The school bell rang, signaling the end of the last day of school.
I didn't react immediately, since I wasn't in any rush. However, Soriel, who was to my side, began to pack up.
It was only natural considering she was heading to the airport.
And as she did, I felt a slight uneasiness in my stomach.
'Does she really have to leave? There's so many things we could do over the summer. I want to spend more time with her.'
They were selfish thoughts but they were sincere.
Even so, they didn't change anything.
"Hey, uh, so. How are you getting to the airport?" I asked abruptly.
"Oh, I'm gonna meet my dad at a field a few blocks away. When he gets off work, that is."
"That makes sense. When does he get off work?"
"In about 10 minutes. That's why I've got to rush there now,"
Soriel answered, cheerfully putting on her backpack.
She began to exit the classroom, but stopped at the door.
"I'll see you in a month or two," she said with a smile.
"Make sure to text."
"Of course!"
"Have fun. And make lots of friends."
Soriel giggled softly at my demands.
"I will. I promise."
And just like that, Soriel left the classroom.
For a few moments, I sat alone.
My other classmates had already left. Some were saying goodbye to the seniors, others were meeting up with their friends, and most were just going home.
Maybe I should have gone home too. There was nothing to do at school anyway.
Not even the teacher was in the classroom.
But I sat there. Staring blankly with an empty mind.
Eventually, I got up and left the classroom. As I did, a bit of my thinking returned.
'This is really my last day as a freshman. After today, I'll be a sophomore.'
Time could never repeat itself. Even if I were to go back in time, that very moment would never return.
That realization caused my chest to tighten ever so slightly.
"Yo, El!"
Hearing a male voice call out for me, I turned around.
'Austin? Shouldn't he be with friends or something?'
With evident confusion, I greeted Austin.
"Yo. Why aren't you downstairs with the other guys?"
Austin raised his eyebrow.
"Why aren't you?"
His question made me pause.
'Why exactly am I here?'
Why didn't I just go home?
I didn't want to lie. I couldn't lie.
"I'm thinking about something. And I don't know whether I should do it or not…"
Pausing for a moment, I corrected myself.
"Ah, it doesn't matter. It's probably too late anyway."
Austin shook his head.
"It's never too late for people like us."
"What?"
Seeing my confusion, Austin simply shrugged.
"We're runners. If we're late, we'll run. If we're in trouble, we run…"
And then he smiled.
"If there's something we have to do, a goal we have to achieve, we'll run towards it."
'Isn't that just wishful thinking, though? That only applies to special people like you.'
"I mean, this moment will never happen again, right? So if we're gonna do something, let's do it now. That way we'll never be too late."
Something about those words made me tremble slightly.
I didn't know what to say.
But I felt that I knew what to do.
"You asked why I'm up here right? Well, there's a girl I like, so I'm here to confess to her," he announced.
Then, he walked away.
'Only special people, extraordinary people, confident people can do stuff like that.'
I wasn't special. I wasn't talented.
I couldn't possibly believe that what I wanted would actually happen.
So why?
Why did I run?
Swoosh!
As I ran through the hallways, a gust of air blew past.
I ran to the stairwell and jumped down after every few steps.
And then I ran all the way out the school.
'Her dad would be there in 10 minutes, right?'
8 minutes had already passed.
'I have to not only reach her in two minutes but talk to her as well?! Wait, he gets out of work in 2 minutes so he'll have to take time to get there. But what if he left work early?!'
As I left the school block, my thoughts flew as fast as I ran.
'Her dad seems very focused on his job so he likely would leave early. Plus, maybe his job is far away. Ah, but he wouldn't choose a far away meeting place!'
At that moment, I saw a black cat pass by.
'Relax. None of that matters.'
Whether I calculated how much time I had or not, I'd still run as fast as I could.
So I needed to just focus on running.
By doing that, I felt my speed increase even further.
Passing by the people on the street, I carefully adjusted my direction to not run into anyone.
With every step, my backpack lifted into the air and slammed into my back.
'Should I just throw away my bag? Why'd I bring it anyway? Ah, it doesn't matter.'
I began to put even more weight into the leg in front, shifting the weight constantly.
Soon, my chest began to heave and my lungs began to tighten.
My heart beat doubled in just a few moments.
My legs, although not sore or tired, felt a tiny bit less balanced.
'Ah. I get it.'
These sensations, these pains, were truly frustrating.
Yet, even so, I grinned like a madman.
"Haha!" I laughed.
How couldn't I laugh? It was just so much fun!
I knew my soul must've been sparkling. I knew my eyes must've been shining.
