AN: Hey guys. Long time no see. I've restarted this chapter a million times because I'm unsure of the timing of the story. I'm aware that people are waiting for the climax of the story but I also don't want to rush it. Also, I had a lot of Jake in this chapter but I thought that maybe he doesn't need to be every chapter and some separation might be good. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise things will start happening next chapter.

"I miss Jake," I sigh, strewn across my bed on my back like a deflating balloon. Angela rolls her eyes at me and continues typing away on her computer. She's probably sick of my shit. I speak to Jake on the phone on most days but I've been whining for weeks and she doesn't even respond anymore. "Don't ever fall in love, Angela. It's so inconvenient. It really is."

"Mhmm. Yeah," she hums absentmindedly

"I can't focus on this," I nudge the textbook with my pinky finger. Little by little by little until it falls over the edge of the bed. I can't study anymore. I'm sick of it. A week of Exams in the not so distant future creeps up on us. It's not like we didn't know they were coming but, Jesus, you'd swear everyone just found out. Study groups are formed and tutors are sought out at rates never seen before. Tyler, is a Chemistry genius and tons of people are begging him for tutoring. He's also basically fluent in Spanish and last-minute crammers are falling at his feet. I neither have the energy nor the desire to tutor anyone and so I selfishly turn down all requests for tutoring.

The weather is rainy and it's depressing. We avoid the outdoors as much as possible, meaning we don't leave campus much. To compensate we pile up on incredible amounts of junk food while we study or just hang out. It's all very casual until April approaches and the real panic sets in. The teachers are putting a lot of pressure on students because the parents are putting a lot of pressure on the teachers. Apparently, this school has a reputation for excellence and high standards to uphold. Any student under-performing is treated like a severe case even though under-performing at this school would be considered average at most other schools. At three weeks before the exam week, formal lessons are over and replaced with review and revise sessions as well as self-study periods. These sessions become our hang out time, kind of, and a lot of gossip ensues. While most of us are working plenty hard, those who have been slacking all year are working the hardest now. Noses down in books and conversations ignored, they've become like zombies in an attempt to make up for a year gone by too quickly. Some of them we don't even see anymore.

"It's Saturday. Let's take a break and do something else for a while," I suggest, rolling over onto my stomach so that Angela is the right way up. She ignores me.

"Aren't you bored? Aren't you tired?" I whine. "I need to do something else just for, like, an hour or two. Come on."

"No thanks."

"Ang, please. I'm dying here."

She shrugs. "Maybe take a nap. I think we both would appreciate that."

A nap does sound great but I don't want to give her the satisfaction. "Ugh, whatever. Fine." I grab my phone and text Tyler.

4:13pm - 04/05

Ty. My brain needs a break and Angela is being aggressively responsible. Runaway with me.

-B

A few minutes later, he responds.

4:17pm - 04/05

Me and you riding off into the sunset? Let's do it. Rendezvous in 10?

-Ty

I text him back quickly and then change into decent clothes and grab my wallet. I kiss Angela on the cheek on my way out.

Tyler's waiting outside when I get downstairs. He holds his arm out and I link it with mine.

Our adventure takes us to the cafeteria where we get coffee strong enough to keep us awake for the next few months and a bunch of cookies. There are a few groups of people hanging around, most of them "studying". The younger kids have exams too but unlike us, they don't have the pressure of graduating hanging over them like we do. Mostly they're just planning their summers and spreading gossip.

We find a table in an empty-ish corner and set up our caffeine and cookie buffet. I put my feet up on the table even though it's just a matter of time before someone yells at me to put them down. We talk about nothing and everything. From YouTube conspiracies to whether or not wafers can be considered cookies. There's a lot you can learn about a person without talking about anything in particular.

What was supposed to be an hour-long break ends up consuming the rest of the day. We don't realize until people start strolling in for dinner. Angela gives us both a horribly disapproving look when she takes her seat beside us.

