告别高一 Farewell to Senior One

The last day of senior one was warm and sunny, as if the sky itself wanted to say goodbye kindly. The four friends walked around the campus one final time, visiting every corner that held a memory: the library where they had studied together, the playground where they had run, and the music room where their band had been born. What they had learned this year was far more than grammar and vocabulary; they had learned how to learn, how to fail and how to try again.

That morning, the head teacher gave a short speech. 'I recommend three things to you for the summer,' she said. 'First, read a book that has nothing to do with your exams. Second, observe something small every day, a plant, an insect, a cloud, and write down what you see. Third, help someone who needs it. These three habits will keep your mind open and your heart kind.' The students wrote her words down, and Li Lei underlined the last sentence twice.

After the speech, the four friends made a promise to each other. 'No matter which classes we go to next year, we will stay friends,' Lily said. 'We will support each other, remind each other of our goals, and celebrate every small achievement together.' They shook hands under the old tree, the same tree where they had made their first promise a year ago. A lot had changed since then, but the tree and their friendship had remained.

In the final class, Cozy gave them a last lesson. 'You have the opportunity to become anyone you want to be,' he said. 'But becoming takes practice, not wishing. Practise your English every day. Practise being patient. Practise finishing what you start. One day, someone will look at you and say: that person is professional, that person has quality. And you will know that they are only describing the result of thousands of small practices.'

When the bell rang for the last time that term, nobody moved. Then the four friends stood up, bowed to Cozy and walked out into the sunlight. At the school gate, they turned around and looked at the building one more time. 'The teachers say goodbye to us, but knowledge never says goodbye,' Li Lei said. 'It waits for us to come back and acquire more.' They laughed and walked away, their shadows long and straight, ready for the summer and for everything that would come after.