Never Forget

Author's Note: As it gets closer to summer, alot of last summer's memories come to mind and this one comes up alot. My main goal in this creative piece was to include some dialogue. 

The sun was blazing hot; I could feel the sweat start to trickle down my neck. Fanning myself, I desperately try to cool down as he hands me a skateboard. I reached for a water bottle and took a huge sip. My throat felt like a glacier as I screwed the top back on. I had hoped that the whole skateboarding lessons had been a joke but as he walked towards me with a helmet in his hand, I could tell he wasn’t kidding.

His purple beanie didn’t hide the fact that his fiery red hair was sticking up all over the place. It made me smile as I strapped my helmet on. He demonstrated where my feet should be and when, how to balance and most importantly, how to stop. I tried to take it all in, but he made it look so easy. He saw my panicked expression and started to laugh.

“All you need to remember is how to not fall off,” he said with a wink.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” I replied as I hesitantly stepped onto the board.

I pushed off and before I realized it, I was sailing down the road at an uncontrollable speed. I noticed I was on route to crash into a stop sign but as my brain skimmed through what he had just explained, I couldn’t remember how to stop.

“TJ!” I scream, “I can’t stop!”

I tried to duck under the sign but that just made the fall worse. I flipped backwards and hit my face on the pole. All I could see was blurs of color as I fell to the ground. The last thing I saw before I blacked out, was TJ’s face laughing hysterically above me.

Now instead of his carefree smile, I was staring at his blank expression. His body was motionless and  it hurt to see him this way. No matter how hard I tried,  I couldn’t bring myself to look away. My eyes started to burn and my throat tightened as memories kept washing through me.  I wanted to remember him, but not like this. Warm tears started to fall as I realized that the happy laugh, cheesy grin; even the purple beanie were all gone. Gone forever.

The life that was just about to begin, wasn’t there to live anymore. The hopes and dreams, all shattered just like the glass. The future was ruined, just like his car. And my heart, was broken just like his ribs.

“All you needed to remember, was how to not fall off”, I whispered as I looked at him one last time. When I turned to walk away, my emotions finally caught up to me; I was consumed in gut wrenching sobs.

The Last Day

Author's Note: I just watched a movie about a lock down so for this creative piece, I decided to put myself in the shoes of someone living through one. I tried to imagine how scary it would be, how everyone else would feel, etc.

Food was flying everywhere and the whole class was laughing. Time had flown by so fast; it was hard to believe that it was the last day of school. The celebration was in full swing until the principal’s voice came onto the loud speaker. My teacher turned the music down and gasped as his voice echoed clear as a bell.

“We are going into lockdown mode.”

When the shock went away and my teacher’s face regained it’s color, she herded us like cattle into the back corner of the room. My stomach was doing somersaults as we all silently crawled under a table. I was really uncomfortable, but so scared that I didn’t dare to move.

We all flinched as the doorknob started to slowly turn. When it opened, all you could see was the darkened hallway. We all heard our teacher inhale deeply as his figure came into focus. The first thing I noticed was his eyes. They were blue; cold as ice. His gaze swept the room and when he landed on us, he started to smile. Too scared to look at him anymore, I quickly glanced in my teacher’s direction. Her face was ghostly white; I saw her hands trembling.

He crossed the room and sat down in a desk. The chair groaned its objection, but I could tell he didn’t care. The silence was broken by a loud ring as the phone awakened. When he stood up I could see the pistol glaring at me in it’s holster. Almost as if it were daring me to speak up. My best friend reached over and grabbed my hand. We made eye contact for barely a second, but I could still see my emotions reflected in her expression.

When he hung up, he quietly put the phone down and turned towards us. A smile slowly spread across his face as he reached for his gun. Twirling the gun, he started to pace. He turned his back to us and stared at the board for what felt like forever. Suddenly he turned around so fast that none of us had time to brace ourselves.

The gunshot echoed throughout the classroom and I instantly went numb. I started shaking and blinked back tears. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Then all of a sudden, a cop burst through the door and tackled our intruder. My teacher jumped up and pushed us until we were all running out the door and down the hallway.

I was still shaking when my mom jumped out of the car and ran towards me. I collapsed into her arms and started to cry. I couldn’t help it though, I was still so scared. I heard squeaking behind me and turned around to see a stretcher being wheeled into the ambulance behind me. My heart sunk when I saw the familiar shoe of my best friend sticking out the end of the blanket.

Forever is Never

Author's Note: This is a creative piece that focuses on a flashback. Pay attention to how there isn't very much dialogue, but in this story there doesn't need to be. 

The day was almost as cloudy as my mood. He walked out of his room in his cap and gown; my heart sunk. He could tell how I felt by the expression on my face. Crossing the room he stood in front of me and stared, willing me to meet his eyes. Reluctantly I looked up at him and saw the same cheesy smile that had made me smile a thousand times.

Sitting down next to me he said, “Hey, don’t be sad. I’ll be around forever.”
 “Promise?” I asked, finally meeting his eyes.
“Promise.”, he responded; I smiled knowing he meant it.

