everything's a hot mess, so why shouldn't my blog post be? By: Mikayla Flanz

So.

This time today I thought I was going to be back in New Jersey and be able to write this blog post at my computer, you know like a normal person. But as fate would have it, all my flights got cancelled, so now I am writing on my phone with minimal power on a beach in Maui. Not a bad place to be stuck, but those of you who take AP classes, you know I’m gonna be screwed for AP review... Anyway, here’s a picture of my view, maybe it’ll give me some inspiration for my creative writing blog post, maybe it won’t, but let’s hope I can catch a flight home...



Makena Beach, Maui HI

Like the person I am, I was NOT inspired to write some washed out rendition of a poem about how much I love the beach. (There are way too many of those in circulation). Instead, I am going to attempt to crack this out so I can get off my phone and enjoy myself at my extra day at the beach. (In retrospective I probably should have written this earlier in the month...)

It’s been awhile since I’ve written one of these blogposts where I just pour out whatever satirical junk falls out of my mind, I apologize for that, but it entertains me to see what I put pen to paper. Or in this case my phone’s keyboard. Either way there is much to discuss, the pleasantries of spring break, our head on sprint to summer, which is ultimately blockaded by PARCC, finals, and AP testing. All of which is  loved so so dearly...

It was a long uphill climb to finally get to spring break, while I still might be on it, our week of relaxation is far too short. Where immediately following, the bombardment of all that testing begins.

Fun. I know right.

UPDATE: Contrary to what I wrote before, this took two days to write. So my flights finally got figured out, but the plane got delayed two hours and my luggage broke. When is life not a hot mess though, it’s just how it is sometimes. Maybe I’m just meant to stay in Hawaii, who knows at this point? Peace out readers.

The Smiling Man By Nick Furnari

          I always loved the horror genre, just everything about it, the eerie suspense, the creepy lore, and of course the fright factor. Naturally, I loved watching all the scary videos and scenes from horror movies that one day in class. I especially liked the 2 AM Smiling Man. It was chilling, creepy, and had an interesting story to tell. After, for the rest of class, we were given the task to write the story of the Smiling Man in our own words, with the main goal being to try and capture the essence of the horror genre in your text. So, without further ado, here was my re-animation of the Smiling Man, I hope you enjoy.

          Lumbering home in the dead of night, traveling on a lone road dimly lit, a sound emerges. Tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... Soon a figure forms from shadow. Wearing a sleek beige suit, and tap shoes, it goofily sways closer. Tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... as it is directly in my path, I wait for it. It appears to be drunk, or maybe putting on a show, I laughed. Tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... It's unsettling dance continued, tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... the air grew eerie, he gets closer, not missing a beat, tap tap, slide... tap tap, slide... His display materializes from the darkness. The smirk from my face fades as I am greeted with it's own offsetting smile. Tap tap, slide... tap, I cut across the open road as I still feel chills climbing up my spine, I have a feeling they were not going away. The pitch stops abruptly, I feel myself turn aback, although I had no intention to. It is frozen, locked on its target, fashioned in an awkward stance, decapitated by darkness. Something tells me its smile still lingers. I continue walking, speeding my pace, as I feel its presence shift behind me. I quickly turn to find it crouching over, stalking in silence. He ascends to his full stature, and suddenly lunges forward. Tap, lunge. Tap, lunge. It approaches closer, resembling more of a creature than a man. Getting closer and closer, slanting to the left. Tap, lung. Tap lunge. He stops... "What the hell do you want?" I feel myself utter. It remains stuck, frozen in place. It grimly twists its head as if puzzled with my response. It shifts its weight and withdraws lethargically. Defeated, or so it seemed. Tap tap, slide... tap, tap tap, slide... A little off balanced. A wave of relief rushes over me, as its slender frame fades into the distance. I can finally breathe, but an ominous presence still lingers. Once its perverse movement is almost inaudible, I felt safe enough to continue my trail. My eyes disengage. TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP. My head jolts back as the demonic being scrambles towards me. I dart away in fear. Tap TAP-TAP tap, TAP TAp, tAp TAp taP TaP! My pace matches its', but adrenaline fuels my legs. My lungs ache, my breathing rings louder than my feet. My heart is pounding but I continue down and turn off the cursed street. My ears echo the beat of my heart, blocking all other sound. I stop, why? I couldn't tell you. But when I look up, I am faced with the menace once more, the being I can never escape. The only smile that could ever cause me pain.

Little One by Maddie DiMarco

The forest was alive.
They never listened when she told them. She’d tugged on their skirts and poked at their shoes. “It talks to me,” she’d insisted. Some had ruffled her hair and shooed her off, the more unpleasant ones turning to her parents to inquire isn’t she a bit too old to be imagining such things.
She didn’t tell anyone any more. They were right. She was too old to be imagining such things. The forest didn’t need others to know. It had her, and that was enough.

