Coexist // Dave Franco

chapter 49

Song: Stay With Me - Sam Smith

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I pace back and forth in our kitchen as my mom rests on the barstool watching my every move.

"But-But can't you talk to administration?" I plead to my mom.

She groans, "I already did. What do you want me to do? Beg them to let you graduate?

"Well..." I suggest.

"No, Aria."

"Okay, well then why can't they just give me the work I missed and I'll finish it all before I graduate." I shrug.

The first thing that pops into my head is all my friends.

The idea of walking down the aisle as you hear your name blast from the speakers of the football field; proudly shaking the principal's right hand as you take your diploma with the left.

But none of that would be the same without your friends.

Those two girls who sat behind to you in English class on the first day of your freshman year of high school, pointing out that your shirt is inside out. Little did you know that they were going to be your friends for the next four years and hopefully longer.

Alex and Lauren.

Experiencing your first high school crush. Who you thought of as obnoxious, but little did you know that the minute he smiled it changed everything.

Tyler.

Then there's your best friend. Little did you know that they would end up to be the love of your life.

Your world.

Your heart and mind.

Your best friend.

The light at the end of the tunnel.

Dave.

My mind recollects when my mom snaps her fingers in front of my face. "Aria!" She says.

"So, the thing is you can't get your diploma without finishing your 2 months of credits." She informs me.

A huge lump in my throat fills and I swallow hard-nervous. "I'm not graduating?" I ask in hope that she was lying to me, and I'm being Punk'd.

She frowns and shakes her head, "No, sweetheart. At least not this year."

I feel disappointed in myself. I let my mom down. All I needed to do was graduate, go to a decent college, and make good money so my mom wouldn't need to worry about me anymore. But instead I am causing all of this.

I'm dragging her down this hell hole with me, and it's not pretty.

I let her down and it's not something I'm proud of. "Are you upset?" My voice quiet, avoiding eye contact.

"Why would I be upset, Aria?" She says sympathetically.

I look up at her.

"It is not your fault that you were in a coma for 2 months." She chuckles, trying to get a smile from me-which worked.

"But I am sad that it did happen, because those two months were the darkest two months of my life." Her eyes begin to water. "Aria, I didn't know if you were even gonna wake up! I don't care if you don't get to walk down the aisle at least your still able to walk! From everything that you have been through, you are one strong girl, Aria. I love you no matter what, okay?"

And lastly there's the one who was by your side through thick and thin, and through hell and back.

Those two words, five letters, that you scribe on a piece of paper when you are asked: