Except Time

Chapter 5: Transitions and Reversal

A.N: Working on this one back to back with the last chapter. Happy holidays to everyone :)

Last chapter was huge, and this chapter is equally important. Some great things are coming up. Thanks for all of the great words so far, it's really been motivating me to keep writing. Enjoy!

The day after graduation, there was only one thing on our mind.

"This party is going to be the biggest one that's ever happened!", exclaimed Katie as we rode our bikes down the path.

I didn't even have the breath to respond as we rode up a steep hill. We were headed for a spot that Katie swore 'was the best thing she'd every seen'. Given that she said this about literally everything, Chris told me she'd once said that about a fast healing paper cut, our expectations were definitely low.

But nothing prepared us for the gorgeous vista that spread out in front of us. Sloping hills led the way down to the valley, with a stream running straight through it. I saw our town, the town where I'd grown up and learned so much about myself. The parking lot where I learned to ride a bike. Our old middle school. And now our old high school. I sighed a sigh of contentment as I relaxed with my best friends, all of us resting on our bikes. Life was good.

Katie broke us out of our reverie.

"We should pre-game!"

"Huh?", I said, turning to look at her.

She had a gleam in her eye. "There's gonna be alcohol at their party. But we should drink a little beforehand."

"Uh Katie girlie...you know that none of us can buy alcohol right?", said Jenna as Chris snickered beside her.

Katie swatted at Chris, "I know...but my brother can."

Jenna and I made eye contact, and I said what we were both thinking.

"But none of us has ever drank before."

We knew that the high school parties were always crazy, but we'd never felt like going. We preferred spending the weekend gaming or watching movies together, rather than get black out drunk and pass out somewhere.

But now we had just graduated high school. Soon we would be college students. We had to celebrate somehow.

"Exactly! That's why we should drink together for the first time!", said Katie excitedly, her eyes practically bugging out.

I wasn't so sure about the idea, but Katie's energy was hard to disagree with, so Jenna, Chris, and I all promised that we would.

"7PM tomorrow! You all come over to my place ok?"

"Deal!"

***

Later that day I sat in my room staring at my phone. Pari's contact was up on the screen. I wanted to tell her right then. That it wasn't fair to her. I didn't feel like it was right. So we needed to end it. The only problem was that I had no idea how to say it.

I had run through multiple scenarios in my head, from 'It's not you it's me', to a text message telling her that I wanted to break up, to 'I'm not in the right headspace for a relationship right now'.

All scenarios resulted in the same thing, some sort of bodily harm befalling me.

I sighed and buried my face in my pillow. This was not going to go well.

I heard the door creak open and I looked up, expecting to see Holly coming over to slap me or something.

I was surprised to see Posy, so I quickly sat up, "Hey Pose...what's up?"