FIXING WOUNDS

FINAL YEAR

Final year came fast. The five of them had become something steady. Not perfect, but real. Ivy wasn’t the quiet girl under the mango tree anymore. She still had quiet days, still had moments where her chest tightened. But now she had people who noticed. People who stayed.

Zara and Ivy were closer than they’d been since middle school. They weren’t best friends again, and Ivy was okay with that. Some bridges don’t get rebuilt the same. They get rebuilt stronger, different.

Freda finally told Ivy why she’d drifted away in high school — her parents were divorcing, and she’d been taking it out on everyone, especially Ivy because Ivy seemed like she didn’t need anyone. Hearing it didn’t erase the hurt. But it explained it. And explanation was enough for Ivy to let go.

Sarah remained the constant, making bad jokes when things got heavy and dragging them to coffee at 2am before exams. And Zero… Zero was still there.

Dylan reappeared halfway through the semester for an exchange program. Ivy saw him across campus and froze. For a second, all the old hurt came back. Then he walked up.

“Ivy, I owe you an apology,” he said. “I treated you badly when you needed a friend. I was scared of what people would think if I was seen with you after everything with Zara and Priscilla.”

Ivy looked at him for a long time. “I accept your apology,” she said finally. “But I don’t need you in my life anymore, Dylan. And that’s okay.”

Dylan nodded and walked away. Ivy watched him go without the hollow feeling in her chest. That was closure.

Ivy’s counseling work became her anchor. She took on her first real case — a freshman girl who barely spoke, who sat in the back with her eyes on the floor. The girl reminded Ivy of her younger self. For weeks, Ivy just sat with her. No pressure. Just presence.

Then one day the girl said, “No one’s ever just sat with me before.”

Ivy smiled. “I know.”

That became her purpose. Not just to heal herself, but to make sure someone else didn’t have to go through it alone.

As graduation approached, Ivy had a conversation she’d been avoiding. She and Zero sat on the same balcony where they’d first kissed two years ago.

“I’ve been thinking about us,” Ivy said. “I love you, Zero. I really do. But I also love who I’m becoming on my own. And I don’t want to lose that just because we’re together.”

Zero reached for her hand. This time, Ivy didn’t flinch. “Then we don’t rush,” he said. “We take it one step at a time. Always.”

Ivy smiled and laced her fingers through his.

Graduation day was bright and overwhelming. Caps in the air. Photos everywhere. Parents crying. Ivy stood between Zero and Zara, Freda on her other side, Sarah behind them with a camera. For the first time, she wasn’t waiting for the next betrayal. She was just here. Present. Alive.

After the ceremony, her mom found her. “I’m proud of you, Ivy,” her mom said, eyes glistening. “Not just for graduating. For who you’ve become.”

Ivy hugged her tightly. “Thanks, Mom.” It wasn’t perfect, and it probably never would be. But it was better. And better was enough.

That night, the five of them sat on the rooftop. Zara brought drinks. Sarah brought music. Freda brought a blanket because “it gets cold at night, don’t act like it doesn’t.” They talked about the past, laughed about Priscilla, talked about the future with no real answers. And that was okay too.

At one point, Zara looked at Ivy and said, “I’m really glad we got here. Together.”

Ivy looked around — Zero’s steady presence, Freda’s quiet loyalty, Sarah’s loud laughter, Zara’s hesitant friendship. “Me too,” Ivy said. And this time, she meant it without hesitation.

---

*Epilogue: One Year Later*

Ivy works at a youth counseling center, helping kids who feel invisible like she once did. Zero is in grad school for engineering but still brings her coffee every Thursday. Zara and Freda live in the same apartment building. Sarah is still the group chat admin.

And Ivy? Ivy is happy. Not perfectly. Not all the time. But happy enough to know the girl who once ate lunch alone under a mango tree made it out okay.