Making our Future in History

Day one hundred and seventy-eight: Lunch

     "It's our last day of school." Kyle said, "finally, and our rehearsal is tomorrow. We graduate on Friday. Thank God."
     "Kyle, you still have to come to summer school." I said, "remember failing math?"
     "Nope, because I didn't fail. She bumped my grade up at the last second. I'm graduating with everyone else."
     "Lucky you."
"Yeah, it really is lucky me. I really would not have liked summer school."
"Yeah, and you being in summer school would not have been good for me." Kendal said.
     "Yep, because it's all about you, Kendal."
     "Of course it's all about me. I'm the girlfriend."
     "Okay, enough of that." I said, "congratulations, Kyle, on passing math."
     "Thank you, Kate."
The rest of lunch went by like normal. Kendal and Kyle would talk with their thousands of inside jokes and I would sit there and laugh at Kyle who would randomly start trying to impress Kendal with is skills of being able to catch chips in his mouth. It was the most normal lunch so far this year. Too bad it was the last.
*****
"Ready for tomorrow?"
I looked up at Mr. Hanes.
"As I'll ever be."
"What happened to the girl that couldn't wait to graduate, go to college, study veterinary medicine, then go wherever the world decided to take her?" He asked, "where did that girl go?"
"She's still here. It's just that I'm nervous. What if I trip up the stairs or something? Or if I get to college and flunk out or something like that? I have no back-up plan."
"Kate, look at me."
I looked into his brown eyes.
     "It's just graduation. You have to do it two more times after this. You will be fine in college, and as for tripping up the stairs, well, I'll be there with a video camera."
     "Thanks, Mr. Hanes."
     "What are... I don't know what we are."
     I laughed.
     "You're my teacher."
     "For less than two days."
     "True, and I'm happy about it." I said, "well, not about you no longer being my teacher on Friday, but I am happy about only having two days left."
      "Don't worry, I get it, and you should be happy."
     I smiled up at him and then I walked over to one of his windows. I looked down over the empty cafeteria. It was a fun four years, but now it was time to move on.