By the time fourth grade came around, Grace, Lucy, and Theo were known by everyone.
They weren't just friends.
They were the trio.
If you saw Grace, Lucy and Theo, you saw them together — laughing too loudly, sharing snacks under the desk, or getting scolded for whispering during math class.
But they weren't the only trio in class.
There was another one — Nate, Adrian, and Julian.
The two trios had always been friendly rivals. Competing for higher marks. Racing during sports period. Arguing about who won in dodgeball.
One random afternoon, Theo suggested, "Why don't we just become one group?"
And somehow, it worked.
The two trios merged into one chaotic, loud, unstoppable group of six.
They studied together before exams.
They played together during recess.
They even got scolded together.
If one was in trouble, all six were.
They started calling themselves "The Six."
One day, while they were joking and throwing paper balls across the classroom, Nate suddenly said, "Guys, promise we are going to be friends forever — even if we are in different classes."
Grace didn't even hesitate. "Definitely, Nate. There is no question about this."
"Of course," the others agreed.
And in fourth grade, promises felt permanent.
But time has a funny way of testing promises.
Soon, the final exams ended. Results day arrived. Fifth grade meant the secondary section of the school. New classrooms. New teachers. A new beginning.
And that scared them more than they wanted to admit.
They stood outside the school notice board, their hearts pounding.
"On three, we say our classes, okay?" Grace said, trying to sound brave.
"Okay," everyone replied.
"Three… two… one!"
"I'm in 5A," Grace said quickly.
"I'm in 5A too," Lucy said.
"Same here," Theo added.
They smiled.
Then Nate spoke.
"I'm in 5C."
Adrian swallowed. "Me too."
Julian looked down at his result sheet. "5C."
The silence that followed was heavier than they expected.
Two different classes.
Two different corridors.
Two different routines.
Julian was the first to break the tension.
"Don't worry, guys," he said with a half-smile. "We'll come to your class and meet you. And you'll do the same, right?"
He nudged Grace gently, waiting for her to say something.
"Yeah," she said, forcing a smile. "We'll definitely come. That way we won't be left out of each other's lives."
"That's the spirit," Adrian added.
For the first week of fifth grade, they tried.
Nate, Adrian, and Julian came down to 5A during recess. They laughed like nothing had changed.
But slowly… they stopped coming.
Maybe they were busy.
Maybe they made new friends.
Maybe it just became harder.
Theo and Lucy eventually stopped mentioning them. Not intentionally. Just… naturally.
Grace noticed the silence.
She wasn't the type to forget promises.
But even she stopped thinking about it every day.
Life in 5A started changing too.
Their class teacher assigned permanent seats. No more sitting together.
No more passing notes across the desk.
Grace found herself sitting next to a girl named Zoey.
And unexpectedly, they clicked.
Their birthdays were one day apart — Zoey was one day older. They both had older brothers. And the most shocking coincidence? They lived right opposite each other.
It felt like destiny.
Lucy reconnected with Claire, a girl she had once been grouped with.
"That group was toxic," Lucy had whispered to Grace once. "But Claire isn't like that. She's actually nice."
Theo began talking to Audrey — someone he had known for years because their parents were friends, but had never really spoken to.
New seats.
New friendships.
New inside jokes.
And slowly… the name "The Six" stopped being used.
They no longer talked about Julian, Adrian, and Nate.
At least, not out loud.
But Grace remembered.
She remembered the paper balls.
The promise.
The countdown outside the notice board.
She remembered everything.
And sometimes, during recess, she would glance toward the 5C corridor… just in case.