. Graduation is today. I'm not sure how to feel about my fleeting high school experience--sure, it's mostly been miserable but I've known what to expect as I walk through the halls. College is a wild card: unpredictable, the place where everything changes. A new place. New people. New classes. Am I ready?

Along with that, my boyfriend is officially irritating, due to his chronic indecisiveness. It's the end of May and he hasn't made a choice on which college to attend. Every time I ask him, he just smirks and replies, "Don't worry about me, sunshine." Let it be noted that he is phenomenal at avoiding my questions, the insufferable little pain in the butt.

Aforementioned boyfriend and pain in the butt chooses this moment to wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me out of my reverie.

"Ready to graduate, sunshine?"

I give a noncommittal shrug, my mind swimming with the changes that have taken place this school year, "I suppose so." This year has truly been a monumental one. At the beginning of the year, all I could do was dream about leaving. Now...school has become comfortable and rhythmic. With Cole by my side, Shelby has mostly stayed away from me. Sure, she throws a verbal jab in here or there, but compare to her earlier behavior...she's been downright nice to me.

Cole nuzzles my neck and I smile as he presses his lips to the hollow of my throat. Okay, he's not so insufferable. I reach back, my fingers catching on his curls. I feel his smile against my neck.

"Hey, sunshine?"

"Hmm?"

"I need to tell you something."

I raise an eyebrow, "Proceed."

"I love you."

"Love you too...moonshine?"

For the last few months, I've been attempting to find a suitable nickname for him. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I am impossibly bad at coming up with nicknames. Since then, the nicknames I've given him have become progressively worse.

Cole snorts, trying to hold back his laughter, "Isn't that some kind of alcohol?"

"No...."

"It is!" He announces triumphantly, a few moments later, "A kind of alcohol that people make illegally." A glance at his phone reveals that he made a Google search in order to learn this important information.

I sigh, throwing up my hands in frustration, "I just want to be one of those cute couples that gives each other nicknames. You have to ruin that with your dumb logic."

Cole laughs, a warm sound that alleviates my mock anger, "don't worry sunshine, you're still cute. Even if you're absolutely horrible at coming up with nicknames." He kisses the tip of my nose and I admit defeat in the nickname department. I give him a final mock glare before letting him pull me to his side.

"About college..."

"Don't worry, sunshine," Cole winks at me, a hint of excitement shining in his eyes, "I've got it figured out."

"Why won't you tell me?" I whine playfully, intrigued by the mysterious smile that pulls at his lips.

Instead of responding, Cole pulls me to my feet and wraps an arm around my waist. He dips me backward, his smile widening, "I'll. Tell. You. Later." He interjects a quick kiss between each word.

I'm about to tell him to give me a real kiss when my mother walks through the doorway. Her eyes widen immediately, "Am I interrupting something?" She looks as if she's torn between laughing and reprimanding us.

"No!" Cole and I respond in unison, as he tries to nonchalantly untangle me from his arms. If this were a romance movie, he would be able to smoothly bring me back to my feet. But no, this is not a romance move and his grip on my back loosens, causing me to tumble to the ground.

"Ow!" I exclaim, wincing as I prod at my now throbbing head, "You dropped me, you idiot!"

"Sorry!" He says quickly, his pale skin darkening with a blush. My mother stifles a laugh, turning her eyes toward me.

"Alright you two, it's about time to head over to the school." Is it my imagination or does she look a little teary-eyed? She clears her throat and swipes at her eyes quickly, "I can't believe my baby is graduating..."

No, that was definitely a tear that she just wiped away. I smile and roll into a sitting position, "I can't believe my mother's crying even before the graduation ceremony." My words are teasing, but tinged with fondness.

Despite the typical teenage defiance of parents that led to our occasional fights, I know I couldn't have made it through high school without my mother. She's not always around, but I understand why. She works tirelessly to ensure that I have every opportunity open to me. "I'm always going to push you to be better," she told me on the days that I wanted to settle for less, "I know it would be easier to scrape by with mediocre, but you, Ashley, are not mediocre. You were born to do something great--to be an earth shaker. Don't give up on your potential."

Unbidden tears form in the corners of my eyes at the memory. Oh yes, I owe my mother so much.

"Oh don't you go crying on me," My mother laugh, extending a hand to help me up. I smile and blink away my tears.

Beside me, Cole takes my hand--the constant, solid presence I'm always grateful to have. Graduation day is here...and it's safe to say that I'm terrified, excited, and apprehensive all at once. Graduation comes with uncertainty--a daily routine is lost and an unknown future is gained. To be completely honest, the unknowns terrify me. But with Cole's hand in mine and my mother's proud smile, I think I'm ready to graduate.

***

This seems like a nice way to end the book....

But I'm not ending it here. Sorry, y'all have to put up with me for a few more chapters ;)

This one is a bit of a filler to set up the next chapter, but I have plans and this groundwork was important. I'm so excited to finish this journey, writing this book has been amazing and I hope you guys are pleased with the way I end it.

[Also, yes there is a decent sized time jump. I would say sorry, but tbh I'm not because I'm gonna summarize everything that happened in those months anyway ;) This story just flowed better when I skipped. Capisce?]

Stay lovely, always.

-J