I don't do relationships.

Part 1

It was a late summer afternoon when Danny entered the campus site for the last time in her life. A light wind went through her dark blonde, long hair. She stopped for a moment, standing in front of the modern-looking building. The large stained glass windows reflected the amount of people around her who were involved in lively conversations and on their way to the large auditorium. She had never spent much time getting involved in the study community. She kept her circle of friends rather small. Especially because it was often difficult for her to take the role as a "good friend" who inquires about the well-being of others at regular intervals and arranged to comply with lunch dates. She looked around again, at the crowd of people  who were all moving in the same direction like externally controlled figures.

A female voice and an arm placed from the side around her shoulder tore her out of her thoughts. She looked in the direction from which the voice came from and looked into the familiar face of her oldest and closest friend, Beth.

"Hey",  Danny said.

"What are you doing out here?"  Beth asked, "The award ceremony starts in 5 minutes"

The two had already met before their studies. Beth had come to Danny's class during the last year of high school. The other students had known each other for half an eternity and were not interested in including a "new one" in their groups. Danny, on the other hand, who never made much of the company of many people, was the only one who talked to Beth and led her around school.

Beth never minced her words, neither in front of the other students, the teachers or Danny. She always said straight out what she thought.

I'd rather listen to someone's real, honest opinion than a false smile and back-back blasphemy, she had once said when a guy from the parallel class laughed at her at the time because of her, as he called it, old-fashioned top.

Danny found this attitude remarkable. They have been almost inseparable since then. Their joy was all the greater when they both got their commitment for the same university after graduation. Danny for marketing management and Beth for psychology.

Now, 5 years and a bachelor and masters degree later, the two were about to attend their final ceremony. Beth pulled Danny with her into the crowd of people, into the university building.

Almost all seats were already taken as the two squeezed at the edge of the room, looking in the direction of a built-up stage on which the university chairman had already begun his speech.

Danny lost interest in listening to the speech after just a few minutes.

"Where are we going tonight?" , she asked Beth.

"I told Lukas and the others that we would meet at Zoom tonight."

"Sounds good" ,Danny said, " I can't wait for all this to finally be over."

Beth gave her a smile and then paid her attention back to the ceremony, which took a whole 30 minutes, as Danny found, pointless, contentless talk.

Finally, the graduates were called up one by one. Beth was called a few places before Danny. When she received her certificate, she beamed all over her face and Danny could hardly resist an equally wide smile. She was proud of her best friend and when Beth looked in her direction, Danny cheered extra loudly. From the other side of the room sounded yet another loud cheer of applause and Danny's eyes wandered in this very direction. In the front third of the crowd sat Beth's family, her parents and her younger sister who had even stood up to cheer for Beth. Beth waved in their direction and then went off the stage. Danny's gaze was still on Beth's family for a moment, especially her little sister, who was no longer as small as Danny remembered her. She had to be around 18 by now. And Danny shook her head after the thought that was now going through her head, but damn it. Even from a distance she could see that she was incredibly pretty.