goodbye?

Scene: In the basement of the main building on the Hopkins campus is a small library. In the central part of the library, there is an open space with several orange chairs and a magazine rack. Several girls stand around a chair, talking and laughing. The person in the chair races to try to catch everything that is being said so that she can write the answers down on the sheet of paper she has in her lap. It is the daily crossword puzzle meeting, and today’s crossword is nearly finished amid much laughter and noise (much to the exasperation of the librarians).

GONE

Scene: It is in between classes, and our main character approaches someone in the hallway. “You have this period free?” she asks, and her friend nods. “You want to go get lunch?” she says, and hungrily the two girls head off up the hill to grab food.

GONE

Scene: It is first period, and there are a group of people sitting on the floor of the gallery. On closer examination, they are playing a card game. Every so often, loud laughs are heard and screams of frustration come from the loser of the round.

GONE

I’m so scared….I didn’t realize that it was over. That this was it. I was joking around the other day, and I said “My last day of classes is this Friday!” But it didn’t register….that my life, as I know it, is over. I will never again spend a free period hanging out in the library bothering the librarians. I will never again exchange knowing glances with Alex during Concert Choir 8th period. I will never again steal a brownie from Junior School lunch.

Sure I hated Hopkins, and sure I’m excited about college. But Hopkins is all I know, all I’ve known for the past six years. And its over.

I didn’t know how this would feel.

I don’t like it.