++++++++

She was eight when she first walked the path alone. Her grandmother’s house lay a mile south, along the edge of a canyon that cut the ground in half and grinned with crooked teeth. She’d volunteered to make the trip. They’d been glad to let her go, and eager to dust their hands of her grandmother. Her mother had tucked her into her favorite red coat, patted her head, and set her on her way.
It was then she first heard the forest. It murmured in her ear. It shone light to freckle her skin and grew berries to fill her stomach. It offered itself up to a little girl who had nothing to give in return but her company.
Your presence is company enough, it said.
Her childhood lived there. The forest filled it with glistening rivers and babbling brooks, turquoise stones and emerald leaves.
It loved her, and her it.
One day, among the shade of the magnolia trees, the snap of a twig tripped a stutter in her heart and her feet. Startled, she spun. She rarely say another in her forest, and never before had anyone stuck up on her. No person stood behind her. The breath flew out of her chest.
 A grey wolf stood before her, level to her chest and staring into her eyes. It lifted its massive paw off the broken stick and nudged it away. Her knees wobbled.
His name is Akila.
“Oh,” she whispered. She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat.
He will not hurt you. He is part of us, as we are part of you.
Shly, she stretched out her palm, upturned, to the creature. He nudged it with his nose, then licked it. She wrinkled her nose at the slobber.
“Will he be my friend?” she asked.
Of course, the forest answered.
She scratched behind his ears and watched his eyes fall shut.
“Then I love him.”
Though the forest had no face, she could have sworn it smiled.

++++++++

The forest had its ways of communicating. A branch tapped her shoulder, and when she’d turned, it moved no more. But she could sense the forest’s consciousness around her. It felt like a deep breath.
“Hello,” she called. In response, a breeze caressed her face.
Hello, little one. We are glad to see you. It's been too long, but this cannot be a joyous reunion.
“Is something wrong?”
We have protected you, fed you, provided you with friendship and safe passage. We have loved you so, little one, the forest whispered. We only ask one thing.
“Anything,” she said.
Save us

++++++++

The forest lead her to a man. His blades were shiny and his beard trim. He hacked at the land and trees and he soiled the land he had no right to be on. He would not stop, he told her, and she couldn’t make him.
She could not let him do this, but he was ahead of her at every turn.
She stole his axes, he returned with more. She deflated his tires, he swapped them out. She burned his food, he hunted his own. Every day, he came one step closer to destroying her forest, and every day hatred for him burned hotter in her heart.
He was an angry man. He knew of her sabotage, but didn’t know how to prove it. His glare haunted her days.
He waited, and waited, until her caught her, in the dead of night. A light flashed behind her as she rummaged in his belongings. She turned, arms still clutching his stolen goods.
The chase began. She’d dropped everything at her feet and bolted. He was strong, but she was quick.
The ravine, little one.
She didn’t know why, but the forest’s voice was fading. Frantically, she darted sideways, and altered her path towards the jagged gorge. Her breath grated her lungs and her jacket snapped in the wind. She skittered to a stop at the ledge and turned to face the man.
“You little－” he lunged for her, hands outstretched.
Akila’s teeth clamped down on the sleeve of her jacket. He dragged her back, and the man went tumbling past her. He tipped over the side and disappeared from view.
When she made to peer over the edge, Akila tugged her back again, a whine building in his throat. Silently, she let him tug her away. When he finally stopped, she sat, and buried her face in his fur, letting it take her tears.
Thank you, little one. We will never forget what you have done for us.
She did not respond, but the hum of the forest rocked her to sleep anyway.

Some of the Most Embarrassing Moments of My Golf Career by Vincent Apostolico

Being an athlete over the years I have realized all athletes will have their ups and downs over the course of their careers. We will have our moments where we will achieve greatness that comes from the hard work we put in. But we will also have our down moments where we completely embarrass ourselves in front of others and feel like a laughing stock ready to get hit with joking insults. Rather than talk about my accomplishments in my career so far, I thought it would be more fun to describe my most embarrassing moments on the golf course to bring joy and laughter into all my readers.

