High school. Two simple words that when put together, can send a surge of emotions. There’s joy to see friends, sadness that school must go on, anger if your schedule is all whack; but two feelings stand out to me. Confusion and fear.

Starting off as a Freshman last year was ok, because we were in separate schools. The ninth grade center and the high school. But a Sophomore? It was terrifying not knowing the flow everyone else was used to. One wrong move could haunt you for the next three years.

So, here’s how it goes. I walk in the door and I am surrounded by unfamiliar giants. I have a mental freak out. I don’t want to look like a loner but I also don’t want to look lost as I stand and wait for the bell to ring.  Finally, I find a long-lost friend (cue the exaggeration) and I quickly weave my way through to get to her. I cool down a little, relieving some stress. We talk a little, when the bell finally rings, I’m lost already. I don’t really know where to go, but I find my sister, Cassidie, in the crowd. Turns out we go to the same room.

I’ll sum up the rest to spare you from boring details. Basically, I get schedule, get to my class, and sit in my assigned seat. All goes well, then I have to find my next class. So, I race to the complete opposite end of the school, getting there safely and on time! Yay for me! The rest of the day went by like this, finding my classes, trying not to physically break down as much as I mentally was, and making a couple of new friends along the way. Finally, lunch rolls around and guess what, I found one of my friends! Relief rushes over me like you would not believe, the fear of having to sit alone fading into nothingness. We sit and talk, eat our food… So on so forth. We get back to class, oh! Forgot to mention, B lunch on both days!

Anyway, the rest of the day goes smoothly until after 4th period when I am leaving. I was walking towards the cafeteria, so I could exit through the back patio and walk to the MP, when someone was rushing and shoved me… causing me to stumble into a Senior. Yikes! Ok, so you know how meals come right? You get the main course and sides. Well, I got something sort of like that, only not as pleasant. I nearly melted down in fear by the icy stare I gained, and the rude remark being the side that came with it. It was something along the lines of “watch out where you’re going,” and, “stupid sophomores,” under his breath. I broke free from the cold stare and directed my own to the floor; mumbling an apology then scurrying fast out the doors. I made it to my destination, climbed in my sister’s truck, then we left.

Next day starts off at the 9th grade for choir. Woo-hoo, I get to walk across. Pretty sure no one enjoys doing that. Who agrees? Well, luckily I had choir last year, so I know the flow of this class. Next period I’m nearly late, so I run across, entering my class slightly out of breath. I have friends in this class, yay! Rest of the day went smoothly. I was shoved around a little in the hallways, not much though. Lunch comes again, and the same couple of friends are there. Score. The last period was, and still is, my favorite class. Yearbook and Newspaper, duh.

Well, the rest of the week went a little hectic. Lots of schoolwork and homework, still trying to get familiar, memorize my schedule, while balancing everyday life. The usual high school thing.  But overall, it was great. I might have made it sound bad, but the good part is I didn’t humiliate myself.

Also, I learned something from that week. I learned that if you put fear, happiness, sadness, work, people, friends, anger, stress, teachers, social levels, life, craziness, learning, IDs, essays, tests, EOCs, and graduation, you’ve got a mixture that I’d define as high school. So yes, it may have been intimidating at the start, but I made it through. For anyone who hasn’t quite got here yet, don’t be discouraged. If I can do this, anyone else can. Just don’t do anything embarrassing… Good luck!