Vanessa

Positively glowing from Devin's confession of love, I wrapped my arms around his neck as I kissed him deeply. The night was shaping up to be magical and I felt as though I were the main character in a fairytale.

Continuing our lip lock, Devin ran his hands down my arms. "Your skin is so soft," he muttered. "I wonder what the rest of you feels like."

As we continued to make out, he lowered me back against the pillows. I snaked my legs around his waist, pulling him in closer to me. I could feel his excitement on my hip and though my body ached to know his, my mind wasn't quite there just yet.

He exhaled softly as he trailed his fingertips up my leg. He didn't stop when he reached my dress, slipping his hand beneath the fabric.

I abruptly broke off the kiss to sweep his touch away. "Not tonight, Devin. I'm not ready for that kind of stuff."

Sitting up, he sighed loudly. "You're never ready."

I gave him a playful nudge on the thigh with the heel of my foot. "That doesn't mean we have to put a halt to what we were doing. I was enjoying that."

He rolled his eyes. "For God's sake, Nessa. We're adults now. Making out is kid's stuff. The real fun is everything that comes after first base."

"I disagree," I said, shrugging.

Dragging his hands down his face, he muttered, "My friends were right about you."

Did I hear him correctly? I furrowed my brows as I sat up. "What did you say?"

He looked over at me. "My buddies think you're immature for your age. They insisted that I was only wasting my time with you because they believe you'll never put out."

I could feel my cheeks grow warm as rage flowed inside of me. "Just because I'm not comfortable sleeping with you yet, doesn't mean I'm immature. In fact, I think not giving into your pressure makes me more mature."

"Whatever," he grumbled. He scooted off the bed, tucking in his shirt before swiping the key card off the table.

"Where are you going," I demanded.

"I'm sure there's a party still going on somewhere around here. If you don't want to have sex with me, then I'll find someone that will."

I scurried off the mattress, yanking the piece of plastic from his hand. "So, you're just going to go ahead and cheat on me?" My eyes began to water as knots formed in my stomach. "How can you be so heartless?"

Devin threw up his hands. "Fine, I'll stay. But you need to at least let me get to third."

"No. Don't push me," I replied, my tone sharp. "If you're going to keep insisting, then maybe I should be the one to go."

He gave me an icy stare. "Yea, maybe you should."

I reached for my cell phone to call Addison to come to pick me up, but he grabbed it from my hand. "I'm getting really tired of you turning me down, Nessa." He shook his head. "I'm not sure this is going to work if you keep refusing me. I'm a man and I have needs."

The wind rushed out of my lungs as a realization occurred to me. "Did you even mean it when you told me you loved me or were you just trying to butter me up so that you could get into my panties?"

He rolled his eyes, having the audacity to look offended. "Do you hear yourself? You're acting like a child right now."

"No, I'm not!" I wiped at the tears that were now trickling down my cheeks.

He gestured at my face. "Look at yourself. You're even crying like a baby."

My mouth dropped open as I stared at him in disbelief. This was a completely different side to Devin that I had never seen before. Where's my perfect guy, the ultimate gentleman? The man that had once claimed to care about me was now replaced by something far more sinister. "Why are you being so cruel?"

He scoffed. "I'm being realistic. We're headed to college soon. I want a woman, not a little girl who giggles and blushes when I hold her hand. Is that how you acted with all your other boyfriends?" He gave me a disgusted look. "Is that why you and Matt drifted apart?"

All my anger channeled out of my body at once as I slapped him across the face. His hand immediately flew to his cheek, a stunned expression on his features. Even though he had hit the nail on the head, he had no right to speak to me that way. It felt as though I was arguing with Matt all over again, except this time it was my body up for debate instead of my heart.

Swiping my cell phone back from him, I punched in Addison's phone number. "You're right. This isn't going to work. We're over, Devin."

At that, he did a complete one-eighty. "Hey, hey. Let's not be rash here," he said, grabbing my arm. "You know I didn't mean it. Of course, I love you and I promise I'll wait until whenever you're ready."