#1. The Galloping Hill of Doom 
                At the age of 10, I was competing in my fourth golf tournament in my career at Galloping Hill Golf Club. I headed into the tournament with high aspirations as I was starting to see my scoring potential go up. I was on the Par 3 5th hole where the green has two tiers with a big hill separating them. The pin was on the top tier and, of course, I was on the bottom tier with one of the steepest uphill putts I could have imagined. I felt like I had to putt up a whole mountain just to get onto the top tier. While reading the break of this marvelous hole, I kept saying to myself "This is all about having enough speed. You need to hit this golf ball hard with your strong golfing arms and get the ball within close range of the hole." I knew that if I hit the putt with little speed, I was doomed to make a terrible score on the hole. I got up to the putt with the thought of hitting the ball with all the speed I could produce and constantly screaming to myself in my head "DO NOT LEAVE THIS PUTT SHORT!!!!!!!!!" There was a nervous feeling that was building up in my stomach from the fear of leaving the putt short and having it roll all the way down the hill back to where I just made my putt. I made my stroke with all of the nervous sweat sliding along the palm of my hands and I hit the ball hard with a good deal of power. I shifted my eyes forward to see if I would conquer the Mount Everest of the green and anticipation was slowly building within me as my ball was approaching to take the ride up the dangerous hill. The ball started to run up the hill with the speed similar to Usain Bolt and excitement was starting to spread throughout my body as the ball was near a foot away from climbing my enemy at the moment. My excitement was very high to the point where I was like a child on Christmas morning. But suddenly, all that growing excitement would be evaporated in a split second. My ball was about a foot from the top of the hill and started to slow down as the gas in its tank had run out from me not hitting the putt with enough speed. It slowly started to go backwards and ran back all the way down the hill right back into the same position from where I had just hit the putt.
            My worst fear with my challenging putt had become a reality right before my eyes and I was fuming because I was unable to get my ball over the hill. Heading into the next putt, I told myself to just hit the ball with a little more ounce of power as my ball was just a foot short of climbing the steep hill. I made another putting stroke again and once I hit it  I thought that this was the correct speed as I felt how hard I smacked the ball with my putter. It rolled up the hill with rocket speed wanting to make up for the horrendous putt I had hit before. The ball got up to the top of the hill but came roaring right back to me as the gas tank had run out again even with a little extra fuel stored. I just stared right at the golf ball in disbelief as my mind couldn't comprehend how I couldn't make it up the steep hill while hitting the putt with lighting speed. I got right back up to my ball and putted it even harder with the amount of anger that had built up into y body. The ball went up the hill and came right back down like the first two putts did. My blood within my body was starting to boil up as I was turning into a complete hot head over the constant failure I had with this putt. I was so angry at that moment that I honestly wanted to break a club over somebody's head. I came right back up to the ball and just made a random stroke as I was so furious from my conflict on this hole. Of course the ball came rolling back like usually. On the next stroke I finally got it up the hill as I basically made a full swing with my putter to get it up over Mount Everest and ended up making an 8 on the hole. I felt like a complete laughing joke as I was leaving the hole and I was just in complete amazement of how it took me 5 PUTTS from the same spot to make it up a one single hill. The golf gods had slapped me in the face with that hole and I have never forgotten about it in one single day after.


#2. Ohio Water Mischief
             Last summer, I took a week long trip to Ohio to play in a golf tournament for 3 days and the first day will never be forgotten as I continue to play golf. The 15th hole at this course in Ohio was a par-3 with a big water hazard completely hugging the right side of the hole and the tee was elevated above so you had to hit downhill. The hole was very intimidating as you could see it from the tee box along with a huge water hazard screaming "MEET YOUR DOOM!" in your head. You almost felt like there was just a secret vortex that would blow your ball right towards the water as you were standing on the tee. I decided to hit my 5-iron with all the power I could because my main goal was to not hit my ball right into the water and this club would have enough distance to avoid all of it. I got up to my ball with my target as the flag stick and confidence was building up in me that I was going to hit this green. But there was still that little doubtful thought in the back of my mind that I was going to push it right and end up in the water. I hit my shot with the greatest amount of effort to try and avoid the water and when seeing my ball at first when it took flight I thought it was successful. But then my ball gradually started heading toward the right direction and kept going that way like there was a magnet somewhere attracting it to that side. Once I saw the turning of my golf ball in mid-air, I was desperately asking the golf ball to gain distance and get over the water into a bunker that was the ball's only safe place on the right side of the hole. My eyes started to move roll down in sequence with my ball and a gigantic splash of water had diminished every last ounce of hope in my body of hitting the ball over the water. Now some of you may be wondering why this is classified under one of my most embarrassing moments of my golf career as I only hit the ball in a water hazard but the real action hasn't even begun yet.
             I took my penalty drop right before where my ball had entered the hazard and I had just wanted to use every ounce of effort I could to still save a bogey on the hole. I was about 60 yards out to the hole and had decided to hit a chip shot with my sand wedge to attempt putting my ball within a few feet of the pin. I took about five practice swings as I was trying my absolute best to save a bogey and my heart was throbbing in nervousness while imagining hitting over a water hazard that was right in between me and the hole. I finally felt prepared to stick my shot close to the pin and make a confident strike with my chip. I looked up in the air as soon as I hit my golf ball and the ball was directional in line with the flag looking like it was going to stick within a few feet to give myself a chance at saving bogey. Seeing the flight of the ball made me express feelings of joy within myself as it looked like I had just hit a perfect shot. The ball was coming down from the air looking like it was dead online and a big splash had occurred once my ball landed. There wasn't enough distance put into my shot and I failed again in hitting the ball over the water. I was just completely shocked about what had occurred right before my eyes. Anger hadn't built up in me this time as I was more nervous about how my Dad was going to react because he was already angry with how horrible I was playing earlier in the round. I took another penalty drop right at the same spot and just thought to take a bigger swing as I had the right direction in mind just not the right distance. I felt more confident with this next shot that I was going to put my ball right next to the pin but there was an even bigger presence of nervousness within me as I hit two straight balls into the water. There was a flipping mental battle within my mind as I believed I was just about to hit a great shot but then I was going to hit it into the water again as that's what was happening over and over again.
           I went right back up to my ball with my mindset flipping back and forth between confidence and then doubt. I hit my next shot as the arrow was pointed towards doubt in my mind and I couldn't tell at first whether or not my shot was actually going to make it on the green this time. My eyes studied the ball like a hawk and once they saw a single drop of water jump up into air, I could already tell the result of my shot. My ball had ended up in the drain once again. Chaos was going on within my brain as I couldn't believe how terrible I was doing on the hole and how I couldn't seem to comprehend in my mind that I actually had to hit the ball a farther distance than the water to carry it. I felt like I was getting slapped in the face over and over again for every ball that went right into the water. One of the most embarrassing feelings that I felt at the moment was that my Dad was even walking away in disgust from how terrible I was playing on the hole. I wanted to get right out of that place once I saw him walking away. I literally went right up to my ball without thinking and hit it as I couldn't deal with the fact of how terrible I was playing. The funny thing was that I actually stuck the shot to five feet within the hole and made the putt to end up with an 8 on the hole. There was probably no other moment where I had felt more embarrassed in my life. But sometimes you have to get hit hard to come back stronger and now I am proud to say it takes me less than 3 shots to hit it over the water now.

