Blue and Gold. Everyone was shrouded in long gowns scrapping the floor and square caps resting on everyone's head. Noelle sat in her assigned row as the ceremony started. Walking into the venue, Noelle almost immediately spotted Carson--well he was built like a fucking tree. She also saw that he chopped off his shaggy locks and had a more clean and neat cut. She kinda missed his wild hair. He was currently laughing with a slightly shorter boy that she assumed was Tyler.

While laughing his attention got caught on Noelle. She had straighten her usual puffy black hair. It shined and flowed as if she always wore it that way. He could tell she had on a bit of makeup that really highlighted the warmth in her honeyed-eyes. She smiled warmly at him and he smiled back. The ceremony commenced and all the graduates waited patiently for the moment to throw those square hats.

The valedictorian was Noelle and everyone clapped and cheered as she approached the stage to make her statement. Her smile was big and bright and she could see her family cheering for her on the sidelines.

Noelle spoke in the mic and eyes were on her, "Grads...take a deep breath..." Everyone took a deep breath together. "...Let it go..." They exhaled. "...We did it." Everyone cheered in celebration. "These hours, right now, are ours. No one can take that from us. We've cried, laughed, sweat and bled together. We're practically family at this point. I can feel the elation in this room and I can see so much potential right in front of me. We've worked hard for this moment to get where we are right now. I'm not too sure what I believe in but I believe in what I see. And when I look into this crowd of graduates, I see our whole lives a head of us. We deserve every minute of this celebration." The crowd cheered as she left the stage. Carson hooped and hollered the loudest it seemed. She smiled brightly as she took her seat.

The ceremony came to a close as they said names and gave out diplomas. And once the principal announced the class of 2019 as officially graduated, blue caps were thrown in the air and seem to float down slowly. Noelle looked up mesmerized while Carson looked at a mesmerized Noelle. Her eyes were bright and lively as he took her in mentally. Blue caps floated down to Earth as Noelle's eyes met Carson's for a brief moment. It was picturesque in a sense. Like it was just them for one moment. A moment they shared together on completely different sides of the room.

The graduates were led outside to meet up with families and say good-bye to teachers and faculty. Carson stood on the golden sidewalk and waited for Noelle to float out of the venue and eventually she did. She stopped abruptly as she felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked up at him with her warm eyes and he looked down at her. They both weren't sure what to say considering they haven't talked in months. But they weren't the same kids from a few months ago but being together wasn't in their immediate future. They both agreed with that.

"...Hey..."Noelle said softly.

"Hi." He said nervously, his hand tried to run through his hair out of habit. But, stopped short when he remembered he hack his hair off last week. "You look good, Noe."

She smiled to herself, "You look handsome, Holt." She poked.

"We did it." He smiled as he looked at his jet black diploma cover.

"Yeah, I know. Crazy, right?" There was a pause between them was kinda awkward but that's to be expected, right?

"Uhh, so what are you doing tonight?" He asked. Noelle shrugged.

"Most likely take pictures and go to dinner with my family." She chuckled a bit as she saw her family watch her talk to Carson.

"Cool, cool. There's a party tonight at Tyler's." He nudged her, "You should pop by."

"I'll definitely think about it." She replied.

"You should, I miss hanging out." He said sincerely. "As friends of course." He corrected.

"Uh maybe." Another silence fell over them but they didn't want this to be their last conversation.

"Uh...so which ivy-league school gave you a full-ride?"

"A few, nothing to get all excited about." She smiled warmly and moved a piece of hair from her face.

"What are you talking about? That's definitely something to be excited about, Einstein." Carson said proudly. He realized that Noelle offered so much to the world. She was gorgeous beyond comprehension and the smartest, level-headed girl he ever encountered. She put every girl he ever spent time with to shame. And if the guy she ended up with wasn't Carson, then he was the luckiest guy in the western hemisphere. But, if she ever ended up with him, whether they were 30 years old or 80 years old, he would still be the luckiest man ever. She was just that golden. Her thousand watt smile brightened his mood every time he thought about it.

Noelle noticed the way Carson looked at her. Like he loved her almost or intense admiration. She saw how much he's changed physically but he was happier. She could tell. She felt happy for him in every sense of the word. She was only really concerned about him being genuinely happy. She knew he deserved it whether they were together or apart.

Suddenly, Carson remembered something, "...I've got something for you..." His hand was in his pocket and pulled something out. It was golden medallion with a triangle and the words '3 months' carved into the medallion. He held it out for her to take. Noelle took the medallion and traced the '3 months' with her finger.

"Carson, this is...amazing!" Noelle couldn't contain her joy and wrapped her arms around him to hug him tightly. He returned the hug with the same intensity. She released him from her hug and stared at the coin and watched it glimmer in the sun. "I'm so fucking proud of you." Noelle let out.

"Thank you, Noe. I want you to have it."

"What, why? You earned it."

"Nah, I want you to have it. My next goal is six months so i'll keep that one." He shrugged it off like it was no big deal but it kinda was. He worked hard to get where he was now and he wanted her to know that. This was his biggest accomplishment and he wanted her to have it. For her to always be proud of him. And she was proud of him, no doubt.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw her father waving at her to get her attention. "Um...I've got to go. But, it was really nice to see you, Carson." She said genuinely.

"It was nice to see you too, Noelle. Knock'em dead in them ivy-leagues or where ever you decided to go." He replied. She began to walk backwards still smiling from ear to ear and she waved 'good-bye'

And he waved too.

***

College move-in was a beast and Carson had just finished moving in the last of his boxes in his UCLA dorm room. Tyler emerged from their shared bathroom and clapped Carson on the shoulders.

"Homie, UCLA is gonna be dope! I honestly didn't expect to make it in."

Carson sighed, "Yeah, I'm fucking psyched. We're gonna party--"

"No alcohol included?" Tyler piped in.

"None, I just got my '6 month' chip." He flash is golden medallion with the number 6 and set it on his desk. Their door happened to be wide open when a girl with long brunette hair and cut-off shorts that showed off her lengthy tan legs approached them. She had a cute smile and bubble-gum colored lips. Her name was Emily and she was your all-American good girl, it seemed.

"Hey guys! I'm Emily. Me and my roommate are gonna play a game of rummy. Wanna join us?" The cute brunette asked.

Carson didn't see why not and Tyler was more than happy to get to know Emily in a more thorough manner. Emily had led the way to her room which was conveniently next-door. She opened the door to her room. And in this pretty room stood a girl Carson didn't know he'd ever see again.

Her hair looked like a cloudy, brown crown on her head. She was currently putting away notebooks into her desk and her honeyed-eyes were cast downward. The immediate sight of her sent a shock wave through his heart. The last time he saw her was on graduation when he gave her his '3 month' chip as a good-bye present. But, it seemed once again, the universe had a funny way bringing her back to him--especially when he didn't deserve it. The sunlight from her window melted into her deep brown skin. She was so unaware of his presence it felt like a sin to disturb her.

Emily opened the door wide enough to let them both in. Tyler immediate noticed Noelle and nudged Carson's shoulder super hard as if to tell him, 'Holy Shit!'

He couldn't peel his eyes off her as he took her in.

Emily with a smile still on her face said, "Alright guys, this is my roommate--"

"--Noelle." Carson interjected just as Noelle's deep brown eyes connected with his immediately. She was speechless in her own right too. What are the odds?

"Carson...hi." She replied as she saw the boy she was convinced she'd never see again.