At Disneyworld, I was terrified. I faced Expedition Everest, supposingly the worst roller coaster in the entire park. Somehow I, who had always shied away from those terrifying rides, had been coerced into line. My protests about peer pressure were ignored. My friends reassured me it would be fun. In a strange way, I agreed. Not much, but some. I would never admit it, but a small voice in the back of my mind seemed to agree with them. So I resisted the urge to flee in the opposite direction, to give in to my fear. I stayed. Despite the hour long wait, we reached the end of the line far too soon. I told myself it was too late to go back. I got on the ride. When I got off a few minutes later my legs shook and my throat was raw, yet somehow that
…show more content…
I was not stepping onto a Disney ride, surrounded by encouraging friends. I was stepping onto a school bus. The tired faces of strangers greeted me. Once again, I was beginning a year at a new school. The last year I had been a new student as well, switching from a local Christian school to the public school system. Just as I had finally found a few friends as the year ended at my school, I learned that I would be new once again; my family was moving to a different school district. After a disastrous first year - lonely and disappointing - at my previous school, I was presented with a chance to start again. I was terrified. The task of fitting into yet another new school was impossible, and yet that small voice in the back of my head seemed to think the opposite. Hopes of new friends, new possibilities, new opportunities, were spread, tantalizing, before me. So despite my fears, I kept getting on that school bus every morning. I forced myself forward. I found activities I loved, and friends I could imagine growing up with through the next six years. Slowly, my hopes became reality. For the first time in years, I recognized my classmates as I boarded the
I was not stepping onto a Disney ride, surrounded by encouraging friends. I was stepping onto a school bus. The tired faces of strangers greeted me. Once again, I was beginning a year at a new school. The last year I had been a new student as well, switching from a local Christian school to the public school system. Just as I had finally found a few friends as the year ended at my school, I learned that I would be new once again; my family was moving to a different school district. After a disastrous first year - lonely and disappointing - at my previous school, I was presented with a chance to start again. I was terrified. The task of fitting into yet another new school was impossible, and yet that small voice in the back of my head seemed to think the opposite. Hopes of new friends, new possibilities, new opportunities, were spread, tantalizing, before me. So despite my fears, I kept getting on that school bus every morning. I forced myself forward. I found activities I loved, and friends I could imagine growing up with through the next six years. Slowly, my hopes became reality. For the first time in years, I recognized my classmates as I boarded the