This is the only time I’ve had a hard time writing a story, so I’m deciding to write it to myself to fully understand what I’ve had to process over the past four years, and I’d like you to join me. 

Hello Ms. Amierah AlJammal, you’ve had a weird past which I am grateful for because it has led me to this final paper. Starting out with finally coming out of Covid in 2021, the year I graduated middle school just to be thrown into another two years of masks. I’ve never been one to be social, so of course after a year and a half from not talking to anyone and being trapped in my room, I decided to not talk to anyone freshman year for the entire first semester. Very much so alone. Finally, a group of people talked to me (after I had woken up from literally no sleep needed,) and I finally came out of my shell. The rest of the year I had so much fun and really appreciated the girls who came up to me and forced me to finally interact with humans, so my brother would stop being embarrassed of me. My brother was a senior and graduated that year, but of course he still wouldn’t let me have a life and left his friends to watch over me so that he could fight me in case I ever did something stupid. 

Sophomore year was nothing like freshman year because I had more friends the first day of school, so I wasn’t lonely anymore (don’t make this weird). Anyways, I had finally stopped looking “unkept” and found decent clothing and worked on fashion but still wore my mask because I thought I looked hideous for some reason (if you agree, you can just stop reading). That year was probably the best year in high school overall, because of the friends I had, teachers, and the school itself wasn’t bad, everyday there was entertaining. This may sound weird, but I absolutely fell in love with that school because of the teachers I had that year, I can’t wait to go back when my friends graduate to see them and my teachers. That year may have been the best, but it ended with a bang, I got into an accident the day before my last final, and I spent my last day that got me out of my last two finals in the hospital. The worst part about it wasn’t how much it hurt, but everything I had to leave when my mom thought it was a sign to move. 

Well, back from depression, I moved to River Islands. Spent my summer in a wheelchair and the worst pain from physical therapy, to going to a new school junior year in crutches. (If you thought freshman year was bad, imagine me in crutches, 20x worse.) My mom made me go over the summer to check out this new school and how I’ll get around. Turns out it had a JROTC program, which she had taken back in high school as well, she made the executive decision to enroll me into the program, hated her for it. The only thing I could think is that I had finally gotten out of my two years in PE, just to be thrown back into it with crutches… great. Of course, my mom has to be right all the time. The program welcomed me and my physical challenges into it with welcome arms. It soon became my life where I made quite literally all of my friends and won drill competitions when my ankle got better. Sadly, that was all of that year… I’m boring now, what do you want from me? 

Now into senior year with two months left. I keep leaving school, best year ever. I went to school for the first two days, then flew to Australia for two weeks, amazing start of the new school year if I do say so myself. Came back and wanted to end it all, they made my life hell, but good thing I found a best friend. She is incredibly funny and always judges me as a good best friend should. If you’re reading this right now Babra… fight me. Anyways, back to me, this year will continue to get better because I’m also about to go on a cruise (this school will forever hate me). Now to things I regret, I want to say nothing because I always put pressure on myself, but not right now, I deserve a little credit for where I am today. Maybe I could be lying a little, I went back to looking “unkept”, I regret that, but that’s it! Now I want to finish off this year with a bang, I just don’t know how, maybe I should do a back flip on the stage, watch me fall on my face. I guess all I can do is leave a message. 

High school is not all that and a bag of chips, literally go out, make friends and live your normal kid life, because as soon as you get out of high school, you’ll either go up or go down. Remember we’re all just mere mortals. 

Signing off, 

Amierah AlJammal