#senioryear

soon it will be september, and the leaves will start to frown and the sky will begin to grey. even in california, the corn fields will bring forth new crops and the vines of pumpkins will twirl around themselves in a sort of orange and green tango. there will be days longer than others. days spent in the library after class and before ballet. days where i find time to go north to see my dearest of friends. evenings in which i do not sleep until first light, and mornings when i am awake before dawn. early fall bus rides in the mist and the gold. loose index cards falling from my backpack. heavy textbooks causing a familiar ache in my neck. warm chai against my palms to keep my teeth from chattering like construction trucks.

The horrors of junior year are behind you, and it’s smooth sailing from here. . . right? But what college are you going to? Do you need to find a summer internship? What will happen to your relationship? Is long-distance a good idea? There are too many questions and what feels like not enough time to plan the rest of your life! We’ve rounded up a few titles that answer that ever-present question: What now?

Absence makes the heart grow fonder... right?

Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie love their nearly inseparable life together. But soon Nick will be leaving for university, and Charlie, a year younger, will be left behind. Everyone's asking if they're staying together, which is a stupid question... or at least that's what Nick and Charlie assume at first.

As the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie start to question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Charlie is sure he's holding Nick back... and Nick can't tell what Charlie's thinking.

Things spiral from there.

Everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever. What will it take for Nick and Charlie to defy the odds?

Start reading Nick and Charlie!

By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she’s already been thinking about college applications for an eternity—after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don’t have to worry about.

What Effie hasn’t told anyone is that she already knows exactly what school she has her heart set on: a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society that will set her up perfectly for her dream job in digital media. She’s never been to New York, but paging through the brochure, she can picture the person she’ll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she's lived her entire life. When she finds out that Wilder (her longtime crush) is applying there too, it seems like one more sign from the universe that it’s the right place for her.

But it turns out that the universe is full of surprises. As Effie navigates her way through a year of admissions visits, senior class traditions, internal and external ableism, and a lot of firsts--and lasts--she starts to learn that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of. And maybe being more than just friends with Wilder is one of those dreams...

Start reading Where You See Yourself!

Less than a year away from graduation, seventeen-year-old Joy is too busy overachieving to be worried about relationships. She’s determined to be Caldwell Prep’s first disabled valedictorian. And she only has one person to beat, her academic rival Nathaniel.

But it’s senior year and everyone seems to be obsessed with pairing up. One of her best friends may be developing feelings for her and the other uses Caldwell’s anonymous love-letter writer to snag the girl of her dreams. Joy starts to wonder if she has missed out on a quintessential high school experience. She is asexual, but that’s no reason she can’t experience first love, right?

She writes to Caldwell Cupid to help her sort out these new feelings and, over time, finds herself falling for the mysterious voice behind the letters. But falling in love might mean risking what she wants most, especially when the letter-writer turns out to be the last person she would ever expect.

Auggie was unaware that his Uncle Dexter had seen him sneaking out and was following him. He was just about to light up a “smoke” when he heard him come up behind him.

“Kid, you okay?” His uncle had just moved in with them and he really didn’t know him that well, as he didn’t come around much before that.

However, Auggie felt at ease with him, and he spilled out all his apprehensions and fears about this being his last year in High School, and what was he going to do once he graduates.

1/6/21 It’s been a really long time since I’ve touched this account, between everything that happened last year and all the stress of my final year of college…but, I decided to come back so I could commemorate two very special occasions from the last month:

📚 Two weeks ago, I found out I scored in the 97th percentile in the national medical school entrance exam.

🩺 Last night, I found out my dream medical school said yes.

I’m happy. 🥳

let’s take you through some of my little exam routine, as i have a mightily important exam tonight. honestly, i’m quite excited to sit it... i’ve put a fat amount of prep, and though i still have zero clue on how i shall do, what will be, will be and i never have to do this exam again.

have a hearty breakfast - i find when i eat right before an exam, i feel all sleepy and my body goes into njehejhejr-digestion-mode-nskjdhasd and that’s not ideal. so, for an evening exam, i have a big breakfast, medium lunch, light snack an hour or two before, and maybe a sneaky tea beforehand.

pack my exam pack - usually i do this the night before but since i have until eight p.m., i threw my uTeNsiLs into a bag this morning and put it next to my house keys and waterbottle; all i have to do later is walk out.

journal - something i do before each exam is rant in my journal. i let out all my nervous energy, and write to myself a reminder: sure, the exam is important, and i’ve put a lot of time into it, but in the grand scheme of my life... it doesn’t really matter! say it with me, kids: academic performance does not determine self worth. 

get moving - i always gotta get my blood flowing (even just a little) before any big brain activity and i love to run, so i’ll go out for a run this afternoon. it gets me out of the house, keeps me refreshed and gives me that runner’s high that helps get me hyped for that infernal exam.

do! not! cram! - each to their own, but cramming an hour before the exam is just not worth it. all it does for me is stress me out more. all i’m doing this afternoon is reading over my final tips, then spending the last few hours doing other things. 

keep brain active leading up to the exam - i have all day to kill, but i don’t want to veg and then feel all sluggish. instead, i’ll keep lightly busy, and stay away from the desk. today, i’m journalling, playing piano and sorting out our herb garden.

dress well - i like to have a nice shower, wear some nice clothes and do my hair nicely for every exam- it’s something small and silly, but it gives me a little power/confidence kick when i walk into the exam. gonna beat the living hell out of this exam letsgoooooo.

breathe - when i’m at the exam room, before i begin, three deep breaths! this is my grandma’s advice to me for every exam i’ve ever had, and i live by it. settle your nerves, and at this point, all you can control is what you do in the next two hours. leave everything else at the door, and try your best. at the end of the day, things aren’t as big and scary as they seem.