𝗚𝗢𝗧𝟳 𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝟭

graduation // final chapter book 1 <3

'Isn't that her?' Jinyoung said so calmly that all of them turned around to the direction that he was pointing.

Sure enough she was there, sheepishly making her way to them, book clutched to her chest, her mortarboard set nearly lopsidedly against her head as she huffed, catching up to them, navigating her way through the mass of students.

1st Person POV

'Sorry for the delay boys,' I huffed, leaning against the wall, trying to catch my breath.

'Where were you?' Jackson demanded to know as Mark helped adjust my mortarboard, kissing me once on the top of my head, still somehow making me blush despite the numerous times he does that, a form of habit.

'Stop harassing her,' he said protectively, wrapping possessive arms around me as I laughed.

'I went to go and get something,' I explained holding out the book that I was still holding like my life depended on it.

'What's so important that you nearly missed graduation?" Bam Bam asked curious as he tried to pluck the book from your arms which you held back from him like how a mother bear protected its cubs.

'Promise me you won't laugh?" I asked, looking at all of them squarely in the face, even Mark, all of whom nodded solemnly.

I took a deep breath, letting them see the book.

'I sort of wrote down, all my experience with you guys, in a book, it's sort of like a diary of how crazy fun we can be, of the things you helped me get through and of course,' I coughed, blushing a brighter red than I physically thought possible. 'Ummm for Mark,'

'Damn he gets like two whole stories to himself,' Bam Bam whistled as Mark looked down upon me affectionately, taking my hand.

'It's not my fault she likes me the most,' Mark grinned as the rest were pouring over the book.

'So why did you run all the way to get it?" Jinyoung asked, flipping through the pages of neatly written words, some were crazily scrawled, you had even stuck some polaroids onto the relating chapters.

'I mean since I'm graduating high school soon, and I started this book when I first entered it, it means a lot to me so I didn't want to just leave it,' I defended my choice.

'You're going to bring this with you to college?" JB questioned. 'Isn't it tiring? I don't know... to keep writing about us and this dumbass?" he punched Mark playfully.

'Well,' I bit my lip thinking. 'No not really, it makes me happy, documenting this stuff with you guys, it shows how far I've come with you 7 idiots,' I grinned as all of them ruffled your hair one by one.

Graduates, line up please.

The gruff voice of my head of Department called out my name into the microphone.

'That's you,' Mark said nudging you gently. 'I'll take care of this,' he plucked the book from Yugyeom's hands who was busy reading about a certain chapter of him, eyes travelling across the words at light speed.

'Thanks,' I tip-toed to kiss him on the cheek once before joining my fellow graduates.

As my principal pressed my leaving certificate in my hands, I couldn't help feel a pang of sadness at what I would leave behind, the chapters that I had written down for the 7 of them while in high school, the memories we made together, the laughs and the tears. But as I headed down from stage, engulfed in hugs from 7 of the most important people in my life, Mark clutching the book under one hand I realised that, with the 7 of them, I could do anything, be anything, imagine anything.

'Someone's finally graduated,' Mark teased wrapping an arm around you as the maknae line protested.

'Hey, leave some of Ash for us too!' they said congratulating you by way of playful punches.

'Couldn't have done it without you 7,' I grinned as one by one they embraced me.

JB with his eyes crinkled up in a smile.

Jinyoung with the smirk he had only when he was around the people he loved.

Jackson with his adorable puppy grin as he kept messing your hair while I protested.

Youngjae with his soft smile as he congratulated me.

Bam Bam who was busy taking videos and photographs of everything despite my shyness.

Yugyeom doing his mini celebratory victory dance for me

and finally

Mark who wasn't saying much, but keeping an arm constantly around me, comforting, warm, safe, like home.

I knew that as I looked at every single one of them, every single day, that with them, I could be whoever I wanted to be because of their silent support, so as I stepped out to tackle a brand new stage in life, I did it happily knowing that I would be closing this book about them and our experiences, but a whole new one with so many more possibilities would open.