Point Blank Range.

"Maddi, you know that I love you. I just can't fully give the celebration my undivided attention right now. And my parents..."

You see that Maddi placed one of the flutes away. She starts pouring the bottle into the angled cup, making sure the bubbles are her preferred ratio.

"You stay sober for your parents, I'll get fucked up for mine."

She finishes her glass in a single drink and starts pouring another.

You remember how hard her parents' divorce was for her a few years ago. The crying all night, the spiraling out of control socially and academically, and how hard she worked to crawl back to the person she used to be before the drama.

She deserves this day. She earned it.

"Listen, I won't be gone for long. We're going to have a quick breakfast before things get crazy. And after that, I'm all yours. I promise. We will never be separated again."

You see that Maddison's body releases tension, though you can't decide if it's your words or the alcohol that comforts her. Maybe it's both.

You get another vibration on your phone.

Honey, we're here in the parking lot. Meet us, and we'll walk over to the diner. Your father now has a hankering for 'The Kitchen Sink', imagine that!

Is it so out of the realm of possibility that I've gotten even more ravenous since seeing this amazing menu?? Can't wait to see you, boo bear. Hurry!!

You give your best friend a hug and start heading to the parking lot. Luckily, it's only a few minutes away. As you draw closer, you see that your parents are stretching out their legs around their sedan. A smile slowly forms on your lips. You love seeing how whimsical they are, even when they're not trying.

"There she is, the graduate!" Your father's voice booms across the sea of cars as he heads towards you.

"Honey, you look splendid! We are so proud of you! Here, take a picture with your father!"

Your mom rummages through her purse and pulls out her phone. She immediately starts taking pictures. You know that half of them would be unusable for her Facebook purposes, but you beam regardless.

"We'll take some more at the diner too. We'll have someone take some photos of all three of us. Let's get going. Can't you tell this man is starving?" You love getting into this jesting, and think maybe you'll match with a Kitchen Sink as well.

Just walking into the diner, you could tell that some of the other kids on campus had a similar thought of an early-ish breakfast. The diner was already kinda hectic, but you and your parents were able to be seated immediately in one of the last available booths.

"I'm going to need some coffee after all the driving we did. A lil pep will get this party started!"

"Coffee will get this party started, Mom?" You laugh, thinking that you probably would have been drunk already if you stayed with Maddi.

The waitress comes and takes everyone's order. You all decide that you want to match your dad's order. Everyone is really that famished.

"That's one of our specialties, actually." The waitress is delighted with your order. "You are making the right choice."

After a few cups of coffee all around, your meals come out, and everyone is digging in. The food seems to hit the spot. You get full easily and say that you can't eat another bite.

You take a look at your phone to check the time.

"I love you guys so much! You are free to sit here, maybe have some more coffee or dessert. But I should be heading back to campus. It's time for my major to round up pretty soon."

"Don't worry about us, sweetie. You do what you need to do. If you can give us your dorm keys, we can do one last walk-through before the movers come in. "

Your mom always makes your life easier. But the thought of them seeing some of the weed and empty alcohol bottles from the mini celebration last night is something that you'd like to avoid.

You wish that you had asked Maddi before you left if the room was ready for visitors.

You decide to give Maddi a quick text, but she doesn't respond immediately like she normally does. She's probably three sheets to the wind.

Now you have to go by instinct.

What do you do?

[ Give them your keys ]

[ Decline ]

Your phone vibrates instantly.

All good, buttercup, we are so proud of you, and we'll see you later : )

Shoving your phone into your dress pocket, you look over to your best friend, Maddison, and she has a grin on her face and a full glass of bubbly extended towards you.

"Cheers, babe. Let's do this."

Your glasses clink, and she immediately pours some more for both of you.

"What are you thinking?" That's her favorite question to ask you. You ponder for a moment, taking in the last days of undergrad, feeling the optimism of the future.

"I can't believe this is all over. It went by so quick. We went through a lot, Maddi. And we survived!"

She goes into that never-ending canvas bag again and pulls out a weed vape. "We survived, and nothing is ever going to tear us apart." She blows a plume of smoke in your face.

You inhale.

The feeling of being crossfaded is amazing, especially coupled with this momentous occasion.

"My parents are here already. I sent them over to that one diner where we've pulled ungodly late nights. What time are yours arriving?"

This question had Maddi chugging on both vices. "Ughhhhh, apparently my mom will be here with her new boyfriend in a few hours. I told her she's playing a dangerous game with cutting it so short. But you've heard how much she's unaffected by consequences. She still doesn't fully believe in them."

"That sounds batshit crazy."

"That is batshit crazy, especially at her grown age."

You both laugh harder than you've had in a long time.

"Do you want to do one more sweep through of the dorms? Before the movers and parents come through?" You're worried that something might have slipped your awareness in the midst of cramming in your last final, and the impromptu kickback you hosted in celebration of being done.

"Fuck it, yeah, let's do one more sweep before we have prying eyes all over our shit." Maddi gets up from the ledge, prompting you to follow.

The walk was leisurely. The sun was still climbing in the sky. It was still kissing you with warmth, enhancing the postitivity of the day.

Walking into the residence hall, there was still chaos all over. The non senior stragglers were packing still, while the upperclassmen were getting their robes and formal attire perfected.

