With white paint dripping down my fingers, I hastily spam the volume button to blast my favorite song from the Disney movie, Princess and the Frog—played nearly 100 times by my Apple Music—waiting for the chance to perform as if my life depended on it.
As I reach for the hand towel, my best friend of four years, Carla, bursts out laughing at the mess I’ve made on her bedroom floor, riddled with old newspapers, a plethora of paintbrushes, every acrylic paint color imaginable, and our half-constructed senior crowns.
While emptying the green paint bottle onto my crown and attempting not to burn myself with the scorching hot glue gun, I began to reminisce about my so-called high school experience and the abundance of memories that flowed into my mind.
Ever since I began my freshman year, I constantly dreamt of becoming an upperclassman and wished to finally experience the enthusiasm of being at “the top”—embracing the senioritis my teachers always spoke of.
Roaming the hallways, glaring at the creative crowns made by the—now-graduated—seniors, it was hard to not imagine how my own crown would look like. I envisioned taking group pictures with my closest friends, showing off my creativity, and coming across that feeling of being almost there.
But, this experience quickly slipped away from my fingertips and, instead, fell in the hands of COVID-19.
It all still feels unreal. It feels unjust that after four years filled with all-nighters, never-ending loads of AP/AICE assignments, and constantly dreading to go to school for eight hours a day, senior year was supposed to be the year where it all paid off. The year where I would make the most memories. The year with that would be crammed with the most events and activities. The year where my class would ultimately be given a chance to make our final mark in Miami Lakes Educational Center.
Instead, the class of 2021 was left with a laptop, a senior crown on their heads, and pixelated figures of their teachers and classmates—all of them left isolated in their rooms.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that finishing our year won’t be easy. In fact, this school year is going to be a rocky road filled with hidden obstacles that would take time to overcome. However, what I am sure about is this: it’ll be one for the history books.
