Beneath the wheel

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 12th gradeA, March 1997

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As it did every school day of my junior year, 11:12 AM had come once more to mark the end of my academic morning, and the beginning of my lunch period. After paying my one dollar for a small cherry vita-pup slush drink and a strawberry fruit roll-up, I would take my place at the usual lunch table. The next forty-five minutes were always used as an escape from the labor and frustration of the academic world. Whether my time was spent playing bass in the band room, or spent engaging myself in conversation with my close friends, I never let schoolwork, tests, or quizzes interfere with this opportunity to let my mind leave school for a few moments.

Meanwhile, just a couple of tables away sat Chris. Just as religiously as I relaxed during the period, Chris would be diligently working. Chris and I did not have much in common, but one thing we did share was our Algebra II class that followed the lunch period.

Most days Chris would still be studying while I was on the way out of the cafeteria. One day in particular, the bell that marks the end of the lunch period had just rung, and I was heading out for Ms. Henyon's math class. I saw up ahead of me, Chris frantically flipping through his Algebraic Concepts text book. I approached Chris and asked: 'Did we have any homework we were supposed to do?'

'All we had to do was study for the test today,' Chris replied. As usual, I had forgotten another quiz; either that I had chosen to neglect it. Whichever it was, I never study for tests and quizzes. 'Yeah, I've been studying for it all period. I studied last night too, so I should be pretty good,' Chris added.