Chapter Text
So we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18).
To stand at the parapet of a period that has changed you tremendously and a period that will change you tremendously is a daunting feeling, in a sense liminal. Perhaps it can feel exciting, perhaps it can feel scary — but change and transfer are defining aspects of the human experience. We try to hold on to what we can, to the faces, to the moments, to everything that can be cherished, but life seems to rush on, uncaring of what its observers wish.
What then remains in so transient a world?
Well then… over… school done? No school… yay…
Maya sat slumped over at her desk, with some vague thoughts occasionally entering and exiting her head. The gravity of the fact that this was the last day of high school hadn’t registered clearly to her. On the contrary, it felt shockingly ordinary.
Sjef lightly tapped her shoulder. “Maya? Maayaa?”
Ms. Vera entered the room and cleared her throat.
“So, uh, apparently I am obliged to give some speech about how you all are becoming adults or whatever… but truthfully, I don’t care. All of you were a pain in the ass to deal with, and I’m just happy you’re your own problems now. Try not to bother your professors that much—” She glared at Mymy as she said this — “And try to, you know, make something of yourselves. I will not miss you.”
Coco clapped and raised her hand.
Vera groaned, pinching her nose. “Yes, Coco?”
“Will you miss me, Ms. Vera?”
“No.”
“Oh.” She looked down. “Well, I will miss you.”
Vera shrugged, indifferent to the sentiment. “Okay…?”
Mymy’s hand shot up after. “Ooh, ooh, what about—”
“When I said, ‘I will not miss you,’ I was referring to all of you, without exception.”
“Oh, come on now…” She brought her voice into a whisper and leaned forward. “…it’s the end of the year, you can admit I was your star student.”
Vera rolled her eyes. “I would sooner choose to drown myself.”
“Wow, harsh… what about the Belgian?”
“Who is the Belgian?”
Mymy gestured to the now snoring Maya.
She sighed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but, though she was not the most… proactive… she did cause me the least trouble out of all of you.”
Mymy leaned back in her seat and laughed. “Well now, the world has seemed to have turned upside down! Can ya beat that, eh Kiki?”
“Aargh, it do be most peculiar!” Kiki responded.
“Oh, right, and Kiki, I mean this in the nicest way possible…” Vera began. “You really need to get rid of the pirate accent, and the pirate outfit, and the… well, pirate everything.”
“Ahoy and ballasts, madam, but me am good, fer me going to be a pirate!”
She took a sip from her mug. “Whatever you say…”
Mymy raised her hand. “By the way, Ms. Vera, do you know what university Kiki and I are going to?”
“You’re going to university?” She sarcastically responded.
“Not just any university either, we’re going to Leiden!”
Vera spit out her coffee. “You two? Leiden???”
“Geez, I’m flattered…” Mymy remarked.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all… I didn’t know Leiden was taking more autists now…”
“Wow, okay! You better watch out when you go back to your car!” She hastily spurted out.
“What?”
Mymy nervously chuckled. “I mean, nothing!”
“Okay…” Vera took another sip, going through all the possibilities of what Mymy had either done or was planning to do. A growing sense of unease came upon her. Addressing the class, she said, “Don’t kill each other, please. I’ll be right back.” She ran off to go check on her car.
Mymy elbowed Kiki. “You got the guy to… you know…”
“Aye, matey! And fer only a wee number o’ doubloons too!”
“Perfect, perfect…” An evil grin came upon her face. She pulled out her phone and opened up the group chat, aptly named “dutch belgians and afrikans.”
Mymy: “yo u guys want to go to the mall after school
to celebrate finally being done with this place”
Kiki: “arrgh aye matey”
Coco: “tH4t W0rK5 f0r M3”
Yfke: “aheuhghhgf”
Sjef: “sure i dont mind”
Mymy: “can u ask belgian no 2 also
cause if were all down i need to plan
because kiki and i are going to detention”
Kiki: “arrgh by davy jones locker what is this phrase ye have used ‘kiki and i’??????”
