The Path To Perfection

Chapter 10: Graduation

It's been a few months since Ivan and Selou started their relationship and the time for the student's graduation had finally arrived.

On this day, at age seventeen, Al'ravee was graduating from a secondary educational institute.

In a wide spacious hall, rows of chairs were neatly arranged into two sections to face a podium in front, all lights beside the one above the podium were dimmed.

On the left section, sitting on each chair was a student wearing a red and blue graduation robe. On their heads was a funny-looking cone-shaped hat.

On the third row of seats, Al'ravee, Ivan, Selou, and Murry sat next to each other listening to their principal who stood on the podium giving a speech.

Sitting on the right section were last year's graduates and parents of this year's graduands as well as visitors and friends.

"ugh, I'm tired of all this formal stuff, let's get this party started" Whispered Ivan to the others.

"Yeah, I agree..." Al'ravee said. "I strongly believe that the principal is doing this on purpose."

Murry had a bored expression on his face as he played with his newly made dreadlocks. "It's nearly an hour and we haven't even started the prize giving."

"Well, besides some last-year graduates, everyone over there seems to be soaked in what he's saying," Ivan said as he looked to his right to see his blonde-haired mother nodding her head to the principal's words.

Al'ravee, Murry, and Selou also looked toward the right section. A young man who looked similar to Murry was seated at the edge. He was currently shaking his head in denial of what the principal was saying. He graduated last two years and was also Murry's elder brother.

Al'ravee saw his parents sitting at the back. They weren't even looking at the principal, instead, they were engaged in some discussion. 'What are they always talking about?'.

On the third row of the right section, a man and woman who looked like they were in their early fifties or late forties were seated with a fowl demeanor.

They were both staring at Selou and giving scrutinizing gazes to the three boys seating beside her, particularly at Ivan who sat right next to her and was holding her hand. They were Selou's parents.

When Selou saw them, she flinched and let go of Ivan's hand. Ivan was surprised, he had noticed that Selou had been acting strange since they arrived today. First, when he tried to hug or kiss her, she moved away which was abnormal indeed. She had also been awfully quiet today and distanced from him. And now, she forced her hand away from Ivan's. Her actions today were leaving him perplexed.

Of course, this didn't escape the eyes of Murry and Al'ravee. Murry looked at Selou, then at her parents. He narrowed his eyes in contemplation.

Once Al'ravee saw Murry's reaction, he quickly whispered. "Hey, I bet you that Selou's gonna break up with Ivan today."

Among his three friends, Al'ravee was closest to Murry, and he had naturally picked up some weird habits over the months. One of them was making bets over events as soon as they happen. And Murry had also picked up some of Al'ravee's hobbies, like reading e-novels and comics.

Murry looked at Al'ravee with a resolute demeanor and said. "I refuse to take that bet."

Al'ravee frowned. "What, why?" He won the bets occasionally, especially if he was the one that initiated the bet and Murry hardly refused the bet.

Murry shifted his eyes to the principal that was now leaving the podium, it was finally time for the prize-giving. "I refuse... because I would have bet on the same thing," Murry answered as he folded his arms.

The events of the ceremony went on unhindered. Ivan was even one of the prize winners, receiving the best in Languages in his class. It wasn't that important though, his class wasn't the only class graduating anyway.

Next came the second part of the ceremony. This consisted of dancing, drinking, eating, and all other forms of celebration.

"Hey Ravee, so what brought you to such a conclusion," Murry said as he held a cup of fruit juice while standing at a corner with Al'ravee. His eyes scanned the crowd on the dance floor. By now, they had already taken off their graduation robe and hat.

Al'ravee put his hands behind his back and answered. " This last month, the number of breakups among last year's was quite a lot. Some couples stopped taking their relationships seriously. Not to mention you also stopped being with Josephine. I figured that this was because we were finally leaving school for good."

Both Murry and Al'ravee were paying most of their attention to the teen couple on the other side of the dance floor. Ivan just stood there as he listened to what Selou was saying.

"My brother says it's for the best. After this graduation, Most of us won't see each other again. Some of us will leave the city to attend a university and some of us won't be coming back. I gotta admit, many of us that started this did so because of our infatuation. At our age, no one will expect us to keep a long-distance relationship cause we even understand what it means to truly love someone. So in that case, we just have to let go. It's heartbreaking, I know, but it just has to happen. Lucky are those who get to still be together after today."

Al'ravee just gave a melancholic smile. He too had once been in a relationship but it didn't work out in the end, he too has had his fair share of heartbreak.

...

"Selou, tell me what's wrong.." Ivan said with an annoyed expression.

"I-Ivan... I-I have to tell you something..." Selou said as she played with the hem of her shirt.

".. Well... I'm all ears"

"Ivan I-I'm sorry.."

"What...what is it?"

"Ivan p-please don't overreact."

"Overreact?.. wait are you breaking up with me?."

"Ivan!..." Selou started but she wasn't able to continue, her parents were walking towards them.

Seeing Selou's parents, Ivan felt his guts turn inside out. "Ivan, we need to talk."Said selou's mother.

....

The graduation ceremony ended by three pm but the school was only finally empty by six.

Al'ravee went home reluctantly. There was hardly a time in school when you could do anything you want.

Krene and Jurdelious went home early, leaving Al'ravee to come home on his own. He wasn't able to eat dinner after getting home though. Having else nothing to do and his e-novels and comics hadn't yet been updated, he decided to sleep early.

*10 pm*

*RING! RING!*

Al'ravee was woken up by the sound of his mobile device ringing. 'Alarm? so soon, I thought I turned it off.' Al'ravee thought to himself.

When he checked his mobile device, he was startled. On the screen of his mobile device, it was indicated that Ivan was calling him.

"Ravee, are you there?." Ivan's voice rang out, and from the way he sounded, he was panicking.

"Dude, it's ten pm, we'll talk tomorrow," Al'ravee answered intending to end the call.

Ivan quickly said. "No Ravee.. wait"

Al'ravee. "What is it?."

"I messed up big time man, I fucked up..."

Al'ravee sat up from his bed. "What happened?"

"It's Selou," Ivan said hurriedly.

Al'ravee prevented himself from raising his voice. "I can't believe you called me at this time just to tell me that you've ended everything with Selou."

Ivan. "No, it's not that"

"what then?"

"Selou... Selou..."

"What!"

"Selou, she's pregnant."