MILES
Prom night had been one of the most unforgettable nights of my life. I had spent months preparing for it, getting the perfect suit, finding the perfect date, and convincing my parents to let me go. But what made that night truly unforgettable was not the glitz and glamour of the prom, but the decision that Tyler and I made afterwards.
Tyler and I talked about our plans. We wanted to go on a trip together, just the two of us, and create unforgettable memories.
At first, we had planned to go somewhere foreign, someplace exotic and romantic. But we began to realize that he would soon be heading off to college and may not have the chance to travel together again. So, we decided to change our plans and go somewhere meaningful instead. At my Grandfather's hometown. Tyler loved the idea and we began planning our trip immediately.
As we shared our plans with our families, they were overjoyed and my parents suggested that we make it a family trip. At first, I was hesitant, thinking it would ruin the romantic trip I had envisioned with Tyler. But as I thought about it more, I realized that it would be the perfect opportunity for him to bond with my family and for me to show him a piece of my upbringing.
As I was rummaging through my closet, trying to decide which clothes to bring on our trip, a gentle knock on my door caught my attention. I looked up and saw Tyler, my boyfriend, standing there with his arms crossed and a mischievous grin on his face.
"Hey," he greeted me as he walked towards me.
"Hey," I replied, unable to hide the smile that crept onto my face as he landed a sweet kiss on my lips.
"Do you need help packing?" he asked, offering his assistance.
I chuckled and shook my head. "No, I think I've got it under control. But thanks for offering."
Tyler shrugged, his biceps bulging under his t-shirt. "Just trying to be a good boyfriend." I couldn't help but admire his fit and muscular physique.
I continued packing my things, but Tyler didn't budge from his spot. Instead, he just watched me with a soft look in his eyes. "What?" I finally asked, feeling self-conscious under his gaze.
"I just love watching you," he said with a smile. "You're so focused and determined. It's sexy."
I blushed at his words and tried to hide my smile. "Stop it, Dad could hear you."
"I heard that!" Dad yelled from their room.
Tyler chuckled and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. "I can't help it. You're just so beautiful."
I turned around in his embrace and looked up at him. "You're not so bad yourself," I teased, poking his chest. Tyler laughed and pecked my lips again. "But seriously, do you need any help? I can carry your bag for you."
I thought about it for a moment before nodding. "That would be great. Thank you. But just after I finished packing up okay?" He nodded in response.
The silence between us had never felt so heavy. I knew something was weighing heavily on his mind, but I didn't want to push him to talk about it. We were both quiet, lost in our thoughts until he finally broke the silence.
"Hey," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. I turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue. "I know this is not the right time to talk about this, but I can't keep hiding anymore." His words hung in the air, a heavy weight on both of our shoulders.
I could see the pain in his eyes, the struggle he was going through. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, to tell him it was okay. But before I could say anything, he continued. "I know I should have told you before, but I was scared of losing you."
My heart tightened in my chest as he spoke. I could feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I smiled and gestured for him to come and sit with me on my bed. He nodded and we both climbed up, settling against the pillows.
I leaned my back against the wall, and he snuggled into me, wrapping his arms around me. I could feel his warmth seeping into my skin, and I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer. "You don't have to be scared of losing me," I said softly. "I will always be here for you, no matter what."
He sighed, the tension in his body releasing. I could feel the weight of his secret lifting off his shoulders. 
"Go on, I'm all ears," I said to him.
It took him a couple of seconds before I heard him sigh and speak. "I got accepted into a prestigious university in London," he said, his voice tinged with both excitement and nervousness.
I smiled as I caressed his head gently. I've already known about that, but I just waited for him to tell me himself. Ty had always dreamt of studying in London, and I couldn't be happier for him. He had worked hard to get into this university, and I knew he deserved it.
"That's good news, Ty! That's so cool!" I cheered him up, causing him to look over at me with a hint of confusion on his face.
"What do you mean? you already knew?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I chuckled, "I may have checked your laptop  and seen the acceptance letter."
Ty had always been a hardworking and ambitious person, and he had applied to several universities in London. I had seen him put his heart and soul into his applications, and now, his hard work had finally paid off.
