The room shifted, spectators positioning themselves in their seats as if the environment might reverse to how it used to be. Mr. Trenton stared at Chloe with bird eyes, and Coach Hendrick lifted his stiff back off the wall, facing the front of the room with his mustache forming a line.
“This year was the worst year of my life.”
She raced down the stairs on the opposite end of the stage, the microphone slipping from her hand.
“Chloe!” Mr. Trenton stepped in her direction as the microphone tumbled off the stage and landed with a violent squeal. She paused, looking over her shoulder to see the crowd erupting in shouts, hands over their ears.
Panic rushing through her veins, she disappeared through the back door.
* * *
The thought of a student running to an unknown destination was perhaps the new worst nightmare of Wishville. Panic flooded the gym. Parents muttered foul words and pulled young children close to them. When the screeching diminished, James stood from his seat, Lauren’s voice filling his mind.
“Everyone feels what you’re feeling, but are you just gonna watch them sulk? Or are you gonna stand up and tell them they’re not alone?”
His heart pounded all the way to his head. Not bothering to question his emotions, he stepped toward the door. “I’ll find her.”
The rowdy room fell still at the rare sound of James’s voice.
“I’m coming with you.”
A hint of charcoal fabric taunted his focus. He knew Sam was next to him, but refrained from making eye contact. Instead, he watched her flats smack against the gym floor. It was the first time he’d seen her without her rustic sneakers in years.
“Hey!” Mayor Perkins’ voice boomed through the room, paralyzing James and Sam. “No one’s leaving this room. I’ll bring her back.”
“But what about the service?” Mrs. Zhao tucked a strand of ashy hair behind her ear. “We can’t cancel graduation for one spoiled girl.”
Audrey’s face broke into disgust. “Mom!”
Mr. Koi adjusted his glasses. “Arthur will find her quickly.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Mrs. Zhao crossed her arms. “We stand here waiting to hear news of another child runaway?”
Mr. Koi’s face did not budge. “Let’s calm down.”
“You calm down!”
The fuzzy atmosphere escalated into a rugged home of disoriented parents, confused siblings, and a string of classmates living in the past. Benji was gone. He not only left town, but he also left the chaos behind him. His stress of leaving, the wretched curiosity, and the strenuous guilt washed over him and into Wishville through a storm. Benji’s action had yet to be defined. A crime? A sacrifice? A mistake? What exactly did leaving mean, and what should it mean to them? What should they fear? What should they hope for?
James heard the questions, too. They throbbed in his brain, leaving his head sore and muscles tense. Attempting to regain cognitive balance, he counted. One, two, three . . .
“That’s enough!” Mayor Perkins’ voice boomed through the room, silencing the burning thoughts that filled them.
James’s muscles relaxed. By the time he reached the present, Mayor Perkins had retrieved the microphone from the floor. “I understand that our students are in a bit of a fritz right now, but I’d like to ask you to stay calm so we can work our way through this.”
James nodded at Sam, and she reached for the door.
“Samantha!”
Before her fingers touched the knob, she dropped her wrist. “Go without me,” she whispered. Mayor Perkins had every intent to keep her here.
James bit his lip. They’d have no chance to talk until the adults gave them time, and they both knew it. He narrowed his eyes, searching for something extravagant to do. Something convincing to say.
He flinched as a figure hopped onto the stage with a spirited leap.
Jett towered over the crowd, filled with energy. The sight of him standing so confidently eased the tension in the air. He raised his voice to ensure that every soul in the gym could hear him. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year,” he said, “it’s that sometimes, it’s okay to run away.” His voice echoed through the gym, and the room grew to a new level of silence.
Mr. Trenton leaned against the wall, and Coach Hendrick raised his chin with a chuckle.
Mayor Perkins’ brows formed a curvy road on his head, his arms crossed so tight that his fingers went pale. It was the first time James had heard Sam speak to the man softly. “Please?”
The mayor’s body relaxed. With his eyebrows curved normally again, his arms relaxed, and fingers breathing, he gave a slight nod. Almost a non-existent one, but to the two of them, it was prominent. He tossed the microphone up the stage, and Jett swiped it from the air.
“I never really got along with Benji. I know he was never one of my fans.” Jett shrugged. “But even I feel guilty. I can’t even imagine how hard it is on people he was actually friends with, you know?” He took a deep breath and raised his voice one final time. “So parents, I’m asking that you give these three losers a chance to talk.”
