One

 And this year, as in every year, the high school released and enrolled one class each; seniors in summer, freshman in fall. And again the school expanded and contracted like an animal breathing. There was little change to be found from the trade—names change, yes, but who can remember them? The characters remain just the same. Now here is the fat girl, who can never quite transcend those rolls for all of her half-hearted attempts at drastic personality revamps. Now here is the egotistical but lovable token black kid, who becomes infallible in all of his actions and words when his identity gives way to caricature.

 

Now here is the gay boy in denial so abrasive and constant that he can only be overcompensating. Now here are the joint potheads/bulimics that somehow made their way to the top of the class.

 

Now here I am.

 

Now here I am, a senior boy with too much to carry in his backpack, stepping on tiles and ankles in the crowded hallway on my way from Study to math. Jack Johnson plays over the loudspeaker in lieu of a bell, and my gait perks up a little because of it. I just got my footholds in this school. It’s like corners in the walls that were containing me were crumbling into little tunnels, and when I finally got it in my head to kick at the spots, to make the grades and meet friends, the tunnels took shape. Everything fell into place for me so simply, you’d think that I would have started succeeding sooner than my senior year.

 

And I’m out soon, now. Part of the expanding and contracting. I’m finishing a good year, a great year, not too soon but soon in the grand scheme of things. Then something just as good is unfolding, like the graduation gown I’ll wear coming out of its plastic, or maybe more like a girl’s bra coming unhooked. The whole thing gives me a calm sort of contentedness, which feels unsettlingly like the most hopeless of apathy.

 

Author's Note

I'd really like advice for where to go with this next. I have plenty of ideas, but at this point I'm very open to considering more.

Reviews

[W.k.kortas]

This is very smooth, very polished. The repetition of "Now here..." is a nice device, and it's done judiciously; there is no overkill involved. The one-sentence paragraph is the right thing in the right place. I won't venture where you should take it from here, but I will go on record as saying that there are some nice things happening in the writing as it stands.

[Eagle Cruagh]

You have fully perused YA, there is really nothing else.
Have`nt you heard ? I am either too old or too young
for this world. No ? Well, a thirteen year old girl had
me in tears this morning and a ninety year old man is
not understood because he is in his second childhood,
THAT`S IT ! We are all in the same boat, a boat load of
misfits on the way to a reunion on the Island of Desire.
But , I still appreciate you
----- Eagle Cruagh

[Strife]

Wow, that was really something. I'm not sure where I'd go this next

[Emily B]

wow . . . very fresh and clean-cut and boyish. Very nice things going on as kortas so ably noted.

[Slender Smile/Husna Tay..]

Hmm....nice start...:)
Once I got into d story, i wanted to know more.....
Gud write rachel...:)