The Long Game (Joshaya)

Senior Year

It's the final months of senior year. We're on top of the high school pyramid. In a few months, we'll be out of here.

As we walk through the halls, freshmen stare at the ground as they quickly walk past. I smile triumphantly; their fear of me actually makes me love school a bit more.

"Why are they scared of us?" Riley asks, snapping me out of my victorious daze. "We were just like them once. Why don't they talk to us?"

"Riley, you're such a nice person," Lucas says as he grabs Riley's hand. The two of them gaze into each other's eyes; I can practically see the little hearts and birds flying around their heads. Riley and Lucas have been dating for almost 2 years, and they became such a famous couple, even the kids in Auggie's grade knew about them. Cory and Topanga also gave them their title of "America's Sweethearts."

"Gooey Sap Disease?" Zay states as he walks up to us.

"Tell me somethin' I don't know," I chuckle as we continue to walk to class. Lucas and Riley were still smiling into each other's eyes as we enter one of our final History classes with Mr. Matthews. "Oh wait! I forgot to do something." Riley smiled at me, knowing what I was going to do.

"Do you have to do it?" Riley asked me. The tone of her voice was enough to let me know that she knew she couldn't stop me.

"Of course; it's ceremonial," I reply. I turn around and walk over to the lockers that are against the wall of Mr. Matthews' chalkboard. I convinced Smackle, who was our Senior class president, to assign me a locker right next to Mr. Matthew's classroom. I smiled as I entered the combination into the locker. I wonder if I'll have a teacher as good as Mr. Matthews' at Julliard, but then I push that thought aside because I know no one will ever replace him. I open the locker and slam it shut. As soon as the locker closes, I hear the Mr. Matthews' scream. I smile and laugh to myself as a chalk-covered Mr. Matthew's stomps out of the classroom like a child who got put in timeout.

"You just had  to do it, didn't ya?" Mr. Matthews exclaims, his hands thrown up in frustration.

"Duh, who would I be if I didn't?" I ask him.

"Huh..." Mr. Matthews said, as he looks up at the ceiling while stroking his chin.

"Aww man, I shouldn't of said that." As I walk into the classroom with Mr. Matthews following behind me. As I take a seat, he writes on the infamous board "Who Are You?"

"Who are you?" he says as he turns to face us. "It's a question everyone asks of people, but what they really should be doing is asking themselves that question."

"I know who I am, Matthews. Everyone has their lives figured out already. It's senior year! We're seniors!" Everyone cheers as I pump my fist in the air.

"But what if that all changes in an instant?" Mr. Matthews' asks. "What if something or someone happened in your life tonight, and it sends you down a whole different path?"

"People change people." Farkle states as Smackle rushes into our classroom.

"Sorry I'm late! We were organizing the senior class flash mob for the end of the school year assembly." Smackle says as she takes her seat. People in our class start to whisper about what they think we should do. The senior class flash mob has been a tradition at Abigail Adams high school for generations, but I always thought it was unnecessary. The seniors before us always said that it helped their class bond before graduation, but I already have my tight-knit group of friends at my side.

"As I was saying, what if everything changed in an instant? You can't know what will happen tonight, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or the next 10 years. You can plan and predict, but you can't control it. You have to take it one day at a time. I hope you guys enjoy your final days here in high school."

*After class*

Riley and I walk out of class, as I replay Mr. Matthews' words in my head again. What if everything changed in an instant? That man had a way with words. I hear Riley sniffle next to me, so I grab her shoulders and face her.

"What's wrong, Riles?"

"Maya, our time is up. Soon we'll be going our separate ways; we may never see each other again. You, me, Lucas, Farkle. What's gonna happen to us?" She wipes away a small tear that escaped her. One of her worst fears is crying in school.

"Everything ok?" Lucas asks me as he joins us in the hall.

"You tell me, Huckleberry." I say as I try to focus all of my attention on Riley. "Riles, I felt this way when we were about to enter high school, and look!" I gestured to Lucas, Farkle, Zay, and Smackle, who were all standing behind Riley. Riley turned around and smiled at them. "We're all still together."

"We'll always be here for you, Riley. We love you." Farkle says as he smiles at Riley, then smiles at me.

"You guys will always be my best friends," Zay adds.

Riley and I walk over the rest of them and everyone does a group hug. In this moment, I know that nothing will change. We will always be there for each other, no matter what happens. No one can ever replace anyone in this friendship. But then, Mr Matthews words echo in my mind again.

What if everything changed in an instant?