The 2009-2010 School Year in Review

I sit in the last bathroom stall to the right, enjoying a quiet moment just before the bell rings. Seven more days of school. I can’t believe it. And after today, only six more days, and after that, only one more week. It’s unreal. Life happened this year. And it was a war.
     It was a war against my best friends turned enemies, resisting the urge to strangle them when they pretended to act like nothing had happened, and avoiding their cold stares and quiet sabotages when I finally broke away from them.
     It was a war against the replacements my two remaining friends who couldn’t stand each other found for me as I was stretched to the breaking point trying to run back-and-forth between them. The endless battles of fighting to the death for my friends, and dying, and suddenly finding myself all alone, almost killed me.
     It was a war against all the screaming and chaos surrounding me, every day, as I tried desperately to find a peace within myself that could keep me sane for 180 of madness. A war against all the ridiculous and unceasing complaints and accusations that flew unchecked from the mouths of those who just can’t see around the corner, at all the good the one they abuse the most is doing for them.
     It was a war. I have battle wounds, and scars that will never leave me. I almost didn’t make it. So many times I wanted to give up, to drop out, to quit, and switch schools. My sister did. Third quarter she dropped out and started homeschooling. I wanted to follow her, to home school for the last semester, then run away to some fantastic art school, never to be bothered again.
     But I held on. Sometimes with only one hand, sometimes with no more than a finger. And guess what? Things are finally looking up. My frenemies don’t bother me any more, at least, most of the time. We’ve learned to stay out of each other’s ways, and it’s much better than all the cold stares and awkward moments. I’m reconnecting with my two friends. I’ve still got a lot of ground, and maybe some trust and commitment, to regain with them, but it’s getting there. And, the two have actually been engaged in some civil conversations lately. I’m not expecting any kiss-and-make-up BFF-again moment between them, but it’s nice to see them being sociable. I have found some inner-peace, and some inner strength. And the one I’ve been sticking up for all year now knows that there is someone who gets him.
     There are gonna be big changes next year. New buildings, new teachers, new classmates, new challenges. I can’t predict what will happen—whether it will be a complete disaster, or one of the best years of my young life. I guess only God knows at this point. Whatever the case, I have to keep looking up, at the sky, at the stars, at heaven, and let life run its course.