Speech |a.f.i au|

2.8

Rene

"Rene, open it!" My mom shouts excitedly, holding a big package that had ASU printed on the front. My eyes widen as she shoved the packet into my hand. I could feel my heart pounding, as I stared at it. I believe that my mom was too consumed with getting her phone out so she could film this. 

I drag my index finger across the opening, tearing the paper. I pull out the paper from the envelope. 

Congratulations Rene, You have been admitted to Arizona State University. My eyes began to well up with tears and I look at my mom and start nodding my head. I sniffled before getting up and giving my mom a hug. 

"I'm so proud of you, princess," she tells me, kissing my head. "Your dad would've been so proud of you," I hold onto her way tighter than before, letting sobs escape my lips. After a few moments of hugging and crying, mom pulls me back by my shoulders and looks at me. 

"Tomorrow, which I think is Saturday, invite your friends over. We'll go to celebrate and do stuff," she says, kissing my forehead one last time before heading out of my room. 

I sit back on my bed and lift the letter to my face again and start crying. I was finally getting out of here. 

...

My leg kept bouncing up and down, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. Ashton's eyes were practically burning holes in my skin and if looks could kill, I'd be dead.

"You're moving to Arizona?" Abbey questions and I nod my head sheepishly. 

"Yes, she is. And it'd be great if you all would get your head out of your asses and be happy for Rene," Madi says angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"I'm happy, I'm just gonna miss you a lot," Luke frowns before engulfing me in a hug and giving me a kiss on the top of my head. 

"I'll miss you too, Giraffe," Luke releases me from his grip and I'm engulfed in a hug by Shianne and Moon. 

"We got a few months left guys!" I shout while laughing, feeling my eyes get welled with tears. 

"We're proud of you!" Grace shouts and for a moment, I see a glimpse of happiness in her eyes. We all look at her and she gives us a smile. 

"If there's one person who is gonna make it out of here, it's you. I'm proud of you," she says, pulling me into a hug. The tears slip out of my eyes and I nuzzle my head into her neck. 

"I love you," I whisper. 

"I love you too," we stand there for awhile until a door slamming shut causes Grace to jump, which of course, makes me jump as well. She releases me from her embrace and my eyes scan the room, noticing that everyone was here but Ashton. 

I let out a deep breath before telling everyone that I'd be right back. Stepping outside, it was down pouring with rain. You could hear the small thundering in the sky, and the dark grey, almost black clouds, seemed to have blocked the sun, causing a dark overcast. 

My head turned, in search of Ashton, but it wasn't until I left the porch of my house that I could see him. His head laying on his knees, tucked by his arms. My hair drenched almost immediately and my clothes soaked as I walked towards him. 

I didn't say anything when I stood in front of him, all I found myself doing was squatting down and lifting his face so his eyes would meet mine. 

His bloodshot eyes were enough to see until I completely broke down. I felt myself lean into his arms and we both began to cry together. 

I could feel the rapid beat of his heart rate against my ear. The tips of his fingers traced shapes on my back and my thumbs did the same to his back. 

"I don't want you to leave," he admits. I began to shake my head. 

"I don't want to either," 

"Then don't," 

"I don't want to, Ashton, but I need to." I look up at him to see him looking right back down at me. 

"I know," he says, pushing my head back to his chest. And, I wondered if he didn't mind the rain, much like I didn't. Even with the clothes sticking to my skin and the droplets hanging from my eyelashes, it didn't bother me whatsoever. 

"I remember when I met you," Ashton says. "I gave you a ride home and my hoodie," I nod in agreement.

"Yeah, I remember that too," I tell him honestly. 

"Those days were much simpler than they are now," 

"I know," 

"Can we be a couple just for one more month, for the both of us?" he asks. I sigh heavily and find myself at crossroads. 

"I don't know, Ashton," 

"We both know you lied on Thursday when you told me you didn't feel anything," 

"I know." 

He lifts my head and presses his lifts softly against mine and the same feeling occurs once again. It was almost as if the world stopped. Almost as if college wasn't the barrier or anything for that matter. It was almost like the world wasn't crumbling under my feet. Our lips break away from each other.

"I love you,"