Lessons in Time - A School Story Page #5

I enjoy nostalgia and walking down memory lane. I have vivid memories of school, grade one to grade 12, complete with fear, angst and joy.

• Fiction

								

Mrs. Jones, sensing the teens’ focus drifting from homework, suggested they move to the kitchen. Markus shot his mother an irritated look, while Wendy, relieved, welcomed the change to a stiff-backed chair, grateful for the interruption that kept things from going too far.

Markus, with a forced smile, pulled out his math book and asked, “So, Wendy, how far did you get on today’s assignment?” His mother’s gaze lingered, and he was eager to appease her.

Wendy flipped her hair and casually replied, “Oh, I usually just do every other question.” Markus’s smile faltered. Every other question? He stared at her, a mix of confusion and arrogance swirling in his mind. She’s gotta be kidding, he thought, his eyes narrowing. This girl really thinks she can coast on just her looks?

As soon as his mother’s footsteps faded down the hallway, his patience vanished. He leaned in, his lips brushing hers, but this time, his hands roamed with a confidence that had nothing to do with permission. Wendy’s eyes widened in shock as his grip tightened where no boy had ventured before. With a gasp, she shot to her feet, knocking over the chair in her haste. Tumbling to the floor, she shrieked, “My word, Markus Jones, what is wrong with you?! Keep your hands to yourself!” The kitchen echoed with the clatter of wood on tile and the sharp sting of her words.

Confounded by Wendy’s change in attitude, he said, “What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You know you want it, now c’mon, gimme a little sugar, Wendy!”

Outraged, she replied, “If you think I’m easy, you got it wrong, mister!” All he could think of doing next was to send her home.
At 8:35 a.m. the next morning, the gossip mill was spinning out of control.

“They’re saying you and Markus did it last night! You know, ‘went all the way.’ Wendy, I thought better of you!”

For a moment, she liked the thought of being a vixen, a bad girl, of having every boy in the school enamoured with her. Then, changing her mind, she spoke vehemently, “Are you kidding me, that jerk! No! I did not do anything with that egomaniac!”

The news reached the guidance counsellor. Over the intercom, Wendy was called to the office.
From there, she was sent to the school nurse, where she had to complete a six-week course on venereal disease and the importance of contraception. Wendy wondered if Markus was going through the same thing, but somehow doubted it.


1978

When it’s over, it’s over.

Behind the stage stood zealous teens, their caps and gowns rustling as they lined up alphabetically, waiting to receive their diplomas.

Markus stood at the front of the line, his eyes scanning the room with pride and determination. Bound for university in the fall, he saw graduation not as an ending but as the first step toward a future filled with limitless possibilities.

Behind Markus shuffled Peter and Dolores—Peter, the science star who could recite the periodic table in his sleep, and Dolores, the math whiz who made algebra look like tic- tac-toe. The once geeky girl and nerdy boy found themselves in the awkward first steps of young love. They had recently started dating but kept their hands to themselves, too nervous to risk messing it up with something as awkward as hand-holding.

In contrast, Billy, the party boy, viewed graduation as his ticket to freedom. With a carefree grin, he stood in line, already dreaming of the up-coming celebration. High school had been lame, yet he relished the friendships he had made and the continuous parties. Graduation was his "get out of jail free" card, an opportunity to embrace life on his terms without the confines of school rules and schedules.

For Nicky, high school had been drudgery. Yet, her small group of friends, mostly boys, had been the ink that made the pages worth reading. The late nights and missed assignments, almost a distant memory, gave her a mix of relief and nostalgia.

Wendy, meanwhile, smiled serenely, her thoughts not on the past twelve years but on the familiar comfort of home. While others dreamed of big cities, she cherished the close-knit community around her. For her, graduation was more a gentle step forward than a leap into the unknown. She had just started working at Supervalue and loved it.

Leaning in, she whispered urgently to her friends. “Okay, guys, remember to stand straight and smile. We want our graduation photos to be perfect. This is our moment!”
Billy grinned at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Chill, Wendy. When it’s over, it’s over, yah know? Let’s just go with the flow and soak it all in. I can’t wait to feel that diploma in my hand!”

“Billy’s right,” Markus said, adjusting his gown with a hint of arrogance. “This is the last time we’ll all be together like this. We’ve got to make the most of it before we head off in different directions.”

Peter adjusted his glasses with a bit of a nervous fidget. “Yeah, Markus, you’ve got a point. I’m already kinda mulling over what’s next, but let’s take a moment here. I mean, it’s not every day you get to wrap up a chapter as big as this, right?”

Nicky smiled softly, her eyes distant. “I think I’m going to miss this—miss all of you. We’re like words in a poem. It’s simple yet kind of beautiful, in a way.”

Wendy nodded, her determination softening into warmth. “You’re right, Nicky. It is beautiful. Okay, I’ll admit, I’m going to miss this too. We’ve made it, and that's worth celebrating together, no matter what comes next.”

Billy winked, his excitement infectious. “Exactly, Wendy. And after the ceremony, let’s party! Who’s in for a night of rock ‘n’ roll and getting wasted?

“Count me in,” Markus said, grinning. “I’ll bring the tunes, if you bring the brewskies.”

“I’m definitely up for it,” Peter added. “Can’t say if I’ve ever joined you knuckleheads in one of your lame-brained parties before.”

“I’m there,” Nicky agreed. “There’s gotta be lyrics to a song in this somewhere.”

Wendy smiled at her alphabetized counterparts, whom she never realized were her friends…“Alright then, it’s a plan. Let's do this, guys. Ready to graduate?”
“Ready!” They shouted, as they slung their arms around each other’s shoulders. After their caps had been tossed in the air, the ceremony ended with The Long and
Winding Road by the Beatles. Their journey from Grade One to this moment had been
filled with loneliness, comraderie, angst, and rebellion, and at that moment they felt like they were on the stairway to heaven hoping for a new day to dawn while they wind on down the road.

From 1965 to 1978, Markus, Peter, Billy, Nicky, and Wendy had found a bridge between twelve years of unlikely friendships and a future full of promise, like an open book ready for its next rock anthem.
								Rate this book:0.0 / 0 votes