"Hey, we're going to make up for it," I tell her. "Right, Ty?"

"Right," he says. Then stuffs his mouth with a big hunk of bread. "Tomorrow, we'll study extra hard. Promise." He draws an invisible cross over the left side of his chest.

"Sure you are," she laughs. "I've never met people more irresponsible than the two of you."

"Excuse me!" I object. "As you know, I am killing it with my grades. You take that back."

"No. Study first and then maybe ."

"Geez, okay, mom."

We'll show her.

Driven purely by the need to prove her wrong, Tyler and I force ourselves to the library on Sunday morning with our books. We set ourselves up at a table near a window, books laid out and determined to get shit done.

"Okay," Tyler says. "We are here today to, firstly, get our academics in order. We need to be serious today."

"Absolutely," I agree. "No horsing around."

"Secondly, and more importantly," he says.

"We're here to stick it to Angela."

"Exactly. Shall we begin?"

We have a plan of action: an hour and a half for English Lit and English Language, an hour and a half for History, a two-hour break for rest and for lunch, and then Spanish and Chemistry. Since we have it all planned out, we get right to work.

English is easy to focus on. The first exam will be literature and will require two short essays focusing on a novel and a poem. Miss Clearwater didn't specify which of the poems would be in the test so we go over all fourteen of them. We try our best not to goof off. Sometimes we fail. Sometimes we're shushed and get dirty looks.

"Be serious," I say, punching his arm.

"You first," he retorts.

We gather ourselves and get out focus back on our books. The first three hours goes by really quickly. We cover most of what we planned within that time and are eager to break and go for lunch. We pack our books up and then head straight for the cafeteria where Angela is sitting with Jessica and Mike. We get our food and join them.

"How's the studying going," Angela asks. She pats the seat next to as if I was going to sit next to Mike instead.

"Awesome. My brain is swollen with pre-examination knowledge. I feel like I know everything."

"Aw. I'm proud of you."

I stick my tongue out at her.

Jessica continues their conversation where it left off. She's worried about not knowing what she wants to study. She's been freaking out about everything lately. She's worried about exams, she's worried about fitting in at college. She's freaking out about picking a major. Right now, everything is in crisis. It's weird because until recently she had been pretty relaxed and now all of a sudden the world is coming to an end.

"Like, what if my final grade isn't good enough. I what if I completely bomb on these exams because I feel like I will."

"Relax," I say. "You won't."

"You don't know that."

"I do know that," I reassure her. "Because the whole year you've been doing just fine on all your tests and examination is just a fancier word for a test. Your grades will be fine."

"She's right," Angela says. "Your grades have been great all year. There's no reason that would change now. Just relax. You're getting yourself hyped over nothing."

Her face is unsure, her lips screwing up to the side of her face. "If you say so."

"Yes!" we all say in unison.

"Okay," she says. Then again, "Okay," as she bites into her sandwich.

We enjoyed our lunch and afterward Tyler and I have to head back to the library and continue our noble quest for knowledge.

After dinner, I get a call from Charlie. My parents have booked their flight over for graduation. They'll arrive the day before and then I'll return home with them four days later. They want to go sightseeing. Neither of them has ever been across the border, even Charlie who's grown up two hours away by flight. He wants us to find a place to go fishing together. "For old time's sake," he says. He sounds excited so I agree. Renee will probably go shopping while we do that. It seems like a faraway idea even though it's just weeks away.

I call Jake right afterward because we haven't spoken since before the study marathon this weekend. We have the same conversation we always have:

I tell him I miss him.

He tells me the same.

I say, "I can't wait for the future."

He reminds me that "it's just around the corner."

"I love you."

"I love you too. See you soon."

And after I feel a little bit sad but also hyped to get passed these exams and graduate.

The first exam is History.

