January 19th, 2018

The cafeteria, usually filled with roaring noise, was in its post-school silence. The last stragglers had either boarded the buses or fled for the parking lot.

We had claimed a long table by the far windows, the ones that looked out over the snow-buried football field. The light outside was already beginning to fade, casting shadows across the white expanse.

Makaylah was leaning into me, her head resting on my shoulder. Eliana was drawing little hearts in the margins of her paper with a purple pen, and Alex was trying to see if he could balance a plastic fork on his nose. Faith was talking to Sean, which the four of us pointedly ignoring.

I looked at Alex. "The fork is not going to balance, Alex."

"It will if I just... believe," Alex said, his eyes crossed as he stared at the fork. It tipped over, clattering onto the table. "Damn."

"Told you," I said.

Eliana leaned into Alex's space, her hair brushing against his arm. "You need better posture. You're all slumped over."

She put her hands on his shoulders, pushing them back. "Sit up straight."

Alex let her manhandle him, a goofy grin on his face.

"There," Eliana said, stepping back to admire her work. "Now you look like a real boy."

"I am a real boy," Alex said, puffing out his chest.

"I know," Eliana said, her voice soft.

I watched them, a small smile on my face. It was nice to see Alex like this.

"You guys finish your uni applications?" Faith asked to the table. The question was pointedly directed at Makaylah.

Makaylah lifted her head from my shoulder. "I sent mine off yesterday."

"Where'd you apply?" Alex asked.

"UBC, SFU, UFV, UVic, and a few schools in the States," she said.

"Whoa," Alex said. "That's a lot."

"I like to keep my options open," Makaylah said with a shrug.

"Did you apply to film school, Eliana?" Faith asked.

Eliana lit up. "I did! I applied to the Vancouver Film School, Ryerson, and Concordia. I also sent a portfolio to NYU and USC."

"What about you, Raj?" Faith asked.

"Me?" I asked. "I'm just going to stay here and work at the pizza place forever. It's my dream."

Makaylah elbowed me in the ribs. "Don't listen to him," she said. "He's applied to UBC, SFU, and UVic for computer science."

"Computer science," Faith said, raising her eyebrows. "You're going to be a nerd for the rest of your life."

"It's a good living," I said.

"It's boring," Faith said.

"Says the girl who wants to be a nurse," I shot back.

"Nursing is not boring," Faith said.

"You just want to wear the cute little scrubs," Makaylah teased.

"They are cute," Faith said, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"What about you, Alex?" Eliana asked, turning her attention back to him.

"Me?" Alex said. "I'm gonna be a professional skater."

Eliana rolled her eyes. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am," Alex said.

"What's your backup plan?" Eliana asked.

"My backup plan is to marry rich," Alex said.

Eliana laughed. "Good luck with that."

"What about you, Sean?" Faith asked, her voice a little too high.

Sean, who had been silent up until this point, looked up from his phone. "What?"

"Where are you applying for university?" Faith asked.

"I'm not," Sean said.

"You're not?" Faith asked, her eyes wide.

"Nope," Sean said. "I'm going to work for my dad."

"What does your dad do?" Makaylah asked.

"He's a carpenter," Sean said.

"You want to be a carpenter?" I asked.

"It's a good job," Sean said. "It's honest work."

"Yeah," Alex said. "Plus, you get to work with power tools. That's cool."

"Super cool," I said.

"So, you're all just going to stay here?" Faith asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

"Someone's gotta keep this town running," I said.

"I'm getting out of here as soon as I can," Faith said.

"We know," Makaylah said.

"You say that every year," I added.

"I'm going to get into a school in Toronto," Faith said.

"Toronto," Sean repeated, a small smile playing on his lips. "That's a long way from here."

"It is," Faith said, her gaze meeting his.

They held eye contact for a beat. The rest of us looked away, pretending to be very interested in our own things. The silence stretched.

"Alright," Makaylah said, breaking the tension. "This has been fun, but I have to go. I have a date with my physics textbook."

"I'll walk you out," I said, pushing my chair back.

We walked out of the cafeteria and into the main hallway. The lights were dim, and the school was eerily quiet.

"So," I said, my voice echoing in the empty space. "That was... tense."

"I know," Makaylah said. "I thought Faith was going to explode."

"She's got it bad," I said.

"She does," Makaylah agreed. "It's kind of cute."

"It's kind of pathetic," I said.

"No, it's not," Makaylah said, elbowing me. "It's sweet."

"Whatever you say," I said.

We reached her locker. She spun the combination and pulled the door open. She started pulling books out of her locker and into her bag.

I leaned against the locker that was next to hers. "Need some help studying?"

"Are you offering to help me study or are you offering to distract me while I try to study?" she asked, not looking at me.

"A little bit of both," I admitted.

She laughed. "I thought so." She zipped her bag up and slung it over her shoulder. She shut her locker and turned to me. "I really need to study," she said, her voice soft.

I let out a small sigh. "Alright, I'm not gonna force it," I said, holding my hands up. "But you owe me a kiss."

She leaned in and pressed her lips against mine, a soft, quick kiss. "There," she said, pulling away.

I grabbed her wrist, pulling her back into me. "That's not a kiss," I said. Her eyes were locked onto mine, quickly dashing to my lips and back. Our breaths were warm against each other. My other hand went to her waist. I could feel her breath hitch. I leaned in slowly, giving her a chance to pull away. She didn't. I closed the distance, my lips meeting hers.

The kiss started softly, a gentle press of lips. I felt her lean into me, her free hand coming up to rest on my chest. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, my tongue tracing her lower lip. She opened up to me, her tongue meeting mine. My hand tightened on her waist, pulling her flush against me. Her other arm wrapped around my neck, her fingers tangling in my hair.

We broke apart, both of us breathing a little harder.

"Okay," she said, her voice a little breathless. "Now that's a kiss."

"Told you," I said, my thumb stroking her side.

She pulled away, a small smile playing on her lips. "I have to go," she said.

"I know," I said.

She turned and walked down the hall.

I stood there for a moment, watching her go. I could still feel the warmth of her lips on mine.