“This is the part of the recipe that I love,” I beam, reaching for the packets of chocolate chips and raspberry pieces. Beside me, Brody continues to mix the batter, the muscles in his arms tensing. He turns to smile at me and I pause, studying the way the sun streams through the kitchen window, bouncing off the highlights of his face. His cheekbones are illuminated along with the intensity of his green eyes. They shine brightly than the sun and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look happier.
The sight of him makes me pick up my phone, switching it to my camera so I can quickly snap a picture. His eyes widen slightly and he lets out a low chuckle —
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a picture of you because I’ve never seen you look so beautiful.” I say truthfully, reaching up to a wipe away a flour mark on his structured jawline. Brody smiles, lunging forward and wrapping an arm around my waist. The action has me surprised and I let out a small squeal, leaning my head into him as he spins me around. The kitchen fills with the sound of our laughter and with his free hand, Brody plucks my phone from my grasp. Before I realise what he’s doing, he turns the camera around, the soft sound of the camera clicking away.
“You took a picture of us.” I laugh, leaning up to peck his cheek. The sound of the camera click goes off again and Brody beams down at me widely, his smile causing butterflies to fill my stomach. I reach up on my tiptoes, pressing my lips firmly against his. This time, he leaves the phone on the table, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. I breathe him in as our lips intertwine together.
“Mmm, you taste like cake batter.” I giggle as I pull back, resting my palms against his firm chest.
“You’re a distraction Bella Winters.” Brody murmurs, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck. I feel him inhale and I close my eyes, my heart swelling with love. I haven’t felt so complete in a long time.
“A good distraction?” I question him softly, reaching up to run my hands through the soft strands of his hair. Brody murmurs an agreement — “The best.”
*****
“I don’t think I can do this,” I breathe deeply, standing outside of the exam hall. I glance down at my watch . . .
Five minutes.
Five minutes to go until I’m forced to go through the toughest three hours of my life.
“Bella, don’t freak out. You’re going to do amazing, okay?” Jedd says beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I turn to face him, the nerves inside of me tangling up together so much, I feel sick.
“What if I get in there and forget everything? This is my future on the line! Oh god,” I begin to panic, stepping out of the way of numerous students. They all look stressed, faces twisted with worry and nerves. It does little to help the anxiety bubbling away inside of me.
Jedd sighs and grabs hold of my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. His entire posture screams calm and confident but he isn’t the one about to take his final school exams. He’s already done all this before and passed with flying colours, he doesn’t have to worry about failing.
“No matter what happens, I’m proud of you.” “I’m going to fail.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I will. I’ll be forced to stack supermarket shelves for the rest of my life and I probably won’t even make employee of the month!” I exclaim, throwing my hands up in the air. The corners of Jedd’s lip twitches and I narrow my eyes at him —
“This isn’t funny Jedd.”
“Too late kiddo, your exam is about to start. Good luck!” He says hurriedly before shoving me through the doors. I stumble, my mouth open slightly as I turn around and come face to face with my entire school year. Everyone is seated, staring straight ahead as they wait for the signal to begin. I let my gaze drop to the floor, my hair shielding me from burning stares. My feet begin to move as I head for the desk at the back, one of the only free ones. I want to search the crowds for a familiar face, Tia or Brody but I don’t.
The urge to receive a reassuring smile from Brody grows and I force myself to continue taking slow steady breaths. Don’t freak out Bella. I slide into the chair, shifting uncomfortably from the silence in the room.
“You may begin the exam. You have three hours, use it wisely.” The examiner yells from the front of the room. I sit completely still, staring at the front of my paper as the sound of rustling fills the air. All around me students pick up their pens, a steel look of concentration sprawled across their features.
Before I know it, minutes have passed and I’m still staring at the front page of my exam. I can’t bring myself to open it, my hands seem to have stop registering the signals coming from my brain.
A loud cough from my right catches my attention and I slowly turn my head. My eyes connect with Brody’s who is sat a few seats away from me. He’s turned around, shielding his face with his arm so he doesn’t catch the attention of the Examiner. His green eyes are burning intensely at me, full of questioning.
