School Girls' Stories - New Generation

Chapter 66 – The End of a Rough Year

“I take it Yuna isn’t coming home for the summer either?” Bliss asked of Tiera and Link at the weekend party celebrating Bliss’s graduation from high school. The families were, mostly there. Fuji and Amatsu along with their offspring, Ashe and Rhapsody, had been invited. Yuki spoke to them, but not with the usual fervor. Yuki and Shinwa were both there with Lilis, Link, and Tiera. Sora had written his apologies for not attending but the training he needed made him stay in the marines for that much longer. He did not seem to hate it and with every letter he seemed a little happier and more encouraged.

Shai had invited Shu, who had gracefully shown up and acted as if nothing was going wrong. Kyoei pretty much ignored the eldest son, having received his grades just a week before and wanting to throttle him. He had failed three out of five classes. Kyoei could not look his son in the face and without wanting to cause a scene he preferred to ignore him. If he said anything it would become awkward. Harmony and Yuna had been forced to stay at the boarding school over the summer, which they both, ironically, seemed to enjoy. Darrke had come home with the façade that he had been at military school all summer, he even came home with grades. Frost and Lilis were the only ones who had known the truth.

Lilis, after her break-up with Frost, had moved back in to the Kiseki household and was about two months away from giving birth to her baby, which was supposed to be a boy.

“Yuna seems to be enjoying herself,” Tiera admitted.

“She’s probably found someone to fuck around with,” Link said harshly.

After a week of ignoring each other Bliss and Link had slowly slunk back into their relationship and were now fervently seeing one another again. They realized, though it was a love/hate thing, they would rather love each other some of the time than hate each other all of the time, and continued with their odd relationship.

“She’s in an all-girl school,” Bliss pointed out.

“Male teachers.”

“Teachers aren’t like that.”

“May I remind you of your brother’s father?”

Bliss let out a huff. He was right, but not all male teachers were like that. She looked to Frost, who was watching Darrke out of the corner of his eye. Maybe they were…

“So you were accepted to art school?” Tiera asked, interrupting Bliss’s thoughts.

“Oh, right, yes,” Bliss nodded. “I’m going to New York in the fall and going to work on cartoon designs, kind of like your mother, but I want to do cartoon cartoons, not still life.”

“You mean ani-ma-tion,” Link butt in.

“Shut up,” she told him harshly, though she was smiling slightly. “I guess I won’t be seeing everyone as much as I would like.”

Link was quiet. Tiera shifted. It was odd, the whole tight knit group that used to never be apart had grown apart, then started to come back together, only to be destroyed by jealousy and hatred and feelings that seemed almost worthless.

“Hi!” Rhapsody said walking up to the picnic table which held the scattered assortment of teens.

“Hey Rhaps,” Link said pleasantly.

Bliss gave Rhapsody a kind smile, though she did not feel it down to her toes. It still hurt her to look at Rhapsody and know that she had lost Shu to her, though she had never shown Shu the slightest in interest. She could not blame the girl, who seemed naïve to many things, but she still could feel jealous.

“Hey Rhapsody!” Tiera said happily, scooting over to give her friend some room. “How’s it hanging?”

“How’s it hanging?” Rhapsody repeated, looking to Tiera with a funny look on her face. “That sounds like something your new boyfriend would say.”

“It probably is,” Tiera admitted with a flush.

“A new boyfriend?” Bliss asked the younger girl. “Now you did not tell me of this. I want to know all about him. Is he cute? Does he have money? Is he cute?”

“Is that all that matters to you?” Link asked suspiciously.

“Of course,” Bliss laughed. “Why do you think I’m dating you? You are cute and incredibly smart, which means you’ll be rich.”

“What if I decide to join the circus?” Like Link would ever do something like that!

“Have fun, I’ll find someone in art school.”

“Starving artists abound.” Link smirked sarcastically but Bliss only looked to him with happiness and adoration. Tiera sighed and admired them for their strength and their life.

“I can’t believe what a year this has been,” Tiera sighed. “I do not know if I could take another year like this.”

“You?” Bliss snorted. “I’m the one who found out my mother and father are brother and sister and that this guy is really my cousin.”

“What about Rhapsody over here?” Link said, his chin jutting out towards the young girl at the end of the table. “I think she has had it the worst.”

“Let’s talk about something more pleasant,” Rhapsody immediately interjected. “Like what next year will hold for us.”

“Even better,” Bliss said with a smile, “what the future will hold for us in five years? Let us get rid of this angsty stage and become adults!”

The four of them raised their glasses together for that proposition and swallowed hard at the non-alcoholic drinks all of them were wishing were tainted with just a bit of alcohol at that moment. Anything to drown out the feelings for one night, for one day, for the next five years.

“For better or worse…”

“Till death do us part?”

“Let life only get better…”

“Pass the cheddar!” Everyone looked to Bliss who only laughed at her last line, then reached for the nacho cheese dip and took a big bite of the chip, hoping it was a big bite of the world.

End of New Generation, please stay tuned for the final School Girls’ Series.