Hearts ✓

One 💫

When you love someone, you never let them go.

Or so, I thought.

Over the past few years, only a few minimal changes regarding the dare had been made. Although directly after Jake asked me to be his girlfriend, all dares had certainly been ceased and relationships were ended out of the public eye, it certainly didn't last.

Fast forward two years later, I was now in my senior year, no longer a little scrawny sophomore, or a wasted junior. I was a senior now, and the power the title had come with was relatively stressful, a time bomb, I called it. My future was in my hands, and it was under a limit.

Walking into the school halls after a long summer break my family had taken out of state, I had sun-kissed skin, and my blonde hair was shimmering in the light. I hadn't seen any of my friends, and my boyfriend for a month, and I was absolutely itching to see them, well, except her.

Over the break of our Sophomore year, Ally's family had chosen to relocate permanently because of her grandmother being in critical condition. Her parents had taken flights back and forth to make sure all the essential items were taken with them and put the rest up for sale, including their house. During Junior year, Ally's grandma had shown signs of improvement, as Ally had said during one of our frequent calls, however, towards the end of the school year, her health crashed and once again, she was confined to the hospital. Now in senior year, they're making sure that all precautions have been taken to ensure her grandma's safety.

Aubrey had gone to boarding school to a campus that was a three-hour drive away, though she made numerous visits during her first month, they had seemed to slow down over the course of our Junior year, and eventually, the visits became less frequent, then they turned into calls, then emails, and then little by little, they all seemed to stop completely. We simply hadn't found a topic we could casually converse about, and eventually, talking became boring.

Lauren, my current best friend, was still standing right beside me, as was I to her. She helped me through up and downs, and I did the same, Elliot, also started to grow accustomed to Lauren, and together we became our own squad.

Jake. I saw him, he hadn't changed much from our last visit, right before our trip. His hair was still tousled messily and as usual, his smile was cheeky. I ran straight into his arms, and he wrapped them around me.

When I meant small changes, I did mean small changes. Eventually, there were relationships, but most of them were pretty short, so today, Jake and I were still the only couple in the school.

A smile was etched on my face, I was beyond ready to start my senior year, the one year I had with the people who were beside me through all the times it felt like my life was cracking into half, and those who helped me find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Lauren and Elliot wrapped me in a warm embrace as we chattered delightfully about how our summer went, all the activities we'd done, and our dreams. Somehow, and no matter what, they could put a smile on my face even if they had to drag it up by themselves.

Now to explain what exactly happened

All the dares had been ceased, they had been stopped. They had all been put to an end. This was during our Sophomore year, but after seven months, or so, the legendary dares seemed unstoppable as it sparked back up during the first month of my junior year.

It started from a small flame, and it turned into a wildfire.

And today, as a Senior, the dare had only made minimal changes, one of them including, Prom. Exclusive dares, apparently. These were the dares to ask people out to events, this would last two days, and would most often fail, apparently fun, though.

Girls were still squashed beneath the feet of boys, it was quite sad to watch.

I sighed willfully, Narven High was my life, and although it wasn't perfect, at all, it was where I grew up, where I fell in love, and where I learned to break the rules.

It was where I defined myself.

It was a place I never wanted to leave.

I lift my gaze to a map crookedly stapled onto the wall, the staple wires jutting outwards, seconds away from popping open. I grinned silently, Darren was absolutely excellent at this job, he should consider a future in arts and crafts, making creations seconds away from breaking, but somehow staying still.

Or maybe time just freezes.

My gaze stays frozen in place as I stare at the geography of the USA. Northeast of the entire USA, is Massachusetts. The state where my dream lies in.

Harvard Law

People tell me to keep dreaming, how I'll never get there no matter how much I try. I don't care, I really don't, it's my dream, and I'll keep going.

"Callie." A voice startles me from my trance. I didn't even realize that my hand was pressed against the glossy polyester, my index finger trailing the outline of Massachusetts. I whip my head around.

"Hey, Darren." I laugh, "and Jake."

I smiled and put on a confident smile as I pressed through the day, I will fight for my dreams, because it's now, or never.