Why? (Title may change)

Cheers to New Beginnings, I Guess

I stared out the window as my mother pulled into the school parking lot. It felt like the start of a shitty coming-of-age romcom, where the protagonist (who's always white and conventionally attractive, for some reason) stares out at their new school and the camera cuts to a few people walking in that will probably be plot-relevant later.

Of course, I was sitting on the wrong side of the car, so I had a great view of the parking lot instead of the school, and this also wasn't my first year at Westerburg High, but still. It's the thought that counts.

"Are you ready, chickpeas?" I looked at my mom.

"Please never call me that again," I said, rolling my eyes but smiling all the same.

"Okay, chickpea," Taylor said from next to me, fingers playing with her seatbelt. I scowled at her. Mom slammed on the brakes, launching me into the back of her chair. Taylor laughed.

"Great job." I peeled myself off of the chair and flipped her off, which only made her laugh harder.

"Abby," my mom said without turning around. I put my hand down.

"Sorry Mom," I muttered sheepishly. Taylor smiled cheekily as I glared at her. After a moment, I caved and started laughing with her.

"Alright here we are," Mom stopped the car in front of the school. "Go have fun."

"In this economy?" Taylor muttered. I snorted and unbuckled my seatbelt, sliding out of the car. She followed, and we both grabbed our backpacks from the trunk.

"Love you!" My mother called.

"Love you too," I said.

"I love you, Abby's mom!" Her grand declaration declared, Taylor slammed the trunk shut. Mom drove away and we walked to the front doors. I took a deep breath.

"Are you ready for senior year?" I asked Taylor.

"I'm ready for it to be over," I laughed a bit. Thirteen years of friendship, and Taylor's humor still hadn't changed. But where her words had once been lighthearted, now there was a tinge of bittersweet.

We'd met in kindergarten, when friendship meant you walked up to someone and said "You're my friend now." Back then, college seemed forever away, and we thought we'd stay close forever. But once this year was over, there were no guarantees. I'd go to some Ivy League School here in the states, and Taylor was headed for a school in France that had already offered her a spot. After this year, we wouldn't be as close as we were now. We would never again be as close as we were now. Despite Taylor's wishes (and, to be honest, some of mine) for high school to be over quickly, I wanted this year to be memorable. A grand farewell to a grand time.

"Abby," I blinked at Taylor's fingers in my face. She snapped a few times until I shoved her hand away. "Yo, hi, hello, are we gonna go in or just stare at the building and internally monologue to ourselves?" I snorted.

"Come on, let's go," I said. "I wanna get to class before someone takes our spots." Taylor nodded, and we walked in.

"What's the room number?" I asked. Taylor scrunched up her face in thought.

"One oh-something," She said. "One oh three, I think? It's Mrs Campbell, so whatever her room is." We had first period together this year, just like we had for every other year of high school. It was AP English, because of course our hardest class was first period, but it was still better with a friend.

Mrs Campbell's class was 109, not 103, but we still found it with minimal casualties. I searched the room before deciding that the second row was fine and sitting there. Taylor sat down next to me, hitting me with her backpack in the process.