I shrug my shoulders, continuing to focus on my breathing. I can feel the tightening of my lungs as time ticks on. Brody gives me the smallest of smiles and the longer I look at him, the calmer I begin to feel. He signals for me to breathe deeply, his own chest rising and falling as he urges me to copy his actions.
I breathe in, both of our movements synchronising with one another. Soon enough, I feel the oxygen fill my lungs, relieving me of the panic inside of my chest. I give him a grateful smile in return and he shoots me a wink in my direction. It causes me to grin, little flutters growing inside my stomach. My hand moves from my lap and picks up the pen.
When Brody turns back around and begins working on his paper, so do I. The faintest of smiles is plastered on my face, even when I come across the advanced section. I don’t panic, I don’t struggle to breathe. I read through each question carefully before taking the time to think about my answer.
Before I know it, I’m on the final question and when I finish my answer and turn the page, I look up to find Brody watching me. He’s already finished and from the look on his face, he’s pleased with the way it went. As soon as we make eye contact, he smiles warmly, green eyes lighting up. I want to run up to him, wrap my arms around his neck and laugh because it’s finally over.
Instead we continue watching each other until the examiner directs us to drop our pens and stand. Sounds of relief fills the silence and I watch as shoulders slump in defeat, exhausted from the previous three hours. The examiners eyes scan over the crowd, a satisfied smile on his face.
“You may leave.”
I make a beeline for the door, watching Brody from the corner of my eye. His movements aren’t as quick as mine so I slow down, desperately wanting to ask him how it went. From the smile on his face, I already have an idea. As soon as we’re out of the doors, he rushes over to me, arms outstretched. I wrap my own around his neck, holding on tightly.
“It’s over, it’s finally over.” I laugh, breathing a sigh of relief. The heavy weight I’ve carried on my shoulders for the past five years fades away and Brody mirrors my laughter as he pulls back.
“It sure is. How did you do?”
“Good, I’m feeling optimistic. You?” I question him, my eyes flickering between both of his. He nodded, a wide smile on his face. I let out a small squeal, pulling him close to me once again.
“I can’t believe it’s over.” I breathe out as we head for the school exit. As soon as I can see the doors in the distance, I feel the excitement begin to grow inside of me.
“As soon as we walk through there, we aren’t coming back.” Brody says softly beside me, one arm wrapped securely around my waist. I nod my head, our movements slowly coming to a stand still.
“Bella! Brody!”
We both turn around to find Tia weaving her way through the crowds. Her face is the look of relief and once she’s by my side, a wide smile spreads across her face.
“We’re officially out of here! Can you guys believe it?” She laughs in disbelief. I shake my head, unable to wrap my head around it myself. I reach forward and take hold of her hand in my free one. Her eyes flash with surprise but she holds onto me tightly as we all turn back towards the doors.
“It’s been one hell of a ride.” Brody murmurs from my left. Tia makes a small noise of agreement, her eyes glued to the exit.
“When I first walked in here, I was lonely, terrified and a complete social outcast. I had panic attacks regularly and I kept myself hidden from pretty much everyone.” I say, my voice laced with emotion. Brody’s arm tightensaround my waist and he leans down, placing his lips against my hair in a soft kiss. Tia’s hand squeezes mine, letting me know she’s here for me.
“I hated this school with every fibre in my body but you know what? I now feel grateful because without it, I wouldn’t have met the two most amazing people in my life.” I blink back tears, clutching onto both of them tightly. We begin to walk towards the exit and I feel the stress, anger and frustration from the last five years begin to strip away from my soul.
“High school doesn’t define us, there’s an entire world out there for us to explore.” I say quietly, mirroring the words Brody first spoke to me. He glances down and gives me a proud smile —
“You’ve finally got it Bella.”
All three of us push open the doors and step out for the very last time. The smile on my face stretches until I feel the happiness dig itself straight through to my heart. Every part of my body warms up brightly as I turn to look at Brody on my left and Tia on my right. In front of me, Jedd pushes himself off his car, making his way over to us. When he notices the smile on my face, he lets out a loud cheer, heading towards me with his arms outstretched.
I first walked inside the doors of Heywood High completely broken and scared. I’m now walking out stronger than ever with the people I love most in this world. In the end, I won.