Until we meet again next time. It really felt like the 3 years we spent together were just a week... We'll be there again, yeah? You guys are going to be there, right?

I said to them with an awkward and crooked smile, which they looked at me teary-eyed, with shivering closed mouth and I wasn't expecting them to put on an emotional stature in front of me albeit the three of us together at that, still I composed my expression to just a masked glee while crying inside and wanting to cry out to them but only held it in.

As the sun finally shows its light to us three on the back of the tennis court,  we sat on our semi-circled bench on the last day of our school year, readying ourselves to depart, it is a surprise that the sun's ray isn't that hot today it is as if the weather is saying "We're going to behave so you guys can have a talk outside while the sun is out". Well, I am glad for it though.

That's already a given, Les. We're still young and yet you're saying it like we ain't going to see each other again, we are not even in college yet!

Vince sighed and apologized for shouting. I'm fine to answer it with just a 'Heck yeah' but you really shouldn't have said that in front of Anne... both of you are the only people I know that have a heart as soft as cotton that easily cries and could get easily hurt your feelings. 

I followed up with and could get angry easily, stressed from overthinking . . . Yes.

Vince rolled his eyes, then he said

Yeah, but still you're unreadable on the outside unless you talked, and that's the only way we'll know if you're angry or stressed bruh.

At that thought, Vince and I looked at Anne who is staring upward at us while her head is down which to my expectation saw and heard her giggled to what I added upon what Vince was saying, but her expression changed, and just looked down at her hands she must've remembered at to what I first said, it made me want to kill myself for making her look like an abandoned girl which made me feel terrible. Finally, she spoke.

Y-you know I'll always be there if needed, Les. I mean, why wouldn't I be.

She said with a look that of a little girl who had her candies stolen.

Again, me wanting to kill myself is still in order, but I just sighed and said I'm sorry for putting it like that, guys. Let me rephrase that. We are going to be there, there will be no excuse.

I finally grin, my awkward crescent mouth is now back on my face, we looked at Anne who I hope is not pouting on to what I said, and to my surprise, her smile is like a precious treasure for a dad who just got praised by her daughter for being a great dad. T~T

Alright, now see that is the expression I want her to make when we depart~  Vince said out slapping my back with glee like he really wants to put what he said deep down in my system, at this point I'm like the father figure and he's the freaking brother to her. -_-

But putting into a count on how many times he and I had hung out on any public internet cafes within our radar of budget, we usually just play any FPS (First-Person Shooter) games we gain interest in, the dude is basically my bro-bro even though he looks like a hobo on the run, (A hobo that has an Asian charm on him; I may have roasted him, but I'm just saying on how he looks to me on this moment, it's like he went to a dumpster and somersaulted on it) but hey at least he's studying automotive, perfect for his looks. And no he does not wear glasses.

I held back some tears of memories once more, not thinking I couldn't keep such emotions within, and on our departure at that! I still don't know how Anne will be alright now that we're not by her side whenever lunch breaks are in session or any time we aren't by her side. I mean, she is moving to a different city next to mine and so is Vince. Both of their separate cities are just two train rides away. (Reason, why they're moving away, is... their fucking jobs, which is reasonable.)

But Vince could take care of himself, sure he may be a few centimeters shorter than me (I'm 6'2 he's 5'10) and skinnier but the guy has legs, I don't mean to praise him though he is a track and field gold medalist and has pretty high grades on par with mine. I am most worried about our girl, Anne.

What if she couldn't find any friends she seems to hang out with?

What if she can't take stressful classes with anyone to remind her that she can just google them out or something?

Plus, she pouts and gets frustrated through the smallest things. I bet Vince has thought most of what crossed my mind, but Vince is like a carefree dude who just let them be free, who only freaking thinks about half of the things that will happen to them. This is madness! (I said "them" because he is also like that to her sisters)

Anne probably saw my worried expression when I looked at her for too long because what she said after is

Les, I am not the kid you once have known back then. I've grown you think you two are the only ones who are worried? What about you, Les? Who will stop the fight you always get yourself into? 

Fair play, Anne fair play although I had a lot of fights back then but never have I ever started all of those. There is this recent event that occurred to me where I was just minding my own business on a roofed-waiting shed that has four benched on either side next to our lovely basketball court that yearns excitement, but that did not feel the case when two jerks that have been aggressively intimidating me for a couple of months, are sitting like Slavic gangster under a tree next to the court perched right on the one end of the basket poll.

They were transfer students who aren't too keen on my collective habit and my quiet-unapproachable-like appearance. I wasn't sitting on either side; I was just standing, had my back against the pillar of the roofed-waiting shed, and my bag resting on a bench near my left rear and waiting for the other two. (They had club activities to attend to.)

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The fun part is when I throw my right arm quickly into the air for some sort of greetings to them since they were staring at me intently, but hey two clowns are now approaching me probably because they misunderstood my regards of saying hello. (P.S. My face had a sarcastic smile at the time)

Now here is a guessing game~

As a guy who got the 10th degree in judo, armed with taekwondo, and practice mix-martial arts that include karate—for fun—plus experienced versus two Russians, who are as tall as me, that only knows street brawl, apparently. I know they only know that much because I saw them fought a freshman, fam. Like Will Ferrell & John Reilly kind of duo street brawl fighting but with more slav into it.