Dream Catcher, By:Garrett Neuschatz

A young lad drifted off into the night

Only to be plagued with a terrible a fright

A nightmare with gremlins and ghouls, what a ghastly sight

They taunted and chased him till the morning light

So he hatched a plan to foil their evil feats

He would create a dream catcher that simply couldn't be beat

It would suck up the nightmares before they could manifest

Maybe then he could finally get some rest

He grabbed spider silk and a voodoo charm

Surely this device would bring no harm

The tool was created with a rapid pace

When it was complete a look of triumph contorted his face

The sun began to set the moon rose with dread

Soon the catcher was strung up above his head

Yet again his mind began conjuring a malevolent thought

But his new tool would not allow for this fiendish plot

The dream catcher swallowed the twilight terror

That nights sleep could be no fairer

He soon realized his savior played a twisted trick

It guzzled both dreams and nightmares, the boy felt sick

He dethroned the catcher and placed it upon a pyre

It was set ablaze and promptly vanished in fire

If one wishes to doze with visions of fantasy and good stature

You must accept your night time torment and never construct a dream catcher

A Poem About Spring by Chloe Maher

The snow melts,

Rain falls from the sky washing the last traces of winter away from the earth,

Trees sprout magnificent green leaves,

Magnolias begin to bloom,

Dandelions peek out between sidewalk cracks,

Their sunny shade of yellow peppers the ground,

They bring with their bloom the promise of lovely wishes for the new season,

Inspiring smiles and hope among all who go seeking fluffy dandelion heads,

The whole world seems to come alive with the passing of winter,

New life comes with the season,

Fawns concur in front yards,

Butterflies flutter about,

It looks as if they're dancing from violet to tulip,

Perhaps out of sheer joy,

They're thrilled with the coming of the new season, 

Just as I am!

The world looks absolutely aglow with the blessing of Mother Nature,

It's completely awash in captivating shades of greenery,

Oh how I adore spring!

Bigfoot Encounter by Reagan Rech

Based on a true story...

I was backpacking through the mountains in Maine about a year ago. My legs were on the verge of collapsing from underneath me. My mouth longed for just a drop of cool, refreshing water. I started to feel like I would never find what I’d been looking for. They called me crazy and said that I wouldn’t be able to find it, so no one came with me. I was alone in the mountains of Maine, feeling my sanity slowly slipping away from me. I was just barely hanging on until one day, I finally found what I was searching so profusely for. Standing at about 8 feet tall it was definitely the largest Bigfoot I’ve ever seen. From my experiences, I’ve learned that it’s best to keep a safe distance or else they may attack. When you’ve been tracking bigfoots for as long as I have, you learn a thing or two. I consider myself to be an expert on the species and their tendencies so trust me when I say that they are not friendly. I moved as close to it as I could without startling it and I snapped a picture. What I didn’t realize was that my flash was on. Oh no. Once again, you’re going to have to trust me when I say that a bigfoot doesn’t like it’s picture taken, especially on a Monday morning. That’s why there’s only bigfoot sightings and no real pictures. The beast started running towards me and I froze not knowing what to do. Seconds later I bolted. However, I was fatigued and could not run very fast. There I was in the mountains with a bigfoot trailing at my feet, wondering where exactly my life went wrong. I looked back and I could see the hairy creature swatting at me. What I realized a moment later was that he wasn’t just swatting at me, he was trying to grab my camera. I knew I couldn’t keep running so I dropped the camera and hoped for the best. Luckily he stopped and picked up the camera, throwing it into the river. Ever since that traumatic experience, I consider myself a semi-retired bigfoot tracker. Please learn from my encounter and never go trekking for bigfoots alone.