"I'm so glad it doesn't take us long to look amazing." Maddi eyed you up and down, admiring your looks. Your stomach flutters. Being appreciated by a literal goddess is just another perk of a perfect day.

Maddi opens the door to your dorm.

It's sad, seeing the space that you've shared for so long packed away. Everything already feels like a distant memory.

The desks are cleaned out, the bedding is put away, and all the decorations are either packed and ready to go to your new apartment or in the donation bins placed in the hallway.

"Wow." She sighs, sitting on the hard plastic-lined mattress by the window.

You scan for incriminating evidence of debauchery. Nothing is left, thankfully, except a faint odor of the blunt that you both smoked the night before.

You climbed onto the bed next to Maddi, and open up the window to let a fresh breeze in.

"We can't let everyone know how hard we partied, at least not my parents. They're so midwestern."

"I think my parents wouldn't give a damn. They'd probably be grateful that I'm not on coke."

"I wish my parents would see the silver lining." You laugh, knowing that they would probably try to put you in Narcotics Anonymous for what you indulge in.

You feel the mood in the room shift. Instead of looking out the window and watching the commotion in the quad, you find Maddi staring at you. She inches closer to you, her face folded in a way that notes she has something to say. Something real. Something important.

"Can I ask you something?"

You find the question absurd, as you always allow her to express herself. You let her know that. "Of course, what else would I do?"

"You have to promise me, as we embark on this next chapter together, that we truly mean it when we say that we won't let anybody or anything get in between us."

"I've always kept my word with you, Maddison."

Her eyes soften, then close. She leans closer in.

If you didn't know any better, you would think that she is making a move.

But is she?

What do you do?

[ Lean in for a kiss ]

Your cell phone vibrates. It's your family group chat.

We are arriving in town in about thirty minutes, but we're gonna stop and grab some breakfast before we head on campus. Your father is allegedly STARVING.

You chuckle at the thought of your father not eating for a full hour, and imagine him making a big show of being malnourished in a childlike way.

Your mother is exaggerating, I'm not starving, just a little snacky :)

He's been mentioning food the entire ride, and we ran out of our car snacks!

Hey! No need to snitch! Anyway, boo bear, we are wondering if you have the time to join us for breakfast. Probably not, since it's your big day, but we wanted to extend the offer just in case you could waltz off with us a few hours before.

Let us know, sweetie!

Ahh, your parents. They are incredibly cooky together. Extremely high energy. Take a moment to sit down at the nearest half-stone wall ledge and think of the checklist you have for the rest of the day.

Lining up with the rest of her major starts at 1:15. The dorm room is already packed, and you just need to do one more sweep through to ensure that you have everything you need before you move into your new apartment with your best friend, Maddison. After that, it's dinner with both of our families, while the movers transport everything to the city.

While overwhelming, these are mostly things that you don't need to handle yourself."

"The walkthrough shouldn't be too crazy." You decide that spending a few hours away with your parents is just what you need. The energy is too bustling here, and nothing compared to their subtle Midwest enthusiasm.

We would have to go to a diner. Preferably walking distance. If you park on campus now before things build up, you can get a premium parking spot, and we can head over to Donatella's Diner. It's only a five-minute walk. Dad will love it.

You drop the pin to your parents so that your father can look at the menu. You don't even notice someone walk up to you until they clear their throat to get your attention.

Your head snaps up.

"I see you've been too busy to text me back." It's Maddison. She looks just as perfect as ever. Her blonde hair is catching the sun in ways that highlight the complexity of her coloring. Her hazel eyes also transform into a shade that you rarely ever see. She is truly a sight to behold, and she is delighted to finally see you.

Her smile says it all. She is in such a joking mode.

You take a look at your phone, and notice that your mom had bypassed the DND setting that you forgot you set yesterday in preparation for your last final.

"Honestly, I didn't even know my phone was still silenced. You know it's not like that. What's up!"

Maddi sits down next to you, and places her head on your shoulder.

"I can't believe it's over already. It went by so damn fast."

"But we had so much fun. No regrets, right?"

"Damn right, no regrets."

You both sit in a comfortable silence, reminiscing on all the things you've been through together since being paired up as roommates freshman year.

The failures and heartbreaks were there, but so were the parties, the A's, the internships, and recommendations.

"We really found ourselves here." Your words kiss the top of her head.

She snuggles into you closer. "What are you thinking?" It's her favorite question.

"I'm thinking about whether I should invite you to have breakfast with my parents. But I think it's only fair that we meet each other's parents for the first time at the same time."

Maddi lifts her head and looks you in the eyes; hers are still glistening. Maybe with hints of tears.

"It's wild how two important parts of our lives never had the chance to converge. But you're right, I want us all to have the big reveal at the same moment." Her eyes shift to a more mischievous tone. "But before I let you escape me..."

She pulls out a bottle of champagne from her canvas bag. "You better drink with me!"

"It's barely 10 in the morning! Are we really doing this?"

She starts uncorking the bottle.

You know if you accept this offer, you'll probably have more than two shots. The thought of entertaining your parents while tipsy, or even drunk, doesn't have any appeal. You think about how this might hinder your list of things to do.

But it is your last day in college, and you only get to have this type of experience once in a lifetime.

What do you do?

[ Start Day Drinking ]