We're At It Again ✔️

Oɴᴇ

Luna

I have always loved Fall. The flamboyant colors of summer are replaced with the warmth of scarlet and gold. The satisfying aroma of the Earth with each breeze brings on a sense of comfort, and the warmth of the sun is nothing but a subtle kiss. I gaze out my window as the ember-red leaves burn slowly, fluttering with the wind with one final dance before reaching the ground. The falling autumn leaves are a symbol of a beginning and an end - an end to summer and a beginning of a new school year. The inevitable senior year - the first of the last. I have been eagerly anticipating this day since the beginning of freshman year, embarrassingly planning every outcome, and preparing for every epic moment. The final time to make memories with the ones I love before we all part for our next chapter of college - that fateful day of ambivalence. I am greeted by the cheerful smiles of my parents as I enter the kitchen - a first-day tradition ever since kindergarten.

"If it isn't miss senior." My mother states with glee as she slides a plate before me. Scrambled eggs, one pancake, and two slices of bacon - another first-day tradition. I groan in delight as the aromatic scents invade my nostrils. It is not only a feast for the eyes, but also a palate pleaser - my mother has always had a flair for cooking.

"Are you excited?" My dad questions before taking a generous sip of orange juice.

"I'm nervous but excited." I state as I cut through the pancake like butter.

"That's normal." He shrugs.

"I cannot slack off; Stanford has a no slacker policy." My feeble attempt at lightheartedness does not quite reach my face, a million butterflies swarming through my stomach.

"Stanford isn't the only opportunity in the world." My dad states with furrowed brows. "There are always options."

"It's the only option." I stress.

My boyfriend, Austin, and I have dreamed of attending Stanford together for as long as I can remember. An awkward game of Seven Minutes in Heaven at Sophia Henderson's thirteenth birthday party set the foundation of our whirlwind romance - and we have been madly in love ever since. We have the kind of relationship that many envy - the love at first sight, destined to be, tale. Plans for our future set-in-stone - graduating, attending Stanford, completing our doctorate, and having an early retirement with our kids and grandchildren. My parents, however, do not feel entirely comfortable with me planning my future around Austin - but how am I supposed to think of a future without him when he has been a major factor in my past and present?

"I cannot believe it's your senior year." My mom utters, a dazed look in her eyes. "Julie would have been so proud."

Julie Wilder was my mom's best friend. They met on their first day of college when they became roommates and became inseparable ever since. However, Julie was taken away too soon.

"She would be so proud of Hudson." My mom mumbles, tears highlighting her eyes.

Hudson and I were best friends - our fateful friendship ended in a brutal demise when we were twelve years old. We were inseparable, needing only each other, but, in life, people are either forever or temporary - and Hudson Wilder was temporary. From cherished friends to bitter enemies, Hudson and I are as sorrowful as Brutus and Caesar. Despite my constant brewing hatred for Hudson, no one deserves to grow up without the ones they love - to have them taken away too soon. Death is inevitable, and so is heartbreak - loving someone comes with the greatest cost. The once lively atmosphere takes a mournful turn as our thoughts turn to the what-ifs

"You better get going, you don't want to be late for school." My mother states as her smile failed to reach her watery eyes.

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