After a week of waiting, Daimian felt excitement rush through him as he made his way to the hatch at the end of the hallway. With a heavy clunk, it swung open, causing him to stumble forward. He picked himself up, brushing a bit of the roof off of his shirt. Closing the hatch, he made his way up and noticed Kelly leaning peacefully on the edge.

    "Hey," Daimian said, giving a little wave as he approached her from behind.

    Kelly turned around, squinting from the sun. She waved back, repeating "hey." She watched as Daimian joined her at the edge of the building. They both leaned forward, staring down at the campus. "So," Kelly started, twisting around to face Daimian, "how's life been?"

    Daimian paused for a second. "It's been going alright, I guess." He shifted his body to face Kelly's. "Mostly just been waiting for this to happen again."

    Kelly let out a little snicker, slightly blushing. "That's sweet of you, Daimian." She faced back towards campus. "I'm glad I can share this place with you. I mean, it's my favorite part of the whole school, so I feel like I need to keep it a bit on the down-low. But I can trust you not to tell anyone, right?"

    Daimian nodded. "Right."

    "Cool." The two stared off into the sky for a bit. "So what've you got planned for today?"

    "Nothing really. Might do some work and relax." Daimian rubbed his fingers with his thumb. "Kinda dull recently. Just been a bunch of basic shit."

    "Yeah, I get that." Kelly leaned closer to Daimian. "Don't worry though. Test season comes in faster than you think. Before you know it, it'll be April and you're dull life'll be busy busy busy."

    "Heh," Daimian chuckled, putting his head down. "Oh, yeah. It's hard to balance all of that out..." He let out a sigh.

    "It can be a bit stressful," Kelly mentioned. "But I've found that there's a health balance for all of that. It's hard, yes, but the reward's awesome. When you get that grade on the test that you wanted, you feel great." She made eye contact with Daimian, turning his face with her hands. "You got this, Daimian. I believe in you." After staring into each other's eyes, Kelly let go. They both looked away, turning bright shades of red as they did.

    "Thanks," Daimian said, still facing away. They turned back to one another and sat in silence.

    "So are you wanting to go to college," Kelly eventually asked, resting her elbow on the edge.

    Daimian tensed his face slightly. "I don't know if I even could, honestly. I already have enough school as it is, and I can't imagine college'll be much easier. That, on top of work and family stuff, I don't think I could manage all that. I've seen people do it, but I don't have the ability to." He let out another sigh. "I feel like I can only do one thing or the other."

    Kelly put her hand on Daimian's back. "I get that. It's hard figuring out what to do, but you've got time. We're still young, we can find out what works for us before we head into the world. If you can't go to college, then make the most of your job, and if you can't stand your job, might as well try college. Whatever you choose, you should put your heart into it." She let her hand off of Daimian's back.

    After a pause, Daimian looked up at Kelly. "Yeah... But..." He turned away. "What if... my job's necessary? What if I can't escape it if I go to college? I can't just up and quit, I feel like I have people that depend on me. I don't know if I could bring myself to quit just yet."

    "Well," Kelly tilted her head, "where do you work? I'm sure you could work somewhere better if this is what you're saying about it."

    Daimian chocked a little after hearing that, slightly coughing with his mouth closed. He didn't know how to respond, looking down at the campus ground puzzled. 'Do I tell her,' he thought to himself. 'I can't. How would she react? It's too dangerous to tell her. Oh god, what do I say to that?' After a moment of thought, he looked to her. "Next time," he said, trying to keep his composure. "Not right now, but next time I see you. Next time, I'll tell you."

    "Wow, must be important."

    "Oh yeah. Really important."

    Suddenly, Daimian heard the sound of a siren pass the school. In a state of confusion, he could barely see patrol cars zip past in a neat line by the school. He looked down on his phone. "OH SHIT!"

    "WHAT," Kelly asked, instantly standing up.

    "OH SHIT, I gotta go!" Daimian started to run across the roof. He thought of an excuse, quickly blurting out, "I- guhg- gotta see my mom! I'll see you next week, how's that sound?"

    "O-Okay," Kelly said confused. "Same place?"

    Daimian thought for a second. "Sure! You free next Saturday?"

    "I guess?"

    "Cool. We can talk about it later, but I gotta go!" Daimian started to open the hatch before spouting out, "see ya tomorrow!"

    "Alright," Kelly trailed off. She heard the hatch shut behind Daimian. "See you tomorrow then."