Resisting Rosaleen (18+)

42

Eric Collins wasn't lying when he said that grad celebrations at GA are legendary.

Because tonight was fucking legendary.

It started off with a lousy program and escalated to a mind-blowing teen trash party at the gym that had my Niko's stress levels through the roof. Everything was a mess and that's what made it awesome.

There were various parts of the party that I shall never ever forget.

One was when Mr. Camillo and Mr. Amble who held a megaphone in his hands were standing under a basketball ring where a senior had climbed up. The scene consists of them explaining section 11.4 of the handbook which basically says that the student wasn't allowed to do that shit. I now have a video of Nikolas on my phone, scowling at a teen as his jaw ticked from annoyance.

Another was when Sean ran three laps around the gym in nothing but patent leather pants. How we got to that situation was irrelevant, not to mention a very long story. Let's just say it involved ice cubes and baby powder.

An adorable part of the night was when Jack asked Maia to be his girlfriend in front of the whole batch.

I also contributed my share of stress to Mr. Camillo by wearing an outfit that had the school handbook shaking its head. It was a gold bra, a very short version of the GA skirt, and a navy blue flimsy toga. I was matching with a few other girls.

Then there's the crying—a solid hour of crying when some dumbass decided to play a graduation song playlist. I found myself clutching Aiden and Jie for dear life as the tears came pouring down.

I wasn't just crying about leaving GA, but I guess I cried for all my years in school too. The old Rose wouldn't have shed a tear. It was that moment that I felt a longing for my two other friends: Vi and Dani.

The celebration went on until ten in the evening. Even at a time like that, we felt like the night was just starting. So, just before we exited the building, we made the impulsive decision to spend the night at the beach.

Wyatt wasn't born yesterday so he knew how much last days mean to a senior. Plus, I had Charlotte on my side. My brother let me go with no Jared to follow.

We stopped by a store for some booze and some food. I haven't felt like drinking much lately. Somehow, it guilts me knowing that I can freely do it while Nikolas was struggling to keep himself at bay. With our cars parked in the distance, we laid a blanket out on the sand. Aiden and Sean were wrestling on the ground, calling each other names that I'm pretty sure thirteen-year-old gamers use to trash talk. Jie and Jeric were lovingly getting touchy right in front of me. Yup, right before my very eyes.

They were stuck like glue to each other, whispering intimate things and giggling freely hearts on their sleeves under the big bright moon who I prefer over the big bright sun. My little circle of friends wasn't the only subgroup present. There were other students from the same school who thought of doing the same thing. I could hear them laughing in the distance.

I, on the other hand, had my back to the blanket and my phone on my chest, waiting for a reply from Viktor and Dani who I invited to join us tonight. I was getting pretty sleepy but I did my best to fight it.

"Rose!" Sean called out and I realized that I had closed my eyes. I sat up and glanced at my friend who had a bottle of my favorite liquor in one hand, "Want some?"

"No thanks," I yelled back before laying down again. Once I did, Viktor's face came into view followed by Dani's right above me.

"Hey!" I got to my feet and pulled the two in for a hug, "You're here."

"It's not like there's anything fun at home," muttered Viktor who, despite being dark out, was wearing red shades.

I haven't seen the two in four weeks which was a new record. We've been too busy with our own lives. Nevertheless, Dani and Viktor are the type of friends who I can part with for years, but still have the same bond when we meet again.