Chapter 42

So, I’m graduating in less than a month (technically a month and a day, but my classes finish a week before that), and I’m just kind of going through my little cycles of despair and apathy. And I’ve been seeing more of you reading OCEAN BLUE, and it made me kinda wonder: what’s the haps with my peeps?

I wrote OCEAN BLUE during my junior year, and it’s set during the summer prior for our characters. So here’s where everyone is now, headed to their own graduation!!

NORM. Norm is going to UC San Diego, where he hopes to bump up their chess team’s in-state ranking from 4th to … at least 3rd. He’s majoring in Business with a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He hopes to one day run the Cumm-n-Gitt, or to own an establishment like it.

TAFFY. Taffy spent some time in counseling and is doing somewhat better. She’s taking a gap year to “find herself,” at her divorced parent’s surprisingly unanimous decision, which is really to try and figure out some of her issues.

BROOKLIN. Got into USC for rowing. (Jk.)

CHLO. Was very nice senior year. As new captain of the swim team, she changed the environment somewhat positively. Still loves to talk shit, though. Headed to UCLA in the fall to major in Data Science.

JACE. Also headed to UCLA, Jace has committed to the basketball team. He plans to major in Nursing along the Pre-Med track. His dream is to be a child physician, but thinks he might settle on Physical Therapy. He’ll see.

TANNER. Got into Berkeley (sheesh!) with a major in Rhetoric and a double-minor in Spanish and Finance. (He has many interests.)

NEEMA. Planning on majoring in Political Science with a minor in anything that might help her become a polyglot. Was torn between Cornell and Berkeley (she tossed out Harvard right away, and is still a little shocked that Yale deferred then waitlisted her, but whatever) because they both have amazing Pre-Law support. In the end, she went with the #2 rank, Cornell, because she wants to get out of California and experience a bit of freedom. She and Duncan are devoted to a long distance relationship.

DUNCAN. Got into Sanford with a double major in Computer Science and Finance. Was the first committed to their basketball team. Is ecstatic to stay close-but-far to home and plans on calling Neema frequently to gossip and have fun crying sessions. He hopes they manage to stay together, and is planning to get a job and set money aside to fly out to surprise her on her birthday.

ELLIOT. Managed to become a National Merit Finalist, a fairly big deal for the state of California. She’s headed to ASU in the fall with a major in Biomedical Engineering. She’s incredibly nervous, but she’s already made friends with quite a few people in the National Merit program, and in her college. With her scholarship and her savings, she’s going to get a single dorm. She hopes to get a job at a coffee shop near campus, because she just associates coffee shops with college. She and Alyssa plan on Zoom-calling frequently.

ALYSSA. Alyssa is headed to Berkeley (like Tanner) to major in Teaching English to Multilingual Students with minors in Education and English (because why not). She’s worried about not being near Elliot, but she’s glad Tanner is nearby. She and Elliot have been working out consistently, and upon Elliot’s prompting, she’s been trying yoga and meditation. She has not fished out in several months. She and Tanner are going to live together off campus, just in case. 

No matter what happens, they’re all excited for the future.