High School Memories

The cherry blossoms littered the school, covering the graduating students. Cyrus walked around to the school's entrance; his parents were unable to make it today even though they insisted he get a haircut (that was too short) for the occasion. Linda had even laughed about it when she saw him that morning.

He wandered about, searching for the girl while tapping his diploma on his shoulder. They had been dating for a few weeks into their second year after being desk mates for a majority of the first. It was odd for the quiet Cyrus to have a girlfriend as friendly as Linda, but it had worked during the school terms. His question now was where exactly would be her next school be and if they would still be dating.

He found her under the school's tree, surrounded by three other girls while their parents took pictures. Cyrus waited off to the side so as not to bother anyone as he watched. Linda noticed him, though, and waved him over, with Cyrus obliging her request. Her parents were giving her hugs when he approached.

"Cyrus, congratulations on graduating," announced her father. He tried to bring the tall boy in for a hug, but Cyrus was already a few inches taller than Linda's father.

"Thank you, sir."

"Do you have any plans for what you are going to do now that you have graduated?"

"My parents offered me work at their shop, so I'll go there, sir."

"Good man." Her father patted his arm once before letting go and returning to his wife, who was looking around.

"Are your parents here?"

"No, they had to work today, ma'am."

"Oh, what a shame. I would have liked to meet them."

Cyrus forced a smile. His parents were always working, so it wasn't the least bit surprising that they couldn't come.

"They should have at least come to see you graduate. It's a big day after all," said Linda’s father.

"My parents don't take vacations. It's a family-run shop, so as long as I can remember, they haven’t taken days off."

"I hope this means that you won't be too busy for our girl."

"Papa, I'm going to be busy with school anyway, so it's fine," said Linda.

Cyrus knew she was planning to continue school after graduation. Where she was going to school he couldn't remember.

"I know, I know." Her father looked around, noticing Linda's mother had run off somewhere. From what Cyrus could see, she was talking with other parents a bit away.

"Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to find my wife."

With a nod, he left the two alone standing under the tree, the Sakura blooms waving around.

"Is university that much harder than high school," asked Cyrus, as Linda laughed.

"I wouldn't know until I get there, but they say the nursing program at JNU is pretty competitive."

Right, she was doing nursing. Now, where was JNU?

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"Forgot what?"

"I'm taking the bullet train to JNU this weekend to start the nursing program. My dream school?"

Cyrus squinted his eyes, trying to remember.

"I'm moving to a flat near JNU, and I won't be back for a while because I'll be focusing on school."

Was she leaving him? He didn't remember talking about this.

"I could come to visit you," he offered.

"You would be willing to spend that kind of money on the bullet train?"

Cyrus would have answered yes when he remembered that he didn't have that kind of money.

"Once I save up," he noted.

"It's fine. I'm going to be busy studying, and your parents are going to keep you busy with work."

Linda grabbed his hands, so they faced each other.

"It's going to be hard, but once I graduate, it will be worth it," she assured him.

Cyrus nodded, squeezing her hands.

"Linda, dear, you ready?" asked her mother. Linda's parents headed towards the entrance.

"I'll write you when I can," she offered, squeezing his hands. She looked down at his lips, before thinking better of it, then ran off to join her parents.

Did she want to kiss him? It would have been a first and strange, considering she just broke up with him. He looked down at the Sakura petals trampled on the ground, shrugging off the disappointment as he left the school.

---

"And that's how we broke up," announced Cyrus.

Leigha and Anita were sitting in the breakroom, listening to Cyrus recount his story.

"Oh come on, there had to have been more sexual tension than that. No kiss, no warm hug, no tears, no begging to follow her to the end of the earth," asked Leigha?

Cyrus gave her a bewildered look. "What are you reading to get those weird ideas?"

Leigha instead looked away, failing at whistling.

"You're an idiot," commented Shasta before returning to the kitchen. The three in the breakroom were surprised to see the others listening at the doorway.

"What are you doing there?" he snapped.

"It's almost closing time," informed Miles. The three looked to the clock hanging over the whiteboard.

"So it is. Good work today, everyone." Cyrus stood up, taking his coat from his office as he left. When the door shut, Sierra burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Leigha, looking to everyone. All seemed somewhat depressed.

"Linda now works next door at the hospital."

"Oh, must be hard seeing his ex-girlfriend when she comes by?"

Miles' hair twitched in frustration as he marched to the boys’ changing room. Sierra's laughter continued even harder. Ramona rushed to the girls’ changing room, keeping her eyes down. Anita's breathing was odd.

Oliver smiled at Leigha. "Linda still thinks they are dating."

Leigha stared at Oliver and then stared at the table, recounting the story Cyrus had told. She then fell back off her chair in laughter at the situation.