From what I have seen, the school year of 1996-1997 has pretty much sucked for everybody. Can we go back and just erase this year from our memories? I wish.
My year started out sucking mainly because I was forced to move away from my beloved Panama City and my beloved Rutherford High School. I was forced to live in a hick town and go to school with a couple thousand losers. Fortunately, I found one true friend at Oviedo. Amber Elizabeth Groomes (Amon Matyra). Yeah, she has her own problems too, but we totally understand each other. I walked into Oviedo finding myself staring at a full year of complete and utter torture. Thanks to Amber, I did not suffer quite as much as I thought I would.
After I met her, things lightened up a bit, I got a good paying job at Dairy Queen, where I work with really cool people; I went to Oviedo's Homecoming dance with Kevin; I got to visit Rutherford in October; then again in December; went home to my grandparents for Christmas. But things took a freefall for the worst in second semester. I met a guy, who I thought was, well, ya know, I thought he was "Mr. Right." I was wrong. I went out with him for a week, and apparently he prefered a freshman to me. But that wasn't the worst of it. I went with him to prom, sure, that was my night, I should've been happy right? Wrong. The freshman went with us. She was all over him the entire night. Then he got pissed at me cause I wouldn't tell him what was wrong. He broke up with me the next day, but took the cowardly way to tell me. "I think we should just take things slow for a while." "I can't concentrate during class when I think of you." You know, the usual bullshit. Well, I got a little peeved when he went out with her the next day. Some of my so-called friends at OHS decided I was totally pissed off and spread rumors that I was carrying three switchblades and was out to kill the freshman. Word got around to my ex and the bitch, so they turned me in. Almost got me expelled. Then a "good friend" of mine, seeing as how I was in pieces, mentally, they decided to take advantage of me and took almost all my money. This person still owes me $126 dollars. Well, then I decided to find another guy, you know, to push the pieces of my being back together. Well, I found another total asshole. He wanted to be in control of where I was at every minute of the day. I can't put up with that kind of crap, so when I decided to dump him, he wouldn't leave me alone for two weeks. I did get to go up to Panama City again in Spring Break, but it was a short trip. Then, around graduation, I rode up there again, but didn't go to RHS' graduation. I should have, I don't know if I'll ever see any of my good friends again. I should never have allowed them to move me down here.
There is a good side to this story, and possibly a happy ending. Sometime during this summer I am moving back home to Panama City. I will graduate as a Black and Gold Rutherford Ram. I wish with all my might that I could bring Amber with me, but I can't. Well, this is how my 96-97 year turned out. I still say it should be wiped from the history books.