Then
School just reopened! You’re excited to see your friends after such a long time. You’re excited to see your new classroom and teachers. It’s been a while since you talked about school. Summer was long and fun but you’re now ready for school. “New year, fresh mind, better start!” You say to yourself over and over again.
As you walk through the gates your heartbeats. No matter how many first-day-of-schools you’ve had, you can never get rid of the nervousness, and no matter how nervous you are you can’t hate it. It’s what makes the first day of school special.
You check your name on the notice board and go to your class. You pick your favorite spot and put your bag down. A small victory. It gives your brain the sense that you’ll get anything you want.
When class starts, you listen to every word of the lecture. You have high expectations for yourself this year. Your handwriting is cleaner and you’re understanding every bit of the lesson.
The bell rings, marking the beginning of the break. You’re so excited to listen to all the stories about your friends’ summer that you don’t think all the time in the world would be enough. You are surrounded by stupid jokes and laughter and it feels so good to be back. This year is going to be perfect!
Now
You heard from a friend of a friend that school might start in a week. You have nothing prepared yet. You go to your closet to check if your old uniform still fits. It doesn’t. You go to check if your bag still exists. It does, but barely. You go to your table to see if you still have a pen. You do, but all are either broken or have dry ink. You go to your bookshelf to see if you still have your books. You have none. They’re all covered in spiderwebs. School hasn’t begun and you’re already at your breaking point.
It’s the first day. You’ve somehow managed to get a bag, books, uniform, and the new addition to your uniform; the mask.
At the gate, you’re greeted by a man with an infrared thermometer. The compound feels quiet. No one is talking. No one is talking, because most of them spent the summer at home and no one wants to have a conversation about how they fought over the TV remote with their brother all summer. You walk past the office and get to the notice board and go to your respective class.
Class starts and you’re already wishing to go back home, crawl back into your bed and watch TikTok until you lose the concept of time.
You make it through class and it’s now time for a snack. Everyone keeps to themselves. The food is finished and the awkward silence has settled. “How was your summer.” You say to break the ice. “Boring.” Your friend replies. No explanation, no follow-up. Just boring. This year is going to be the worst.
Habeshawi 