Love from the Past

"Serendipity. What kind of name is that?" Joshua asked. "Well, you'd have to ask my hippie parents to get that!" Serendipity answered. "But you can call me Serene, all my friends do." "Serene, that sounds nice. But I like Serendipity better. If you don't mind." Joshua said, with a slick smile on his face. It was the first day in college and he had no idea he would find such a beautiful girl around. Joshua was from Portland, Maine so he knew how to get to girls from small towns. They were always naive and crazy to get out of their small towns. He knew he could be with her before the night ended and that was his goal. Serendipity was from a small town in Bar Harbour, Maine. She didn't want to stay around, as she had always envisioned herself traveling the world. That's why she chose the Main Maritime Academy where she could be away from Bar Harbor and minor in Oceanography and major in Coastal and Marine Environmental Science. When she met Joshua, she really thought he was too full of himself and didn't pay any attention to him during orientation and really wanted to be left alone. Her family was not a wealthy one and she relied on a scholarship to be able to go to college. And she also had to work two jobs to make sure she was able to pay for any extra expenses without relying on her family for money. Unline Joshua, whose father was a Sergeant Major and was paying for him to follow in his footsteps. Serene was not alone. She made sure her best friend was with her at this party so she wouldn't be bothered. Amber was a great friend to have around. Her sarcastic humor and frowned face was always the best way to get boys running away from her. However, Amber disappeared and left Serene alone, making her a perfect prey for Joshua. How on earth did she end up here with the cockiest boy in the party? As she started getting restless, looking for Amber, Joshua decided to make a move to call her nerves. He touched her arm to get her attention, and then, slowly approaching her, he held her chin to make sure she was looking at him. And then, for what it seemed like an eternity, he kissed her. A simple kiss on her lips, letting her go after that. She was not expecting that. Where was the fiery kiss and grabbing so many talk about. Maybe it's because none of them were drunk enough and she was really happy about that. "Are you calmer now?" Joshua asked. "I was not nervous to begin with. I was trying to find my friend because she disappeared a while ago, and since we're not from here, I'm afraid she might be lost. Why did you kiss me?" Serene asked. Joshua was speechless. This was his best move, not jumping into a heated kiss so she would be wanting for more of him. Was she really not impressed by him? Seeing that Joshua was not going to give her any answers, she just turns around and walks away trying to find Amber. "Wait!" Joshua calls out for her, grabbing her arm. "Are you leaving?" Serene looked at him and at his hand grabbing her arms. Joshua let her go, waiting for an explanation. She didn't say anything and turned to leave. She didn't owe him anything. In fact, he was the one who owed her an excuse for kissing her out of the blue. She was really starting to think that boys in college were even worse than boys from High School, and she was fed up with them. "There you are!!!" Serene yelled, seeing Amber walking to her direction. "Where have you been? Why did you leave me alone?" "I was just walking around. I must say, this is not going to be a bad idea. I should've applied with you. Who'd know there are so many cute guys in ocean study? I wouldn't mind looking for mermaids with them!" Amber said, making herself and her friend laugh at the thought of mermaids and her studying with cute boys. "You could've entered here easily if you had applied. You always had great grades. I have no idea you're taking a sabbatical!" Serene said, frustrated that her friend would be wasting her intelligence. "This is something everybody should do before college. Just go figure yourself out and then come back to kick some ass!" Amber said, mimicking the Karate Kid. They left the party and headed back to Bar Harbor, driving with the windows down and David Guetta pumping on their stereo. Nothing felt more natural then when they were together. Amber and Serene met in 3rd grade and they've been friends ever since. This was the first time they wouldn't be studying together and Serene's heart ached for not being able to share the college experiences with her best friend. But, she also understood that, for Amber, nothing was impossible. She already knew who she was, so she was just taking some time to make a grand entrance. Amber was raised by her grandmother but she was far from being spoiled. Her grandmother was a hardworking woman who lost her only daughter to cancer. She took upon herself to raise Amber and detach her from her father's family. Amber barely remembered her father and she knew that if he wanted to, he would've fought her grandmother for her. Since he didn't, she never cared to look for him. Whenever her grandmother had to do the night shifts at the hospital, Amber would sleep over. And, before they could see it, they were inseparable. Vacation trips were taken together, holidays were celebrated together and secrets and heartbreaks were shared. They were best friends, siblings from different mothers. That's why when Amber said she'd take a sabbatical year to travel around Asia, Serene was devastated. But, she also knew no one would be able to get her mind out of it. The party tonight was like a see-you-in-a-year party for them. They would have to learn how to navigate this world without each other side by side, after almost 15 years together. Once they got to Amber's house, they saw that her grandmother was still up, waiting for them. Serene parked her car just outside her house. They laid down on the grass and stared at the amazing stars that always showered Bar Harbor's night sky. "I will miss you more than you can think", Amber said, holding Serene's hand. "I will miss you too. You have no idea how frightening it is to go to college without you", Serene said, already with blurred teary eyes. They hugged each other for a while, crying because of their separation. "You know what you have to do, right? Stop being so good to everyone and stand up to what you want and don't want. Don't let them make you do what you don't want to. You are a strong-ass b***h and no one can take that from you", Amber told Serene, looking her in the eyes. "You are the kindest and best person I have ever met. But those people will walk over you, if you let them. I am giving you permission to be 75% Amber during this first year. Next year, when I'm back, you can take it down a notch." They both laughed and hugged again. Serene knew it was not going to be the same, but she was not going to be the same pushover she was in school. This was her chance to be respected - or at least forgotten by those who bullied or would bully her in the future. "Okay, you two. That's enough of crying. Get your butts inside or I'll drag you myself! It's too late for you two to be lying on the grass!" Amber's grandmother called for them from the front door. Amber and Serene would always remember each other and they would be each other's rock through and through. That's what they had promised each other a long time ago.