Unchanging

Chapter 4

It's been a month since the incident; he didn't know how to face her, nor does he know how to make the guilt he felt suffice and gather up the courage to apologize to her. It was an hour until their graduation and he still doesn't know how he would deal with everything – he didn't know how to tell her.

He stood in front of the mirror that was by his window. He fixed his white polo and took a deep breath in, this is it, he told himself and grabbed his toga and graduation cap. He glanced at his reflection one last time and noticed the photo that was tucked in the corner of his mirror; Wendy's head rested on his shoulder with a smile on her face as he looked at her like he always does – like she was the world. Seth took it out and wrote a note at the back. Even if it was just a little bit, he wanted to leave behind his feelings for her to have the strength to pull away from her.

Several-hundred voices were humming like an orchestra of loafer droids with their monotone buzzing welcomed Seth as he entered the school's gymnasium. How the crowd settled down when the program began made him nostalgic of his stay in this school; the good, the bad, the fun, and the idiotic moments – these were the things that made him who he was today. And this was finally the time to start anew and to try and leave the past behind. As each name was called, he tried to recall of a moment he had spent with them; he would smile at some memories and scrunch his nose at others. And he couldn't hear his own thoughts when he was called upfront because of how loudly his heart was beating. His palms were sweaty, his knees trembled, but then again he couldn't be any happier to receive that piece of paper representing his accomplished education. Everything went on and about, but one name was different amongst all: Wendy Camden. His eyes followed her figure even before she could go up the stage – her blonde hair that fell elegantly into soft waves on the sides of her neck, her eyes that twinkled in a such a way that made her look radiant, her smile that can take his breath away in a second, and everything else that made her the Wendy he's deeply in love with – until she got down. Right then and there he started to doubt if graduation wasn't a good thing after all. Time flew, vows were made and the next thing they know they were already throwing their graduation caps up in the air to celebrate the new life that has been offered to them.

"Seth," Mrs. Camden called out, "come take a picture with us."

Seth smiled and walked his way towards their family to have a photo with them. Jayden and Mr. Camden moved out of the frame as Mrs. Camden took the camera and had Wendy and Seth stand beside each other after the family photo with Seth was done. The awkward air was noticeable between the two, but everything vanished in an instant when Wendy locked her arm around Seth's neck. Mrs. Camden laughed gave him a peck on both cheeks after congratulating him. Mr. Camden and Jayden then approached and did the same.

"I haven't talked to you in a while," Wendy remarked the moment her family walked away from the two of them.

Seth chuckled, "yeah."

"How are you?" Wendy's eyes welled up, hands balled into a fist, "I missed you," she quietly sobbed.

Seth complained but pulled her close and hid her face against his chest. "Everyone would think that I'm making you cry," he laughed.

"It's because you are!" she sobbed a little louder. "I don't know how it's possible but I can't even see you in school; I can't eat lunch with you, you're not visiting my place anymore – not even a phone call!"

He bent down a bit and hugged her tighter, his head resting on hers. "I couldn't save you again," he admitted, "I didn't know what face I could show you or how I would be able to treat that as something that never happened. You're someone very important to me and I couldn't even protect you; I'm not something that's worthy of a place in your life. I've let you down and I'm really sorry about that."