1 month later(June-Graduation/Summer)

"Ladies and gentleman, I would like to invite Bay Stewart, our class of 2018 valedictorian to the stage." Mr. Davidson says in the mike and starts applauding and the crowd follows after. I walk up to the stage, holding onto my dress. Loud uproar from a certain part of the room sounds and I look over to see the entire lacrosse team, including Issac, Asher, and Armani hooting and yelling louder than everyone else in the room cheering me on. I break out into a fit of giggles and walk up to the podium and adjust the microphone to me.

Everyone settles down and sits back in their seats. My stomach is in knots and I have to repeatedly wipe my clammy hands on my dark blue mermaid dress.

"I'd like to first off thank the lacrosse team for the loud applause. It's greatly appreciated." I praise and they break out into more applause. My eyes catch Issac's and his not-too subtle wink calms my nerves, but causes butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

"Thank you to the faculty, students,alumni, friends and family for coming out today to support the class of 2018 as we say goodbye to high school and embark on a new challenge in our lives. My fellow classmates, it was only 4 years ago we had walked through the front doors as freshman. We were confused, lost, baffled at all the tall people." Snickers from the crowd and an 'Amen' has me in a fit of giggles again. "Now, we are here in caps and gowns about to receive our diplomas and set out on a new journey. It feels like just yesterday we were just the feeble little students who didn't know what Cavalier's Principle was and it was just last week, we had it memorized. We may have not all liked each other in all our four years because of our several differences: 'she's a know-it-all', 'he is a stupid jock', 'he cheated on my best friend', but we all have one similarity: we all came to this school wanting to do something better, something good in our lives. Some of us came to school because we have the best soccer team." I look over at Brett and he smiles softly. "Or because we have the best high school lacrosse team in the state. Thank you Coach Mendez!"

"YEAAAHHHH!!!" The lacrosse team yells, making Coach Mendez stand up and smile at the crowd.

"Some of us came to this school to find a new beginning to try to run from our own problems." I say, referring to myself.

"High school has been a real journey. As Charles Dickens said, 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. We not only face problems in high school, but also out there in the real world and within ourselves. We battled drama, grade crises" I say, remembering junior year and I hold in my grimace.

"AMEN!" the same girl from the crowd yells out.

"We battled acne, falling in the hallways, we survived Coach Diaz's PE class!" An uproar of laughs and applaud from the crowd causes a smile to spread out on my face.

"But we did it together. Despite our many differences with each other, we knew we could only survive high school together. And we did. We are the new generation and it's our responsibility to shape this world into a better one. We have the knowledge, we have the wisdom, now it's how we use that, is what defines us. How we treated people, how we made someone else's day happier, those types of things will leave back a legacy for the class of 2018. Well that and of course the fact that we are the ones who set up Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. I will be expecting that baby shower invitation in my UPenn mailbox." I remark and look out at the crowd at Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, the two teachers my class had paired together in freshman year and now 3 years later, they are married with a baby on the way. The crowd erupts in laughter and the Wheeler's blush a bright red. "We were here for each other when junior year became hectic and stressful, we were there for Tedd Greeves when he slammed his graphing calculator against the wall in anger because he forgot how to do the square root sign, or when Fred Purser slid down the stairs because of a soap prank, courtesy of prank week. Yeah, he was sent to the nurse and there were some laughs, but we didn't laugh at him. We laughed with him. We laughed with him as they reset his dislocated arm and nursed his bloody, soapy lip." I say and look out in the crowd of what looks like thousands of people.

"We have stood by each other through everything and even though we intentionally hurt each other, that's what family does. We fight, we hurt each other, but at the end of the day, we patch things up and eat some nutella and rewatch 90210. Don't let this 4 year bond of friendship end here. Bring that support system with you out in the real world because you can't change the world alone. Saint Ignatius of Loyola once said, "Go forth and set the world on fire". I leave that with you today. Go forth, make a change, leave your footprint on this world, change this world for the better. Don't literally set things on fire, I'm talking to you Dave Whitmore. I invite everyone to once again applaud for the class of 2018!" I finish off with a smile and walk down from the podium.

Oh shit, I just did that.

I-I did that.

Crap.

The audience stands up and claps loudly, cheering for the class of 2018 and for my beautiful speech. I go back and sit next to Issac, who engulfs me into a bone crushing hug.

Cinnamon, otherwise known as, home.

"That was amazing Bay, I am so proud of you."

"Thank you" I say and lean up and place a chaste kiss on his lips. We sit back down, hand in hand, as Mr. Davidson, the principal, goes up to the podium.

"Now I would like to invite the students of the class of 2018 who got full ride scholarships for all 4 years of college to the stage. Save your applause till' the end. Our valedictorian Bay Stewart, Issac Evans, Asher Stevens, Armani Clarke, Cartier Johannson, Farris Green, Kasey Mendell-"

Everyone comes up on the stage to receive their awards and diplomas.

