Remembering Me

Chapter 9: A Day In The Life Of A High School Senior (SO MUCH HOMEWORK!)

Willow and I talked excitedly about the bonfire at Raven's house. She was also surprised that my parents agreed to let me stay over. They didn't want me driving back home late at night from an unfamiliar area, and it made more sense to just come home in the morning. Raven lived in a more rural area with a larger property. Her family's property was a much further drive from the school and was surrounded by forest. My eyes lit up with excitement at the vast home surrounded by nature that Willow described!

Our English teacher looked at us sternly, and we resumed reading our assigned novel, The Giver. Once completed, we were to write an essay about the rules society enforces to preserve the common good. In our essay, we were to state where we thought the line between public safety and personal freedom should be drawn, using evidence from the text to support our critical response. It was not a simple task, and as much as I loved talking with Willow, I knew I needed to finish the book to get started on my essay before Raven's event. Willow and I worked silently until the end of the class, then waved goodbye as we headed to our second-period subjects. I'd see her at lunch, so I didn't feel bad about racing up the stairs to Geography.

Raven was smiling at me when I walked in. I thanked her again for having our mothers talk so that I'd be allowed to go. I asked what I could bring, and she told me not to worry. A few kids would be there; they'd already planned on ordering pizza and having chips and sodas. Marshmallows would be available, too, if we wanted to roast them. It sounded so much fun, and I was looking forward to it.

The lecture in Geography was about the distribution and availability of natural resources and how that can affect a country's prosperity and quality of life. Our class discussion debated whether some natural resources were more valuable than others and why. I was amazed at how deep and thoughtful the debate was. I was struck by how often a clean water source was mentioned and how this was not a reality for many in our country. Raven and I chose to work together on the follow-up assignment. We would identify the relationship between clean water and mortality rate, using a scattergraph to plot the two variables and then determine their correlation. We were given the rest of the week to work on researching and creating our graphic displays. The assignment was due on Monday. I sighed. It would be a busy week, and it was only the first week of school!

Raven and I walked to the cafeteria together, discussing how we'd focus our research to maximize the time we'd be given tomorrow. I was delighted to work with Vince, Tristan, and Claire in the library this afternoon to research our Environmental Science project. It would give me a better idea of where to work from tomorrow and know if I'd need to stay after school to finish up our research with Raven. The bonfire wasn't until Saturday night, but I knew I needed to finish all my assignments for school before going, or my parents would change their minds about giving me permission.

I sat beside Willow & Raven for lunch and ate my sandwich while I listened to everyone chat. I didn't have much to contribute to the conversations, so I just laughed and smiled as I listened to everyone else talk. No one gave me a strange look for being quiet, and it was nice that they all just accepted me.

Tristan, Vince, Claire, and I left together to go to the library to work on the Environmental Science project after lunch. We tried to find the teacher to say hello and ensure we were marked present. I stayed close to Claire while she quickly and efficiently navigated the library to gather any resources we'd need to research for our project. I watched her carefully so that I could do the same with Raven tomorrow. The library wasn't extensive, but it did have great resources and ample space to work. Claire was a good guide, so I felt confident about using my time wisely tomorrow.

Claire and I carried the large stack of books to the table where Vince and Tristan were waiting for us. We divided the resources and sections to report on and got right to work. Soon, the bell rang for this class, and I headed to my locker to put the borrowed resources for Environmental Science in my locker before going to Drama. I'll be a bit late, but I'm sure Emily and Jason will save me a seat. They wouldn't miss two days in a row!

I climbed the stairs as fast as my feet could and raced to Drama. Jason and Emily were there already, seated in our usual spots.

"Hey Sage, it's good to see you, girl! Sorry about yesterday. We, um, had a thing and couldn't make it," Emily blushed.

"Oh, a thing, eh?" I laughed and wiggled my eyebrows.

Emily and Jason burst out laughing because they were not expecting my response. I don't come off as a prude, do I? I wondered in silent horror.

Looking at my worried expression, they just laughed harder. I groaned, remembering that my face mirrors my thoughts and feelings too well. That could be something I could work on in this class—at least, I hoped it was!

Today, we worked in small groups to practice different techniques the teacher had instructed us on the previous day of classes. I was in a small group with Emily and Jason, and we had a lot of fun. I was SO grateful that this was a more "hands-on" class with mostly performance tasks and observations by the teacher to determine our marks. It was still challenging but less intense than my other subjects.

I glanced over to where River was working with his group. They seemed to be having fun, too, and I realized Raven was right. All the females in the class except for Emily, myself, and a handful of others were throwing themselves at him, clearly making their interest known. I laughed with a snort before I could stop myself, but Jason and Emily were doing the same once they realized why I was laughing. Players are gonna play!

When it was done, I quickly exited the class, got to my locker, and grabbed the books I needed to bring home. I sighed. I was ordering pizza for dinner tonight, so there would be no prep work and minimal clean-up afterward. SO. MUCH. HOMEWORK. UGH!