"And you're not disappointed?" he asked, making me burst out laughing. "Disappointed? No! Ty, it's a dream come true for you! Come to think of it, you applied to several universities abroad, and now you got accepted to one of those. So what would be the reason for me to get disappointed over something I should be proud of?" I said, trying to hold back my tears.
Tyler turned to me with a wide grin on his face and hugged me tightly. But as his words sunk in, a wave of sadness washed over me. I realized that this meant we would be thousands of miles apart, following our dreams.
"But does that mean we'll be away from each other?" Tyler asked, his smile fading as he looked at me.
I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat. "I guess it does," I replied sadly. We sat in silence for a few moments before I spoke up. "But you know, following our dreams means sacrificing something. If sacrificing our relationship means achieving our dreams and goals in life, then it's worth sacrificing for."
Tyler's expression softened as he looked at me. He let go of our hug and took my hand. "You're right," he said, giving me a small smile. "I know we'll always be together, no matter where life takes us."
“Ty, we both know, we don't like being in a long-distance relationship,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
He let out a heavy sigh, knowing where this conversation was headed. “I know.”
I took a deep breath and continued, “So here's what you're gonna do. You'll go to London, you'll reach your dream and I'll reach mine. Sooner or later, we'll find each other again in the bustling city of New York.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, as tears filled up his eyes. “And when that day comes, we'll hold onto each other's arms again and never let go.”
We both fell silent, lost in our thoughts. But deep down, we both knew that this was the right thing to do. Our relationship was worth fighting for, and we were ready to make sacrifices to make it work.
I looked into his warm, teary, yet comforting eyes and he smiled at me. "Besides, we still have a lot of time to spend with each other," he said, trying to reassure me. "Let's make use of it."
I nodded, feeling grateful for his words. It was true, we still had a few days left before we had to say goodbye. I wanted to make the most of the time we had left together, even though my heart was breaking at the thought of our impending separation.
...
Our trip had been long awaited. Tyler and I had been planning for months to take a road trip to my grandfather's place. The excitement was almost too much to handle when the day finally arrived. We packed our bags and loaded the car, ready for an adventure.
As we hit the road, my parents and my brother Jackson joined us for the journey. He always added an extra level of excitement to our trips. We played games and sang along to our favorite songs as we drove through the winding roads.
When we arrived at my grandfather's place, a feeling of nostalgia washed over me. It had been months since I had been there, but it felt like yesterday. The familiar sights and smells brought back happy childhood memories.
One of my favorite activities as a child was fishing with Dad. So naturally, I couldn't wait to take Tyler for his first fishing experience. We grabbed our fishing rods and headed toward my grandfather's favorite lake. I showed Tyler how to bait the hook and cast the line. It was such a joy watching him learn something new. We spent the whole afternoon catching fish and sharing laughs.
As the sun began to set, we headed back to my grandfather's house for a delicious dinner. Dad and Tyler hit it off right away, and it warmed my heart to see them bond. We sat around the fireplace and told stories late into the night. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.
The following day, we decided to go camping in the mountains. We packed our tents and supplies and began our hike. It was a challenging trek, but the breathtaking views made it all worth it. Tyler and I were in awe of the beauty surrounding us. We set up our campsite near a crystal clear lake and spent the evening roasting marshmallows and telling spooky stories.
As the stars began to twinkle in the sky, we lay on our backs and gazed up in wonder. Tyler and I made wishes on shooting stars, like little kids. It was a magical moment, feeling small under the vastness of the universe. As our trip came to an end, we all agreed that it had been one of the most fun and memorable experiences of our lives.
After the trip, I was both excited and nervous to go back to school. Excited to see my friends and start a new year, but nervous because of the bullying I had been subjected to in the previous school year.
But as soon as I stepped foot on the school grounds, something felt different. People were smiling at me and saying hello, and I couldn't believe it. Was this some kind of prank? But as the day went on, I realized that everything had indeed changed.
