Our Time Has Come, and We've Got These Big City Dreams

The months passed, and also the school year. We were getting closer to the day I was fearing since long ago: graduation.
It was not my graduation, but Alex’s. Yeah, he was going to graduate and continue with his life as an artist. As for me? Well, I was a junior so I had one more year to go. That was why I was so worried about the end of the school year which wasn’t far. And I had no idea about what was I going to do about it.
It was a Friday morning and I was taking out my books for first period. Two arms wrapped around my waist, it was Alex.
“Hey there.” He said. I turned around pecking his lips.
“hey.” I said smiling. Even though I was worried, I was not going to preoccupy him too. There was no reason for it.
“So I was wondering, since prom night is getting closer, would you like to be my date?” he asked me. He really looked happy about graduating. Of course, he was finally leaving school to follow his dreams. “Uh, Hillary?” he waved a hand in front of me making me snap from my thoughts.
“Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah, I’ll be your date.” I smiled.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know you’re kind of distracted.”
“No, I’m fine, don’t worry.” I said pecking his lips. The bell rang. “I got to go to class now.” I told him.
“Okay…” he said kissing me one more time before letting me go to class.
The rest of the day passed by normally, and the last bell rang finally letting us go home. I couldn’t stop thinking about graduation. I woke up with a crappy mood, and it got worse as the day went by.
“Hey I finally found you.” It was Cassie.
“Hey.”
“What’s up?”
“Not much…” she raised an eyebrow.
“What’s going on? Did you fight with Alex?”
“No, we’re fine I just… I don’t know, I’ve been depressed the whole day.” I sighed.
“Why?”
“I don’t want to talk about that here.” I told her.
“Okay, then let’s go to my house and you will tell me everything that’s going on in that little head of yours, okay?” I chuckled. Cassadie had that something that could make everybody feel happier if she wanted to and she was a great adviser. “Okay let’s go then.” We got in her car and went to her place. I plopped in her bed looking at the ceiling, and she sat on it too. “Okay tell me what happened.”
“I’m just worried about Alex graduating.”
“How so?”
“Well, it’s not actually worrying but thinking about it a lot lately.” Who was I kidding? I was worried.
“Why?”
“well, they’re seniors, they’re graduating in like two weeks, and then will leave to do their music and become famous and get a lot of money and fans and concerts and-”
“okay I get it now!” cassie cut me off. “Calm down, girl. You’re pretty stressed out.”
“I know but I can’t help it! I don’t want that to happen and I know it sounds selfish but I’m so happy with Alex and he’ll leave while we still have one more fucking year of school left!” I said desperately. Cassie lay down next to me.
“Honey, that doesn’t have to happen if you don’t want it to happen. You and Alex can make it through all of it and you know it. And he loves you a lot, so it will work even if it’s a long distance relationship.” She told me assuring.
“I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Now don’t be sad. Enjoy the time you have with him instead.” I smiled at her. “Okay. Now let’s go eat some chocolate ice cream.” She said standing up and heading to the kitchen with me behind. We sat down in the kitchen stools when my phone went off. “Hello?”
“Where are you and why did you leave without saying a word?” it was Alex.
“Whoops. Sorry love, I began talking with Cassie and forgot about everything, I’m really sorry.” I told him.
“Oh, alright. So you’re with her?”
“Yep. At her place.”
“Okay. We’ll be there in five.”
“We?”
“Me and jack.”
“Okay. Bye.” I hung up. “Jack and Alex are coming over.”
“Yay!” she said clapping her hands. I don’t know if I mentioned this already, but she and jack both have feelings for each other but didn’t do much about it. They would make such a cute couple.
“Hey what I told you is just between the two of us okay?”
“But what about Lindsay?”
“Okay, between the three of us.”
“Sure thing.” We kept talking in the kitchen until jack and Alex arrived, and decided to watch a movie.
“What do you wanna watch?” Cassie asked while looking through her DVD collection.
“Do you have ‘the hangover’?” Alex asked.
