The amusement park was loud in a way that felt almost unreal.
Like the world had suddenly turned into noise, colour, and motion.
And somehow—we were all scattered across it like lost puzzle pieces.
Liam and Emma had already disappeared.
"Buying something useful," Emma had said.
Which meant—
Absolutely not useful.
Probably matching keychains or snacks or something emotionally decorative.
They were somewhere laughing too loudly, acting like this wasn't our last big school chaos moment.
Mark and Luca had gone off earlier too.
"To find peace," Mark had said.
Which, knowing them, probably meant sitting somewhere quiet judging the rest of us from afar.
That left—
Me.
Ethan.
And the problem called "our entire group dynamic."
Nena and Jake were ahead of us somewhere.
Smug.
Too smug.
Holding hands like they had personally won life.
I refused to look directly at them.
Disgustingly cute.
I hated it.
And then there was Ethan.
Walking beside me.
Calm.
As usual.
Like nothing in the world could rush him.
I, on the other hand, was actively trying to look like I did not notice he existed.
It wasn't working.
"You're avoiding me," he said lightly.
I blinked.
"No I'm not."
"…You're walking at a very consistent two-step distance away from me."
"I like personal space."
He nodded slowly.
"…Sure."
We walked for a bit.
The sounds of rides screaming in the background.
People laughing.
Music blasting.
Everything too alive.
Eventually—
"I'm hungry," I said.
Not looking at him.
Just stating it.
Like it wasn't important.
He glanced at me.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
We ended up sitting with food.
Simple stuff.
Nothing fancy.
Just enough to make the noise in my stomach stop arguing with me.
He slid a drink toward me.
I took it.
"…Thanks."
"You're welcome."
We ate quietly for a bit.
Not awkward.
Just… easy.
Like we had done this before without noticing.
Then—
"You're enjoying yourself?" he asked.
I looked up.
Paused.
"…Yes."
Then added quickly—
"I mean—yeah. It's loud. But good loud."
He nodded.
"Good."
We talked after that.
Random things.
Stupid things.
Like how Luca would absolutely survive an apocalypse purely out of spite.
And how Nena would probably start one.
And how Jake would somehow be involved in both.
Ethan laughed quietly at that.
Not often.
But real.
Eventually—
"Let's go on something," I said.
He raised a brow.
"Something dangerous?"
I shrugged. "Something fun."
He nodded. "Okay."
We found a ride.
Big one.
Fast.
Too loud.
The kind that made you question your life choices mid-air.
Nena and Jake looked at it.
Then immediately stepped back.
"No," Nena said.
Jake nodded.
"No."
Respectfully excluded themselves from the concept of mortality.
Emma and Liam somehow reappeared—
Emma tying her blonde hair back into a ponytail while laughing.
Liam holding random snacks like a trophy.
"Where have you been?" I asked.
"Important errands," Emma said.
Liam added, "We got chips."
That was it.
That was the errand.
Mark and Luca finally came back too.
Both looking too calm.
Suspiciously peaceful.
Like they had just escaped society.
Mark looked at the ride.
"…Why is everyone going on that?"
Luca stared.
"…I regret returning."
And somehow—
We all ended up on it anyway.
Screaming.
Laughing.
Hands grabbing onto anything stable.
Which, in my case, was Ethan's hand without even realizing it.
He didn't pull away.
Just held it.
Calm.
Steady.
Like it was normal.
Wind in my face.
Laughter everywhere.
Someone screaming behind me.
Luca regretting all life decisions.
Emma laughing like she was possessed.
Liam shouting, "THIS IS A BAD IDEA BUT A FUN ONE!"
Mark just quietly accepting fate.
Nena screaming threats at physics.
Jake laughing like he paid for chaos.
And then—
It stopped.
We got off the ride.
All of us dizzy.
Wobbly.
Confused about existence.
Luca immediately leaned on a railing.
"…I saw my ancestors."
Emma laughed."That was fun."
Liam nodded slowly."I regret nothing."
Mark just sighed deeply.
Nena looked fine.
Annoyingly fine.
Jake too.
Smug as ever.
Then Liam raised his drink slightly.
"…Cheers to us finishing school," he said.
Everyone paused.
Then—
We all lifted whatever we had.
Drinks.
Snacks.
Pure survival energy.
"Cheers," Emma said.
"Cheers," Mark added.
"Cheers," Luca groaned.
"Cheers," Nena smirked.
Jake grinned."Cheers."
I looked around.
At all of them.
And for a second—
Everything felt loud.
But good.
Alive.
"…Cheers," I said quietly.
And we clinked whatever we had together.
Somewhere in the distance—
Another ride screamed.
And for once—
It didn't feel like chaos.
Just… memories being made.
When we got back from the amusement park, the house smelled… warm.
Not loud.
Not chaotic.
Just food.
Real food.
The kind that makes your body slow down without asking permission.
Luca was the first to react.
The moment he stepped inside, he froze.
"…I smell peace."
Then he spotted her.
Mrs. May.
And instantly—
he ran.
"Mom!"
He hugged her without hesitation.
No awkwardness. No distance.
Just full cling mode activated.
She laughed softly, patting his back like she had been waiting for that exact reaction.
"Welcome back," she said gently.
He didn't let go.
"I missed you."
"Luca, you were gone for five hours."
"Still counts."
Mr. Ronson was already sitting at the table.
Relaxed.
Like he had been waiting for everyone to come back together before the day ended.
"Sit," he said simply.
And we did.
The table filled slowly.
Plates were placed down.
Steam rising.
Clinking sounds.
Forks moving.
Normal life pretending to exist again.
We all started eating.
At first, no one really spoke.
Just quiet chewing.
Comfortable silence.
Then Mr. Ronson broke it.
"So," he said calmly, "last exam is done."
We all nodded at the same time.
Like it was a shared trauma we had survived.
Luca sighed dramatically.
"So that's it?"
I glanced at him.
"What's 'it'?"
"School," he said, pouting slightly. "You're all leaving me."
Jake looked up immediately.
"Get yourself together."
Luca frowned.
"You're literally abandoning me too."
Jake shrugged."You have friends."
"Barely," Luca muttered.
I exhaled softly.
"…It feels weird."
No one asked what I meant.
They already knew.
The conversation faded again after that.
Just soft clinks of cutlery.
Occasional comments.
Nothing heavy.
But I could feel it sitting under everything.
After dinner, I went upstairs.
No noise followed me.
No jokes.
Just quiet steps.
My room felt the same.
But I didn't.
I sat on the bed slowly.
Then pulled my phone closer.
I didn't even think.
I just searched it.
"Blue & Grey BTS"
The song started.
Soft.
Slow.
Almost like it was breathing.
I closed my eyes.
And let it play.
"Where is my angel…"
The sound filled the room gently.
And suddenly—
everything I had been ignoring came back.
Four years.
That word.
Again and again.
Replaying in my head like it refused to leave.
Ethan leaving.
The airport.
The silence after.
The way everyone tried to act normal today like it wasn't hanging over us.
I lay back slowly.
Eyes still closed.
The song kept going.
Soft.
Melancholy.
Like it understood things I didn't say out loud.
I thought about Ethan.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just… quietly.
The way he looked at me when he said we still have time.
The way he smiled like he was trying not to make it hurt.
I turned slightly on the bed.
The ceiling blurry through half-open eyes.
Four years.
It didn't feel real.
But it also did.
That was the worst part.
The music faded into the chorus again.
And for a moment—
everything felt suspended.
Like the world paused just long enough for me to feel it.
I exhaled slowly.
"…Four years," I whispered.
And the room stayed quiet.
Letting the music answer instead.