Edge of the Light

One

Joshua

Going back to school school was always a difficult task, especially after a week long vacation break. There was one good thing about going back to school; seeing my best friends. Both of them had gone out of town for the break, so I hadn't seen them since last Friday. Seeing them again would be like a breath of fresh air, full of relief and happiness. Friends had that special way of bringing happiness to you no matter how bad of a day you were having. 

The moment I walked into school was the moment I realized that nothing had really changed in the past week. Crowded hallways. Constant noise. Some things in high school never change. As I walked through the hall towards my locker, a few of my classmates waved to me or said a simple "hey" as I passed them. 

I heard a small click of the lock as I finished entering the combination that allowed me to open my locker. I grabbed three notebooks, along with a couple of folders; just a few materials I needed for the first half of the day. My head turned to the right as I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. 

"Hey Travis, long time no see," I said with a smile as I turned to face one of my two best friends. His deep green eyes attracted the girls easily, not to mention his blonde hair that went with his eyes perfectly. Travis certainly enjoyed getting the attention. 

"It's been a week," he replied. "Not that long at all," he added as he winked at a passing girl. I heard a soft giggle as the girl continued walking. I shook my head, rolling my eyes, but I kept a smile on my face. Like I said, any girl would love to be with Travis. 

"A week can be a really long time," I countered as Travis brought his attention back to me. "You could've gotten a girlfriend in a week's time." Now it was Travis' turn to roll his eyes at me. I couldn't blame him; it was a foolish assumption. 

"You know I would've called you if that ever happened," he said. I let out a soft chuckle. He didn't deny that he could've gotten a girlfriend but he was right. He would call me if he ever did get a girlfriend. I would probably be the first to find out. 

"Fair enough," I laughed. A couple of soft footsteps made their way over to us. "Hey Autumn, how was your-" I stopped once I saw her head down, nose buried in a book. We stood there for about twenty seconds until Autumn shut her book and looked up at us. 

"Sorry, I had to finish that chapter real quick," she said with a small smile. Autumn was the definition of sweet. She wasn't one who normally argued with anyone and she always seemed to be doing the right thing. 

"Don't worry about it,"  Travis told her with a simple wave of his hand. We both understood how much Autumn loved her books. It seemed like every time I saw her, she had a new book. "Did you do anything fun, darling?" There was one word that Travis would never use on any girl except for Autumn and that was darling. He'd said it to her a couple of years ago and ever since that day, he's always called her darling. 

"Of course I did," she replied with a soft tone. "My parents and I stayed at a beautiful hotel right next to the ocean. The view from our window was priceless." If there was one thing besides books that she loved, it was nature. She started telling us about how the waves were tranquil, but they also had great power within them. I had a feeling she would've gone on and on about the ocean, but the bell was about to ring, and we didn't want to be late for homeroom.  The walk to homeroom was short, but Autumn and Travis alternated talking about their vacations. 

While Autumn had gone to a beautiful beach, Travis had gone to the mountains, mainly to snowboard. I enjoyed hearing about their adventures during vacation, but I wished I could've gone somewhere too, for once. Normally, I stayed home during breaks. Sometimes I would go to our local parks or just a walk around the neighborhood which, don't get me wrong, is great, but I would've loved to do something more. That was only what I wanted though, I already had everything I needed and that's all I could really ask for.