The Path That Separates Us

The first last step

"God our school is cheap I haven't seen a crumbling system this bad since world history"
"Cherry how is this news to you we've been going there for years, and that history class was half colonization propaganda"
"Yeah but you seemed to fail that propaganda class didn't you Snarky Markie"
"I swear this backpack is headed at your face"
"Well my face is important so I'll just think of a better insult in my head!"
The girl walking beside me mumbling her godly manifesto centering my demise by her own hands is Cherry. While she is mildly annoying she's the only person I can truly trust, but seeing that motion with her hands makes me think otherwise. I may have to sleep with one eye open but that's beside the point my name is Markus the fun smart kid without sports to look like a creep. Currently walking with my only bestie, god I hate that word, to school to finish our last year of school and become drum roll please adults. You can't see it but I'm mentally throwing confetti around my empty brain-machine. But I rather just ignore that for now and get Cherry out of her world domination daydream and make it to school in one piece.
"So Cherry you have Mr. Morrison's class today right, could you please ya know learn sum physics for once."
"Look I swear that guy has it out for me he keeps calling on me thinking I know the answer like he hasn't seen my scores"
"The scores you copied from my test..."
"That's not we're focusing on Markus we are focusing on me being targeted, also he keeps smiling at me like a weirdo"
"Wait like crackhead weirdo or catch a case weirdo"
"Even worse the I care about your future weirdo"
I had to sigh from that sentence she needs to lay off the coffee, I keep telling her she gets too chaotic from a sip but she never listens.
"Cherry my sweet but very bitter mess of a human maybe he knows just like I do that you can't just skip half of the class by daydreaming"
"You're acting as I care"
She folded her arms and looked away from me and stared at some passing bushes
"Hmmm..."
I stared at her until she finally glanced at me with that same pout she always wears when she doesn't wanna admit something.
"Fine, I do care but you already knew I don't like Physics when I only get Bs in Calculus. It's like I doing Math on drugs and it's not pretty"
Before answering I had to stop her from walking into the street, I have to do that a LOT, but I can't let her die I need someone to judge.
"If only you stopped going to the gardening club every day and instead went to tutoring where I can help you."
"Whatever I'll stick with my leafy buddies since they won't harass my learning habits"
She then put her headphones in that were decorated with fake vines and a flower sticker on each earmuff. A fun fact about Cherry is her obsession with anything plant-related, she has been growing a garden in her front yard since she was 5. Always kicking me in the shin for stepping on her tomato plants back then and we became friends once I offered her cherry tomato seeds from a packet from my dad's flower shop. That's actually why I call her Cherry and ever since that day we've been best friends in Warston, Maine. Homies that kissed a couple of times, of course, I blame the middle school hormones, but we just worked better as friends. As we kept walking down the Main Street of the town I made sure we took the left turn away from city hall since that's where my Mom is. Even though we could just walk past city hall and go 5 blocks instead of 9 to get to school, It's not like I don't like her it just gets too much. The ground is still wet from the rain last night I bet the beach is still misty as usual. That's the only thing that makes this town bearable knowing I can escape to the beach at any time makes me feel better. Cherry never understood why I needed to jog every Friday night to the beach she's the only one who knows about it of course it since it's my secret place to feel... free.
"Hey we're in the forest the school is getting closer, Markus"
She had to take her headphones off to make sure I was listening but I was just looking blankly and walking thinking about the beach.
"Markus"
Feeling the sand
"Markus"
Sitting in silence
"Markus!"
"Huh, what's wrong?"
"What is wrong with you today? I noticed we took the long way around today is everything ok with your Mom?"
I had hesitated to answer but had trouble saying it all without feeling helpless
"Yeah, yeah it is we just had a family argument this morning she still is fighting with my dad and of course he keeps challenging her. It feels suffocating having to take a side every time they need to prove something"
I started feeling defeated again just staring at the trees I've walked by daily.
"Well I can't help with that but you know what I can do" Cherry start slipping her headphones on my head
"Come on listen to my sick beets!"
She started smirking feeling proud of her pun which I wasn't amused by
"I always get tired of your puns but sure."
I started to secure them on my head and of course, she's listening to emo bands again. I swear I remembered the song but I was going blank on the name. Cherry started to notice the confusion on my face and in tune to the song she says
"This is the dawning of the rest of our lives, ON HOLIDAY!"
My face lit up when I realized the song
"Ohhhh it's green day"
"Took you long enough, so do you feel better now Melodrama Mark-"
"Finish that nickname I dare you"
I already had my backpack in my hand ready to throw
"Ok threat recognized"
After a pause of her taking her headphones back and me putting my backpack back on, I said
"Thanks"
"You're very welcome, look I know I mess with you sometimes-"
"That's an understatement"
Cherry ignores my remark and continued in blissful advice mode
"-But you can just relax more not everything needs to be serious. Maybe you can even join a club like me instead of tutoring every day"
I started to think about it but it always came back to the same result I just don't have the time. But she was right I have been surrounding myself with work to cope maybe I should join a club. That thought was interrupted by the passing school buses and screaming teens in front of Rutherford.
"I'll think about it"
"Good, you should take my advice more!"
"I don't know about that now"
"You can never let me win huh"
I started chuckling as we got closer to the front door to the school and I took my first step to just another regular day of my high school life.