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Monday, November 26, 2018

"Case of Senioritis" by Saima S



      Suddenly I woke up by the alarm which is the sound I dreaded. I turned it off and got up
from bed, it felt like I only slept for 30 minutes but this was probably because I spent every summer night staying up late on facetime with my best friend Casey or scrolling through twitter till I realize it 2:00 am. I collect my thoughts on what has happened and then a gush of anxiety filled up inside of me as sat up. It was the first day of senior year.
     I didn't really talk to anyone this summer so thoughts filled my head on how my “friends” would react on the first day when they see me. I mean, if they really missed me they would’ve called me, but Casey was the only one who put in effort. I was happy that I was taking three AP classes this year. I'm really determined on having a better GPA. I was never really good at school and I want to do better in my last year. All I really cared about was passing the class. Maybe I'll sit next to the smart kids this year so I can ask them for the homework. The next four periods before lunch was all introductory stuff. Despite it being the first day, I had homework for all my classes, and everyday after that. Casey had first lunch so now I have to hang out with other people and tell them about my summer. It wasn't bad, but we wouldn't be having this conversation if only they talked to me over the summer. After lunch I went to my other classes
that dont really matter. At the end of the school day I meet up with Casey for a while and hung out with her till my mom came.
     Every day was somewhat the same as the last. If I was lucky, I would catch a fight happening at lunch. I would always have tons of homework and i started to question why on earth did I pick AP classes. But not once did my grade fall in any class which was something I was proud of and kind of bragged about as well. Casey told me to chill out. She said that I just need to relax given the reason I'm a senior and I should probably lay back a little.
     Casey was a distracting friend but she would always stick with me everyday. I had known of her since freshman year but never really talked to her until this summer. We clicked and she easily became my best friend.
     It was finals of first semester and casey was still not taking work seriously, I wondered why so I thought I’d spend more time with casey, and why she wasn't panicking. I thought casey might've had senioritis because she was showing major symptoms of it. I layed off on the homework for a while, after all, I did have straight As so missing some homework really wouldn't drop my grades that much. I also missed a few classes. Finals week was bound to come weather I was prepared for it or not, in this case I wasn't, considering how much time I wasted. I had so much work piled on me. But it's too late to complain. I was cramming for tests and running off of three hours of sleep. Sometimes I would have thoughts of dropping out. But this was all Caseys doings. I was kinda mad, I should’ve known better. I get into bed after studying for my calc. test. I have a dream that night, a dark fog crowding over me, making the corners of my eyes go dark as it embraces me. It almost felt as if it was alive. I felt a cold shiver up my spine. I woke up freezing cold. I didn't sleep after that but the next morning I had no motivation
to do my tests. As the test was being passed a gush of anxiety fills my stomach. The pencil in my hand became slippery because of my sweaty palms. It's been an hour, and I'm still only on the 14th question out of 48. Then, while I was bubbling an answer, it hit me. Casey does not have senioritis, I do. Casey is senioritis.
     I had realized I had trapped myself into this dark hole of motivation and laziness along with depression. This whole time I thought I was just taking advantage of my senior year and “living my life” but instead I was falling deeper into Casey's trap. It ,makes sense of why she is so disliked now. I was furiated, Id one this to myself and it wouldn't have happened if I wasn’t so ignorant. I rushed through the calc final, I knew I failed anyways. And at the ten minute lunch, I confronted her on how she had made my life so miserable. Casey then turned into fog, she crept around me and held me tight almost knocking me out. I felt the fog going up my back and clouding my brain. Then in the middle of campus, I broke down, anger boiling inside of me and with a tear stained face,I went to the nurses and asked to go home. This feeling of betrayal was a on another level. Probably because it’s my fault and I should’ve had more people around me, people who can guide me. I go home raging, yelling at    Casey who is now inside my head. Telling her to stop clouding my brain. I don't think I’ve ever experienced something this evil. But it's here now, and the best thing to do is to carry on now and ignore her torturous ways and brush off the suffering that I'm going through. She’ll go away eventually. I know I'm not the only one like this

21 comments:

Matthew Ulloa said...

What a twist at the end! I was not expecting that at all. I like how you created a fictional story that revolves around the emotions and pressures of being a senior because most of us can really relate to all the stress. You did a really great job.

Ashley French said...

Saima, I really loved reading your piece. I think all of us, as Seniors, can relate to this story of having Senioritis, especially as graduation gets closer. Senioritis is just surrounding us, like the fog in your story. I loved reading this because of how much I relate!

Kayla Evans said...

Wow! I loved how detailed the story was. I was well organized and drew me in the whole time. Your story is so relatable too. I dread waking up in the morning to my alarm and getting out of bed. I can also relate to the tons of homework from classes and just wanting to relax and enjoy senior year, but panicking over finals because of falling behind due to senioritis. I loved your story, great job!

Unknown said...

Jacob Lopez 11/28/18 9:54pm
Definitely a lot of other seniors experience this too and I am also dealing with this and I have to say that it's not easy. I like how you gave senioritis a person as it made the story even more realistic in the depiction of a high schooler's life. Thank you for the read (:

Sara An said...