After the ceremony, we all gather up at Armani's house for a small get together.

"Drink your tequila shit heads. Even you Bay, we all need some alcohol right now."

I take two shots of tequila and down them one time, ignoring everyone's worried glances. I have been in a quiet sad mood since we left graduation and I haven't told anyone why.

But one thing everyone does know is two shots of tequila is basically 5 bottles of beer for me. I grab two more shots and down them, ignoring the burning in my throat and the tears stinging my eyes.

"Bay..?" Issac asks worried beside me. He lays his hand on my thigh and rubs it. The tingles spread all up my thigh and I can feel the blood rush all throughout my body.

"Everyone drink tequila. Why am I the only one??!!!!" I exclaim and grab another shot, already feeling floaty. Everyone grabs a shot, but before they drink it, Armani cuts in and says-

"Let's make a toast." He says and looks at Cartier, whose eyes keep shifting from me to Armani.

"To graduating high school and having some bomb ass scholarships for college."

Zoe is silent on the other side of the room as she downs her shot before everyone else does.

She knows why I am upset and I know why she is upset.

The world is really fucked up.

My mind begins to feel cloudy and I can feel the tears well up in my eyes and the anger and sadness fill me, wanting to come out to the surface.

"Ooh let's maake toast to long distance relationships, eh. Let's make a t-toast to 404.5 miles, yeah. Let's make a toast to watching your boyfriend get on a plane and travel so far from ya. Yeah let's make a fucking toast for that."

Everyone looks at me with saddened eyes, but I can't bring myself to look at the person who matters the most. I down my shot, slamming the glass on the table, and stumbling out the room and to the wine cellar where all of the wine is kept.

I need something to stop the aching feeling in my heart. I'm in a house filled with it. Armani should really think about getting in the wine business.

Look at this wine cellar. The wine cellar is the room just below the living room where we were. I can tell that no one has moved. Not even a chair has creaked, a hiccup hasn't sounded, nothing.

I find an expensive looking bottle of wine that has an ace symbol that has a rose like color. I open it with the cork and I bring the bottle to my nose to smell.

It may smell like a rose.

It smells like-

Oh who cares?

I bring the bottle to my lips and start taking big gulps of the wine, ignoring the bitter and odd taste in my throat. The light feeling is intensifying and i even feel like I can fly.

"Bay?" A voice says and I spin around and put the bottle on a counter.

Issac stares back at me, concern and worry in his eyes and maybe a hint of sadness.

"What? Come to reprimand me. I'm selfish Issac. I'm sorry I can't be happy right now or turn up with our friends right now. I am not what you need right now. Maybe we should just end this now. You can go off and do your thing, meet some chick, get married and have some cute babies and live in North Carolina forever and be the best Duke University alumni. You don't need some girlfriend who lives in Pennsylvania who will be busy fixing other people before she could fix herself." I rant and gulp down more of the wine.

"You know, I really thought we could do this. My boyfriend, my partner is moving to North Carolina. I even thought about going to college in North Carolina. I had the application filled out and everything, but I didn't send it." I take the Duke University application from out my cleavage and throw it at him.

"I'm a selfish girlfriend. I could've sent that. I definitely would have got in. We could've been together. The distance between us would be that I was in a different building than you on campus, but I was stupid. I went to UPenn. I want you! I don't care about the other stuff. Now we will be away from each other and we won't be able to see each other for months on end. You being in Lacrosse pro and me being a doctor. We were so close Issac, I messed it up." Tears fall from my eyes and I curse myself for being so weak, alcohol or not.

I look up at him to see tears welling up in his eyes as he holds his head down with his arms crossed over his chest. He sniffles and wipes his eyes and looks back up at me.

"Say something god damn it!" I snap at him and instantly I want to say sorry, but I don't. I drop the bottle down on the counter and slide down on the floor.

"The universe will always find a way to take the people I love out my life. My sister, New York, my father, Oregon, you, North Carolina." I bring my knees up to my chest and bury my head in my knees.

I'm so tired of everyone leaving. I am so exhausted, mentally and physically.

Maybe I am just destined to be alone.

Issac's arms wrap around me, bringing me close to his body and its cinnamon scent. My loud sobs rack through my body and the ache in my heart grows as I realize I won't be able to wake up beside him or his cinnamon and vanilla scent anymore and just that thought alone, hurts.

It really does.

"It's going to be okay. We are going to figure this out together."

"How Issac! We are both pursuing demanding careers AND we are in different states. I don't want to hold you back anymore."

"Bay" Issac lifts me up and plants me on his lap and forces my head up to look into his stormy grey eyes.

"You aren't holding me back. You are pushing me forward. We will get through this. We'll be fine."

"How do you know?" I ask, holding back my tears.

"Because I love you. That's enough. We love each other enough to get through this. We will make it work." He convinces me and looks into my teary hazel eyes.

