The Best Goodbye to High School

Right after graduation, my mom planned a cruise to the Bahamas for me and a few of my closest friends. It was the kind of trip you dream about—five days of sunshine, no responsibilities, and nonstop laughs.

We spent our days eating everything in sight (pretty sure I had pizza, tacos, and ice cream all before noon), going down waterslides like little kids, and swimming with actual baby pigs. I didn’t know pigs could swim, let alone chase you around in the water, but apparently that’s a thing in the Bahamas—and we were all in.

At night, we hit trivia games (which got weirdly competitive), watched movies while floating in the pool, and went to comedy shows that had us laughing until our stomachs hurt. Since we were officially 18 and in international waters, we even tried gambling. Spoiler alert: I’m not great at blackjack—but it was fun feeling like an adult for a minute.

That trip was more than just a vacation. It was a chance to just be with my friends one last time before everything changed. No pressure. No decisions. Just us, being goofy, eating way too much, and making memories I know we’ll talk about for years.

Looking back, I don’t think any of us realized how much we needed that time together. I’m so grateful my mom planned that for us.