Chapter Text
The next day, although Benz's parents were alarmed to see Mawin, they treated him like another son and quickly prepared more food. Err couldn't be happier; they were about to graduate together, and then nothing would ever separate him from Mawin again.
After breakfast, they got dressed quickly because they were already late. The graduation wasn't until ten in an old event hall in town, but they had agreed to go to school at the usual time to witness the students' reaction to everything they had set up the day before.
Benz's father didn't ask any questions and simply drove them. They were the last of their friend group to arrive, but there were still a few minutes before classes started for all the lower grades.
None of them were dressed up; they all wore their everyday clothes and still stood out because the rest of the school was in uniform. Since they had two hours, everyone planned to go home and change before meeting back at the event.
"I can't wait to go in!" said Petch excitedly.
"Me too, I've never been so eager to enter this building," said Mhee.
"But Cup won't be there, right?" asked Err.
"No, he'll probably find out on social media," mentioned Golf.
"He's not passing this year either?" said Benz. The girls and Ton laughed.
"No, though I'm not sure if he'll repeat the year or just drop out," replied Petch.
"I hope he repeats," said Err.
"And even if he doesn't, news travels fast in this town. He won't escape," smiled Golf.
Then the bell rang, and the crowd gathered at the entrance began pouring into the building.
You could say it was a success.
They couldn't get in first because of all the people, and for the same reason, they didn't even need to go inside to see what was happening.
People had stopped in front of the papers to look, forming a wall that blocked those further back. Err saw expressions that spoke louder than words and, above all, phones. They knew Cup was quite popular. The noise it caused even drowned out the second bell, and the teachers had to intervene. Even with so many phones pointing at the same thing, Err saw his own friends pulling out theirs to record the event.
In the end, the mini scandal didn't last long. People took photos, covered their mouths in surprise, and went to class, thinning out the crowd.
Err and his friends decided not to go in since they'd seen everything, and besides, the teachers had already started taking down the papers they'd worked so hard to put up. Still, for them, it had been worth it, and they left satisfied. Unfortunately, Err, Benz, and Mawin had to walk home because they didn't want to bother Benz's father again.
They put on their uniforms one last time, and Err and Mawin gathered all their things from Benz's room.
"Promise me you'll buy another charger," joked Benz. They were about to leave.
"Yes," smiled Mawin.
"Yes, Benz, and we'll write to you every day," added Err. Then Benz hugged them.
"You know we still have to go there and graduate, right? We're not saying goodbye yet, idiot."
"You've always been like this, Err... I'm sure you'll do well in life," said Benz sarcastically. Err shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Jerk."
The three laughed and finally closed the door.
The whole way, they didn't stop talking and teasing each other as if it were any other day, as if they'd see each other tomorrow and this wasn't the end.
When they arrived, there were still plenty of people missing, but Golf and Mangpor were already there, so they went over to them. The hall was spacious and tall, with a stage at the end and rows of chairs facing it. It was sparsely decorated, with a few colorful balloons and a photo area. The few who had arrived were standing at the entrance, chatting and signing each other's uniform shirts. Though less than half the class was there, it didn't feel empty because some families and maintenance staff were also present. Mangpor had her hair in a ponytail as always, and Golf had hers down with bangs; the uniform was obviously the same too. They greeted each other and started writing on each other's uniform shirts with the markers Mangpor had brought, having fun.
"Benz, stay still!" said Golf.
"What are you writing so much?"
"Mawin, bend down a bit," complained Mangpor.
"Hey, there's Mhee!"
Everyone turned at Err's alert and saw Mhee arriving with Ashi, who waved energetically. Later, Petch, Ton, and Cake joined them.
"Grab markers, everyone; I've got them here," Mangpor pointed to the ground.
"Err, blue or yellow?" asked Mhee.
"It won't be visible on yellow."
"Cake write something for me!"
"Mangpor, move over there..."
"Is pink okay?"
And so they spent a good while until the place filled up, but they didn't notice until a man with a microphone announced from the stage that everyone should sit down.
