As my parents drove me away from 8th grade graduation I always felt that High school would relinquish all the drama that I went through in Junior High. Well here I am, entering my junior year and getting over the stress of making the Varsity volleyball team. Just when I thought that I was starting off on the right foot, I turn around and the only foot that I feel is the one kicking me in the gut courtesy of my best friends. The school bell rings like its the end of an unexpected first round snapping us both back to reality.
As we separate and go to our first period classes I feel as though I took one below the belt. I need help, I need a referee. Now, as I cautiously sit in the counselors office thinking to myself, “Am I just going to make matters worse with my friends? ” “Can the whispers among the upper classmen possibly be true? ” There is this disease that is talked about, it comes around a couple times in your life and I barely escaped its wrath in Junior High. Well now its back to claim any sanity that I had left for this year.
The disease if you”re wondering, is known as “Pre-graduation Separation” a type of deep emotional growing pain. The first attack showed up leaving my heart in a state of numbness, as though it was being held captive in shackles of cold steel. Like a piranha”s insatiable appetite slowly picking away at its prey”s flesh so does the disease eat away at the core of ones friendship. Then the once polite conversations are followed by meaningless confrontations. It”s as if the disease grows with each encounter, slowly breaking down all immunity within that friendship.
Next, by attacking your mouth the disease makes your tongue a weapon of mass destruction, disabling you from taking back the words of poison that now flow through the veins. Intervention at this time will not work and the disease grows stronger as the friendship weakens and breaks down. The school bell rings again and round three is finally over, I can relish in only a short break from all this unnecessary banter. Lunch does not come as quickly today, my feeling or need for interaction with my peers is an overwhelming emotion.
The disease at this point has taken all energy from me, only subsistence will strengthen me. The sound of the school bell beckons me into another round of overwrought emotions, while wanting the day to end my strides become slow and cautious. The halls begin to look longer, moving away from the intended destination. Breathing becomes difficult as the cold tiled ground swallows up the steps that are necessary to fight off the disease, pulling the core into uncertainty.
Just as the disease grabs hold you lose all sense of humanity that the body might have. However, as you turn around its not a foot you see but a hand, lifting you up. And with that the necessary words needed to wipe out the disease completely comes in the form of forgiveness. The friendship so dearly cherished has once again beaten down the “Pre-graduation Separation” disease. I will build up an immunity to this disease, along with others, but time will ultimately be the deciding factor for all.
