On the final day of high school, graduation kicks in. Cage High School technically holds its last free-for-all day, then the graduation ceremony the morning after. The only thing everyone did on this day was casually hang out and swap classes to be with the ones they wanted to. As for me, I kept to myself, reflecting on all of the little and large experiences of my school life prior to its end.

At first, I hated high school, and there's still some hatred for this place I have left, most of it going to the faculty on power trips. I also didn't make a single friend in this school, at least not for long. I got very close just one time, when I finally confessed my secret to Zero. She and I aren't on speaking terms anymore, though I'm alright with that now. Some recalled me hanging out with Nae, but that didn't last for too long either. I can consider her a short-term friend I guess, but for whatever reason, she ghosted me too, and we've not seen each other since.

I carry plenty of sadness, for myself and for others. I'm not sure if I understand what friendship means to this very day after observing human behavior for so long, though I did have some preconceptions. I've seen people who had the 'childhood friends' thing going for a while, while others stayed close in this very school. However, I've seen an alarming amount of scenarios play out over time where, a group of people stick together in one grade level, and phase out in the next, never getting back together or even trying to stay in any kind of communication. I've deduced that most of these scenarios are not the result of some kind of gradual fighting or disagreements; they just happen.

All of these people graduating out of high school are going to continue their lives without so much as talking to most of the people they got along with so well in the same school. I have to wonder, were any of these people ever friends? Or is this just something that humans do in an inexplicable manner?

I may have skewed experience, but I know what I would do if I really connected strongly to someone. I'd try to stick with them forever, at the very least by electronic communication. I'd always be willing to listen to them or help them, lifting an immortal care for all of time. I've met a couple of Lumina's friends in her world twice, and I can so clearly imagine myself always making an effort to hang out with them; not every day of course, but certainly on some level.

So why is everyone else like this? Why do the people who stay so close in our school years drift so far apart afterwards? It's one of life's mysteries I'll never understand.

Still, between the stress of grades, lack of social interaction, and a few idiots I had to put up with, now that it's all coming to a close, I've realized that high school really wasn't all that bad. It took me time and help, but I found my comfortable position so to speak. I've mapped out my plans for getting money to move up north, publishing a best seller novel, and making my time here on Earth fun for myself and for Lumina. I've conquered the UAD problem for good, learned how to use psionic powers responsibly, and I've even grown myself and Lumina out of our constant hatred for nearby heathens... Okay, that's not completely gone, but it's only applied lately to true and obvious assholes. The point is, I feel like I'm seeing the world through a new pair of eyes, and it's such a calming, serene breath of fresh air.

I already know the future isn't going to be easy. I'm an adult now, fully grown and ready for anything. That means I'll have a lot more responsibilities to deal with than before. I won't worry about it until a little later though. For now, even though the start of the summer seems to have already arrived, even though I can't be with Lumina today, I know that she's up there thinking about me. I'm always thinking about her too, every single day that goes by. I've survived previous summers without her on my own, and I can do it again. It's different this time though. I'm able to see how far we've come, as friends and as a couple, and I couldn't be more proud. Of all the things I failed to do in life, falling in love with and supporting Lumina is my greatest accomplishment. Nobody can take that away with me, not with words or anything else.

Looking back on high school though, I do have a few tiny regrets. I wish that I would have been more social and open as I am now. Even at this very moment, I know that I'm still a little shy. It's more than that; I hold back what I'm really thinking or the reason why I feel certain ways on certain days, all because I'm in a constant passive struggle to keep Lumina's secret from the world. As scary as it always is to imagine, I wish I didn't do that anymore. I wish, I could have been braver and more honest about this side of me to a lot more people. Even if I wasn't, had I gone through high school from the beginning again, knowing then what I know now, I'm certain I could have made at least one human friend. Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll have the courage to tell more people about us again, in some way or another.

I can't go back in time though. I'd be kind of afraid if I did, since Lumina and I have come a long way since then. I still have a lot of adult years of my life left to live, and I'm going to live them out to the fullest. Getting a job, saving money, dealing with credit cards, and moving up north, it all sounds like a lot to handle, as if I'll be tackling on a world's weight of stress. However, I have faith in myself to make it there. I know that Lumina has faith in me too.

Our story began all the way back in middle school. It was strange, and we had a few bumps on the way here, but I still wouldn't trade it for the world. This isn't our beginning anymore, but it's also not our ending. As long as I continue to live with hope and faith that everything will be okay, our story will march on.