BOYS LIKE GIRLS / CLIFFORD

07

MICHAEL CLIFFORD

-

I got in to University of Southern California for literature, my parents weren’t thrilled but at least I was close to home and I was going after something I wanted.

Alyssa got in to University of Berkley, we were pretty close to each other, she could’ve easily got in to any of the Ivy League school but she was sick the night before SAT’s, even though she made it to the test, she wasn’t able to do her best, the second test saved her a bit but she was really late to submit her grades out.

Ashton was the stupidest out of all of us, but somehow he was able to get in an University out of America and now lives in France, I don’t know how he can live in Paris with the French he was speaking.

Calum got in to the University of Pittsburgh, all across at the other coast, I don’t know how the boy will survive there since all he wears are tank tops and shorts.

Luke stayed in Las Plumas, he did graduate but none of the school’s accepted him so he had to retake the test again next spring.

-

“Fellow graduates, teachers and parents,” Alyssa said on stage, “I’n the valedictorian of the class of 2002.”

She clears her throat and as she reads out her speech up there, I look down at the crumbling piece of paper with her speech on it, we wrote it together at her house the previous day.

“Through out the years,” 

Through out the years, 

“I’ve learned something.” 

I’ve learned something.

“Life is a never changing cycle, we are born in to the world, we live a life and we face death.” 

Life is a never changing cycle, we are born in to the world, we live a life and we face death. 

“In my four years in Las Plumas, I grew as an individual and with others, I learned the value of friendship.” 

In my four years in Las Plumas, I grew as an individual and with others, I learned the value of friendship.

“Somethings that happen in high school we bring with us in to University and the friendship we made here, lasts a life time.” 

Somethings that happen in high school we bring with us in to University and the friendship we made here, lasts a life time. 

“I love every single of you, and I couldn’t thank you all enough of for the amazing years at Las Plumas.”

I love every single of you, and I couldn’t thank you all enough of for the amazing years at Las Plumas.

“So, class of 2002, I hope you all enjoy your future out of Las Plumas, go pumas!” 

So, class of 2002, I hope you all enjoy your future out of Las Plumas, go Pumas!

And we all through our caps in the air, I let the piece of paper fly with my cap, I didn’t want to say goodbye in high school, neither did I wanted to leave everyone behind, but it was my right of passage, I was being forced to leave and say goodbye to everyone even though I didn’t want to.

-

After graduation, we went to the beach, four of us, with Alyssa. Normally a girl would always say no to something like this, going to the beach with four guys, but when we asked Alyssa, she said yes and offered her car, I sat next to her in the front and the three crammed in to the back.

“Alyssa,” I sat next to her on the pier, the rest of the boys were walking on the beach, one hand holding their shoes and the other trying to push another in to the sand, “Who do you like?’

She looked up at me, blinking her eyes, her face was a light pink color because of the heat, “No one.”

I raised my eyebrows as I continued to grill her, “Really?”

“Yes, shut up.” She said, playfully punching me.

I didn’t know what we were at that time, we were friends, we had long night phone calls about life and sometimes we meet up on the weekends at study together at a café.

And I liked her, a lot.

We were going off to university and I don’t know when will be the next time we see each other.

“Okay, shutting up.” We stared in to the distance, watching our friends yelling and shouting at each other on the beach.

“I like this, you know, us,” She broke the silence, “I’m glad we’re friends, Mikey.”

-

“Hey Alyssa, who do you like?” Ashton asks Alyssa as we were walking back to the parking lot, they were talking in a volume and they could hear, I was walking next to Ashton with my ear-pods plugged in.

Alyssa glanced over at me, and went on whispered in Ashton’s ears.

At that moment, I had two choices, flip out on Alyssa for not telling me, or let her have the chance to have a secret of her own since I already knew so much of her.

Underneath the sunlight, her sun-kissed skins and the blonde in her hair doesn’t seem to fade, the freckles on her shoulders, that was the most beautiful Alyssa I have in my memory.

“Him?” Ashton looked at Alyssa, slightly stunned, “I didn’t know-”

Alyssa cut Ashton off by covering his mouth with her hands.

“Mmmphhm? Mmmss.” He tried to talk but he wasn’t able to make proper words come out with her hand on his mouth.

“Sh…It’s our secret.” She said. 

And I never knew what that secret was.