I shook his hand free. "You called me a baby."

"You're not. I only said that because I was agitated but I'm over it now." He wrapped his arms around my waist and gave my forehead a peck.

Pushing him aside, I searched the room for my heels with the intention of leaving his sorry ass behind me for good. "Yea, and what happens the next time you get agitated?"

He held up his palms. "I won't. Don't be so sensitive."

"I'm not. You're just being a dick." I strode towards the door, but he blocked my path. "Devin, move," I shouted.

"I'm sorry, baby. I mean it. Truly." He reached for my fingers, bringing my hand up to his lips and placing a soft kiss on my knuckles. "Stay and I'll make it up to you. We will do whatever you want. Or, we don't have to do anything and that will be fine too." He crossed his heart. "Honest."

Hesitating, I eyed him. This sounds more like the Devin I know. The considerate guy that listens to my feelings and doesn't insult me or pressure me into having sex.

He looked at me earnestly. "Please?" He pouted his lips as he batted his eyelashes.

I couldn't help myself and laughed. "Fine, I'll stay but I get to pick the movie we watch."

"Deal." He handed me the remote, his movie star smile plastered onto his face.

June

Vanessa

"I can't believe we're graduating in two days," Addison announced, gingerly holding up a pair of sweaty gym socks. She plugged her nose as she discarded them into the garbage bin behind her.

It was the second to last day of school and we were at our lockers, clearing out the memories and junk that had accumulated over the past four years. "I'm really going to miss you when you go off to the big city," she continued, pulling out a stack of papers and tossing them into the trash.

I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her in a tight hug. "I've been thinking about that almost every day now. But we can still video chat and I promise I'll come back for every holiday and summer break."

"You better," she replied, poking me in the ribs. "Or else, I will drive up to New York and personally drag you back here by your hair." Sighing, she leaned against the lockers. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you, V. Who's going to make triple hot chocolate with me during the winter or be my partner in crime at all the dorm parties?"

Truth be told, I had wondered the same thing. Addison was my rock, and I couldn't begin to fathom how I was going to navigate college without her. She was always there to wipe away my tears or have my back whenever I needed her to. "You're Prom Queen, Addie. I have no doubt that you can easily find others to do those things with. Just promise that you won't forget about me when you're out having the time of your life."

She gasped. "I could never! You're my best friend. That means you're irreplaceable."

Her gaze scanned the empty halls of the school. "The memories we've made together in this place is something I'll always cherish." She turned back to her locker, eyeing a container that held a mysterious, rotted black lump. "Ew. What was this," she asked, holding it up to the light. She opened the container and gagged as she caught a whiff of whatever had been inside. "Well, that's definitely garbage."

Finished with my cleaning, I brushed my hands together and hoisted my bookbag onto my shoulder. "I guess that's that," I muttered, exhaling. "High School's officially over." I tried to clamp down on the emotion that suddenly welled up inside of me. It really was a great four years.

My thoughts drifted back to that first day in the lunchroom when Addison had called Matt over to sit with us and the countless parties, sleepovers, and movie marathons that ensued afterwards.

I recalled my whirlwind romance with Devin; our first kiss, Valentine's Day, Prom. And finally, the not-so-great memories from high school; broken hearts, tears, and all the arguments with Matt. I occasionally still saw him in the hallway, but he passed by without so much as a glance in my direction. It was as though he were a ghost. The times I had spent with him no longer felt quite real and left me questioning if I had just imagined the whole thing.

I realized that graduation day might be the last time I ever saw him. If fate was kind, maybe we would bump into each other at the grocery store one day and exchange a polite nod over the nectarines. We might even dare to discuss the ripeness of the fruit but after that, we would both carry on with the rest of our afternoon, quickly forgetting that the other existed. How can someone go from being so much a part of your life to being nothing but a total stranger?

I'm not ready to say goodbye to him forever. My chest tightened at the thought, and I gripped the side of the trash can to steady myself from the onset of dizziness that suddenly overtook my body.