Nine-thirty in the morning in the examination room, which is usually just the main hall with desks and chairs moved into it or a regular classroom. It's a pretty big deal. We were given a list of rules for the exam period that we are expected to follow "to the tee," as Mr. Greene says. As per school tradition, we are required to wear our official uniforms during every exam.

~Students not in the correct uniform will not be permitted to enter the examination hall. ~

Some of us – me – haven't even washed our uniforms since the last time we had to wear them. I don't have time to iron out my shirt so it looks like a crumpled up potato chip bag. Angela is amused.

All senior History students are up and in the cafeteria for breakfast while the rest of the senior class is still in bed. We eat, review our notes together and then head up to the hall. We have to be seated ten minutes before the exam is supposed to start. The faculty seems to be taking it pretty seriously. Getting into the hall is kind like TSA at the airport. They check our student cards, our uniforms, and our backpacks.

~Student are to leave their bags and all pieces of paper (notes, receipts, candy wrappers, tickets, etc) at the front of the examination room with the invigilators. ~

Even our pencil cases are supposed to be see-through.

~ Only transparent pencil bag will be allowed into the exam room. All opaque pencil bags will be confiscated before the exam begins. No pens will be allowed on your desk or on your person. Please use non-mechanical pencils only. ~

I've never had a school take anything this seriously before. Maybe they get a kick out making it a big deal.

The exam itself is okay but tiresome. All the questions require a written answer, so no multiple choice and no single word answers. Each answer needs at least a small paragraph to be properly answered. Apparently, our school doesn't believe in those kinds of examinations. "Ticking a box is not a sufficient display of knowledge," our principal keeps saying. Regardless, I leave the exam room feeling confident. Angela is certain she'll get a near perfect score. I scold her for her post-examination smugness. We have the rest of the day free to study for the next exam tomorrow.

The English literature paper is a breeze. I knew the answers before I was done reading the questions. Piece of cake.

I take down each test with relative ease and I find that the more exams I've taken the more confident I feel about the next one. I try to share this with Jessica, hoping maybe it would give her a different perspective and calm her down but it's a mistake. It freaks her out more. I learn the hard way.

"I'm not that confident," She tells me at lunchtime. "Should I be that confident? Like, I'm just worried that I'm struggling when everyone else seems to think everything is so easy. Am I just dumb? What if I'm actually failing . . ."

She might have stopped breathing halfway through that last sentence. I change the subject quickly and never look back. On Wednesday I stay up with her to go over her Trigonometry practice test. I don't take Trig but I feel like she'll give herself a stroke if she doesn't have someone there with her.

"Isn't Lauren taking Trig with you? You guys don't want to study together?" The two of them are pretty close, or that's what I thought. Jess is in Lauren's room so much they're basically roommates. I'm surprised that she came to me instead.

"She says I'm too stressful to study with. I freak out too much," she shrugs. "I kind of don't blame her."

The next morning, I make her promise to tell me how her test goes afterward. Also, I have to remind her to breathe properly. I have to write Chemistry but walk her to her venue to wish her luck before rushing to my own exam. It goes well for her, I think. I can't really tell because she's nervous no matter how it goes.

On the last exam day, the atmosphere on campus is much lighter. Unlike the previous exams, everyone's thinking about after the test rather than the during. Most students have a morning exam session but some of us have an afternoon session as well. Those with morning sessions leave campus as soon as their exam is over so the school is pretty deserted by the afternoon when I have to get to the exam room. Angela gets done in the morning so I give her my blessing to leave me behind and take her freedom right after her test. "I'll catch up to you."

So Tyler, Jessica and I are among those who have to write an exam in the afternoon. I rush through my exam as if I would be let out early but according to the rules, no one can leave until the allocated time has passed. I end up playing with my fingers, weaving my fingers into each other and picking at my nails. Tyler, sitting rows in front of me near a window, catches my attention. He's mouthing something over his shoulder but I can't tell what he's trying to say.

What? I mouth back.

Saug cu oih wdyuf! I have no idea what he's trying to say, so I shrug and make a face.

