“It's okay, I understand,” I replied, even though I knew it wasn't entirely okay.We walked in silence, exchanging only a few words.An unfamiliar weight pressed down on me, a feeling I had never experienced before.
“Luna!”Emily called out, her face lighting up with excitement as she waved at me.As I approached, she enveloped me in a warm, strong hug.
“I haven't seen you in ages!Where have you been?”
“I think I'm the guilty one,” Marco chimed in, a mischievous grin on his face.“I kept her locked in my house most of the time.”
“Oooh, finally some action!”Emily teased, a sly smile spreading across her lips.
“And my mom made sure my door was always open,” he added with a wink.The bus pulled up, and the three of us climbed aboard to find seats.
“Did you finally do it?”Emily asked, her eyes sparkling with hope.“Sorry to let you down,” I replied, secretly wishing it were true.“Oh, come on!You're going to make those balls of his explode.Poor guy!”she whispered with disappointment into my ear.
“Emily!”I exclaimed, a bit louder than intended.
“I can't help it; it's the truth!I, on the other hand, had a wild summer,” she declared proudly.
“You know I would rather not hear any details about your escapades.”
“Yes, yes, you're our sweet, innocent girl,” she replied with a laugh.
“Can you please stop?”I asked, trying to keep my composure.
“Girl, break some rules and live a little!”
“I'm living my life the way I want to.”
“Alright, I'll drop it, but I love you anyway,” Emily said, squeezing me tight once more.I made my way to the back of the bus, intending to sit with Marco, but Emily tugged at my hand.“Come on, sit with me!You've had her for the last two weeks; now it's my turn!”She shot a jealous glance at Marco.
“It's fine; she can sit with you.I'll have her all to myself this afternoon,” he smirked, clearly enjoying the banter.
Emily sat by the window, allowing me to keep Marco in my line of sight on my side.
“Did you dye your hair?It has a reddish tint in the sunlight,” I remarked, genuinely surprised as I tugged at a strand of Emily’s hair for a closer inspection.
Since middle school, I had always remembered her with her long, curly black hair framing her round face, accentuating her large, chocolate brown eyes and thick, long lashes to die for.
“Yes, I did just last night.I wanted a change.It's subtle, and you can really only see it when the sun hits it just right,” she replied.
“It looks good,” I said, still assessing whether I liked the new look as much as I wanted to.
“Let's see if anyone else notices,” she replied, her excitement palpable.My gaze drifted to Marco, who was blissfully unaware with his eyes closed and headphones on.
The ride would take about thirty minutes, and we filled the time talking about our summer at the camp and the bittersweet reality that this would be our last year together.Emily was planning to apply to a university up north, which meant she'd be relocating, and we would only see each other during holidays.
I hadn't made any decisions yet, and it seemed Marco was in the same boat, perhaps waiting for my lead.I felt as if a powerful current was pulling me toward an open sea far too quickly, and I had no idea which way to swim.
When we finally arrived at our stop, Marco leaned in to kiss me, wishing me luck on my first day of school.Although Emily and I were in the same art school and in the same class, Marco, however, was off to a science and technology college with dreams of becoming a biomedical engineer.
As for me, art had always been my passion.I had been sketching female models since I first picked up a pencil, and I was determined to become a fashion designer.Emily had initially aspired to be an architect, but she altered her plans largely to stay close to me.She wasn't really interested in school, but she was undeniably intelligent, managing to maintain above average in her studies.Her parents, both professionals in law and medicine, only agreed to let her attend art college on the condition that she continued her education.
“Come on, we need to hurry; I want to look around,” Emily said, her eyes scanning the crowd as if she were looking for someone.
“Oh, shit!”
“Please, Emily, watch your language!”
“Look over there.”She gestured toward a throng of students murmuring among themselves.
