Beginnings

I fight for my spot in the crowded hallway as the second period bell rings. I rush to my locker, a bottom locker of course, and fumble with my combination lock, trying to remember the code as I'm pushed and shoved into the people next to me. I think to myself, "24...6...20..." and I can almost hear it click, despite the madness of the high school halls. I grab my books, slam the locker door, and latch it shut. Squeezing my way out through the hall doors, I finally breath and calm down. I walk down the sidewalk and back to the world geography room. I slip in, just before the tardy bell, and crash into my desk at the front of the room. My teacher stands and announces a pop quiz. A chorus of groans are let out and I look around at my fellow classmates, some I've known my whole life, others complete strangers. I return my attention to the front and watch as question number one is printed on the white board. I pick up my pencil and scrawl my name across the top of a fresh sheet of paper. This is my beginning.