Author’s notes: Now you may ask how this is based on a true story. It’s solely because I went to Maine and one of the people with us looked like bigfoot.

Nostalgia, by Liam Rust

A surreal GIF featuring a character from Animal Crossing dancing with a distorted filter, with the subtitle "No one's around to help." For some strange reason, it evokes nostalgia in me.

I remember when the school year seemed to take forever. I remember looking ahead at the years I had left in school and dreading it. I remember when my sister and I were both years away from college, hanging out after school at playgrounds. I remember going on adventures with her and her friends, exploring, going on bike rides in town and in the woods, leaves crunching under our wheels and the crisp fall breeze blowing against us. I remember.

Do you?

A path in autumn woods.

The one thing I don't remember is when those times stopped.

Things changed over time. My sister reached high school, and started to do other things. She was busy, and had different friends, and we stopped going around town as much. I got busy, too, getting into choirs and plays. We used to go adventuring with a kid in our neighborhood, but we moved, and now we didn't see him anymore. It just...

Stopped.

And now, time is going faster than ever. School years used to take ages, but now marking periods are flying past at light speed. It feels like only a couple of months ago I got to high school.

My sophomore year is almost over. I'm almost a junior. When did that happen? What happened?

I miss those days, sometimes. Like now. It's a nice day. I have friends to talk with and hang out with, and I really enjoy their company. But, it's not quite the same. My sister's in college now, and my friends live far away from my house, so there's no one to go outside with. Even if there were, it isn't as exciting anymore. And the days are going too quickly to enjoy it. Spring break went by too fast. and finals are coming up, again, even though I feel like i just started sophomore year.

It sounds cheesy, but I wish I could experience those days again. Just one more time. To be younger, more innocent, just adventuring with my sister and her friends, in those woods, with the crispy breeze and the crunchy leaves of fall. In reality, it probably wasn't "adventuring," more just "wandering around." But life today is so much more hectic and stressful. I have lots of responsibilities now. It's all too much, sometimes.

And back then, it wasn't.

Fear by Becca Lefkowitz

As some may know over spring break I went to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and it was absolutely GORGEOUS. Oh my gosh, I was in the car thinking "eh big deal it's just another 1/50 states we have what can possibly make it so special?" LET ME TELL YOU, I was so incredibly wrong. The atmosphere was strikingly beautiful, the southern people and their hospitality warmed me the second I stepped out of the car into a local gas station to stretch my legs. I literally fell in love the moment I got there and the time spent was incredible. We did multiple fun things, like go bike riding, see BABY dolphins, watch sunrises, and my personal favorite, stuff our faces with food.

Chick-fil-A has the best fast food don't @ me

However, something that was one of the most memorable things during this trip was definitely when we did an aerial zip line course. Aerial zipline is where there are obstacles high up in trees way above the ground, and one is strapped into a harness, attached to a rope, where the objective is to get through the obstacles set in place from one side to the other.

Before we can begin our adventure, we had to adhere to the safety precautions followed by suiting up in our gear. So the first thing they had us do was strap into our harnesses. Sounds easy right? All you do is put your legs through and pull it up. Correct, but one problem, my dumb self decided (to be the only one) to wear short workout shorts, instead of leggings. Okay, Becca, it's not a big deal that you're wearing shorts get over it, well here is where you're wrong. The harness had to go as high as POSSIBLE up your legs leaving my shorts all tangled up underneath, causing my mom to have to wedge her hand up the harness in a flimsy attempt to lower the shorts. This was so embarrassing being in front of other people (specifically teenage boys) who began to stare.

hehe me & my mom LOVE twinning

I tell myself (in my head of course) to get over it and move on, which I do. After walking for about five minutes, we reach our destination where the obstacle course is. My immediate reaction was "woah this is cool and looks like tons of fun," because high up in the forest there were ropes attached to bark on trees and wooden platforms in the air hanging. We climb up the stairs to reach the beginning of the obstacle course and as we arrive, the instructors give us one last lesson about safety and begin to hook us up. I was in line behind my mom filled with nerves and excitement when the instructor pulls me aside and begins to hook me up to the cable. Now I was filled with confusion, as of WHY THE HECK I WAS  GOING FIRST!!??? Like hello sir, I was not at the front of the line for a reason!!

Alright, so cool, there I go leading the whole line attempting to not make a bigger fool of myself with my shorts that had gotten re-tangled and a wedged up harness. The first few obstacles were manageable, all I had to do was walk across a skinny platform, and hobble through and around these barriers on a thin piece of wood. It wasn't until I got to these ropes that were shaped in a U just dangling from the cable, not attached to each other, just air. I was so freaked out at this point just seeing ropes swaying, my heart started racing, and my body began to numb. It may sound lame but I have a fear of ropes, it always brings me flashbacks to attempting to climb them in gym class, where I would literally dangle from about half a foot in the air, while the boys around me are spider monkeys speeding through it. I would always get so embarrassed that every time I would get to the front of the line, I immediately went to the back cycling through without actually going.