The group sat and said goodbye to Ashi, who stayed behind the chairs with all the other families, and the event began.
The host gave an emotional speech and talked about the teachers, with three of them present on stage. He also told some jokes and recalled anecdotes that had probably just been explained to him since no one knew him. Still, they provoked laughter, like when half the students got left behind on a school trip and missed their stop, with no teachers around. Or when Err's entire class didn't show up for gym on the first day because the teachers got the schedule wrong.
Then music started playing, and they began calling students by their full names to come up and receive their diplomas. During this, Mawin calculated how much time was left until the event ended and told Err so they could start checking bus times, since they were sitting together. Everyone was going to eat together at a restaurant, but the two of them decided it was better to leave as soon as possible because Mawin's parents didn't believe their son wasn't coming back—they didn't know how capable he was—and when they worried because he hadn't come home to sleep, they'd start looking for him. Out of control, not because they truly cared.
When it was over, Err and Mawin went to the restrooms to change, but not before taking as many photos as possible with and without their friends. The bus stop was five minutes away, and the next bus was coming in ten.
When they came out, everyone was still there. They went over to their friends to say goodbye and found them very happy.
"Hey, the videos of Cup's screenshots are starting to go up!" Golf told them when they arrived.
"They're tearing him apart!" Benz shouted to be heard over the hall's noise.
"There are tons of comments and posts," said Mhee, looking at his phone. Ashi was next to him, sharing the phone.
"He deserves it," said Err, too happy to think about all the things Cup had done. He and Mawin looked at each other and smiled.
"I can't believe he tried to break us up," commented Benz, looking at Petch.
Petch looked at him too, and they stared at each other for about two seconds before she grabbed his face and planted a kiss no one expected. Everyone was stunned, and even Benz couldn't believe it. Then Mhee started clapping, and everyone joined in.
"Were you two dating?" asked Mangpor.
"Uhh..."
"Now we are!" declared Petch, and Benz's confusion turned to tenderness as they kissed again.
The others laughed, happy for their friends, and Err saw Ton discreetly take Cake's hand; she blushed, and they interlaced fingers.
In the end, after everything that had happened since that day under the tree, they had fulfilled Benz's mission, one way or another. Thinking about it, if they had never accepted the mission, if Mangpor hadn't needed someone to make Cup leave her alone, if Golf had known from the start that she liked women—would he and Mawin have ever gotten together? They had spent 13 years dealing with the same feelings and never said a word; how much longer would they have lasted? Knowing what Err knew now made it much easier, but he used to feel that without his father's approval, he was worthless.
He still didn't understand how Mawin always made everything easier, even the day they accepted their feelings. However, Err no longer remembered what went through his mind from when he started talking to Mawin again after the worst weeks of his life until they started dating. For him, it was all a sea of confusion until one day Mawin cleared the water completely. Yii made him see reason, made him clearly consider a possibility he had buried in his mind since he was four, and yet he kept denying it because he didn't know how to handle it. His head knew and wasn't tormenting him anymore, and he made up excuses not to get his hopes up, even though it was clear Mawin felt the same.
That's why he got so angry about the Mangpor situation, and yet Mawin knew how to calm him down. Really, everything before that day was a blurry memory; he was just grateful to have gotten where he was.
While turning all this over in his mind, he ran down the street next to Mawin almost without realizing it, even though they had plenty of time. They reached the stop three minutes early, and just then, Err's phone rang. It was Benz.
"Err, is Mawin with you?"
"Yes, what's up?"
"His parents just showed up; they're looking for him." Err froze. What if they found them in the two minutes they had left? He had never been so scared. Walking, it was five minutes away; he couldn't imagine how long it would take by car from the event. He looked at Mawin, carefree, watching for the bus in the distance.
"Thanks for telling me, Benz; I'll call you later." He hung up. Mawin looked at him.
"What did he want?" he asked, unconcerned.
"Mawin... your parents are looking for you." Mawin became as stunned as he was.
Both started looking to see if the bus was in the distance; if it was late, they wouldn't make it.
