May, California, America

A surge of pride rose in me when Kris strided across the stage to receive his degree. The boy was popular amongst his cohort, and a whoop escaped from the audience when he shook hands with the dean. Clapping as hard as I could, I joined in the catcalls. Uncle and Auntie Wu had flown in specially just to attend the graduation ceremony and sat next to me, proud as any other parents could be. And there was no reason why they shouldn’t be - Kris Wu had grown into a remarkable young man, I would have never guessed that he would graduate with first class honours but my oldest friend always had a way of springing surprises - bad and good.

The quad was crowded with jubilant graduates taking photos with their relatives and classmates. I managed to snap a few shots of Kris with his parents in front of the statue of the university’s founder before the older couple escaped, still maintaining their composure although they appeared slightly harassed by some female classmates of Kris who were hovering over us, waiting to have their picture taken with their son. Once Uncle and Auntie Wu were out of earshot, one of them shoved the camera at me and they swarmed towards Kris like bees to honey.

Obligingly, I became Kris’ unofficial photographer as the others gathered nearby for their turn. Through the lenses, I saw the smile on his face turn weary and I knew it was a matter of time before he flipped and threw a tantrum. Before that could happen though, a hand clamped down on my right shoulder.

“Ladies, I’m borrowing Amber,” Eli unceremoniously tossed the camera at one of the girls and pulled me away. “Ambie, we need a photo together!” He drawled, emphasising on the last word.

His crony was waiting at the foot of the stairs, adjusting his gown. “Oh, good job, you found Amber!” Kevin flashed a thumbs up.

“Yah, but I couldn’t drag Kris away from his fangirls,” complained Eli.

“Who cares, all we need is Amber,” Kevin replied.

The two jokers were professionals at camwhoring. I was getting dizzy from the flashes when an angry figure stomped over. “Why did you leave me with the hyenas?” Kris accused us, pointing his mortar board at Eli. The latter ignored him and smiled for the camera. The next moment was a blur of curses and scuffling amongst the three boys as I simply removed myself from the scene to watch the action like the rest of the bystanders.

Boy, was I going to miss them. This was probably one of the last few times the four of us would be able to hang out like this, at school before the boys ventured into the grown up world. My world was small and I had few friends besides Kris and the two troublemakers had become part of my life in the States - I couldn’t imagine living here without them. Would I have to stay at the big house by myself after this semester? It was going to be very quiet, I didn’t want to admit it but I was going to be lonely. Moving to California, Kris made sure I had ready made friends in the form of Kevin Woo and Eli Kim, who were ironically Korean-American, and as a result, the need to widen my social circle wasn’t pressing - until now. Although I wasn’t sure whether I would be staying on in California to finish my degree - Kris was due back in Beijing after the summer. For some reason, he had changed his mind about going on a long trip around the world as he had originally planned. When I broached the topic, he simply stated that it was time for him to pick up the ropes at Wu Holdings. Something was not quite right, however he had been determined to close the subject so I didn’t want to push it - knowing him, some out-of-this-world adventure was probably in the pipelines and could only be materialised when it was my turn to graduate.

****

June, Las Vegas, America

On the other hand, Kevin and Eli were planning to take a gap year and backpack around Europe now that school was finally done for them. We did have one last holiday together - Vegas, apparently according to the boys, was most apt to kickstart the epic summer. Kris, Kevin, Eli and myself hit the strip for a week-plus of absolute craziness. Mornings were spent at the massive pool at the Bellagio when they would already order alcohol and the drinking would continue into the night, storming the clubs as the temperature in the desert plunged.

The boys did indulge me by escorting me to the various musicals and shows that Vegas was home to - it was my first trip there after all. Kris and I managed to escape one night to watch the famous musical fountains outside our hotel. The Fountains of Bellagio were one of the must-sees in Las Vegas and even if Kevin and Eil preferred to chase skirts, I had to drag my best friend to “free” entertainment.

“It’s a beauty, ain’t it?” I was awe struck by the majestic arching sprays of water that seemed to really be dancing.

Kris s his arms around me, “You are so easily pleased.”

“Of course. You should be thankful for a girlfriend as low maintenance as me,” I tilted my face so the boy behind could hear my reply.

It wasn’t that bad to be hugged like this by Kris for the rest of my life, I thought to myself. While it was easy to convince myself that the decision I had made back in Beijing was for the best when I was sober, the same wasn’t that simple after downing three straight shots of tequila continuously. I hated that nasty alcohol, it burned my throat but when Eli had flashed his puppy dog eyes pleading with me to help him with the tray of shots that Kris had bought just for the former, I had to oblige. I