What?

He shakes his head rolls his eyes with a smirk. Later, he says.

Fifteen minutes later, our papers are collected and we are dismissed. I wait for Tyler, who comes right over to me and we walk out of the exam room together.

"So what nonsense were you trying to tell me in there?" I ask, shoving him to the side. He shoves me back and I almost fall over. I have the nerve to be appalled. "Make yourself useful and carry my bag, will you."

He takes my bag from me and swings it over his shoulder as we walk. "Let's go to the arcade."

"There's an arcade? Where?"

"A couple of blocks from that movie theater we all go to. It's all cool and retro looking."

"I'm down. Let's go."

He leans down and says in a hushed voice. "It's a secret though. I've been going there for months when I want to be alone. So don't tell anyone about it."

"Oh, I told Jess I wouldn't leave without her so I can't ditch her. Can she come too?"

He pretends to think about it then sighs dramatically. "Sure. Anything for you. She just has to promise to keep her mouth shut about it after."

"You are. The best," I say. He's walked me right up to the door of my dorm. I take my bags from him. "I'll get changed then text you when we're ready?"

"I'll be waiting," he says with a salute.

I hurry up to my room, change out of my clothes then hurry to get Jessica. She's still changing when I get there, so I sit on her bed while I wait. It's a mess in there. All her stuff is either packed in a suitcase or hanging over a surface. Her entire desk is covered in make-up and hair products. I wonder if she ever studies on there. Her closet is half empty with only a few clothes left hung up. I haven't even thought of packing yet. Just one more week to graduation and then we leave this place forever. It feels weird. Like far away. I might just leave all the packing for after graduation day.

"Thanks for waiting for me," Jess says, pulling on a pair of jeans. "I hate being on the bus alone. It makes me feel like I have no friends."

"No problem," I say. "So, Tyler and I are going to this secret place he wants to show me. You can come with us if you want."

She pulls her blonde hair out from the collar of her sweater. "Oh gosh, I don't want to ruin your date or anything. I can just try and join the others after we get off the bus."

"Oh my god!" I kind of choke on my breath for a second. A date. "Jess, for the last time, Tyler and I are not dating."

She snorts. "Oh sure. Come on, Bella, we all know you are."

"No, really. Like really, really, really, we're not dating."

"Mhm. Okay."

I throw my hands up in defeat and lie back on her bed. "Oh, Christ. I give up. You guys can believe whatever you want. I don't care anymore."

"Seriously? You swear to god?"

"I would swear on my life. He's just one of my best friends. We're not together."

She stands there, her lip gloss lathered lips slightly open before she says, "Well, why the fuck not?"

I shrug. "It just isn't like that for us."

She shakes her head and sits next to me. "Excuse me, no. You need to get on that right now. You guys are so cute together. You get each other. You guys are pretty much perfect!"

I laugh at her enthusiasm. "We're perfect as friends, maybe but I just don't really see us having anything more than that."

Because I already have someone.

But I can't tell her that.

"Wow," she says quietly. "I feel like everything is a lie."

"Jess, we've always said we weren't together."

"Yeah, but I thought you guys were lying then."

I shake my head. "Nope. I mean, at first we kind of just went with the rumors to annoy Lauren because she was being such a bitch and all but we were never a thing. Ever."

"Oh. I get that. She can be really mean sometimes." She sounds sad when she says it. I wonder if she's a regular victim of Lauren's snark. Jess always seems so sure and confident but I know that she's also really sensitive about stuff, even if she won't say so. She sighs a heavy sigh then gets a pair of shoes from a rack hanging behind her door. "It's a shame," she says. "You would have made some pretty dark-haired babies."

"Oh my god, shut up or I'm leaving you behind."

"Okay, okay," she laughs. She grabs her purse and then we're out.

