by Melanie Palacio (Fiction Editor)
Nostalgia filled the air between their fingertips; so did their memories. Soon enough, those connections would all be snipped away and the three of them would venture down their separate paths in different parts of the country. It didn’t strike them that they were splitting up until today as they sat around the firepit in Elias’ backyard. The small blaze had been the center of their attention since they came outside; their parents thought it would be a bright idea to have a going-away dinner for them to commemorate their achievements, but more importantly, to send them off into the “real world.”
The trio had their own reservations about college life, most of which they haven’t shared with each other aside from the fear of being apart. What Elias and Kendall didn’t know was Saige no longer wanted to move to California; while she was proud of herself for it, she came to realize it wasn’t what she wanted, but what her parents wanted. They both graduated from prestigious universities and instilled those ideas into Saige’s head, and while summer would give her the time she needed to rethink her priorities, it might be a little too late. Tomorrow, she would be at the airport and the next chapter of her life would start writing itself, almost against her will, but for the sake of her future, and her parents’ approval, she kept her apprehensions to herself.
One of the things Kendall was dreading most was flying to Houston without telling Elias how she felt about him; after being introduced to him by Saige in ninth grade, they became fast friends and spent countless nights together. Not even Saige knew about their bond, but as of tomorrow at 8 a.m. when they would split from each other at the airport, they would no longer be able to make any of these confessions out loud. Even in thought, they struggle making these confessions to themselves.
Elias wasn’t any better. While he always planned on staying in New York and moving to the city, his reasons for doing so have changed; he wanted to explore and embark on a journey of self-discovery instead of pursuing a business degree. No matter how many times he convinced Saige and Kendall he was going to do just that, he couldn’t convince himself. He wanted to retract his commitment, move into a studio apartment, and discover a new coffee shop, but even he knew it was unrealistic.
“So...tonight’s our last night,” Saige says, breaking the silence as well as her friends’ empty stares into the fire. “Are you guys ready?”
Elias smiled at Saige in response; he turned toward Kendall, who had her knees pulled to her chest and her neck craned up at the tiny flecks of light that were scattered across the drape of the sky. She could feel Elias’ eyes on her but she didn’t dare look over to him. Even though she wouldn’t see him for several months, she had a feeling she would grow even closer to him. She also made a pact with both of her best friends to keep in touch, but she especially wanted to stay connected to Elias—not just because she had feelings for him, but because he had become her rock. She was almost certain she wouldn’t find another Elias in Houston, or another Saige, but she remembered she wouldn’t have to because the three of them would always find their way back together.
As for Elias, he leaned back on his palms and looked up at the sky that now glittered with the light of the stars above them. He felt like he could see himself, Saige, and Kendall in those stars—how they followed each other through the dark without a care because the most important thing was that they were together. He wished they would follow him to New York City so they wouldn’t be apart, but he knew as well as they did that it couldn’t happen right now. No matter how far apart they were, and no matter how much they kept it to themselves, the truth was that they would always be friends—they would always be family. Someday in the future, when the cosmic tides turned, they would reunite again just like the moon, stars, and night.
Melanie Palacio is an aspiring writer from Las Cruces, New Mexico hoping to find her way in the world of publishing and authorship. She is currently majoring in Creative Writing at New Mexico State University and hopes to graduate with her Bachelor's this spring. During her free time you can catch her reading, composing various drafts of stories and poems, or taking naps with her dog.
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