It was Monday, September 2nd, 2013. The evening before the first day of my junior year of high school. And I was a wreck, as I usually am on the night before the first day of school.
My dress for the next day was wrinkled. My AP Lang binder would not fit in my new Vera Bradley backpack- which I had purchased months prior to the start of my junior year specifically because I thought it would fit all my oversized binders. I was wrong. My hair was terribly fizzy. And worst of all, I did not have a car. Therefore I would have to take the dreaded bus to school on the first day of my junior year. Not to mention that I was completely in denial about the start of school. I wasn’t nervous; I just didn’t want to do it. Trading in carefree days of sunshine and long endless nights of laughter for Algebra II, swim practice and homework made me sick to my stomach.
Since the time I was a freshman I dreamed about junior year. I would finally be an upperclassmen but without the pressure of picking a college or preparing to say goodbye which comes with senior year.
And here I was on the eve of junior year I wanted no part of it. I simply wanted summer back.
As to be expected, I could not fall asleep that night. My body had become so accustomed to staying up late that I simply was not tired.
I wish I could say I felt the same when my alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. on the most painful day of the year, aka September 3rd, aka the first day of school.
I got ready in a daze; I look like I’m still asleep in the picture that my mother insisted on taking before I left the house.
I was not in a good mood as I stepped on the bus. It was crowded and hot and everyone was yelling. I could not understand how all these people had the energy to be so loud so early in the morning. The bus ride felt eternal.
It was an absolute miracle that I was able to walk up all three flights of stairs to my locker without collapsing. I decided that I was going to start a protest to move the junior hallway off the third floor. I mean we’re upperclassmen now. We shouldn’t been stuck up there anymore. They should really make the freshmen do those stairs everyday; there was no reason for us to deal with that anymore.
When I reached my locker I realized that I had absolutely no idea what my locker combination was. My first day hadn’t even officially started yet and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
So I wandered around, with my overstuff-turtle shell of a backpack, until I found some of my friends to be miserable with until the bell rang. I think I actually shed a tear when the bell did ring at 7:30.
All I can remember from A block Chemistry was laughing with my tablemates at how painful school was. At least I wasn’t going to suffer alone.
During B Block I realized that in every class I was taking except for one, I already knew the teacher. Whether it was from past classes or extracurricular activities, which made me more comfortable.
By lunchtime, I was exhausted but slightly less miserable. The cafeteria was overcrowded and terribly loud. But sitting at a round table with a group of upperclassmen made lunch far more enjoyable than sitting squished at the long tables.
By the time I got to my third class of the day, it felt like I had never left school.
I did not enjoy my first day of school. It wasn’t bad but it was by no means good simply because it was the first day of school. I would have much rather spent the day at the beach, or out in the sunshine, or asleep But whether I like it or not, junior year is in full swing and it will be for the next 179 days or something like that, and I’m just going to have to deal with it. Either that or sign up for an online high school program….
