Iliya leans against the wall, a sparkler in hand. He's watching it burn down instead of paying attention to the people. 2015 will be here in a few minutes. Had he thought he'd be here, a year ago? Maybe. Already by December, he'd loved Gooseberry, or more accurately, he'd loved the people at Gooseberry.

It's their final year. Six months to go. Iliya lifts his sparkler, watching the sparks shoot through the air. Will they still be friends after graduation? He doesn't know, and the question fills him with a strange melancholy as everyone else is getting excited for the countdown.