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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
"I still can't believe you went to Italy without me."
"It's been weeks, Syd. How much longer are we going to talk about this?" Ellie asked her best friend with a grin.
"Until I stop feeling betrayed," Sydney grumbled.
"I was in Italy for less than 12 hours, I spent more time travelling back and forth than I did in the actual country." Ellie returned.
"Even then you did promise her years ago that you guys would first go travelling overseas together." Brandon piped up from the backseat. "Not to mention that Italy is one of Syd's top three travel destination picks."
"Although no one asked your opinion, buddy." Ellie returned, reaching back to ruffle Brandon's hair. "You do make a valuable point."
"I do?" Brandon asked mockingly.
"You do," Ellie continued. "I don't get the purpose behind actually keeping best friend promises especially the really big ones. And although I am sorry, and have said so multiple times about going to Italy first. At the end of the day, times change, people change, people make different decisions. You shouldn't be stuck just because you made a promise at one point that would potentially withhold you in your own life for the sake of your best friend. Like best friends' promising to go to the same college together, that doesn't make sense to me, because eventually, everyone is going to choose different paths."
"You also make a valid point, El." Sydney returned thoughtfully. "Although we've never gone that far."
"Nope, very different colleges for the two of us," Ellie remarked. "Your Mum still shoving college brochures down your throat?"
"Is your Mum still forcing you up to Seattle?" Sydney retorted, parking in the Forks High School car park.
"Excuse you. I'm choosing to go up to Seattle to look at universities, she forced Elijah to do the same and look where that got him." Ellie returned, stepping out of the car.
"Well, you'll have fun."
"Hopefully," Ellie added dryly. "Either way it gets me out of school for a few days, never going to complain about that."
"I thought we were past the negative attitude towards school." Sydney returned.
"Look around you, Syd and try to tell me that everyone a hundred percent wants to be here," Ellie remarked as her best friend fell silent. "My point, ladies and gentlemen."
"What point?" A smile immediately crossed Ellie's face at the sound of the voice, turning around to its source.
"Well, I was trying to make a point to Syd about how no one really wants to be at school. She wasn't entirely convinced." Ellie returned with a wide smile. "What do you think about it, Jazz?"
"I think I'll leave you two to argue over that yourselves," Jasper replied, before turning to Sydney. "I hope you don't mind if I steal my girlfriend for a bit, Sydney?"
"Not at all," Sydney returned, barely concealing her smirk despite her best attempts to. "I'll see you at lunch then, El."
"You betcha." Ellie replied, watching as her best friend walked off only turning around briefly to mouth 'oh my god' at her. It had been weeks but the relationship between Ellie and Jasper would still take the blonde longer to come to terms with.
"How was your morning?" Jasper asked, intertwining their hands as they walked to their next class.
"Ordinary." Ellie mused. "Got stuck in another raving discussion about Italy twice this morning. Between Sydney and my Mum, I swear I'm never going to hear the end of it."
"Yes, Sydney did seem a little more ticked off this morning."
"Even with all the conversations about Italy, I don't think I have completely forgiven Alice nor Edward for not letting me stop for gelato. You would think Bella would have been on my side but apparently not." Ellie rambled. "You would have thought that near-death scenarios called for real Italian gelato."
"Well, if it helps I would have stopped for gelato with you," Jasper replied.
"See, that's why we work," Ellie answered.
"I hope that we work in more ways than just my understanding of your love of food, darling."
"Maybe, maybe not." Ellie shrugged, before disappearing into the crowd that had gathered outside their classroom, Jasper left shaking his head with a wide smile on his face.
"My fellow students, right?" Mike started, suggesting ideas for the beginning of Jessica's Valedictorian speech, as Ellie joined the rest of her friends at the lunch table, her face scrunching up at the blatant suggestion.
"Yeah," Eric agreed.
"You can't be serious," Ellie added, sharing a look with Bella who was sitting across the table with Edward beside her.
"Oh, I'm very serious, Ellie." Mike continued turning to the brunette. "'We are the future, anything is possible if you just believe.'"
"Nice," Angela muttered.
"Blah, blah, blah. Perfect, there you go, I just wrote your speech." Mike smiled at Jessica from across the table before handing back the piece of paper with her speech.
"No, this will be my speech when I want everyone to throw diplomas at my head. So, thank you." Jessica returned, crumpling up the paper and throwing it in his face.
"We are the bread and butter of all valedictorians," Eric added.
"And that is why you are not a valedictorian," Sydney replied with a pointed look.
"There's probably a good few more reasons that just that," Ellie added.
"It just doesn't need cliches. The speech is gonna be epic." Bella spoke up in encouragement.
"Epic? It's going to change lives." Jessica returned brightly, as Alice and Jasper joined the table sitting in the two empty seats next to Ellie.
"I've decided to throw a party," Alice announced.
"After all, how many times are we gonna graduate high school." Jasper continued, Edward offering a small amused smile at the inside joke.
"A party, at your place?" Angela asked.
"I've never seen your house." Jessica continued.
"No one's ever seen their house," Eric stated.
"Yeah well, Bells and I beat you all, there," Ellie muttered.
"Another party, Alice?" Edward asked harshly.
"It will be fun," Alice answered.
"Yeah, that's what you said last time." Ellie and Bella returned in unison, the two girls sharing an amused glance.
Alice suddenly leaned back in her chair, gazing at the table in front of her with furrowed eyebrows, her eyes glazing over. Ellie watched her friend closely, realising that she was currently experiencing a vision before sharing a glance with Jasper.
"Hey, Angela! Do you need some help with those?" Bella distracted, Ellie, sending her a grateful look.
