My Last Semester

The sun had started to set. Gabrielle was at the skate park on campus. She was in deep thought as she focused on the sound of the wheels of the skateboard against the pavement. The noise calmed her, allowing her to think properly. She was sitting in the grass with her knees pulled into her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She had so much studying to do, her phone had been going off all day, and she still hadn’t been back to her dorm since she had left it to go party the night before. But all that was trivial, she had better things to do and they all included the handsome basketball player that was currently sitting next to her who also appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. Gabby glanced over at him. How the hell did that boy manage to look so good dressed simply in jeans and a hoodie? she thought to herself. She stared back at the scene in front of her. The guys on their boards were leaving the skate park. She already missed the sound of the wheels on the pavement.

She had enjoyed her day with Giff, more than she wanted to. The weather has been warm, the sky was perfect yet they spent most of the day inside, hiding from the world, hiding from reality. If they stayed inside then only they existed and nothing else mattered. There were no finals to study for, no friends to explain anything to, and not thinking about the fact that this will all be over in two weeks. But the day was coming at an end and they had to finally step outside and face the world. Giff was leaving. He was going to the NBA, this was over even before it started and it was time to acknowledge it.

“I have to go,” Gabby said quietly. Giff didn’t say anything, he merely leaned over and grabbed her hand, stroking the skin on her knuckles.

“I know.” He returned quietly.

Gabrielle finally turned to look at him. His blue eyes bored into hers, the last light of the setting sun shined through his blonde hair. He looked absolutely angelic at that moment and it was that moment that Gabby truly saw her loss. She was a bitch, she knew it. She was scared to show herself and she wasn’t confident. But one stranger changed that in a night. He made her feel confident, made her feel like she could let her hair down, he even made her feel sexy at times. With him she could see herself actually just enjoying the moment and not walking around like the world fucking owed her something. But that wasn’t going to happen.

Slowly she got up. Giff followed her movements and stood to. He took a moment to look at her properly. She was wearing a plain black t shirt of his and a grey hoodie that was way too big for her. She had on jeans but they weren’t his. He offered her a pair of his but he was a foot taller than her and she absolutely refused to wear them or any of his sweatpants. Luckily Ty usually kept a momentum of the girls he messed around with and usually they were an article of clothing. Gabby managed to find a pair of jeans among Ty’s “momentum” that were a little to snug much to her distaste and Giff’s secret delight. They wrapped tightly around her long legs and shapely butt and he couldn’t help but to glance at how snug they fit once in a while. Her hair was down, she had thrown it lazily down her back not caring how it looked. But he secretly liked the windswept look of it. Most girls hated what the wind did to their hair or how it looked when they woke up in the morning but she just didn’t seem to care. She tried so hard to blend in, to look insignificant but it backfired on her so badly and she never even noticed it.

“Well umm I guess this is it then huh?” she said awkwardly looking down at her shoes. Giff was pulled out of his thoughts about her. For a moment he was so lost in her that he forgot what the reality of the situation was. Now that he was back he couldn’t help but feel his stomach tighten a bit. He didn’t want the inevitable to happen.

“I would say see you later but I don’t think that’s happening. Um thanks? Last night was interesting I guess. ” She laughed but there was no humor in it. Giff noticed that she went back to using the same tone she had adopted when they first met. It was a harsh, sarcastic tone that was dipped with pride. He knew what she was doing and he wasn’t going to let her get away with it.

“Stop.” He said firmly.

“What are you talking about? Stop what?” she demanded. Her arms were now folded across her chest. Her posture was stiff, her face was taut. It was like her self from the night before, that angry, self conscious girl was slowly coming back.

“Don’t act like last night meant nothing to you. That’s bullshit.”

“What the hell are you” she began but he cut her off.

“Gabrielle, just tell me you’ll miss me. Just tell me that you wish we had longer than a night. Tell me you are angry that we are only just meeting now. Tell me you feel the same way. But actually you don’t have to because every kiss we shared today, every look between us, and every touch said it all.”

Before Giff knew it the girl in front of him launched herself at him. He caught her by the waist and picked her up. Instantly their lips found each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close to her as she could. They wanted to remember everything about this moment. The way his strong neck felt wrapped in his arms, the way her body fit perfectly with his., the way her untamed hair felt on his fingers, the way his strong arms held her. Their thoughts were only on each other. Her tongue ran smooth across his bottom lip. He sighed and their tongues met. His arms slowly released her, gently putting her feet back on the ground. He then found himself reaching for his hips, slowly moving them to grab her rear. This was the last time he thought he would be touching her, and he wanted his fingers to remember everything. Gradually their kisses became less hungry, less urgent. She broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his. They stayed like that for a few moments before she took a step back from him.

“ Bye.” Was all she said before she turned around and walked away. She never looked back.