"Ethan, you're a legend, man!"
Some guy from across the table raised his glass, face full of admiration.
"Valedictorian! We gotta toast!"
Another student squeezed through with their drink.
And then!
This normally quiet girl actually worked up the courage to approach Ethan with her phone, face turning bright red:
"Um, Ethan? Can we take a picture together? I'm gonna look at it before every exam in college for good luck. Like, manifesting your big brain energy so I don't fail!"
Ethan didn't know whether to laugh or cringe. He smiled for the photo while thinking: A picture's fine, but worshipping me like some kind of academic deity? That's weird as hell...
He'd barely sat down after handing out gifts when people started coming at him with drinks!
This group of fresh-out-of-high-school kids were trying SO HARD to act grown-up with the whole "drinking culture" thing, all of them insisting they needed to "toast the valedictorian."
Honestly, drinking culture is toxic as hell.
Half these people had clearly never touched alcohol before. Some took one sip and their entire face scrunched up like they'd bitten a lemon. Zero poker face whatsoever.
Except Jack—that dude was different.
He was weaving through the crowd like a shark, glass raised high, voice booming:
"Come on, come on! To the valedictorian! To Ms. J! To Ms. Martinez! To our youth that'll NEVER DIE!"
He was downing beers like they were water, his tan face showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. If anything, the more he drank, the more hyped he got. Dude was basically the party's hype man.
Right then.
Ms. Jensen walked back in, carrying two bottles of premium liquor.
She'd stepped out specifically to grab them.
The second she walked in and saw several students grimacing through their drinks, she frowned and raised her voice:
"STOP! Everyone stop right there!"
Ms. Jensen's teacher voice cut through the noise instantly:
"Look, we're here to celebrate! But—"
She looked around with that mix of authority and genuine concern:
"Nobody's drinking themselves stupid tonight, got it? This is our last big high school dinner. If anyone ruins this vibe, I will PERSONALLY make your life difficult. Am I clear?"
"Don't worry, Ms. J!"
Jack was the first to pat his chest in promise.
Some observant kid shouted:
"Ms. J, did you seriously go buy nice liquor? You're too soft! We love you!"
Another student grinned:
"Wait, is this a trap? Are you gonna make us do shots as punishment?"
"Oh my god, don't jinx it! That's terrifying!"
Hearing all the teasing, Ms. Jensen laughed:
"Get OUT of here! What kind of evil mastermind do you think I am?!"
She put the two bottles on the table and explained:
"These are from Ethan—specifically for Mr. Cooper and Mr. Davis! Show some appreciation, people!"
She deliberately emphasized it was Ethan's idea.
Ms. Jensen really was a good teacher.
Even in his past life, years after graduation, Ethan had stayed in touch with her—holiday greetings, occasional life updates.
That friendship went way beyond the standard student-teacher thing.
Without the crushing weight of the SATs hanging over everyone, the whole atmosphere was completely different.
Even the teachers who usually had to maintain their "serious educator" personas were relaxed now, smiles genuine and warm.
People were talking about EVERYTHING—random high school memories, embarrassing moments, who fell asleep and snored in class, who ate shit at field day, which teacher nicknames had become legendary.
The laughter kept getting louder.
Then the conversation shifted to the future—which cities people were headed to, what majors they'd picked, what kind of person they wanted to become.
Someone brought up college applications, and suddenly that became THE topic.
It was July 12th.
Early decision application portals had just opened. Everyone was thinking about it.
"I did pretty solid—gonna shoot for Berkeley!"
"My mom's forcing me to apply to the state school for teaching. Says it's 'stable' for girls."
"Ugh, my scores are so middle-of-the-road. I'm right on the edge for good schools!"
...
As soon as the score talk started, Brad Thompson's face went dark and he mumbled something about "having to go" and basically fled.
Yeah—Brad had shown up to the party.
The atmosphere got awkward instantly.
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
Jack leaned over to Ethan, lowering his voice with barely concealed amusement:
"Yo, Ethan, I heard that Brad was planning to confess to Sarah today. Had the whole thing planned out. But then... he walked in, saw you being all valedictorian, heard everyone talking scores, and just completely lost it. Couldn't handle it!"
Though honestly, it was probably for the best. If he'd actually confessed, Sarah would've rejected him anyway, and THAT would've been way more awkward...
Ethan nodded, understanding.
He knew Brad's scores were actually pretty good—solid enough for a decent state school, way better than most people.
The problem was Brad had been running his mouth before results came out, telling everyone he was "definitely getting into an Ivy League school."
Now reality had crashed into his bullshit, ESPECIALLY after finding out that even Jack—who Brad used to mock as "barely trying"—had gotten into a good school. His ego couldn't take it, so he bailed before he got completely humiliated.
Still.
Ethan was pretty sure nobody here would actually make fun of him.
The people who did worse than Brad had no room to talk. The people who did better understood that life is long, and the SATs are just one stop, not the final destination.
Who knows what the future holds?
Brad's exit was like a rock thrown in water—ripples, then calm.
Everyone silently agreed to drop the score talk and went back to reminiscing and drinking.
After a few rounds of drinks and food.
The noise in the private room gradually died down, replaced by this tipsy, melancholy vibe.
A lot of people's eyes were getting red. The girls were huddled together whispering and getting emotional. Even the guys had stopped the roughhousing and were just quietly clinking glasses.
This dinner was almost over.
And with it, three years of high school—completely done.
Ms. Jensen stood up slowly, holding her glass.
She looked around at all these kids she'd spent three years with, her eyes moving across every familiar young face.
Her eyes were already bloodshot, voice shaking slightly:
"You guys... there's no such thing as a party that doesn't end. After tonight, our three years together are officially over. And I... I'm gonna miss you all so much. But I believe we're saying goodbye now so we can have even BETTER reunions in the future! So we can meet again when we're all further along, at higher places!"
Ms. Jensen raised her voice, trying to inject some strength into it:
"So don't be sad, okay? Keep this friendship in your hearts and go chase your dreams! Take everything you learned these three years—the knowledge, the grit, the bonds—and go write the next chapter! Make it count!"
She said don't be sad, but she was already choking up.
Finally, she raised her glass as high as she could and got out the last words:
"You're all stepping into a world that's changing faster than ever. The road ahead is long. May you all soar high and ride the wind!"
She downed her drink in one shot.
"CHEERS——!"
"To Ms. J! To youth! To the FUTURE——!"
Everyone drank.
A bunch of girls were full-on crying and hugging each other now.
Even Ethan felt his eyes stinging.
This was it—this was what graduation actually felt like.
There are 70 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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