Friends Like These

May 25th , 2035 - 9:05 AM

As Noho and Ezra walked into the school lobby, they were greeted by the buzz of excitement radiating from their classmates. The energy in the room was lively and chaotic, with students taking pictures, exchanging gifts, and even crying. Noho glanced around, her face scrunching in disgust. She almost felt secondhand embarrassment at the dramatic way everyone was behaving.

"Why are they crying? They should be happy today's the last day of school," she said.

"They'll probably miss their friends and favorite teachers," Ezra replied, shrugging.

"I won't miss anybody from this school," Noho said bluntly. "I'm glad to be getting out of here. I hope I don't see these people for the rest of my life."

"Woah, saying 'for the rest of your life' is a bit dramatic, don't you think? You'll definitely see them in high school."

"I don't think so. I'm not going to high school," Noho said as she walked over to a nearby table and plopped down into a chair.

"What? Why?" Ezra asked, following her and sitting across from her.

"I don't need high school," Noho replied nonchalantly. "I'm already ahead of my time by, like, thirty years. All the stuff they'll teach me in high school? I've mastered it ten times over."

"Well, yeah, that's true," Ezra said with a grin. "Honestly, putting you just one grade ahead wasn't enough. You should've graduated high school already with how smart you are. But I heard the high school experience is fun—you know, homecoming, prom, football games, clubs. That kind of stuff."

"Yeah, I guess all that sounds nice," Noho said with a tired sigh. "But I'm not into that. I'd rather stay home and watch YouTube, read manga, or go gambling if I feel like it."

"Nerd," Ezra teased under his breath.

"What'd you say?" Noho asked sharply, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You don't like going out. You spend your free time watching YouTube and anime, reading manga and educational books, or drawing. If that's not a nerd, then what is?"

"That's not nerdy," she said, exasperated. "It's just called being an introvert! And I do like going out. I'd just rather go to quiet, uncrowded places, like a bookstore or a park."

"Yeah, but what about casinos? They're usually loud and packed with people. Plus, you have to talk to people when you play card games."

"When I'm gambling, I guess my introverted side disappears—along with all my problems," she replied with a shrug.

"Problems? What kind of problems could you possibly have at thirteen years old that make you feel the need to gamble?!"

"I don't know. But gambling gives me a lot of money, and I love money, so I love gambling!"

"Okay, putting that aside," Ezra said, rubbing his temples, "even if you don't like dances or football games, you should still go to high school. It teaches you life lessons and gives you experiences you'll need in the real world."

"Life lessons? Like what?" Noho asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like what to do when something unexpected happens. You can't prepare for everything, Noho."

"I'll adapt, like I always do. That's what I did when my dad left me. That was unexpected."

Ezra froze, caught off guard. "But your dad left when you were one. How could you possibly remember that, let alone adapt to it?"

"I don't remember it, obviously," she replied. "But I know I adapted. That's why I am the way I am now—because I learned to handle change at a young age."

"Wow. That's kind of deep."

"And anyway, haven't you been watching the news?" Noho asked, her tone suddenly sharp.

"The news? No way. That's for nerds and people without social lives."

Noho stared at him in disbelief. Is he serious? This guy doesn't watch the news? She thought. "Living every day oblivious to what's going on in the world is dangerous," she said, annoyed. "If tomorrow there was a deadly virus and the whole world went into quarantine, you'd probably be the last to know. You'd walk outside wondering why the streets are empty."

"That's not true! My parents would tell me!"

"No, they wouldn't," Noho shot back. "They'd assume that at your grown age of fourteen, you already watch the news."

"Liar! Any parent who cares about their kid would tell them about something like that."

"Well, I guess my mom doesn't care about me then," Noho said with a shrug. "She doesn't tell me the news because she knows I already know it. Like, she'll say, 'Noho, have you heard about the murders downtown?' And I'll be like, 'Yeah, Mom, I read about it this morning.' Eventually, she stopped bothering me."

"Well, that's you. You're, like, all-knowing or whatever. My parents know I don't watch the news, so they fill me in."

"Or maybe they don't care," Noho teased. "If they did, they'd force you to watch it."

"Whatever," Ezra muttered. "Just tell me the news already."

"Okay, so, the president passed a law saying you don't have to go to high school anymore after graduating middle school. Like, no online courses, no extra classes—nothing."

"Seriously?! That means I don't have to go either!" Ezra said, his eyes lighting up.

"No, you still have to go," Noho said flatly. "You obviously lack basic knowledge about life."

Ezra laughed nervously. "Fair."

"Besides," Noho continued, "lowering the education requirement to middle school is dangerous. It'll create a generation of uneducated, unemployed bums who'll spend their lives playing video games and eating chips."

"Hey, that sounds like you!" Ezra teased.

"I already told you it's different with me, because I'm actually educated, smart, and ahead of my time!" Noho shouted. "I can't say the same for some people though."

Before Ezra could respond, a group of girls hurried toward them, led by Jayla. She wore a sparkly red dress and high heels that clacked against the tiled floor. Jayla waved enthusiastically at Ezra while barely acknowledging Noho.

"Hey Ezra!" She said, smiling and giggling. "And uhm, hi.. to you too!" She said nervously, referring to Noho.

Noho shot Jayla a withering look, her confusion and irritation clear as she silently wondered why she was being so blatantly ignored. Ezra, equally perplexed, couldn't understand why Jayla had greeted him but completely bypassed Noho.