"V, are you okay?" Addison was by my side in an instant, clutching onto my arms to prop me up. "You look pale."

"What if I never see him again, Addie?" I clawed at my chest in an attempt to rip out the searing pain that spread throughout my insides as though it were some type of poison that infected me.

"Devin? I'm sure you will. Besides, you aren't leaving for another two months. You still have time to figure it all out." She held out her water bottle, encouraging me to take a sip.

"Not him," I whispered. "Matt."

"Oh," she said. "OH." Her eyes growing wide, she studied me. I hadn't spoken about him like that in months. "Where is this coming from?"

I continued to hold onto the rim of the barrel, feeling as though I was going to vomit at any moment. The room began spinning and Addison's face morphed into a blur. "Are you sure you're alright?" Her voice sounded muffled and faraway.

"I think you should sit down," she instructed. She grabbed hold of my waist as she gently lowered me to the floor.

The cool sensation of the tile on my skin slowly brought me back to reality. I glanced over at my friend, her face coming into focus. "We never even made amends, Addie. How can I leave for college knowing that everything with him is still a mess and there's so much left unsaid?" I swiped at the hot tears that pricked the back of my eyelids. "He was one of my best friends," I whispered. "Shouldn't I at least say goodbye?"

Addison picked at a loose thread on her jeans as she chewed on her lip. "So talk to him then. You haven't left town yet."

"What would I even say," I snorted. "Sorry for all those times I lead you on and broke your heart? Please forgive me and let's be besties again?"

She pointed at my heart. "Just tell him what's inside here."

Raising my gaze towards the ceiling, I shook my head. "I don't even know what's in there. I'm just so confused all the time, Addie."

She raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, I looked over at her. "Devin's really great. He's handsome, athletic, excels in school..." I trailed off as the thought that constantly gnawed at me poised itself on the tip of my tongue. I hadn't dared mention my argument with him on Prom night to my best friend. She already disliked the guy as it was, and she would have surely skinned him and hung him out to dry had she learned about what transpired.

She smiled at me. "You forgot rich and popular."

I nudged her in the ribs. "Not important. Anyway, he's so incredibly sweet and romantic. On paper, he's doing and saying a lot of the right things but I'm starting to feel as though it's coming from the wrong person."

Our eyes locked as her gaze met mine. "Do you love him?"

Shrugging, I kicked at a black scuff mark with the tip of my boot. After Prom, the heels could stay stowed away in my closet for a good long while. "I told him that I did but now I'm not so sure. How do I know if I do?"

She slung one arm around my shoulder, pulling me in. "Only you know what's in your heart, V but all I can say is that you never ran from Devin because you were too afraid to fall. To me, it seemed as though he was always your safe option. Make of that what you will."

My throat burned raw as I choked back my sobs. "I'm scared I made a huge mistake by choosing him."

Addison smoothed down my hair. "I think it's past time you and Matt had a conversation. I'm talking about some real communication here and not that dancing around your feelings bullshit that you two are so fond of."

Sniffling, I wiped my nose with the hem of my tank top. "I-"

"Don't be sad, baby." Addison and I glanced up as Alex closed in on us. Ugh. Not now, Alex. "I know our journey together is drawing to an end but 'Lex B is always just a phone call away." Cool. Can you go away?

I watched speechlessly as he grabbed my hand and jotted down a series of numbers on it. "Hit me up anytime, babydoll," he continued. "I'll hook you up with some backstage passes to my next show." He blew me a kiss before winking at me and walking away, disappearing just as quickly as he had come.

Addison curled her lip in disgust. She licked her fingers and smudged away the digits written on my skin. "Yea, no. Don't even go down that road."

Resting my head against my friend's shoulder, I giggled. Alex may be a creep but at least he's good for a laugh. "I think I'm just going to be single for the rest of my life. Guys are way too much of a hassle."

Addison high-fived me. "Amen, sister. They may be cute but they're nothing but a pack of buffoons."