?


    The tick of the lecture hall clock echoed with a relentless rhythm.


    Each second was a heartbeat closer to the close of the exam and to freedom. The winter had been bitterly cold, and the spring semester had been exhausting. But in that moment, in that vast room with its intense silence, I was ready to leap forward.


    I looked at thest question on my anatomy finall. I smirked a little. This? After all the agonizing weeks of studying, this was the monster they chose to throw at me? I filled out the answer confidently, basking in the knowledge I had absorbed over the past months.


    Taking a deep breath, I stood, my chair scraping softly against the floor. With the exam paper in hand, I approached the front desk. My professor looked up, her eyes crinkling in a warm smile.


    "Nina," she murmured, taking the paper from me, "have a lovely summer."


    "Thank you, Professor Kane," I replied, voice brimming with gratitude. And then, the weight lifted off my shoulders, I was out the door, ready to taste the first breath of summer.


    Jessica almost crashed into me outside, her blonde hair slightly disheveled. Her eyes were each ented by a dark circle beneath them, but she looked vibrant as ever.


    "Nina!" She eximed, enveloping me in a tight embrace. Iughed, squeezing her back. "We


    did it!"


    "We did!" I echoed, both of us giggling in relief. "So, premed together?"


    "Absolutely," Jessica responded, determination gleaming in her eyes.


    We walked side by side, heading to the quad, our steps light and carefree. Lori sat on the grass, engrossed in her art portfolio. Her vibrant blue and red sttered clothes gave away her recent artistic adventure, with her ck hair now cut short to her chin. It was a recent change, but it looked good on her.


    "Hey, Picasso!" Jessica called out with a chuckle. Lori nced up, her eyes twinkling in mischief.


    "You think this is bad?" She held up a paint-streaked hand. "I think I have paint in my ears."


    I snorted in amusement. "That exins a lot."


    "Sorry, what? I couldn''t hear you," she teased.


    As we stood on the quad, we were met with the familiar hum of post-exam energy. Everywhere students lounged, their relief palpable in the warm early summer air. Lori, having packed away her paints, joined us, slinging an arm around each of us.


    *End of another semester,dies," she remarked, her voice tinged with both nostalgia and excitement.


    "To one more left." Jessica raised an imaginary ss, and we all chimed in withughter.


    As we ambled, my nose caught a whiff of a heavenly scent. "Do you guys smell that?" asked, my mouth watering slightly.


    Lori''s nose twitched. "Oh, I do! It''s from that food truck!"


    I followed her pointing finger to spot a colorful truck with a banner reading, ''End-of-Semester Treats''. Without needing further persuasion, the three of us headed towards it.


    *Ah, the joys of campus life. Food trucks," Jessica sighed with feigned melodrama, making usugh.


    An enthusiastic young man with a streak of blue in his hair greeted us. "End of exams, right? Celebrate with some fresh coffee and donuts!"


    "Three coffees, please," Lori ordered, her fingers already dancing with anticipation. "And let''s see... Nina, you''re a cinnamon girl, right?"Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I nodded, grateful she remembered my penchant for cinnamon donuts.


    "And I''ll take the chocte-zed," Jessica chimed in.


    "Make mine a ssic sugar for me," Lori concluded.


    As we waited, I took in the scene around us-friends huddled together, some animatedly discussing their exams, while others simplyy on the grass, soaking up the sun. It really did feel like nature had restored itself since the events ofst semester.


    In fact, things had been utterly peaceful since then. The traumatized side of me always felt as though there was another Crescent attack night on the horizon, but it hadn''t happened yet. And I hoped that it wouldn''t ever happen.


    "God, I can''t believe we''re almost done," Lori mused, looking distant for a moment. "Feels like just yesterday we were awkward freshmen, stumbling around."


    Jessica chuckled. "Speak for yourself! I had my game together."


    I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Really? Wasn''t it you who mistook the men''s locker room for the women''s in the first week?"


    Jessica''s face turned a shade of pink, causing Lori and I to burst intoughter. "Okay, okay! Mistakes were made," she admitted, shaking her head in amusement.


    The aroma of our coffees brought us back to the present, and we collected our treats, the warm cupsforting against the summer breeze. We found a cozy spot under arge oak tree, ourughter mingling with others'', the taste of the donuts sweet on our tongues.


    Sitting there, surrounded by my friends, the prospect of the future and the weight of the past felt bnced. It was a moment of transition, of endings and new beginnings, and I relished every second of it.


    "By the way," Jessica nudged me with her elbow, "Where are you headed next, Nina? Enzo''s big game, right?"


    I smiled at the mention of his name. "Yep, he''s wrapping up practice. Last big game of the season is this weekend. Can''t miss it."