Used to being the center of attention, Ezra—blond, tall, rich, and effortlessly charismatic—had always been surrounded by people. He tilted his head slightly, a bit confused, as he spoke.

"Oh, hey Jayla. Do you need something?"

Jayla's face lit up with enthusiasm as she handed him one of the flyers from her pile.

"Yeah! I've got something for you," she said, practically bouncing with excitement. "These are invitations to my end-of-the-year graduation party at my place! It's going to be an epic pool party—games, music, incredible food. You're coming, right?"

Jayla's parties were infamous. Held at her lavish mansion, they were extravagant affairs, bordering on chaotic, often ending with police showing up due to noise complaints or parking issues. The parties were a favorite among the more carefree crowd, but the quieter, more reserved students typically kept their distance.

Ezra glanced at the flyer for a moment before setting it down with a casual motion.

"I'll think about it," he replied, his voice indifferent. Then, his gaze shifted toward Noho. "But what about Noho? Does she get an invite?" His tone now tinged with annoyance.

Jayla's eyes widened with a brief moment of panic.

"A-ah! Yes, of course!" she stammered, quickly handing Noho a flyer.

Noho glanced at the flyer for a moment before crinkling her nose in disdain.

"I'm not going to that party," she said flatly, her voice dripping with distaste. "A pool party for an end-of-the-year celebration? How unoriginal. I've been to so many of these in one lifetime; I could think of far more interesting ways to celebrate the end of the year!"

"Oh, then I guess I'm not going either." Ezra said, his tone softening in sympathy.

Jayla looked utterly stunned by Noho's rejection of her party and was visibly hurt when Ezra echoed her sentiment. She knew, deep down, that if Noho wasn't going, Ezra wouldn't want to go either.

"Oh… Okay," Jayla said, her voice trembling slightly, trying to mask the hurt. "Well, there's always next year, right?"

"Yeah," Ezra responded, his attention elsewhere.

"Okay… Well, uhm, I'm gonna go now. See you later!" she said hastily, retreating with her entourage to a quieter part of the lobby.

Ezra turned to Noho, a slight grin on his face.

"You didn't have to decline the invite like that; you could've still gone, you know?"

"I know," Noho said with a shrug, glancing away. "But I don't see the point. You can still go if you want. You've got a bunch of friends, right? You'll be fine without me."

"Friends? They're not really my friends," Ezra said with a frown. "At least, they're not my friends like you are. You actually treat me like a human being. You don't care about my popularity or my money like everyone else does."

Noho felt a sudden warmth spread through her chest at his words, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked away, unsure of how to respond to such genuine affection.

"Really?" she thought, surprised that Ezra considered her his true friend.

"Well, I'm really going to miss you over the summer, Noho," Ezra continued, his voice softening. "You're always so fun to be around. I was thinking, maybe after graduation, you could come over to my place, and we could hang out some more."

"Noho glanced at him, her heart skipping a beat. "Come to your house? I'll have to check with my mom, but I'm sure she'll say yes."

"That's awesome!" Ezra exclaimed, a broad smile on his face. "And I've got a little gift for you after graduation."

"A gift?" Noho raised an eyebrow. "What kind of gift?"

"It's a surprise!" Ezra grinned. "You'll just have to wait until after graduation to find out."

"Wait, but I didn't get you anything," Noho said, her face turning slightly sheepish. "Don't tell me you got me something expensive, because then I'd feel bad."

"Don't worry about it," Ezra said with a reassuring smile. "The cost doesn't matter to me. It's something I know you'll really like."

"Hmmm, okay." Noho mused. "But before we head to your place, let's stop by a casino. I'm feeling lucky."

Ezra chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure, sure. Whatever you want to do."

The mystery of what Ezra had gotten Noho hung in the air, adding an extra layer of intrigue as they made their way to the auditorium for the graduation ceremony.

Just then, the intercom crackled to life, announcing:

"ATTENTION ALL GRADUATES, PLEASE REPORT TO THE AUDITORIUM FOR ATTENDANCE AND GRADUATION PROCEDURES."

Students scrambled, eager to find good seats, pushing and shoving as they hurried toward the gymnasium. Noho and Ezra stood up, carefully navigating their way through the crowd. Outside the auditorium, two students were handing out itineraries. They grabbed their copies before making their way inside and found a seat near the center. Noho opened the itinerary and began scanning through it, her eyes quickly finding the schedule of events.

"Okay, so from 9:20 to 9:50, there's the attendance and informational meeting about graduation procedures," Noho said, reading aloud. "Then, from 9:50 to 10:50, there's yearbook signing. Hey Ezra, did you order a yearbook?"

"Yeah, I did," he replied, glancing over at her. "Did you?"

Noho shook her head, a hint of frustration in her voice. "The yearbook was too expensive this year—$200 for a 30-page book full of pictures? Come on, that's just ridiculous."

"Yeah, they really jacked up the price this year. Ever since the economic downturn in 2028, everything's been getting more expensive, especially living here in New York."

"True, but I guess your family doesn't really have to worry about that, since you're rich."

"If you'd asked, I would've bought one for you," Ezra said, his voice casual.

"No, it's fine," Noho replied, smiling faintly. "I didn't want one anyway. And if I really want to look at it, I can just borrow yours, right?"

"Of course," Ezra agreed, grinning.

The lights dimmed, and a tall figure stepped onto the stage, his voice booming over the microphone.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome to the 8th-grade graduation ceremony!"