At first it was only one. Just one smile from a man in the back row. But soon that smile spread into a massive, collective grin. The gym lights radiated a dull warmth, and saturation struck the room. The blue and green banners jumped off the walls into the air, and as people inhaled the colors, James noticed their vibrant clothing for the first time. A boy in the front row wore a collared shirt the shade of a tangerine with thin, creamy stripes running vertically across it. In the far end of the row, a lady unzipped her furry pink jacket, revealing a shimmering silver top. Even Sam’s dress—although charcoal gray—had a hint of blue to it, as though she wore the midnight sea.
Mayor Perkins and his navy blazer collided with the ocean of color. The smiles morphed into claps, and claps into cheers. Some adults grew teary-eyed, and although the younger siblings could not comprehend the magnitude of such a strange graduation, they laughed at the thought that someday, they’d graduate eighth grade, too.
Standing on the stage under a golden spotlight, Jett saluted James in a playful wish of good luck.
* * *
A silhouette wavered behind a thick layer of trees. Sam rushed between branches, watching the waves dance, calling her. Twigs crunched under her feet, and bushes scraped at her bare legs, but she pushed forward, the pounding of James’s footsteps echoing behind her.
The figure was clearly Chloe now. Her brown hair waved in the air, blown by the buttery wind. Sam ran faster, and once she reached the sand, kicked her shoes off and rushed to the shore.
Chloe sat at the delicate point where dry met damp, facing the waves. Sam and James joined her on opposite sides—not close enough for it to be obvious the three were together, but close enough to question if they were strangers. They lost their thoughts in the horizon, and at that moment, the ocean was all that mattered.
“I wish Benji was here today.” Chloe drew cute little shapes in the sand with her index finger.
Sam’s eyes swayed with the water’s flow. “We all do.”
The waves rippled, and the pressure between them chipped away.
“I—I think there’s something you guys should know,” Chloe said.
Sam wanted to look in Chloe’s direction, but she locked her neck, not wanting to pressure her. James did the same.
Chloe scooped a batch of sand into her hand, feeling it seep between her fingers. “I was the one who vandalized Oliver’s house.”
The beach was quiet. Sam bit her lip, and the smell of salt filled her lungs. She had nothing to say to Chloe. Part of her wanted to be angry. To lash out of her, but that anger didn’t seem to exist. All that lingered was guilt. Chloe wasn’t the only one who had regrets.
“Guess it’s my turn, then.” Sam threw her legs out in front of her, letting the heels of
her feet rest in the soft side of the sand. “I was mad at Benji, so I spilled his secret about how he tried to leave. And at the worst time, too. I was a real idiot. Had a million chances to apologize, but I never did.”
In that moment, it didn’t matter why Benji left. It didn’t matter whose fault it was. The important fact was that they knew the truth. That they had shared the truth.
“I miss my sister.”
Sam and Chloe looked over at James, who quickly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his blazer.
Chloe set an arm on his shoulder. “We know.”
“When she died, everything changed, and I was confused.” He spoke with a tremble in his voice. A certain vibration of regret they had never heard in him before. “I have a confession, too. The reason Mayor Perkins found you at Blueberry was because I told him about your plan. Maybe if I trusted you instead of staying home, everything would be different.”
“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “To Benji, and to both of you, too.”
“Me too,” Chloe said.
James nodded. “Sorry.”
The murky sun set slowly, but as its glow skimmed the horizon, the sky lit with an explosion of water. Red branches reached out from the sun, spreading into the sky with an orange glow. The gray ocean intensified to a striking blue. Wisps of pink rained from the sky into the water, bursting into pops of blinding light that raced back and forth across the surface, never submersing themselves. The three hadn’t realized it, but they’d scooted closer to each other. Close enough to be obvious they were together. Close enough to be obvious they were friends.
Chloe’s eyes radiated the melting colors. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“You think there’s more out there?” Sam pointed at the ocean. “Past that weird line in the sky?”
“I don’t know.” James bit his lip.
Sam leaned back, supporting herself with her arms. “Do you think Benji did the right thing?” The colors soaked into her, accompanied by a warmth that inched through her skin. Her hair stopped blowing in her face, the wind reaching a halt. It was almost like the clock had stopped ticking. Time had slowed to a point where she could no longer feel it.
“I don’t know what’s right anymore.” Chloe patted the sand next to her, the drawings she’d made vanishing forever.
“Me neither.” James shrugged. “And I don’t think it’s for us to decide.”