As that memory dissolved into the picture of him I was carrying, I continued walking down the grassy path that I knew by heart; I felt the familiar sting behind my eyes as I neared my destination. As I saw it in the distance I stopped, gathering the courage I knew I needed. Steeling myself for the pain, I continued on. His face, his smile, his laugh, all echoed in my memories as I made the final steps to where I was going. The tears instantly began to fall as I stared at his grave. “Forever”, I whispered.

Broken Hearted

Author's Note: This is a point of view piece. It's based on the song "Easy" by Rascal Flatts. Pay attention to how the girl and boy have the same point of view on the break up.

Smiles from cheek to cheek, so many butterflies you could fly to the moon, laughs so merry even Santa would be jealous. All of a sudden transition to tears that fall so rapidly clouds can’t even keep up. Pain so severe you can feel your heart breaking, sobs so loud not even your pillow can drown them out.

In “Easy” by Rascal Flatts the boy is going through a tough breakup and is trying to pass it off like he doesn’t care, but the little things that remind him of her make the pain worse. Like he says in the song “What she don’t know, is how hard it is to make it look so easy”, this just proves that although he’s smiling and acting normal, on the inside he’s falling apart and is having a hard time getting over her.

"The truth is, I miss laying in those arms of his. But I won't, ever let it show."

He’s not the only one suffering though. This is a line from the girl's point of view in this song. If this entire song was in the girl’s point of view it would be similar because she said she basically feels the same way. 

With both of their point of views in this song, it’s very easy to relate to because at one point or another we all go through a tough break up. In most songs there’s just one point of view but this one is more relatable in the way of having two different perspectives to relate to. The song would be changed drastically if one of them didn’t feel the same way though. I personally think the song would be more interesting if for example the girl didn’t feel the same. The boy would be hurting and the girl would be moved on and ready to start a new chapter in her life.

When the sobs stop; the pain subsides, look for the bright side. Everything happens for a reason; now you just have to find it. Don’t stay in the past, move into the future. There’s a reason our eyes are in front of heads and not the back, don’t look back. It might not be easy, but it’ll be worth it.

Family is Forever

Author's Note: When we were told to write about a theme in a book we've read, I instantly thought of family. My family means a lot to me so this was an easy theme to write about. Pay attention to how I made a connection to another book.

When friends start turning against you, who’s there for you? Your family. When you had a rough day and just want someone to talk to, who’s there for you? Your family. Your family is what gets you through the tough times, what makes every moment memorable. But, what if your family wasn’t there for you anymore?

 The main theme you’ll learn in the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, is family comes first. When this famous saying comes into play, some people are forced to make sacrifices to make sure their family comes first, just like in the Hunger Games. When times get hard, families search desperately for something to hold them together, anything to hold them together.

When Katniss’ dad dies, her mom tunes out forcing Katniss to become the parent like figure for her little sister. As a teenager, Katniss becomes the family’s provider. With so much responsibility Katniss isn’t able to experience the teenage part of life.  But as Katniss knows: family comes first.

As Katniss’ mom tunes out, love is the only thing holding the family together. But as times get harder, even the love is growing taut. With every hardship thrown at the family, everything is thrown out of balance. When everything is thrown out of balance you can’t help but wonder if things would be easier if your family was there for you like they used to be.

Katniss is very similar to Hollis in Pictures of Hollis Woods, because they both realize the importance of family. With each obstacle thrown at them they never fail to show their unending care and love towards their family.If everyone was capable of doing what they do, maybe the world would be a better place.

You can change who you are, who your friends are, who you talk to, even who you admire. But, you can’t change family. Family comes before everyone else because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who won’t leave your side. Who know everything about you and accept you for it. Be grateful for the family you have, and pray for the people that aren’t as lucky as you.

The Treasure

Author's Note: This is an alternate ending for the story read in the Reading Lab. I ended it this way because based on the story it sounded like people weren't very fond of Cody. Hurting Cody to get to his treasure just seemed like something the people would do.  

As the sun set, Cody walked down the street. The only sound was Cody’s breathing. All of a sudden there were footsteps behind him. Turning around, Cody scanned the darkening street. There was no one there. Turning around and starting to walk again, Cody started to be paranoid. It sounded like the footsteps were getting closer but when he turned around there was no one there. Getting frustrated, Cody started to walk faster. All of a sudden there was a sharp pain in the back of his leg. His vision blurred and he started to get dizzy. Crumpling to the ground Cody grabbed the back of his leg and pulled out a dart. He had been shot. As he blacked out, he thought, “What will happen to my treasure now?”.

A Change for the Better

Author's Note: This is a character development about Katniss in the Hunger Games. This just proves that people can change for the better.

In the beginning of the Hunger Games, Katniss is an independent girl who only cares about the safety of her family. As her family’s safety takes a turn for the worst, Katniss volunteers herself as tribute to the Hunger Games. Once distance lies between Katniss and her sister, Katniss separates herself from other people and won’t listen to anyone but herself. As the games get closer, her independence level rises causing other tributes to think of plans to eliminate her first.

During the games, Katniss meets Rue. A little girl who reminds Katniss of her sister. Katniss then realizes that helping Rue survive is her new priority. Like Hollis, in Pictures of Hollis Woods, Katniss overcomes her selfishness and uses her knowledge and skills to help another person. As Katniss protects Rue, her independence dissolves leaving a completely changed girl in its place. The once independent Katniss is now a loving girl who would do anything to protect people that mean a lot to her.