•͟U͟N͟D͟E͟R͟S͟T͟A͟N͟D͟ ͟c͟a͟r͟t͟i͟u͟z͟i͟•͟

XVIII

RUNNING OUT OF TIME -Tyler, The Creator

SYMERE:

THE NEXT MORNING:

Lithia Springs High School: Mableton, Georgia

Tuesday night had been rough. I didn't have a mental breakdown or anything, but my teachers had just decided to load up on homework for the night. That coupled with the fact that almost all of my attention was directed towards Friday's homecoming game, Monty, or those who I considered myself to be friends with, made everything outside of my view fade out of importance, including my academic work. Getting back into that mindset was far from easy.

I pulled up to school on Wednesday morning feeling exhausted, yet eager for the day. I don't know, maybe I was just excited to see that Amala and Summer were back from Nashville, or maybe I just wanted to see Rakim or Monty or Sheyaa or Miles, but I was definitely motivated, without a doubt. I left the Acura within its usual parking spot, and walked through the parking lot towards the courtyard. The one thing I noticed was that literally everyone was glued to their phones, and when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Even Rakim, alongside Amala, was glued to his phone.

I approached the group, who all were continually glued to their phones, and shouted, "Looking up for once might be good for y'all!" Rakim looked up and rushed towards me.

"Symere, did you see what got posted?" he shouted. A rush of adrenaline shot through me, as I had no idea what Rakim was referring to; I sure as hell hoped it wasn't anything about me. "No, why; is it bad?" I replied.

Rakim nearly shoved me his phone, and I was relieved to see a simple TikTok video made by Willow, which was never too big of a deal. "So? She's blown up on TikTok like a million times, Rakim." I replied, confused.

"No," Rakim said, pointing towards the screen, "keep watching." My eyes drifted back towards Rakim's phone. Willow wasn't doing some dance to some really popular song, but rather she was pointing towards pieces of text pasted throughout her video. They read in order:

"There has been something that TikTok must know about me..."

"...But I haven't had the courage to do it until recently..."

"...Though many idolize me because of the way I look..."

"...And any believe that I have not yet found love..."

"...I am here to debunk that..."

Willow looked to someone that wasn't visible on the screen, and motioned for them to step within frame. The person who came into frame was likely that last person that not only myself, but many people expected to step into frame. It was polarizing, in both good and shocking ways. There, in that singular video, stepped into frame my ex-girlfriend, Robin Fenty.

When I say that my jaw dropped, I am not giving figurative meaning towards it. In the matter of nearly two seconds, the two most popular girls at Lithia Springs had come out, together. They could do it, and they did. I looked up towards Rakim, and mouthed the words: "My ex?". He pointed back down towards the screen, like he wanted me to see more.

Willow and Robin hugged each other tightly, which was something they did often in public, but with the new circumstances, seemed entirely different. And there, once more, they did something that shocked everyone. Right there, in front of the camera, the two most popular girls in school kissed one another, and actually meant it. I couldn't help but smile at the fact that they were able to finally be happy and let the world how they felt. I opened the comments section to see comments from both people I did know and complete strangers, complimenting them, and congratulating them on the publicity of their relationship.