Mymy: “surely you dont think theyre going to believe you had no involvement (eye roll)”
Kiki: “ye know this was yer idea thru and thru”
Mymy: “you still helped me execute it”
Sjef: “theres no point in fighting abt it!
going off your previous antics
youll get out just fine
ill ask maya”
He tapped Maya’s shoulder again. “Maya? Can you, uh, can you check your…” He then gently shook it, causing her to jolt awake.
“NO NO, NO THANKS, I’LL REMAIN SEVENTEEN FOREVER!” She shouted, her eyes wide open. The class burst into laughter, causing her face to glow red.
“S-sorry, I just wanted to ask you to check your phone…” Sjef said, scratching his neck.
Maya quickly pulled out her phone and scrolled through the group chat.
Maya: “god damn it mymy
sure ig”
Mymy: “hooray
and srry maya you cant remain 17 forever sadly”
Maya: “shut up mymy”
Suddenly, a loud scream was heard from outside.
Mymy struggled to contain her laughter. “OH MY GOD, SHE FOUND THEM!” She squealed to Kiki.
“Well, call me a scurvy dog!”
Mymy: “okay so vera is coming in a few mins
i stole one of the janitors outfits and put it in my locker
which one of you wants to help bust kiki and i out of detention”
Sjef: “no thanks”
Maya: “fuck no”
Coco: “tH15 d035nT 533m l1k3 4 g00D 1d3a…”
Mymy: “well that just leaves you yfke”
Yfke: “aughoguffuf”
Mymy: “i put instructions in my locker
youll know what to do
the rest of you wait outside
according to my calculations
she should be back right about…
now”
Vera stormed back in the room, with numerous snakes hanging off of her clothes and hair by their teeth.
“MYMY SCHOPPENBOER!!!”
As Mymy predicted, Kiki and herself indeed found themselves in detention. They twiddled their thumbs as they waited for Yfke to come and collect them.
“Arrgh, matey, filling her land-ship with snakes was a most devious jest!” Kiki whispered.
“Well, naturally! Fancy us not going out with a bang…”
“Aye, but how’re we gonna get out of here? Ye still have not relayed this to me!”
“You’ll see, you’ll see… in just a few seconds…”
Right on cue, Yfke stood at the doorway, dressed in the janitor’s clothes. She coughed. “H-hallo, auheh, ahem. Ich needing zwei students to hilf me with some… arbeiten?”
“Yarrgh, why’d ye make her do a German accent?”
“It was necessary, trust me…”
The detention monitor squinted. “You don’t look familiar… and why do you speak like that?”
“Ich… new arbeiter… recently hire… ich komme aus Österreich. Poor, poor village…”
He sighed. “Would anyone like to volunteer?”
Mymy jolted her hand up, with Kiki following.
The detention monitor glared at them. “Alright… but you’d better not get into trouble.”
“Scurvy dog, why do ye suppose we should ever cause any mischief?” Kiki exclaimed.
“Among other things, filling a teacher’s car with snakes. Now go on…”
Mymy gave a short bow, and the two followed the disguised Yfke out of the room.
“Auheh, that was pretty simple!” Yfke said.
“One could say so…” Mymy chuckled. “But don’t worry, if it’s my doing, it’s not simple. Follow me.”
She led them to an obscure spot in the school. “This directly leads to the parking lot!”
“Yarrgh, but what good would that serve us?” Kiki asked.
“Just you wait!” She dialed a number on her phone, and all of a sudden, the school wall exploded. Maya, Coco and Sjef stood waiting outside, watching in shock.
“MYMY, WAT DE FOK???” (MYMY, WHAT THE FUCK???) Coco yelled.
“Heh, you know we could have just exited through the school doors, right?” Yfke gestured.
“Of course, but what fun is that? Now come on, we’ve got to get out of here!”
They ran towards their bikes and raced off.