This gives me PTSD 

As I was standing there my dad finished the course behind me and one after another people were finishing the course waiting for me to move along. The line continued to increase, and my fear was heightening as I knew I had to go. After telling myself to put on my big girl pants, I stretched my right leg placing it onto the rope. Immediately it begins swaying, as my grip grows tighter on the rope. Now I move my left leg onto the same thinly wired rope, and my whole body begins shaking. I proceed to the next rope, by grabbing onto the rope in front, hoisting my body across it, forcing the rope to swing back and forth, as if I was on a swing set. I honestly don't remember much of what happened next, everything is kind of a blur. All I do remember is my dad behind me encouraging me, telling me not to quit. Well like great advice dad, I can't really quit now as I'm 30 feet in the air, attached to a cable in the middle of the woods, but hey at least he tried. I was so done at this point, I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide, but my final motivation for the remaining two ropes were the pesky mosquitos that were flying around my face. Because I HATE bugs I jolted through the course hurling my body through the air, bouncing off of each rope as quickly as possible to get to the other side. Finally, after what felt like a dragged on hour, I reach the platform, falling onto my hands in knees hugging the tree, with my heart pounding in my chest.

AHHHHH  !!!

After I caught my breath I was overwhelmed with the feeling of pride because I was exceptionally pleased with myself for managing to get through it, and conquer the ropes. It was an amazing feeling because afterward, I was able to get through the harder levels of the course. This allowed me to leave the place feeling accomplished and excited to go back next year with a few straggling bruises and bug bites.

watching as he slips away - Rachel Young

Fingertips brush his skin, the fabric clothing his upper arm. An innocent touch, a playful gesture.

  'You're so funny', it says.

He laughs at this. At her. With her.
Her hand, placed lightly on his arm, allows for a small chuckle to leave his lips parted in a grin. There is silence. She smiles. He looks at her hand, still placed on his arm.
She pulls it away,
They chuckle again. At what? They smile. Why?
The girl looks down. There is nothing beneath her but she looks anyway. The silence, their eye contact. The lingering laughter. She looks down. Her fingertips reach up beside her cheek, she brushes away a lock of blonde hair that was never there to begin with. She tucks it behind her ear. It was never in the way.
She feels how hot her face is.

Him.

He looks at her.
At her. 

She feels his gaze but she can't look up. She laughs again though nothing is said. What else can she do?
He shifts his feet. One foot, then the other. The silence is awkward. Heavy. He breaks it.What he says is short, the lift in his voice, the raise of his eyebrows. The small laugh that follows.
She laughs. Her face erupts in a grin. She laughs. He could have said anything and she would have laughed.
He smiles with her, satisfied. Satisfied with her reaction. Satisfied with her.

With her. 

The world passes by. They don't even notice.
His hand reaches upward, to his head, long fingers brush back his hair. He sighs, blue eyes blinking, looking upward. Falling back down. Until finally they land on her.

On her.

And she looks back.
They look at each other.
It's mutual.

Shit, it's mutual

A Falling Star By: Lauren Matus

I live by the quote, "Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there". I met Johnny Taylor 20 years ago as of today, September 17th, 2039. My name is Anna and here's our story:

It was 2019, and people were meeting on dating apps and social media. I wasn't really into Twitter or Instagram, not because I couldn't, but just because I wasn't really into that sort of thing. I preferred to read a good mystery novel, with a cup of tea in one hand, and a fuzzy blanket over my lap. I liked to go thrift shopping at the local stores in my town. The simple things in life were the things that made me happiest. My two friends Emma and Liz were the complete opposite. Anytime I would hang out with them, they would always be taking selfies and looking at pictures on Instagram. I loved them beyond words though. All three of us grew up in the little town of Stonebridge, California. We were like every group of high school friends chatting about boys or complaining about how tired we were from staying up so late doing homework. I guess the saying that opposites attract was 100% true when it came to our friendship.
One time we decided to have a sleepover and were playing truth or dare. I knew from the start this would not turn out well for me in the end, but I caved into the pressure and did it anyway. For a majority of the game, I choose truth for every turn because I knew I had nothing to hide. These questions consisted of "who do you like?" and "who's your favorite and least favorite teacher?". I know you're probably thinking to yourself about how these questions are so typical, but Liz would not let it stay like that for long. She kept saying it wasn't fair that her and Emma were doing all the dares, from rolling around the snow outside in shorts and prank calling restaurants. They dared me to give them my phone. I thought to myself, how bad could that be? Little did I know they were going to start a profile for me on Instagram and request to follow this jock named Johnny. He was the coolest guy in our school and everybody knew the name, Johnny Taylor. Emma and Liz did not stop there. They direct messaged him. I was so angry at the two of them for doing that on my phone, but this would be the start of something new; something I would have never imagined in a million years would ever be happening to somebody like me.
Johnny Taylor responded to me the following day. I had no idea he knew who I was because he was Mr. Popular and I was the average high school girl. He told me how we were in AP biology together last year which totally had not crossed my mind, but from there, I was impressed and wanted to know more. Ever since that night, Johnny and I grew closer. We chatted online for weeks on end, staying up until 5 a.m., calling each other and losing track of time. Johnny and I both lived in California, but it felt like we were on opposite sides of the world. He was only one call away, but I wanted more. I wanted to be able to see him,face to face, give him the biggest hugs, and have our conversations in person. I wanted to be able to show him off to all my friends and express how amazing of a person he was to everybody. Respectful. Loyal. Accepting. Encouraging. He was all of those things. I know there's no such thing as the perfect person, but Johnny was pretty close to it. I got to know so much about him. He always talked about how much he loved nature and taking pictures of it with his camera. He was really into photography and was good at it too. His landscapes and close up pictures of waterfalls, birds, and everything mother nature had to offer were exquisite. He loved watching old films and spending time with his little sister. Not to mention he was a varsity athlete in soccer and track. He was such a genuine, well rounded, good person, and nothing would make me think differently.
Now you're probably wondering why we couldn't see each other. We were from two different cliques. Nobody knew about our conversations, not even Emma and Liz. We didn't want rumors spreading or people to be talking about us. As much as I wanted to tell my best friends since I knew they would never be like that, I just couldn't bring my self to do it.
The conversations between Johnny and I lasted months and it was now the spring season. Track was just starting, which was so important to Johnny since he had D1 scholarships lined up one after another, after another, but one day that all changed. Johnny was feeling a pain in his leg one day after track practice, and thinking it was nothing he shrugged it off. He kept on practicing thinking nothing of the pain he was enduring. He kept pushing, constantly striving for success. Weeks later during a track meet, he collapsed after finishing the 400m. He was immediately rushed to the hospital to be treated.
I had no idea any of this was happening. The last I heard of Johnny was from the night before when we were on our call. It was now Friday and I didn't hear anything back. We called every night so this was a little bit strange. I thought maybe something happened to his phone; maybe his parents took it or maybe he was getting it repaired at the Apple Store. I was trying to not worry just yet and I did just that. Two days went by so it was now the end of the weekend and I still didn't hear one word from Johnny; no good morning, no how was your day, and not even a hello. I was in a full-blown panic, but what could I do, except wait. Waiting by definition is to stay where one is until a particular time or until something else happens. That's exactly what I did. It was torture. Sitting helplessly and not hearing from the person you care about is terrifying. Later on that night, I finally got a call from Johnny at 11:00 p.m. and that's when he explained everything that would change my life and his life forever.
Johnny called me in tears. My heart was racing 100 miles per hour with anticipation of what happened to him. Why hadn't we talked this entire weekend? He explained what happened at the track meet on Friday and how the doctors performed a CT scan to check for any potential problems in his leg. The doctors ended up finding that he had a tumor in his leg and it wasn't caused by one specific event, however, since he didn't come to them sooner, the surgery they would have to do to remove it would be very invasive. I was beyond shocked, but I couldn't imagine the mixed emotions Johnny was feeling. He probably had the same questions going through his head of "What's going to happen next, What does this mean for track and soccer, and what's happening to me"?
Johnny and I sat in silence and I honestly lost track of how long. Finally, Johnny stated, "that's not even the worst part. My parents want to fly to New York City because they have some of the best doctors and surgeons down there. They said it would be so expensive to keep flying back and forth from California to New York all the time, so next week we're going to go look at apartments in the city. I have been dreading telling you this all weekend because once I move we will actually be on opposite sides of the country and it kills me to say that."
After Johnny told me this, I was discouraged for weeks on end. I kept my head down at school and Emma and Liz started to take notice right away and that's when I told them everything from the very beginning. They supported me through this and were the most amazing best friends I could ever ask for.
****
Today is September 17th, 2039 and it's been exactly 20 years since Johnny and I met and it's been exactly 15 years since I received this note from his parents:
Dear Anna,
My husband and I wanted to personally write to you and tell you the tragic news of Johnny's passing. As you know Johnnys surgery went better than the doctors expected. After the surgery, he had a slow recovery, but we thought everything would be okay. For the next few months, things took a turn for the worst. Through it all, Johnny always had the biggest smile on his face and that never changed. He always talked about how much he missed you too, but one day he just didn't wake up.
I had no idea this was the last time I would ever see my little boy. Anna, I wanted you to hear this from us since you meant the world to Johnny and this is what he would've wanted. Again, I am so sorry to have to tell you this news.
With love,
Mr and Mrs Taylor

I live by the quote, "Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there". Johnny meant everything to me. He was my best friend, but I know that I'll always see him in the stars.