Wow, this was incredibly creative! Displaying senioritis as an actual human being was a brilliant idea; I had no idea that "Casey" wasn't real until the end, so that was an intriguing twist. When you compared yourself to "Casey," an unmotivated individual who was looked upon negatively, it really displayed how detrimental senioritis can be even to the most motivated of individuals. Amazing job!

Sandra Mae Samin said...

Saima, I loved reading your work! I definitely feel that this relates to a large population of the senior class, and I loved the way you portrayed your feelings and struggles against senioritis. Everyone is bound to have their own Casey, so indeed, do not feel disheartened. Good job and great writing! - Sandra Mae Samin (per. 1)

Anonymous said...

What a relatable piece to a vast majority of us(I’m assuming). I too feel the stress and anxiety settling in with a rough schedule of classes. Anyways, overall an interesting and unexpected piece! -Joshua Kidwell

Valarie Ly said...

I loved your blog Saima! The plot twist in the end was so surprising to the point where it made me speechless. I'm glad you wrote about senioritis because all of us seem to suffer from it at one point of our year. The imagination that came with this story was also greatly developed. Good job!

Daniel Rodriguez said...

This story kinda reminds me of my own senior experience so far. It has been pretty difficult. I found amazing how you distinguished two characters. You did a fantastic job.

Lexi Smith said...

Wow I loved how you created a fictional story about a topic that we all can relate to! I know most of us, if we haven’t already, will have these same feelings and struggles. I also loved the twist at the end. You really had me thinking that Casey was a person. Good job!

Evanne Turner said...

This piece was incredible. The fact that senioritis was a person the entire time was mind blowing. Its not easy dealing with senioritis because it turns into habits that could last all year. But i can relate to preventing "Casey" from bringing my senioe year down and becoming motivated again to end highscholl on a high note. Well done!!

Alicia Garcia said...

Woah! I did not expect Casey to be senioritis! I loved how you were able to twist the end with all of that imagery. I was able to feel as if I was in the story because of the descriptiveness of the feelings and scene and I was definitely able to relate to those feelings of laziness and no motivation. Overall great job!

Jean Andre Molina said...

Hello Saima, this is actually a great piece. I did not expect for Casey to betray you when I was reading the introduction. I really liked on how you mention the dream you had, it gave that foreshadowing of whats going to happen in the future. That dream gave me a hint that Casey being the "fog" would betray you. Also, I find this work of art somewhat relatable especially in the terms of seniorities, I do get those roughly 3 hours of sleep. Furthermore, I really liked on how you personified seniorities as being Casey. That sense of seniorities as being a person open up another lense on what causes seniorities: is it the person or the environment such as friends. Overall Great Piece
- Jean Andre Molina Period 4

Anonymous said...

This is so relatable, I feel like this year has been the hardest just because I feel like I'm losing my motivation because of the year and the excitement of finally off to bigger things. Also, depicting senioritis as a human was such a great idea I would have never thought of doing such a thing, Great Job!
- Ivan Mejia (Per.5)

Anonymous said...

Saima, this is one piece that really resonates with me as a senior, especially the feeling senioritis being a force outside of our control. It really does feel like the days are getting longer as it it becomes harder to stay awake and trudge through a fourth year of high school. The idea of portraying senioritis as a person who acts like a friend who wants you to just relax in the waning days of your high school high school career is especially powerful, as it feels at times as though it'd be best to just give up and do other things besides what we need to at times. Overall, this is a very strong piece that does an amazing job at explaining or conveying the concept of senioritis.

-Lance Anthony Aquino

Charlene Sangalang said...

Woah, that ending was definitely unexpected! Little would I know that "Casey" represented the lacking source of motivation. It was well-planned of you to have us all think that "Casey" was an actual individual. What I like about this unique short story of yours was how you were able to make senioritis symbolize something/someone you dearly hold close with but eventually find it unhealthy. I feel like that not only connects with senioritis itself but also something that most adolescents have gone through, which makes this story relatable in many levels. Keep up this incredible work of yours!
- Charlene S.

Daniel Alexander Peraza said...

This story was more deep than what I had anticipated and completely blew any other idea I had out of the water. it was unique to convey the idea of senioritis as the tempting friend than the rival to our goals. And the subtle message at the end directed towards the reader had me recollect thoughts of my own of senioritis, overall, great read!

Brooke Leslie said...

Saima, you wrote a story that I'm sure a lot of seniors, including myself, can relate to. Casey symbolizing your senioritis was a twist that I didn't expect, but could definitely understand. You go into detail about an aspect of senior year that people usually make fun of or say won't happen to them and turn it into a serious matter worth discussion and self-assesment. I enjoyed reading your story!
-Brooke Leslie

Xiaoqing Zhong said...

Saima! I love your way of personifying Senioritis! I can really relate to this, because I have found myself with the lack of motivation and the increasing laziness. Your display of your inner thoughts of regret and anger made me realize that you are just like me: being angry at myself that I could've done more! Anyways, this was a fun little story that every senior is able to relate to.

-Xiaoqing Zhong P4

Ethan Mathenge said...

This story was so real and detailed I feel like it’s an actual disease, great job on making it seem so destructive and terrible because it influences me to work hard through it so I don’t succumb to it

Anonymous said...

So far my year has been senioritis sadly, so I think that this story is so relatable to an average teen. I also liked the specific details you used like the feeling of hearing that alarm. Great job Saima :)(Julia Avalos)