The sun lowered, slowly slipping from their sight. The brilliant colors in the sky lost a hint of vividness, and Sam clung to the remaining hues with her life.
“You’ve got the worst luck.” Chloe jabbed Sam in the side. “Your first crush literally disappears.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Not funny.”
“So you don’t deny it.”
“Is this really the best time to joke around?”
“Finally.” Chloe gave James a high five. “She didn’t deny it!” The two of them smiled.
Sam crossed her arms with a huff. “Wait till Jett finds out the culprit was right in front of his nose this whole time.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Chloe shook her head until the redness in her cheeks disappeared.
“Stop.” James threw a clump of sand into the ocean. “Let’s not argue.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “As if you’re any more innocent.”
“Yeah, if it weren’t for you then maybe . . .” Chloe frowned. “What’s so funny?”
James leaned over his stomach, shaking. It started as a gentle laugh, his hysteria slowly escalating until his face was beet red. His laughing morphed into what sounded like a violent attack of hiccups. Chloe and Sam met eyes and joined with hysteria. Three from a set of four, laughing together at the ocean, the wind twisting their hair as the colors faded from the sky.
With the sun nearly gone, they stood and gave each other hugs. The word congratulations echoed between them.
They didn’t graduate with a handshake from Mr. Trenton. They didn’t graduate the moment they said the last word of their speeches on stage. Even with their first step from the gym that summer day, they had yet to graduate. Their real graduation was here, on the sand. It was the moment they were truly ready to move on. And as they prepared to leave the ocean behind and head back inside, Sam found herself restraining tears.
“Hey.” Chloe nudged her arm. “You okay?”
“You guys go on ahead.” Sam stepped toward the shore. “I’m gonna stay a bit longer.”
“You just don’t wanna thank Jett for once.” Chloe grinned as she slipped her shiny flats back on.
Sam chuckled. “Sure.”
“Don’t deny it.” James gave her head a quick shove. “I’m not looking forward to it either.” With a warm smile, he was the first to leave down the path they had come from. Chloe waved Sam goodbye and trailed after him.
Sam stood alone on the sand, longing for the radiant glow that once drowned her vision. The colors had completely disappeared from the sky, and now that she had a taste of them, she wanted them back. Approaching the shoreline, she thought about Benji’s first attempt to leave town, the night he finally did, and every moment in-between. The seagulls flapped their wings above her head, the world spinning beneath her feet.
“Benji Marino,” she said with a grin. “What if you’re right?”
With a final step, her feet sunk into the icy waves.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wrote the first draft of this novel as a high school freshman. After two years of time and dedication, Benji’s story now sits in your hands, but I couldn’t have done it alone.
First, I’d like to thank my amazing beta readers: Victoria Rose, Millie Florence, Serena Goshgarian, Marco Morano, Kathryn Dudley, Schuyler Jones, Meagan Lashinski, Amina Mehmood, Lucas James, Michael Evans, Abigail Ann, Hannah Xu, Dave Oliver, and Thomas Bottorff. Their honest critiques of my work pushed me in the right direction, and for that guidance I’m extremely grateful.
Big thanks to Ivan Cakamura, for his talented cover design, and my proofreaders—Janet Clark and James Hensley—for ensuring the novel reached its polished form.
Of course, I can’t forget about my family. Mom, for imagining success with me. Dad, for helping me navigate the publishing challenges. John, for listening to my writing rants when I hit another dead end. While I’m at it, shoutout to Monica, Marie, Lucas, Levi, and Eli.
In the past few years I’ve connected with talented creatives through online communities. I’d like to thank the writers, musicians, and filmmakers I’ve met for sharing their artistic journeys and motivating me in the process.
Lastly, I’d like to thank my friends—Joyce Kabigting, Angelina Eggers, Brian Truong, and Eliza Negrete—for hyping up my writing even when they didn’t have to. Luc-Tanton Tran, Sophia Thompson, and Osvaldo Sanchez, for their helpful feedback and constant encouragement.
There are so many others that I couldn’t possibly fit them all on this page, so to sum up a large portion, thank you to everyone at Montgomery High School, who without realizing it, inspired me to put my all into LEAVING WISHVILLE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mel Torrefranca is a 17-year-old YouTuber and author from Northern California. When she’s not writing or stressing over homework, Mel enjoys music, badminton, and photography. She spends a majority of the night with a cup of peppermint tea, contemplating the value of human existence.
meltorrefranca.com
youtube.com/meltorrefranca
instagram.com/meltorrefranca
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