“Are we almost there?” Paul complained for what felt like the millionth time from the backseat of the van, squished between Michelle and Lisa.
“Stop complaining, Paul!” Leonardo warned from the driver’s seat. His family had just immigrated to Canada from a small town in Italy four years ago, at the start of his college career. He had just got his official driver’s license, and he wanted to take his friends on a post-college graduation road trip to Niagara Falls. “If I hear you whine again, I’ll kick you and your ugly blue socks out of my van!”
Leo received a bout of laughter from the backseat. He looked to his right and made eye contact with his girlfriend, Maria, who gave him a genuine smile and twirled a piece of hair that was loose from her bun around her finger.
“I don’t understand why you guys think my socks are weird!” Paul huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, allowing his shaggy hair to fall into his face.
“Nothing is wrong with blue socks!” said Michelle, who always looked like she just stepped out of Vogue magazine. “But wearing bright blue socks with open-toed sandals and dress pants is not OK!”
“Remember, not everyone can major in fashion design, you know.” Lisa remarked. She was more about numbers and equations than art and fashion.
“Well, I majored in and graduated highest in my class!” Michelle corrected. She was always the one correcting, and Paul was always the one making foolish mistakes that got them all in trouble. That was probably why the gang wanted them to get together so bad. Michelle was prestigious and respectful, and Paul was easygoing and rebellious. But as many people say, opposites attract.
“Can you believe we all graduated college?” said Kevin, who was sitting beside Dean in the farthest backseat of the van. “Now we really need to get serious jobs, or we’re going to seem lazy. We’re basically half way done all the milestones in our lives. After this, we make a family, retire, and get old.”
Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes. “Way to ruin the mood, man!” said Dean, punching Kevin’s shoulder.
“Yeah!” Maria agreed. Kevin was always the realistic one, planning way in advance and never using his imagination. Lucky for them, she was the dreamer. “And that’s not just going to be our life. Kevin and Lisa are going to get rich finding the cure to cancer, Paul’s going to be a drummer in a band and tour the world, Michelle’s going to be editor of Vogue and Dean’s going to own his own restaurant. Then, Leo and I are going to own a little apartment in Italy and eat bread for every meal! Now that we graduated, the world is our oyster.”
Everyone in the van laughed at the thought. “This is why I like Maria better than Kevin.” Dean joked.
“We’re here!” Leo announced. The gang cheered and hollered as he pulled into the parking lot across from the waterfalls. Everyone jumped out of the van, eager to stretch their legs and move around, and then rushed to see the magnificent view.
They all leaned against the railing, taking in the scene of blue water washing over stones and flowing aimlessly down the waterfall, crashing into the ground below. They didn’t say it, but every one of them had the same feeling—like they were on top of the world.
“I hope we don’t lose each other now that school’s done.” Michelle said, quietly.
“Why would that happen?” asked Dean, his forehead furrowed.
“We’re all growing up and changing. What if we grow away from each other?”
“We’ve been friends since kindergarten. Except for Leo, but it feels like he’s been with us forever.” Lisa said, and everyone nodded in agreement. “Think of how much we’ve changed in the last 18 years. If we can make it through that, we can make it through anything.”
The rest of the group smiled and nodded, thankful that they had Lisa to reassure them.
“Excuse me!” Leo yelled. He was ushering to a woman in a yellow pantsuit taking pictures of the waterfall on the new Polaroid camera. “Can you come take a picture of us?” The woman smiled and walked over as the gang positioned themselves. Kevin, Dean, and Paul in the front row, while Lisa, Michelle, Maria, and Leo stood behind them, Niagara Falls raging in the background.
“Say ‘Summer of 1972!’” Paul exclaimed. The group struggled as they attempted to say the sentence simultaneously, but failed. They ended up laughing, their voices drowning out the rush of the waterfall.
Click.
—By Brianna C., 15, Toronto