Chapter 3. Pre-Graduation Heartbreak

“Oh my God, finally! We’re graduating tomorrow!” Shirley couldn’t contain her excitement as everyone clapped their hands, marking the end of the baccalaureate mass for the high school graduates. It was a tradition at their school to hold a holy mass for the graduates before the actual graduation day.

While the other students were leaving the auditorium with their parents, Savannah and her group of friends decided to stay a little longer. They wanted to take pictures and, of course, to decide where they were going to eat.

“Time really flies so fast…” Savannah suddenly became sentimental. She put her arms around Sandra and Shirley, one arm on each of their shoulders, and looked around as if it were her last day in the area, knowing she wouldn’t be back tomorrow for the actual graduation ceremony. “In the next five months, we’ll be starting our college life!” she added.

“Yes, we’re graduating tomorrow, so I think it’s time for your unrequited love for Trevor to graduate too!” Sandra raised her eyebrows playfully, a gesture she often used when teasing someone. Though she teased Savannah, her tone of voice was serious.

Shirley rolled her eyes and sighed, “How can that unrequited love graduate if they’re going to the same university?!” She shook her head, looking directly at Savannah, who seemed unfazed by their half-meant jokes and teases.

“What? Did I hear that correctly?” Sandra glared at Savannah, who pretended not to hear. “Why didn’t you tell me, huh?!”

Savannah laughed and lightly hit Sandra’s arm. “Sands, you’re overreacting! It’s… it’s not certain yet. Trevor is waiting for the results of the entrance exam he took at his dream university — a university I didn’t even apply to. If he passes, he’ll enroll there, and we won’t be together,” she further explained.

It was clear that Sandra and Shirley no longer supported Savannah’s one-sided love. While they used to be supportive, over the years, they realized there was no progress and that Trevor saw Savannah merely as his best friend. They tried to discourage Savannah from holding onto false hope, although Shirley occasionally offered comfort and sugar-coated words. Sandra, on the other hand, always shut down Savannah’s inner thoughts, leading to frequent misunderstandings. In short, both of them were tired of Savannah’s unrequited and hopeless love for Trevor.

“Can we take pictures already?” Savannah changed the subject, and the others followed suit, taking out their digital cameras and capturing some moments.

As they took pictures, Seth, one of Trevor’s friends, approached them and asked, “Do you want to join us?”

The three girls glanced at each other, communicating wordlessly through their eyes. It was evident that Savannah wanted to go with them, but the other two knew it was solely because of Trevor.

Before Savannah could speak, Sandra covered her mouth, and Shirley answered on behalf of all three, “We already have other plans for today, Seth… sorry.”

“Yeah, we need to go somewhere important,” Sandra added, supporting Shirley’s statement.

Sandra removed her hand from Savannah’s mouth, and Savannah tried to speak, but Sandra pinched her arm firmly to prevent her from doing so.

“Okay,” Seth nodded and laughed before walking away to inform Drake and Trevor about Shirley and Sandra’s response. “They said they won’t come with us… they have plans,” Seth relayed to the two boys.

“Huh?” Trevor furrowed his brows.

As Trevor approached the three girls, Sandra whispered to Savannah, “You’re the most self-sacrificing person I know, and I don’t like it because it hurts you. If you agree to go with them, Sav, I’m telling you… you’ll lose one of your best friends — me!”

“Sands… you know this makes me happy, right? Trevor makes me happy…” Savannah pouted.

“He also makes you sad… and I hate seeing one of my best friends sad!” Sandra glared at Shirley as if urging her to support her in dissuading Savannah from going with Trevor and his friends. Sandra opposed it because she knew that the more time Savannah spent with Trevor, the deeper her feelings would become, making it even harder for her to move on.

“Just support me, Sands, please…” Savannah whispered, on the verge of tears.

Since Shirley remained silent, Savannah turned to her and said, “Shir… didn’t you say you felt like Trevor might have feelings for me too? Why should I give up if that’s the case?”

Sandra rolled her eyes and glared at Shirley again.

Shirley wanted to explain to Sandra what Savannah had just said, but Trevor was already approaching, leaving no room for further discussion as their secret remained between the three of them.

“I thought you three were coming? You said earlier that you would,” Trevor asked Savannah.

Knowing that Sandra had warned her about potentially losing their friendship if she went with Trevor and his friends, Savannah chose not to answer. Instead, Shirley spoke up on her behalf.

“They need to accompany me somewhere private. It’s urgent… an emergency. Sorry…” Shirley lied.

“That’s too bad… you won’t get to meet my new girlfriend from the school next door!” Drake commented from a distance.

Savannah’s brows furrowed upon hearing Drake’s words. Sensing her reaction, Sandra tightly held Savannah’s hand, silently urging her to compose herself and not let Trevor notice her true feelings. Shirley placed her hand on Savannah’s back, gently rubbing it for comfort.

“Gi… girlfriend? You… you have a new girlfriend?” Savannah forced a laugh, raising an eyebrow at Trevor. As she faked her laughter, her lips quivered, and her vision became blurry. She pretended to yawn, subtly wiping her eyes to hide the tears.

“Yup,” Trevor answered with a big smile.

“Your best friend is quite the charmer, huh?” Seth commented, shaking his head. Drake laughed in agreement.

Savannah tried to mirror Trevor’s smile to show she was happy for him, but tears welled up in her eyes once again. As soon as Shirley noticed the tears about to fall, she grabbed Savannah’s arm and pulled her in the opposite direction, away from Trevor and his friends.

“I’m… I’m going to be late for the urgent and emergency meeting… we’ll… we’ll meet your girlfriend another time, Trevor. Bye!” Shirley waved goodbye to the three boys, and Sandra did the same, ensuring they didn’t suspect they were intentionally taking Savannah away from them.

“Bye, bye!” Sandra turned for a moment and waved goodbye, while Savannah couldn’t face the boys anymore due to her tears.

The three of them decided to spend the afternoon at Haven Cafe, a small but cozy coffee shop just three streets away from their school. Savannah wept uncontrollably while Shirley and Sandra silently watched. They refrained from speaking, knowing that comforting words would only make Savannah cry harder.

Trevor’s current girlfriend was his third. This was also the third time Savannah had cried like this — as if her whole world were crashing down. Who wouldn’t be deeply hurt upon seeing the person they loved the most loving someone else but not them?

When Savannah grew tired of crying, Shirley and Sandra finally spoke. They repeated the same words they had said many times before, and Savannah echoed familiar sentiments. Savannah claimed she would genuinely try her best to move on from Trevor this time, but they knew that once Trevor broke up with his new girlfriend, Savannah would inevitably raise her hopes again and revert back to square one.