The year was dying down. Exam anxiety was growing, but brains were being slowly turned off, windows were being opened, sunscreen was being applied, and the sun was shining brighter than ever. The wonderful weather outside was beckoning, the prospect of the end of school was calling, and teachers and students alike noticed themselves spending more and more time looking longingly outside. It’s funny how for students, years are counted by school years, not calendar years. But the end of the school year really is quite important. It marks the end of another period in a child’s life, a brief respite from homework and tests and quizzes and pop quizzes and teachers and classmates and the whole ecosystem that is school. And it’s especially special when it’s the student’s last year at that school, when they’re transitioning to middle school or high school. It’s those last couple days that are the hardest.

“Pass me that pizza!”

“No way man!”

“Let’s go study for that math test.”

“Did you see the game last night?”

Amidst all the noise surrounding him, he strode down the hallway, seemingly unaware of the loud exclamations around him. His eyes constantly scanned the way forward, as he moved quickly, casually squeezing through narrow gaps between people’s shoulders. His arms swung steadily, constantly in motion, while his long legs quickly ate up the distance between him and the stairway, as if he were used to walking purposefully and in a hurry. He stood upright, head held high, but in more of a determined and focused way than a prideful way. He reached the stairway, quickly walking down, and took a right, finally arriving at his destination: Room 314.

He sat down, took out a book, one of many filling his backpack, which might as well have been a portable library. He was on page 20 by the time his friend Dan came running in. “Hey, whatcha reading? Did you even study? Are you worried at all?” came the stream of questions.

“Study? At this time of the year! Of course not,” he replied with a smile, putting his book away.

“Wow. Haha yeah I didn’t study either. Whatevs. It’s our last math test of the year! Hey what are you doing Friday? Let’s go watch a movie or something!” said Dan.

“Yeah definitely!” he replied, just as the bell rang.

Later, when he had finished the test, and was waiting for everyone else, he thought back to the last time he had gone to see a movie...

It had been just that past semester, around exam time. He and a bunch of his friends had gone to see Skyfall. It had been quite the fun time, conversations flowing back and forth, banter and wit being exchanged freely, smiles and laughter filling the air. Sometimes, he would just relax and enjoy the flow of voices talking over him, and other times he would chime in, shouting just as loudly as the rest of them. The movie had been great too. The vivid action scenes still played in his head, and he could still picture all their expressions when the movie ended. He had felt so carefree, not having to worry about homework or exams, just living life to the fullest. Dan had been there, and Patrick, and even Thomas, just to mention a few.

It was too bad that he wouldn’t be seeing them on a daily basis in just a couple days or so.
He’d be going off to high school, just like them. But such was the curse of magnet programs, as he had been accepted to the IB program, while some of his friends would be heading off to Poolesville or their own respective home high schools. He really hated this, this having to say goodbye. Sure, he could still chat with them, and go over to their houses sometimes, but it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be the same.
Later, during lunch, he sat down with his friends, carrying a tray with pizza and a nice cold ice cream bar. He laughed along with the rest of them as they traded food, a sandwich for a bag of chips, a juice box for chocolate milk, and a pickle for an apple. “Hey man! Gimme that pizza!” cried Joey.
“Nah. I’m good. I’ll take your cookie though,” snatching the chocolate chip cookie from Joey’s grasp and taking a solid bite from it, tasting the chocolaty goodness.
“Wow! You owe me a dollar for that!”
He chuckled, thinking how it was possible that just normal day happenings like these could bring so much joy. A bunch of scenes flashed by through his mind: Joey’s laughing face as he told a funny story involving a dog and a math worksheet, Thomas’ mock tears as his chips fell to the ground, Patrick’s determined look as he wrestled Dan, his own grinning face as he traded puns back and forth with them all.
It had been a great ride. How could he forget any of it? But the sad thing was, he would probably forget so many of those small events that had really shaped him and brought him joy in life. Why couldn’t brains have a saving device or something? Why was it so easy to forget? There were so many days where he had gone home and just laid on bed thinking back on the day, remembering everything that had happened. And now, he would be moving on from middle school, off to an unknown world, high school.
The last day came all too quickly. And the last day passed by all too quickly. Smiling for the pictures, fidgeting uncomfortably during the graduation speeches by the teachers and administrators, walking up onto the stage and receiving the certificate that said in print that he, Austin Wang, was officially done with 8th grade, with middle school.
And there they were, standing outside the school, the sun shining bright in the sky.
“Wow, this is too dramatic. Look, the sun’s even set like perfectly. It might as well be a scene from a movie.” said Austin.
“Yeah!” they all said.
No one wanted to say the obvious, that this would be their goodbye. Goodbyes were always like this. And that’s what made them suck so much. It had felt so long, but it had also been so short. Austin couldn’t help but reminisce. That’s just what goodbyes did. They’d laughed their way through the years, only pausing to complain about homework and projects and tests here and there. But as he thought about it, this was really an opportunity. Sure, this period of his life was over, but he would be moving on to another period of his life, and who knew what was in store for him? He would keep on walking, never stopping, reflecting on the past, but ultimately moving forward with purpose and determination. And that’s how he left behind his classmates, his teachers, his friends, and his school.