Afterglow

XII. Graduation Ceremony

It's been a while since I last went inside and visited the university. Well, it was also the very place where Theresa and I flourished as the most hated but the happiest couple around the campus. Even though many years have already passed, I can still see those glimpses of our past selves.

The cafeteria where we enjoyed every meal despite the deadly stares of the people around us, the windows of the art room where I always try to take a glimpse of her doing things she loves, and even the stage where I always see her lively smile as she won countless awards for her skills.

It was all set and done but all of it felt like it just happened yesterday. It felt weird but never failed to make me smile.

I was with Mom while we were heading to the stage where the graduation would happen. Since my brother will take part in the ceremony as its valedictorian, Harry went earlier than us. As someone who's at the top of his class and will lead a speech in front of hundreds of people, it's pretty understandable that he's quite nervous and needs more time to prepare. Even if I was in his place, I would do the same.

It took us a while to find where the ceremony would be held since during those four years after I departed, a lot of things changed inside the university. There were new buildings, and they even changed the location of some areas inside the campus. As far as I remember, the head of the university changed, and it led to these improvements. Though some things changed as time passed by, I can still feel that the old university I enjoyed still lingers around. The area may change but the vibrance I felt was still the same as before.

While we were walking towards the hall, we saw a very familiar face. Like what Gerald told me, Theresa was present.

Unlike what we're wearing, she looked more formal than us while carrying a shining pouch along with her beautiful face but despite her fierce look, it is still visible that she was quite nervous once she saw us.

At first, I thought that she'd run away from us or even try to avoid being noticed. Who would've thought she had the courage to come towards us despite having such a past with us? She not only walked towards us, but Theresa also started to talk to Mom.

"G-Good morning, ma'am. It's been a while since we last met.", Theresa uttered anxiously.

It's a surprise that Theresa went for it since I know that she's informed enough that Mom might still harbor negative feelings towards her. As for Mom, she was just standing there for a second as if she was reflecting after Theresa greeted her.

Soon enough, she walked towards her carrying a serious face that even I couldn't stand. Theresa was a little terrified and closed her eyes for a second. Without knowing mom's true motives, she started to look more anxious as mom's eyes were on her as seconds passed by.

"Ma'am, is there something wrong? I know I upset you before and I truly understand that. If you still hate me for doing such thi-."

Mom hugged her out of the blue and started to be emotional. Theresa was frightened about what Mom might do to her, but she got caught off-guard when mom did it. After receiving such a thing from Mom, she also got emotional, and tears started to fall from her eyes.