The answer is pretty obvious :) And they appeared to have no weapons at the time when I fought them, so I made out alive and just knocked them out.

Well Anne broke my recollection that time and had this to add up

Remember when you almost broke the other student's neck in the other class just because our class president got repeatedly blame for not doing his job right? And yes you never start any of the fights you've been in but my point still stands I can take care of myself and plus I could just text the two of you on our group chat if something came up.

The first part had me irritated and made my blood run just by remembering our role model class president got stressed out too much on the work that was piled upon him and so I only said to Anne with my usual steeled look.

That "other student" you mentioned dig his index finger on our president's fucking chest. So I let him finished what he is saying to Riley—our president—before I step in, shut him up and throwback on what he said to Riley and that is when I shove him off and smoothly went behind to give him a head-lock and almost breaking his . . . 

Alright, now that Anne is giving me the look of disappointment, she probably thinks I'm trying to stray away from her point. I only said 

We will be expecting that text from you if anything did put you in a bind.

I may get scared easily but the fact that I'll be with my parents is pretty safe to say that I'll be fine.

Right, her "real" parents who are mostly away from work, and here I am trying so hard to put a father figure to be a great friend just got me cringing now that I think about it.

She now has her arms loosely crossed in front of her chest as a sharp breeze grazed through our skin, as if on cue.

I got to stop being paranoid about negative things that may or may not happen to her. She is right on her being all grown now, though I might as well change the way I think about things.

But on the looks of it as off now, I'm looking at a sitting damsel who is living her life on whatever the world throws at this missy. The same goes for the one sitting on the armrest of the arched benched we're sitting on. His left leg is on the bench while his right is dangling near the leg of the bench.

Vince is an abstract minded person who sometimes thinks before doing something and not thinks before doing anything at all if that even made sense, don't get me wrong I don't mean like he does not care at all about his surroundings, he cares but it's just that. . . he is a reckless airhead in-terms of things other than mechanical.

I'll be leaving tomorrow with my parents. Said Anne, now with a smile on one side of her mouth

I know.

I said, while looking at the tree that is planted right beside our bench.

I went to your house when I'm retrieving the blender Mrs. Coatle—Anne's mother—borrowed from me.

Oh right. Mom said you visit two days ago to get the blender :3

Anne cheekily said.

Vince opens his mouth. Well, my family and I will leave the day after tomorrow, therefore—

Before Vince was about to finish his sentence, Anne and I interrupted with...We know, Vince. Then I carried out. You've been asserting that to us for the past few days now. Anne and I giggled at the thought when Vince kept saying his date of farewell to this city and us. He must be very excited to visit the city he grew up in I'm happy for him in that. We do care about his well-being to where he is going, but I'm glad he wasn't irritated and just laughed with us.

Hearing the tennis balls bounce from the tennis court behind me, helped me relax from any cynical thoughts. Even the wind became stronger than before.

Rather than underestimating and not trusting them that they couldn't take care of themselves, I'll just hope to them that better things will occur while we are apart from each other.

—Therefore, I can still be there by the time you take your trip, Anne is what I was about to say, HAHA. Vince continued his sentence. Now we should've let him finish earlier. Still pretty funny to let him know that he was saying it constantly even before.

Anne's eyes light up when she expects that two of her best friends will be there to see her off.

Yes! Dad said he wants to treat you guys to some restaurant or something for a parting gift and for being there every time for me he said~ hehe~.

Vince smiled widely at Anne and said. I sure do love a parting gift from Mr. Coatle, imagine if he even went ahead to treat us to a fancy restaurant.

It is so heartwarming for me that Anne can sound so chipper anytime she gives that everything-will-be-alright type of aura if it's the end of the world right now and she said something reassuring? Alright then, my innards are at ease. I will make sure to say my gratitude to Mr. Coatle for being thoroughly kind to both Vince and me when we meet him tomorrow.

Anne took her hair in both of her hands and placed it on her cheek, making it look like a scarf, playfully smiling from ear to ear, and now swaying on her seat. God, what an innocent child you blessed us to be friends with.

05:30 PM

Alarm

Snooze    ◯    Dismiss

I looked at my phone thinking if I should go to work at this moment I'm with my friends, surely I can just tell the manager that I'm with my friends. That is not so like me to avoid responsibility though.

Then Vince said, Duty calls, huh?

I sighed and said I'm afraid so.

We'll see each other tomorrow, Les, so don't worry about us. Go focus on your job.

Anne reassured

I'm still thinking about it if I would rather work or spend some more time with them.

. . . (silence)

I stand up in silence, without saying a word I walked to the middle in front of them to look at their faces, my shoulders relax, my mouth had a slight smile, they are now looking at me with confusion, thinking what I will say.

Thank you,

The last time I saw two people rushed at me were Russians, but now I'm glad I get to hug these friends of mine, Anne on the right tackled me with her shoulder dug onto my abdomen, I felt the pain but I didn't pay attention to it. Vince is on my left, his arm wrapped around my neck while his head down, probably because he doesn't want to be seen tearing up. Anne just let loose, wailing into my shirt, so I just kept patting her head.

I just laughed gently and breathe while crying. I guess my work can wait.