The days after the exams slipped by like lazy clouds.
There were no more classes, just preparations for the graduation ceremony — buying forms, picking outfits, making plans for the big send-off.
The whole school buzzed with excitement.
Groups of students crowded under trees and in empty classrooms, talking about who would perform, who would give speeches, what they would wear.
Rita walked past them all with her bag slung over one shoulder, her face tight.
Anne and Evelyn had started sitting with her again during lunch breaks.
There were jokes now — small, cautious jokes — and even shared laughter sometimes.
The old rhythm was trying to come back.
But it wasn't perfect.
Not yet.
Not when small things still made her chest twist.
At the administration block, a long line of students waited to pay their graduation fees and collect their registration forms.
Evelyn spotted Rita walking by and waved her over excitedly.
"Rita! Come and get yours! If you delay too much, they'll close the list!" Evelyn said, smiling wider than she had in weeks.
Anne looked up too, a quiet invitation in her eyes.
Rita stopped, hands clenching around the strap of her bag.
"I'm not paying," she said bluntly.
Evelyn blinked. "Why not?"
"I don't feel like it," Rita said, forcing a shrug. "It's just a ceremony. It's not that important."
Anne and Evelyn exchanged a glance — a quick, worried one.
Evelyn opened her mouth to argue, but Anne touched her arm, shaking her head slightly.
They understood.
Rita wasn't ready yet.
The fights, the coldness during exams, the lonely days — they had left marks deeper than anyone could see.
Marks that a simple graduation gown couldn't cover.
Rita walked away, head high, pretending she didn't care.
Pretending it didn't hurt to see her friends lining up without her.
One day, she promised herself.
One day, I'll let it go.
But not today.
Today, she needed to hold on to her pride, just a little longer.