I wasn't bullied anymore. I was treated with the same kindness and fairness as everyone else. I couldn't believe it. Tyler and the twins were back on the soccer team, reinstated by Coach Ramirez who had begged them to come back. And the best news of all - Coach Ramirez had transformed. He was no longer homophobic, and he made sure that everyone on the team knew it.
But the changes didn't stop there. Erin and Clark, who had been crowned prom king and queen, had started dating after the prom. They seemed so happy and contented with each other, and it was heartwarming to see.
And then there was Charles and Klaus, who were no longer hiding their relationship. They walked down the hallways hand in hand, and no one batted an eye. The same went for Alexa and Emily, who were no longer keeping their relationship a secret.
But amidst all the positive changes, there were also some not-so-great ones. Sophie, the main bully who had made my life a living hell and manipulated Jessica for so long, was finally expelled. Her family, filled with shame and embarrassment, decided to move away. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but I also couldn't deny that a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
Jessica surprised everyone by starting to date my brother Jackson. I was skeptical at first, but as I saw how happy they made each other, I couldn't help but be happy for them. And the icing on the cake - Jessica's father, who had been notorious for his actions, was finally behind bars. Her mother, who was diagnosed with insanity, was slowly recovering.
As the year went on, our school became a safe and accepting place for everyone. People were judged on their character and actions, not their sexual orientation or ethnicity. And I couldn't be more grateful for the changes that had taken place.
Looking back, I couldn't believe how far we had come. It just took a few brave individuals to stand up against injustice and hatred, and everything changed for the better. As for me, I was no longer afraid to be myself. I could walk down the halls with my head held high, knowing that I was accepted and loved for who I was. And that, to me, was the greatest change of all.
Months had passed since Tyler and I had ended our relationship. It wasn't a bad breakup, but rather a peaceful one. We knew that we needed to follow our dreams first before our happiness. And so, we decided to let go of each other.
But as the day approached for Tyler to leave, my heart felt heavier than ever. We had decided to meet at the airport, it would be the last time we would see and be together. As I made my way through the crowded airport, my eyes searched for his familiar face.
Finally, I spotted Tyler. He looked handsome as always, but there was a sadness in his eyes that mirrored my own. We hugged tightly, both knowing that this would be our last embrace. As we pulled away, Tyler handed me a small wrapped box.
"I got you something," he said with a smile.
I opened the box to find a beautiful red scarf inside. I recognized it instantly as one that belonged to his mother. Tyler had told me stories about how much his mother loved wearing that scarf, and how it always made her feel warm and happy. I couldn't believe that he would part with such a precious item.
"I want you to have it," Tyler said. "So that you can keep your promise."
Tears welled up in my eyes as I hugged him again. I had promised Tyler that no matter what, I would always keep a piece of him with me, and one day we'll see each other again. And now, I had this scarf that would always remind me of him and the love we once shared.
"I have something for you too," I said, wiping away my tears.
I handed Tyler a book, my favorite book. But this wasn't just any book, it was a personalized one. I had filled its pages with pictures of us and written down all of our special memories together. I wanted him to have something tangible to remember me by.
"This is amazing," Tyler said, his voice shaking.
"I know how much you love reading, so I wanted to give you something that you can always keep close to your heart," I replied, trying to keep my voice from trembling.
We hugged one last time, knowing that this was it. We were saying goodbye. As we pulled away, we looked into each other's eyes and shared a final kiss. It was full of love and passion, but also sadness and goodbye.
"Remember, no matter where we go in life, we'll always have these gifts to remind us of our promise," Tyler said, holding up the scarf and the book.
I nodded, too emotional to speak. With a final goodbye, Tyler turned and started walking towards his gate. I watched him until he disappeared from my sight.
And just like that, we lost contact with each other. We both had our dreams to chase, and our paths to follow. But I knew that a part of us would always be connected, through the gifts we had exchanged and the love we shared.
As I walked out of the airport, I couldn't help but feel a sense of bittersweet happiness. Tyler and I may no longer be together, but we had both chosen to pursue our dreams and that was something to be proud of. And who knows, maybe someday our paths will cross again and we will have our own happily ever after. But until then, I would hold onto our promises and the memories we shared, with the red scarf and the book always close to my heart.