“yep.” She said finding the movie and putting it in the DVD player, and then sat between jack and I. I rested my head on Alex’s shoulder the whole time, and couldn’t help watching as jack and Cassadie held hands surreptitiously. They looked so cute together. I smiled, but then the image of them saying goodbye to each other the day of the graduation reminded me of Alex, and the smile faded. I looked at our intertwined hands, as he rubbed mine with his thumb unconsciously. What was gonna happen when they graduated? Were we gonna be able to keep the relationship alive if the guys left? Alex wasn’t staying in Baltimore If his career depended on traveling endlessly, that was for sure. And he was gonna get tired of not being able to be with me whenever he wanted to, so he was gonna dump me for another girl who could follow him close behind. But was I gonna wait for him as well? Maybe I was gonna get tired of waiting too, eventually. I sighed in frustration. I stopped paying attention to the movie a while ago, though they were laughing uncontrollably. I just got consumed by my thoughts and worries. Whatever was gonna happen between the two of us in the future, it wasn’t gonna be easy.
A single tear rolled down my check, falling on my jacket. I stood up going to the bathroom. I closed the door behind me, sliding down and hugged my legs. I cried silently for a while. I then stood up from the floor after a couple of minutes and washed my makeup smeared face. Thank god it was dark already, so no one would notice my puffy eyes. I came out of the bathroom and went back to the living room. Alex saw me and opened his arms for me, so I sat on his lap the rest of the movie with him hugging me lovingly.

The movie ended half an hour later, so Cassie stood up and turned the lights on blinding me. “Fuck it’s too bright.” Jack complained.
“Sorry. So what’s the plan now?” she asked.
“Pizza?” jack suggested.
“Okay. But what if we go out instead of ordering? I’m tired of my house.”
“It’s fine with me.” Jack said.
“Yeah, me too.” Alex agreed. “Hillary?”
“Yeah, sure.” I said. I actually couldn’t care less if we ordered or went out. We decided to go to pizza hut in Alex’s car. We ordered, and then the guys began a conversation about cars or something like that. Someone kicked me under the table. I looked up, it had been Cassie. She gave me a worried look, but I just smiled.
“Uh, I gotta go to the bathroom. Hill, come with me?”
“Uh yeah, sure.”
“You feeling naughty?” Alex asked wiggling his eyebrows and jack laughed.
“Ha. Ha. So funny, Gaskarth.” Cassie said taking my hand and dragged me to the bathroom. “what’s going on?” she asked me folding her arms under her bust. I hopped on the counter and sighed.
“I can’t do this Cass. I really can’t.” I told her.
“Yes, you can. It will work if you want it to, hill. Believe me.”
“I know, but it’s not that easy. What if Alex gets tired of having to wait to get home so he can be with the one he loves after months of being away? I’m gonna be the one looking like a fool waiting for a guy that only has broken promises for me!” I told her. “It will only be worse for me.”
“But if he really loves you then that’s not gonna happen.”
“Yeah, but how do I know if he really loves me? I can’t just sit and watch as my life passes by, waiting to see if he’s not gonna cheat on me or dump me.” She just looked at the floor and sighed. “You see? That’s why I can’t stop thinking about this.” I said.
“Hill, I don’t know…”
“Just let’s forget about it okay?”
“alright.” I jumped off the counter and we got back to the table where the pizza was already there.
“Did you have fun?” Alex asked Cassie as she sat down next to jack.
“Oh yeah. You can bet on it.” She said and they all laughed.
We finished eating and left jack and Cassie at their houses, now Alex was taking me to mine.
“You’ve been pretty quiet tonight. Are you alright?” he asked me.
“Yeah, I’m just…tired.” I said looking out my window avoiding his gaze.
“Are you sure that is what’s going on?” he kept pushing the subject.
“yeah.” I finally looked at him but he had an I-don’t-believe-you look.
“Hey, you know you can tell me anything.”
“I know. But I’m fine, really. I couldn’t sleep well last night and I’m pretty tired, that’s all.” I gave him a weak smile.
“alright.” He sighed not really buying it. He parked in front of my house. I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned forward to kiss him. “See you tomorrow?” he asked me when we pulled apart.
“Sure. Bye, love.”
“bye.” I opened the door and got out of the car walking to my house. This day was finally over. All I wanted right now was get in my bed and go to sleep, and that’s exactly what I did.