But the minutes passed, debating whether to run or wait, and neither the bus nor Mawin's parents' car appeared at the end or the beginning of the street. Finally, three minutes after the bus was supposed to arrive, it pulled up in front of them like a gift. Not many people were waiting with them, and they were the first to board without hesitation. Once safe, they sighed in relief while arranging the three backpacks they carried; this was the first of several buses and trains.
As soon as they sat down, Err called Benz again, who answered shortly after.
"Hey, are you still there?"
"Err, you won't believe this."
"What?" he said, alarmed. There were brief sounds, and suddenly Mhee's voice came through. He was laughing.
"ERR, TELL MAWIN THAT GOLF TOLD HIS PARENTS HE'S ON HIS WAY TO CAMBODIA!" Mhee's voice faded, and laughter was mostly heard in the background; then Golf was speaking. Err put it on speaker, and Mawin listened with him.
"Eeeerrrr, is Mawin there?"
"Of course he is."
"His parents came looking for him, and at first we didn't want to get involved, but I decided it was better to do something and told them they looked worried and that Mawin told us yesterday he was going to Cambodia." Mawin and Err looked at each other, stunned.
"Why Cambodia?" asked Mawin.
"Because it's further down, and your university is further up in the country. By the way, safe travels; you've got a long day ahead."
"Thanks, enjoy your meal," said Err. More sounds were heard, and they assumed Benz had gotten his phone back.
"We all wish you good luck, and keep us updated!" Both smiled.
"Of course, Benz, and same to you, bye."
Mawin and Err looked at each other after hanging up, laughing a little.
"Good thinking; they won't think I'm lost now," commented Mawin.
"We have the best friends."
"I hope they do well."
Then Err's phone rang again. This time it was Yii.
"I was calling Mawin, but it went to voicemail."
"Sorry! He's with me; his battery's dead. We're on the bus now."
"Nothing, just wanted to let you know they've put Dad in jail for theft, and I've deposited money for you; ask for more whenever you need."
"what"
But Yii hung up, and Err and Mawin looked at each other, confused. After a few seconds to process it, Err spoke.
"About time," said Err. Mawin laughed.
"Now Yii has the house to himself."
"True... If they'd arrested him earlier, you could've come to my place," said Err, not looking at him. The truth was, though Err had been to Mawin's house countless times, Mawin had only set foot in his when his mother was still alive, and that was years ago.
"I only remember the kitchen."
"It's changed a lot." A few seconds passed before Mawin spoke again.
"We're on our way to creating our home from scratch."
They looked at each other and slowly smiled.
"I want plants," said Err.
"I want a cat." They laughed and continued fantasizing; they had long hours ahead.
"Are there outlets on the train?" Err asked suddenly.
"There's a space with some, yes."
"When we get on, charge your phone with my charger."
Mawin nodded.
And they spent the rest of the trip without a care. Just the two of them and three backpacks, moving on public transport just as the sun moved to set, and they watched it, contemplating the colors it left in the sky just as the sun watched them from so far away. Everyone has a future ahead; some don't have it so close at the moment and find themselves eating with friends after graduation, others have it clear and need to go straight to it, for some reason. The two of them only sought to be together. They didn't need other reasons to run away with three backpacks at seventeen, far from home, though unfortunately or conveniently, their own families contributed greatly to it.
From now on, they would be happy, at least in being together; everything else they would fix with time.
Though perhaps Mawin's parents would find out their true whereabouts sooner rather than later and decide to keep controlling him even if it suited them to have him far away, or maybe after not finding him in Cambodia, they decided it was better this way, or called the police, or perhaps they didn't even bother to go there in the first place.
This is the end, for Mawin and Err have graduated, but their story will live on in the minds of those who choose not to forget them.
The ending, however, is open to interpretation. Whether they made it or not, whether their parents found them or not, whether they got the scholarships or not... You and I know the same thing: they graduated together. What comes next is no longer my concern.
Thanks for reading,
Kyer ꈍ◡ꈍ.