Because without a doubt, I was truly alive.
'The field!'
I could see it, a field filled with lush green grass.
Faster and faster, I ran as fast as I could.
As I ran, the sun shone, illuminating the whole world.
I ran.
Like a dolphin swimming through the sea.
Like a cheetah dashing through the jungle.
Like Icarus soaring through the skies.
I ran, with my whole heart and soul.
'Now that I think about it, this is kind of funny…'
I was running for Soriel.
I was doing what I loved for the girl I loved even more.
Perhaps I wasn't very good at running, and perhaps Soriel didn't even love me.
But at that very moment, did that matter?
I couldn't waste the present, I had to invest in the future.
'Soriel…'
Eventually, I saw her.
A girl with beautiful blonde hair, sitting happily in the grass.
She wasn't illuminated by the sun. No, she was the sun itself.
And as my haggarded, weak, and drained, body ran towards her I felt myself lose strength.
That's when she saw me.
"Elliot?!"
Just hearing her voice made me the happiest boy in the world.
And so, I halted, right in front of Soriel.
"Ha, ha…"
Desperately, I tried catching my breath.
I needed to talk to her before her dad arrived, after all.
"Are you okay? Why'd you run over here?" She questioned, with genuine concern.
Her care was written all over her face. It was even written in the softness of her voice.
"I…needed…to…tell..you something."
Taking one big breath, I regained my composure.
Then, I stood up straight, staring at Soriel.
For some reason, she stood up, staring back at me.
Maybe she saw the look in my eyes.
"So, um. There's this thing I've been wanting to tell you. And I didn't want to keep quiet…before you left."
Soriel was going away to her program for a while.
She could talk to me, but I wouldn't be there.
She'd be on her own.
But that was okay. She'd be fine.
Even if she was on her own, she wouldn't be alone. Not again.
So my next few words weren't for Soriel.
They weren't for Tristan, or Austin, or Nishimoya or anyone else.
They were for me.
"I love you, Soriel. I really do."
Soriel's eyes widened so wide, unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Maybe I was starting my confession too strong. But I couldn't worry about that now.
"You've helped me so much. You've been there for me so much. You're super pretty and every time I'm with you the whole world disappears."
My heart began to beat way faster than when I was running.
"Thank you for being with me. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for everything."
For some reason, it felt like I was going to cry.
Fortunately, I didn't.
"Maybe…I'll always hate myself. Maybe I'll be like this forever. But, even so, I won't accept that."
Did I figure out what my talent was?
'No.'
Did I figure out what my purpose was?
'No.'
Yet, I found something even more special.
I found her.
What I had done was not worthless. All the connections and all the work I put in, mattered.
"I'm going to be the best person I can. I'm gonna be the best version of myself."
Even if I didn't know what my talent was at that moment, one day, I would find it.
"I may not know what the future holds. I can't control what will happen next. But I can control who I am."
Soriel smiled. Her eyes filled with longing.
With hope.
And with something else.
"I'll become someone worthy of the love you've shown me. I'll become someone who I can love. I promise."
I smiled, a gentle one but definitely a genuine one.
"So yeah, I love you."
Inwardly, my thoughts raced.
What have I caused? What will happen next?
But reality was much simpler.
'Huh?!'
A soft and warm feeling met my lips.
And with it, was an even warmer embrace.
The world disappeared, and my world appeared in its stead.
A beautiful girl.
The feeling of warmth left my lips, but the embrace lingered.
"I love you too."
Those words, while simple, were the most precious words I had ever heard.
My body finally relaxed, relieved of the weight it held for so long.
"Thank you…"
It was a whisper, a sincere whisper from the depths of my soul.
Eventually, we released each other from our embrace.
To my surprise, Soriel's face reddened to a frightening degree.
I had never seen her so embarrassed.
"Um, I'll ask dad how far he is," she whimpered.
Just then, a honk sounded out.
We both turned to where it came from and to our surprise, it was Soriel's father.
He waved from his black car.
'I didn't even realize he was there!'
We both froze in embarrassment for a moment.
Then, Soriel turned back to me and smiled awkwardly.
"I have to go now…"
"You'll text right?"
"Mhm!"
"And call?"
"Mhm!"
"I love you."
"I love you too!"
"Bye Soriel."
"Bye Elliot."
Soriel turned from me and began to run away.
But as she did, she turned back one more time.
And smiled.
And I smiled back.
My freshman year was over and a new beginning was coming.
But I'd still strive to be better, every single day.
I would never stay the same.
That was my promise to Soriel.
From a boyfriend to his girlfriend.
A promise from me to you.
THE END