LOVELORN

39|Spring & Golden light

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IT WAS the first day of spring according to the calendar and also the warmest day of the year so far. Warm, however, was only 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Nonetheless, the group had been convinced by none other than Mai to take our first dip of the year.

We went to the lake that been frozen only weeks prior. The same one Mai and Caio had shown. The same one I'd ended up at after a rainy day run. I had an emotional attachment to it at this point.

The days had gotten progressively brighter. I hadn't realized how much I'd been sun-deprived until we started getting more hours of it. It was doing wonders for my mood.

"Shit, this really is a pretty lake," Mara said in awe as we got closer, hand in Silas'. Cute fuckers.

The grass was now covered in early spring flowers. While the trees were still relatively empty of leaves, some had started to grow. The sun was up high, leaving the lake glistening.

Spring break was only days away and the fact that college decisions had started to slowly roll out settled like a ball of dread in my stomach. I was excited for the break since it meant Adya would be visiting, but the future was too impending. I wasn't sure where I would be heading. I had no clue what I wanted to do. So far, I'd gotten back one rejection letter and a waitlist. Considering I still had a dozen more college letters to come, it didn't mean I would be rejected from every school, but the fear was difficult to eradicate. It didn't help that my brother had secured his position months ago.

My parents had been furious at me when they saw the letters. Not only were they not prestigious colleges, but I'd also not been accepted. It was the most emotion I'd gotten from them since my birthday nearly two months ago, yay!

"Guys, I have something to announce!" Mai spoke when we'd reached the dock, sounding giddier than ever. She was hardly able to contain a massive grin, her face was bursting with it. "I got into my first choice art college, I found out yesterday!"

The reaction was immediate, we all congratulated her and bombarded her with hugs. I was overjoyed for her, but I couldn't help the nagging jealousy that she knew what she wanted to do and I had no clue. Why did growing up have to be so fucking hard?

"Last one in the water is a loser!" Mai yelled after we'd calmed down and immediately started to take off her clothes, swim clothes on underneath.

My competitive side took over promptly and I followed suit, scrambling to remove my clothes and diving into the water. Mai had gotten stuck in one of her items of clothing and I'd managed to dive in before she was done.

"I didn't know we were back in middle school!" Caio yelled as Mai cannonballed into the water. However, he still ended up being the third person to make it in. After that, it was Silas, then Zora, and lastly, Mara who treaded a bit more carefully into the water, wincing at the coldness of it.

"Fuck, it's freezing," Zora complained, shivering.

"That's the thrill of it," Mai said, beaming.

I slid my swim goggles over my eyes and dove underneath the water, the voices from above immediately becoming muffled. I swam a few feet away from the others and tried to make it as far down as I could, exploring the depths of the lake. It was far deeper than I would have thought, so I had to return for air eventually.