Superpowers by Emma Cerra

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? I’ve always struggled with this question— the wide variety of choices always frightened me— but now, having 16 years of experience under my belt, I feel ready to answer.
    If I had a superpower, I’d want to freeze time. Imagine all the ways you could use this power! Let’s review:
     Imagine you’re running late and you forget a very important piece of homework at home. However, if you go back home to get it, you’ll be late, and if you decide to leave the homework and be on time, your grades will be affected. But, with a handy-dandy superpower like freezing time, bam! Freeze time and go snatch it! You’ll be on time AND have good grades. Win-win.
     Here’s another: a teacher asks you for homework you never did, what do you do? Take the L and get a zero for the assignment, or lie to their face saying  it’s at home and feel terrible about it all day? Well, with freezing time, just bam! Freeze time and do it then and there. Good grades all the way.
    While I do not recommend this final example since it’s very well illegal and immoral, say you see a very nice top in a store that you love. You check the price tag, and wowee. That’s a hefty one. Maybe just bam? Freeze time and grab it? I totally wouldn’t... Not at all. Unless I catch word that the store’s clothes are made unethically. Then I would have to because to have companies profit off underpaid and undervalued workers is probably more of a crime than stealing!
      While these scenarios are very fun and amusing to run in my head, I realize that superpowers do not exist and you should be responsible for yourself and your actions. And that you probably shouldn’t steal anything.

If You Had to Pick One Superpower? by Mina Al-Aydi

If you were to pick one superpower to have, what would it be? I've always wondered about this question. And when I'm asked it, I feel like I have a different answer every time! Here are some superpowers and what's going on in my head when I consider them:

Flying: I feel like everyone says this one, or maybe I'm wrong. I get it though. Flying would be amazing. I would be able to get to and from places fighting crime. I would get to see everything from a bird's eye point of view and I would easily get to places on your own without even needing a license, and there'd be no traffic! But then I think, flying can't be effortless, it's a lot of cardio I'm sure What happens if you get tired?! And isn't cold up there?

.... I guess I'll just erase that one off the list

Telepathy: This would be literally so cool! Knowing what people say before they even say it?  I could get info on super secret information from across the world and be able to communicate it back to the government to prevent any further disaster. I would be able to answer questions before they're even asked! To know exactly what people are thinking. No lies. No tricks. Being able to figure out the little things. Not having to over analyze people's facial expressions. I won't have to ever spend the rest of my day thinking about that stuff, I would already know. But, then again would I want to know. What if what they think isn't something I wanna hear? Could I just turn off my superpower?

Super Strength: Being able to pick up derailed trains and skyscrapers with my bare hands to help those in danger would be pretty awesome. If anybody needed help with moving something or breaking something, I would be the person to call. I would be able to go through workouts at the gym like it was nothing! But, I'm not too sure about the look of it all. Rippling, Hulk-sized muscles wouldn't look too flattering on me.

Honest truth there is only one more thing I could think of, and personally, is probably the one I would pick:

Invisibility:  This one is pretty cool. Whenever I want I could just become invisible and nobody would ever see me. I would not only be able to relay secret information without people knowing, but you could also complete certain tasks without anyone seeing.  I could sneak into conversations without people knowing and hide away when I don't want to be seen. I could be somewhere and not really have to worry about the way I look because I'd be invisible. I hope the invisibility doesn't wear off or something though, because then maybe this isn't the superpower for me.

If you were to pick a superpower for yourself, what would it be? To stop time? Cloning? Laser beams?

Poem about Tank, by Thomas Schwarzrock

Tank

Deep inside
The pack on my back
There awaits
A fat stack
Of papers and tests
Which I receive
All held together
Or so I believe
Though it might seem
Like a mischievous prank
I must assure you
My folder is Tank

He has been described
As heavy and large
If he was a boat
He would be a barge
Filled to the brim
Over max capacity
Misplacing Tank
Would be a catastrophe
Though it may seem
That Tank is a mess
I have never lost a paper
Alas, I digress

How Tanks stays
Together in one piece
My inability to know
May never cease
If you look close
You will certainly find
That Tank is held together
Only By the will of mankind
For if he ever breaks
Or falls on the floor
Cleaning him up
Would certainly be a chore.

Through thick and thin
There Tank has been
Big as a boulder
He is my folder

Paradise by Emma Sears

The place I call paradise is far away, nearly 1,000 miles.

It takes a two hour plane ride, followed by five hours in an over-sized van to get there.

This journey is well worth it, no matter how many stops at filthy gas stations we must make.

They say nothing worth doing is ever easy. Maybe this is the proof. 

In this location, our worries are washed away by the relentless sunshine.

The ocean drowns our everyday anxieties, leaving only smiles and salty skin.

Here, I am untethered and can be wild and free: not a dedicated athlete or an honors student.

The only limit is the distance that the wheels of my bike can go.

The days go by quicker here, as the sun slips below the horizon as if an artist painted the sky.

I wish I could stretch out the week spent here, into an eternal serenity. 

But all good things must end, the same way the stars emerge every night.

While our tan lines will fade away, the memories in this place, this paradise, will always remain.