Never Grow Up {Watty Awards 2012: Teen Fiction}

Part Sixteen

A/N: I'm really proud of this story, it may not be the most original storyline and whatnot but it's my first completed work so thank you all for reading, liking, voting and commenting on it. :)

Enjoy the last bit.

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“And then I told myself, ‘No way, that’s never gonna happen’ but it did! It seemed impossible but it happened!” Valerie went on and on, like a machine gun.

“Good thing for you, then.” Tyler laughed and she grinned back at him.

The next thing we knew the short brunette tripped over the dustbin, the contents spilling all over the park.

“Valerie! Are you nuts, do you want to get kicked out of university even before the entrance ceremony?” I spluttered, dropping to my knees to pick at the banana peels and crushed paper on the once-clean pavement.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t see it at all, I swear!” She cried, quickly getting on her knees to clear up the mess as soon as possible.

“Sure you didn’t.” Tyler said teasingly, pulling the dustbin upright.

A man with a thick moustache holding a broom and dustpan came over.

Valerie jumped to her feet as she bowed to the senior man. “I’m so sorry sir –”

“You guys must be the freshmen!” He took her hand and shook it, a friendly smile pasted on his face. He was not at all annoyed at us giving him any extra work. At least, I hoped he wasn’t because he sure wasn’t showing any signs of unhappiness. “Welcome, welcome! Every year there’s one clumsy fool who will knock down the dustbins, I’m very pleased to meet you!”

Valerie looked shocked for a moment but she snapped back to her senses and smiled wryly. “It’s an honour, sir. I’m really sorry about the mess, though.”

“Don’t worry, I can handle it. You guys should head over to the hall, the ceremony’s starting soon.” He grinned at us, and we all murmured our thanks to the kind man before continuing our journey from the campus park to the hall. The school wasn’t as big as a castle or anything but it was small enough to be cosy.

Maddie had decided to be a nurse and she went off to a different college from her boyfriend and me. They still saw each other regularly on weekends and vacations so they were on really good terms. Both Tyler and I went to the same university. He was doing a business course while I was taking up a therapist’s course. It was a course which little people chose to take but somehow I was drawn to it. I just hoped it would do me some good in my life later. During the holidays after prom and graduation, Tyler had decided to work at an ice-cream shop and Maddie and I dropped by. To our surprise he had gotten to know a small dark-haired girl very well who was working with him. Maddie was a little suspicious at first but after he had introduced his cousin, Valerie Bennett to us she dropped her doubts. Valerie’s application to my university of choice had been accepted as well and we started to hang out, the four of us, and we grew closer. She was spunky and a klutz but definitely a bunch of joy to be around.

I scanned the campus grounds again before sighing and falling back in step with my two friends.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been looking around and sighing for the whole day now.” Tyler commented.

Valerie frowned. “You’ve also been touching that necklace around your neck a lot.”

I blinked in surprise. I was aware that I had been checking our surroundings pretty often but I never knew I was sporting the habit of touching the blue necklace. To my astonishment, my hand was still on my neck. Huh, I was caught red-handed.