Pov:Max
Semester holidays —
The most awaited break after a week of nonstop exams, less sleep, and overloaded notes. I never thought I'd crave a break this badly. My brain was fried, and even Kitty's voice, which usually buzzed in my ear like a musical alarm clock, felt like a melody now.
Kitty and Ren were already planning an outing.
They lived next door in the next town over, which was not too far, yet just far enough to feel like a mini vacation.
"You better not back out this time, Max," Kitty warned me on call the night before.
"I never agreed yet."
"Same difference," Ren chuckled from the background.
"You don't get to skip. It's a celebration. For surviving the semester!"
Fine. I agreed.
I couldn't say no.
Not when the idea of fresh air, screaming on rollercoasters, and cotton candy felt better than revising pharmacognosy formulas.
The Next Day: At the Theme Park
I arrived, half sleepy but with a secret excitement buzzing in my veins. Kitty wore her usual bright tee and jeans combo, her hair tied up in two little buns like she was five again. Ren had a sunhat and a sling bag — looking like a tourist ready to click a thousand pics. Me? Hoodie, sneakers, and shades — classic "don't talk to me before lunch" look.
"Let's ride that!" Kitty pointed at a giant spinning ride.
My stomach flipped. "Let's not."
We laughed. We ran. We screamed like maniacs.
The day passed with pizza slices, dripping ice cream cones, and Ren almost losing her phone on the pendulum ride. Kitty kept buying silly headbands — bunny ears, devil horns — and forced us to wear them for selfies.
The place was crowded but lively.
I felt light. Like nothing from college or home could weigh me down today.
But life always had this way of playing tricks on me.
We were halfway through a lazy ride on the monorail when Ren suddenly pointed down.
"Max, isn't that your school senior? The tall one near the popcorn cart?"kitty remembered them from the pic's of mine and told me
I squinted through the sunlight.
Wait… I know that guy…
And that one beside him too…
"Oh my God…" I muttered.
"That's Naveen and Arvind. Mike's — I mean, Ram's — classmates."
Kitty turned, eyes wide. "Seriously? You sure?"
"100%," I said, heart doing a weird little jump.
We hopped off at the next station and I found myself walking toward them before even thinking.
"Max?" Naveen blinked, surprise written all over his face.
"Hey…" I smiled awkwardly. "Didn't expect to see you guys here."
"Us too!" Arvind grinned. "Still the same expression. You haven't changed one bit!"
Kitty and Ren stood behind me like curious cats. I introduced them quickly, then the chatter started.
They told me how Ram used to talk about our school, how I topped a poetry competition once and he had clapped louder than anyone —
Wait, what?
"He was obsessed with those interschool programs," Naveen added. "Always dragged us along too. Said he liked seeing the juniors' confidence or whatever."
My brain hit pause.
Did Ram really remember that stuff?
All this time?
"By the way," Arvind continued, "he used to mention someone who wrote a poem about the sea and blue sky—said that was his favourite."
My hand froze midway to my drink.
That was my poem.
I wrote it in 10th grade.
Suddenly, the cotton candy felt too sweet, and the air too light to breathe.
We all sat at a shaded bench, sharing popcorn and reliving school chaos. Naveen joked about Ram being the "silent mastermind" of their gang and how he was the one who planned most birthday surprises but never showed up in the pics.
"He's the background hero, you know?" Arvind laughed.
My chest ached weirdly.
Was I ever meant to know all this?
Later, as we stood near the exit, Kitty leaned close to me.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," I said. "Just… surprised."
Surprised that even in my escape day, his world collided with mine.
Surprised that the boy I once called Mike was more part of my story than I ever realized.
Ren looped her arm through mine. "Let's take one last selfie with those idiots before we go."
And we did.
On the ride home, I leaned my head against the window.
Kitty slept beside me. Ren scrolled her phone.
The selfie popped up again. Naveen with bunny ears. Arvind pretending to eat popcorn off Kitty's head. Me in the middle, half-laughing.
Behind my smile, thoughts danced —
Of blue hearts, poems about the sea, and the boy who remembered them all without ever telling me.
Max's inner Thought:
I came out today to escape.
But somehow, I only found more reasons to be tangled in the past again.
Maybe some memories don't want to be left behind.
Maybe, just maybe…
they were waiting for you to remember them again.
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