Minute by Minute

Chapter 4

Today was my last day of classes. Tomorrow's graduation day and after that, seniors aren't allowed to come to school anymore. I'm slowly walking down the hallway towards my locker remembering the countless times I've done it before and thinking how this is the last time. I put in my combination and remove the lock. As I open my locker, I see all the memories it holds inside; from a picture of our first homecoming dance to my prom ticket, plus all of my books of the semester. All I have left here is to clean it out. I look to my left and see Max, Mia, and Aaron walking toward me. They don't seem fazed by the idea of leaving at all.

"Hey Isla," Aaron says.

"Hey. You guys get all your stuff?" I ask as I take my things and put them into my bag.

"Yeah, we did that this morning," says Mia.

Max looks into my locker as if searching for something. When her eyes land on it, she says, "I see you left your mark on your locker."

About two weeks ago, Josh told me how when he was a senior here, he carved his name inside his locker as a way to leave a piece of himself at this school. I mentioned it to my friends who decided it would be a good idea. So now, the only thing left in my locker is my name carved in the top left corner.

As I shut my locker, I turn to my friends and say, "Don't tell me you guys backed out."

Max links her arm with mine and we start walking out to the parking lot. "Hell no. Oscar even made sure that whoever takes his locker next knows that it was his. He wrote his name in giant letters and took up the entire space." Of course he did.

"Talk about subtle," Aaron says, sarcasm laced in his voice. This cause causes the four of us to let out a laugh.

"Speaking of Oscar, we have to meet him, Emma, Naomi, and Dimitri at Little Green Hive. They left like twenty minutes ago," Mia informs.

"Ok. I'll see you guys there," I say as I make my way towards my car.

...

"Thank you. Have a nice day," I say to the cashier handing me my piña colada smoothie.

I make my toward the table by the window where everyone is sitting. Little Green Hive, our designated hangout spot. It's a really cool coffee and smoothie bar in downtown Roanoke that we spend most of our time in. My parents used to bring Emma, Aidan, Cassie and I here when we were little so this place kind of stuck. I sit down between Max and Naomi and take a sip of my smoothie.

"So Isla, how the speech coming along?" Dimitri asks.

"Speech?" I say before I could swallow my second sip. I have no idea what speech he's talking about.

"Your valedictorian speech that you're suppose to read tomorrow," Naomi chimes in.

Shit. I completely forgot. I found out last week and I started writing it but I never got around to finishing.

"You forgot didn't you?" Oscar says as he raises his eyebrows at me.

"No," I reply with a little bit of attitude. "No, I didn't forget. It's finished. I just have to make a couple tweaks but it's done." Lie. Total lie. I think I only actually finished the first sentence.

"Is your mom coming to graduation?" Emma asks me, taking a bite of her blueberry muffin.

"Nope. She's not even leaving the house anymore. It just seems to be getting worse. But my dad and Eliana and Josh are going to be there."

"Do you think Aidan's going to be there?" she says, a slight smirk appearing on her face.

"I don't know," I say as roll my eyes at her and take another sip.