𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐭 || 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐧 [𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝]

9- Stranger of a Friend

Hayden, 18 years & 6 months old

High school graduation day, the day I had been dreaming of since I started school. I would finally be free from the prison permanently. I was ecstatic.

Mom fastened my cap into my hair as I slipped on my gown. I had my cap neatly decorated with my favorite flower, the sunflower.

"You look beautiful, Hayden," I heard Dad whisper from outside my room. I turned around to look at him. His cheeks were red, his eyes were like glass from tears. His smile was soft but proud.

"Our first baby to graduate," my mother cried proudly.

"Your future is so bright," Dad smiled.

Once all the tears were shed and love went around, we finally left to go to my school to commemorate my high school journey. The ceremony was very accomplishing. Hearing my name called out in front of a whole class of people and their families was something I'd been dreaming of, especially more recently.

After the ceremony was the time for everyone to gather together for pictures and last moments together before they moved on to bigger and better things. For me, it was just my family, for my two best friends and my boyfriend— all the friends I had— were now gone. No one else liked me anyway.

I told Mom and Dad that we didn't need many pictures because my whole class was standing around me taking pictures with their family and friends while all I had were two adults and an eight-year-old brother. It was lonely.

But my mom insisted on photos. We agreed to take some pictures in front of the auditorium that I'd never have to come into again (which is a lie because I'll be back for my brother's graduation), but other than that we didn't need photos because we lived in the same house and saw each other every day.

Then went home, had cake, and then sat up in the living room and talked. While I had my vanilla cake in my hand that sat on top of a plate that said "Congrats" printed everywhere on it, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. I pulled it out to check the message.

Congratulations on finishing high school said a text from Zach.

Zach and I had been talking off and on. We weren't back to the best friend level yet, we usually just made small talk for a few minutes before one of us (usually him) got busy.

Thank you I replied. I did it before you.

You're funny he wrote. Are you going to come to California now?

I sighed. I knew he'd ask. He keeps saying he's sorry for ditching me in Texas and that he wants to be best friends again but I don't know if I can trust him. I was excited to go to Los Angeles at first but now I'm scared of what could happen while I'm there. I haven't felt what it's like to be with Zach in years. Now we're practically strangers and I don't know how he's going to act. Or how I'm going to act. It's like we're going to be placed in an empty room together with nothing to talk about because we don't know each other anymore.

Yes, next week I answered.

—-

I packed up my suitcase for my week-long vacation in California. The whole time I packed, my hands were shaky. It was hard to believe that Zach wanted to see me after so long. It made me anxious. Anxiety has always been an issue of mine. Zach used to help me fight it but without him, sometimes it gets out of control. Thinking about seeing him started to give me major anxiety.

"Ready to go?" Dad walked into my room wearing a green Hawaiian shirt.

I finished wrapping a rubber band around my hair. "Yep," I laughed when I saw Dad's reflection in the mirror.

Zach stayed true to his word and bought my whole family plane tickets to California. At least he kept his word to something. I wasn't sure he would.

I went downstairs and threw my suitcase in the car. Caleb was in his car seat with his stuffed alligator waiting to go to the airport. His long brown hair covered his eyes.

We drove to the airport where we then flew to California. The whole time my breathing was slow like I was suffocating.

Time to go see my stranger of a friend.