Dear freshman me,
Close that zoom tab and never open it again. Yes, it’s an honors class, but Mr. Castle is just yapping a little too much about Romeo and Juliet. Take a walk around the house, go to the back yard, and STOP staying up past two in the morning. Try to eat something besides chicken nuggets and expand your music taste to something a little less depressing.
You will want to give up and never do homework again, but somehow you will manage to survive. Kudos to you.
Freshman year, I think every senior can agree, was terrible. Eating microwaved food and having a routine from computer to bed, never seeing your friends, and forgetting what trees look like.
I give this entire year 0 stars on Yelp.
Quarantine was rough, but school honestly slays after we get out of the house.
See you next year,
Karissy
To sophomore me,
DO NOT TAKE AP EUROPEAN HISTORY. I know you felt super smart and honored to be asked to take the course, but this class will ultimately eat up your entire year.
You are nowhere near mentally prepared for this sophisticated class. It takes far more work than you think. I know you got A’s both semesters, but at what cost? Mr. Lane is amazing but I fear you are too lazy for this class.
Yes girl, I know you don’t study and get all of the homework answers off of Quizlet. Did you even open the textbook?
Moving on, you will meet new friends this year. You will have the urge to follow them everywhere and, sort of, force them to be your friend. Keep up the good work! Somehow your group just ends up mushed together like a pack of sardines (emotionally).
You end up joining clubs and actually participating in them, but immediately drop them after this year (oopsies). Your clubs have holiday parties and field trips, where you go to events without parental supervision or chaperones (it was very fun).
This convinced you that sophomore year was the best year ever. But now that I look back, I remember how awkward and stressed out we were. No matter! Your false sense of happiness got you through this year full of new experiences!
Sophomore year earns a solid 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Toodles,
Carrito
Oh god. It’s junior me,
No. I will not go into detail of what happens. It is rough. Just, no.
Be warned, junioritis is 100% real. It only gets worse in the second semester. I remember wanting to go home by the time I get to second period, dreading the fact that my day was not over yet.
Not only is school hard, but your life is about to get much more difficult.
Out of all the challenges I had to deal with, I suppose the biggest challenge this year was when our parents sold our house. Yes, they actually sold it. I was surprised myself.
Anywho, the house is sold and you end up having to live in Madera for a month, during finals and AP testing (WOOT WOOT! I don’t think I got any sleep that month).
Nevertheless, you miraculously survive and get through the year with good grades (honestly that surprised me). Do not fear, you get to stay in Selma after finding a nice house! (WOOT WOOT, but for real this time)
To be honest, I do not remember junior year. I know that it was barely a year ago, but it all kind of mushed into one memory of me in the front seat of my car, studying for Mr. Johnson’s history test. Everything else has already escaped my mind.
You face a lot of stress this year, but you held out thanks to your friends and family, make sure to thank them. Without them, I don’t think we would have survived junior year.
Overall, this year would get exactly 13,574 kudos on AO3. Is that good? Is that bad? That is up for the reader to decide. Junior year had just enough angst, and a sort of happy ending where everyone waits for volume two out of curiosity. It gave a sort of main character vibe, but maybe that’s just me being dramatic.
ONE MORE YEAR,
K Rizzy
Farewell senior me,
I am proud of you.
Wow. I fear this is the end.
I am not sure how to go about this. Graduation? College? It is all a blur. I have no idea where I am going after high school. Graduating this year, quite frankly, does not seem real.
On one end, I want to go to college and move on with my life. I honestly want to see what happens next, because I have no clue.
On the other hand, I want to stop time and sit here for a little while longer.
I want to sit in Mr. Filkins’ class at lunch, surrounded by my friends in our assigned seating chart. I want to wave to Mr. Castle every morning, knowing I’ll see him later in the day. I want to be lazy in Mr. Garcia’s class as I mindlessly scroll on my phone. I want and I want and I want.
But I cannot stop time.
And I cannot stay here forever.
So I continue on this path as I near the end of this four year journey. I follow my peers, knowing that they are going through the same emotions as me.
Let’s walk together for the next four months, and one last time in June, where our stories are just beginning.
Best Regards,
Karissa Valdez