"God, what would I do without you?"

I bury my head in his chest and wrap my small arms around his narrow waist.

"You are so going to have a terrible hangover when you wake up."He murmurs and runs his hands through my straightened hair.

"That's what you are thinking about right now?" I ask, in disbelief. He shrugs his shoulders and starts to rub my back.

"How is Asher holding up?" I ask, curious as to how he is feeling knowing that his girlfriend will be 500 miles away.

"Not good. Around everyone in the group, he puts on a good front, but when it is just me and him, he is wrecked. Absolutely wrecked. How about Zoe?"

"She locks herself in her room and doesn't come out, I can hear her crying from the other side of the door."

"ISSAC I WANT WAFFLES!!!!" Cartier screams from upstairs.

"Duty calls let's go" He says and stands up.

"Can I stay here? I have so much wine. I think I saw a bottle of Chardonnay in the corner." I point to the corner of the room. Issac bends down and picks me up by my waist and throws me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing.

"You have a weird thing with throwing me over your shoulder Evans. How about you put me down, huh? " I tell him as he walks up the stairs and back to the living room.

He chuckles and adjusts his grip on my legs.

"Or how bout I tie you down, that is way more interesting." He responds in a deep voice.

A blush creeps up my neck and settles on my cheeks. I bite down on the grin that is making its way to my face.

"What am I going to do with you?" I respond breathlessly.

"No, the question is what am I going to do with you?"

I don't get a chance to say something sassy just to tease him because we enter the living room area.

"And give up the chance to stare at your ass, I don't think so." He says in a deep,raspy voice.

Only Armani and Cartier are here and they are cuddled up together watching To All The Boys I've Loved Before. Well Cartier is watching the movie, Armani is staring at her with a smile on his face.

I bet my childhood house on this: they will be married within the next ten years.

"You're back!" Cartier exclaims as he sees us.

"Where is my sister?" I ask

"She left with Asher." Armani says, but he isn't looking at us, instead he is looking at Cartier's exposed cleavage.

Issac leans down to my ear and whispers, " I think Armani is going to..um how do I put it...devour his girlfriend very...um loudly and passionately, so I think it is time that we leave."

I nod my head and grab my bag on the desk and scurry out the house with Issac. The moon shines brightly down on the desolate street, illuminating the mansions and all the glamour outside of them. And when I mean glamour, I mean there is literally a statue outside someone's house.

"So what do you propose we do Ms. Stewart?"

"Hmmm" I tap my chin and look up at the sky, something I always do when I am thinking according to Issac. "Let's just go home."

"Home?" He asks, looking at me with a quirked eyebrow and a silver twinkle in his grey eyes.

"Home is anywhere with you" I respond with wide toothed smile on my face.

Issac walks closer to me and wraps his arms around my waist and brings his head closer to mine, brushing his nose against mine.

"That was the corniest thing you have ever said."

....

Tomorrow I start my first day of classes. The campus at UPenn is nothing like I have ever seen before. I fell in love with it on my first college tour and I am falling deeper in love with it as I walk the campus every morning with a book in my hand and a coffee mug in the other. Getting up everyday to the tolerable chill air, the birds chirping every morning at precisely 7:46 am, reading science journals on biochemistry and medicine every afternoon at the library on campus, and my favorite, the occasional Mister Softee Ice Cream Truck that pulls up at campus close to the evenings.

I love it here.

Even though I am happy and I feel like I really belong here, I can't ignore that part of me that feels empty because the one person I want by my side right now, isn't. We have barely talked too. Duke University is one of the best, maybe even the best college in the country for lacrosse, so he has had to start lacrosse practice really early, like a month earlier from class. It's reasonable and I understand. We usually just talk for 5 minutes on the phone before he has to go. He is always on the go and I miss him. You have no idea how many times I wanted to book a ticket down to North Carolina to go and see him, but something here would always come up.

I just wish I could rewind time and go back to the month of July. That entire month, Issac and I spent together making the most of our time before he had to leave. Thinking back on how happy I was then compared to now makes my heart ache.

It sucks, but it's for the best.

At least that's what Zoe tells me.

It's harder on her. The fashion industry has been a little bit more demanding. She has taken up an internship at some big clothing store in Manhattan and hasn't spoken to Asher much. He has been doing the same lacrosse program as Issac. I have talked to him on the phone a few times. He is mostly exhausted and when I bring up Zoe, he goes quiet and tries to change the topic or just hangs up. He is hurting a lot. I don't know what happened between them, especially since Zoe won't talk to me about it, but I don't think they broke up, but I don't think they are together together like that anymore. It's like they are having space.

"BAY!!!" A loud screaming and banging on the door sounds and my mug drops out my hand, crashing on the floor and breaking into a million pieces. The brown coffee spills out from the mug, making a mess of my floor.

"OPEN UP!"

Christa.