That Four Letter Word

It was like every other day, every other week. It was the same old, high school. How much could you expect from it? It was only high school after all. Or was it really only high school? Was there much more?

High school is the place where you’re supposed to mature, but really only about 19% of the population that graduate are ever mature. It is probably even less than that.

Veronica Watterson thought to be one of those students. Always on top of things, but she had an adventurous side too. She was the dark and depressive one. Yet she had cheery side, but it rarely ever showed. Her best friend on the other hand, Ashley Jones thought she was the best of everything. It didn’t help she was captain of the cheerleading squad, and the most popular girl in school. She wasn’t so much on top of everything; anything that didn’t involve gossip she wasn’t interested in. School was lame and she could be classed as the other 81% who where not mature.

Of course there are others who go to Hemling High, like Veronica’s other best friend, male best friend that is, Nick Freeler. He was defiantly classified as the 81% group, and not because he was immature with school, but because he was immature about life. He doesn’t know how to act around people sometimes. He can act like the total jock that he is, which is the shooting guard on the Hemling Hawks basketball team; and sometimes he just acts like a total nerd around people like quoting things from Star Wars.

Then of course there is Austin Prowler, the lead quarterback to the Hemling Hawks football team. His intentions are never any good with anyone. He loves his women, and he takes advantage of all the women he’s been with. There’s nothing like the smell of sex and booze when he comes around. He makes anyone cringe. Nothing is more important than football, and his women, leaving him immature. Shane Dawson is his best friend isn’t any better. He’s the wide receiver on the football team.

Caleb Bronson was part of the “dark” group. This group did drugs, thought they were better than everybody else, and kept away from everyone. Caleb was smarter than he let people think, and he had a thing for music. He is way more mature than anyone thinks.

My name is Veronica Watterson; I’m a senior at Hemling High. Swans Island is just a place somewhere in the world. Maybe it’s a lot like your world. Maybe it’s nothing like it. But if you look closely you might see someone like you; someone trying to find their way; someone trying to find their place; someone trying to find their self. Sometimes it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one in the world who’s struggling, who’s frustrated, or unsatisfied at barely getting by. But that feeling is a lie and if you just hold on, just find the courage to face it all for another day, someone or something will find the way and make it all okay. Because we all need a little help sometimes, to remind us that it won’t always be this way. That someone is out there, and that someone will find you.

Welcome to Hemling High.