Jess decides that she will join us at the arcade and pinky swears to me that she won't tell anyone about it. We have a lot of fun. Tyler is good at almost everything and gets tons of tickets. Jessica and I just try to not to be too pathetic with our six ticket average per game. We have blast and then we decide it's time to join the others. Tyler gets us each a small stuffed alligator with all the tickets he won and an incredibly large Rubik's cube for himself.

We meet everyone at an old-style burger place. I need to stuff my face because I haven't eaten since breakfast. Four tables pushed together for a group of hungry teenagers. Needless to say, it gets kind of rowdy.

"Where the hell were you?" Lauren asks Jessica from across the table. She glances at me knowing that we came in together with Tyler. I turn to Jess, ready to back her up but she doesn't need me.

"Mr. Green wanted to talk to me about something. It took longer than I thought it would. Luckily, Bella and Tyler said they'd wait for me."

It seems plausible enough. I'm kind of impressed with her quick thinking since she's been a mess all week but suddenly she's gone back to confident, bubbly Jessica again. I bump her shoulder with mine and she gives me a small smile back.

After food, it's time for alcohol. Some want to go to a club but I firmly reject that idea and we end up at a bar instead. A fun little place that's willing to forgive our lack of years on this earth provided that we tip well. And we do. Then it's back to campus before we break curfew or before someone gets too drunk to get on the bus.

"God, I'm exhausted," Angela says as we get back to our dorm. She was up studying all night last night. "I think I might sleep through the weekend." We use the stairs instead of the elevator because it's so crowded downstairs and we're not willing to wait. As we reach the fourth floor, we hear a lot of chatter in the hallway. Everybody is waving around blue flyers excitedly but I don't understand what they're squealing about.

"What's going on here?"

Angela shrugs, too tired to speak apparently. We push our way through the crowd to get to our room that's right in the middle off the hallway. The same blue flyer is taped to our door so I take it before opening the door and ushering Angela to bed.

I shove my shoes off by their heels and flop onto my own bed and take a look at the flyer.

NOTICE

Congratulations, seniors, for completing your final year of high school.

We, your teachers and faculty, have seen how hard you have worked these last few months and are incredibly proud of you all. We know that you will move on to great things after you graduate NEXT WEEK!

We have decided that, as a reward for all your efforts, we are willing to lift the curfew for the senior year under the following conditions:

Students 18 years and older will now be allowed to stay off campus overnight provided that;

*A request form from the office is filled out completely and submitted.

*Parental contact details are submitted to inform parents that the student will be off campus.

Students under the age of 18 will be allowed to stay off campus overnight provided that;

*They fill out a request form from the office. This will require information regarding your whereabouts during your absence from campus.

*Parents fill out and sign a permission form which is to be emailed directly to the school office. No emails from addresses unfamiliar to the school's current contact records will be accepted.

*Parents will be called for a verbal confirmation of their permission.

Please use this privilege responsibly and safely and remember that you are still representatives of SDC and your behavior off campus reflects on our school community as a whole. Stay safe and make sure that somebody always knows where you are and who you're with. We would like to see all of you back safely with us for graduation on May 8th to bring the year to a close on a positive note with a celebration of all our accomplishments. For more information, we are always happy to answer your questions at the front office.

Once again, congratulations, students and enjoy your week off before graduation.

-Mr. Greene and the SDC Faculty.

Oh. My. God!

I sit up and read the flyer over again, just to be sure. Then I scramble up to find my phone, still in my jacket pocket. I dial Jakes number to tell him the good news.

AN: Okay, a few promises for the next chapter:

-There will be plenty Jake in the next chapter.

-Renee and Charlie will be in the next chapter.

-Graduation will definitely take place in the next chapter.

I'm not sure how many chapters before the end of the story. I guess I should leave that up to you guys. I do have an extended storyline in mind but we'll see where it goes. I have a vacation coming up in three weeks so hopefully, I can stop being so damn indecisive and finish the next chapter during that time. I know I always promise but . . . Life, yo. See you next time.