kid krow (a collection of short stories)

Comfort Crowd

Everyone was loud. Well for the record, everyone is loud every single day. Laughs and screams blended together to create a sound echoing around the room. I bet some neighboring classrooms are cursing us by now.

It was the last day of classes. The last day we're going to spend as tenth grade students. The last day we're going to spend as classmates. The four years we have spent together wasn't exactly all rainbows for we also had our fair share of moments in the rain. But nonetheless, with the best people beside me, I felt like we could conquer exactly anything that comes in our way.

I made my way outside the door and sat in a monobloc chair just by the window. I'm outside and yet it's never enough to drown out the sounds of their laughters slowly creating a hole inside my chest.

"Hey." I looked up to see Amy dragging a monobloc chair behind her and settled to sit beside me.

"Hey," I said, facing her.

"What are you doing out here?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. Besides, everyone's just loud."

She laughed. "Yeah, you're right."

A moment of silence passed. Neither of us was courageous enough to open up a conversation. Well, maybe I can be. Maybe I can be courageous.

"I'm going to miss you all," I confessed, staring out into the unknown.

I heard her laugh beside me. "We're still going to see each other. We're in the same campus. I mean, it's not that big."

"But it's never going to be the same," I said, sighing.

"Yeah, you're right."

I hate that we are now facing reality and we're now chasing our dreams, ready to get away from the comfort crowd we have relied on for years.

"What are you guys doing outside? They managed to get a guitar. It's jamming sessions! Get inside!" Cedric called us.

Amy laughed and took my hand, pulling me up with her. "We're coming."

I had no choice but to tag along behind her as we made our way back inside the classroom.

Everyone was seated at the center while Ian, the class musician, was holding a guitar. Amy and I squished ourselves in the vacant spaces and waited for Ian to strum the guitar and play the first note so we can all sing along.

If you ever find yourself
stuck in the middle of the sea,
I'll sail the world to find you.
If you ever find yourself
lost in the dark and you can't see,
I'll be the light to guide you.

Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need...

You can count on me like
One, two, three.
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you
Like four, three, two
You'll be there.

Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah.

Ooh. Ooh. Yeah. Yeah.

The four years I have spent with these people was something I couldn't put into words. It was something powerful yet the memories we made were quite ecstatic and will forever be tattoed in my heart.

High School will never be the same again without them but I also know that no distance or mountains or oceans that I'll never cross just to get to my comfort crowd again.