It was my first day as a senior and I was already running late. Cars piled up for what seemed like miles down Leigh Avenue as I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, anxious to get going again. When I finally reached the stop sign, I turned on my blinker and all but raced through the winding road. The trees looked like green blurs against the harsh morning sun. Soon, trees gave way to a parking lot crawling with other students searching for a place to park; luckily, I already paid for my spot last year. Scanning the area for spot #26, a white pathfinder was already poorly parked in my spot! Growling a few insults to the owner of the Nissan under my breath, I hauled my own wine colored jeep into the open parking spot beside them. After shutting off the ignition and grabbing my backpack, I booked it to 

the courtyard and through the back doors as the bell rang. Swerving around and between crowds of students, I dodged through a cafeteria archway and scanned the sheets of paper searching for my name. Taylor Bradley… Taylor Bradley… Found it! I yanked the blue schedule from the stack and rushed to my first class. This was going to be one stressful day.

The entire first week flew by in a flash. One thing I knew for sure was I had a mountain of homework. Most nights during the first week I stayed up until one in the morning to finish an assignment I forgot about until I went to bed. Textbooks piled up on my desk as I tried to wrap my head around some new science formula or math equation. However, next week was rivalry week, meaning the first football game of the season, and hopefully a win for SHS.

The next Friday, school was buzzing with talk about The Battle of Rogers Avenue. Cheerleaders, football players, and Southern Belles all wore their uniforms throughout the day.

Students who weren’t dressed in uniforms dressed in their class colors. The pep rally was full of energy, class chants lasted almost throughout the entire hour and by the end my voice was dead. 

The student section at the game was just as spirited, dressing in camo with their best bear hunt gear. My family and I sat near the Belles as the stands quickly filled up. Only a few plays in, Southside scored the first touchdown of the game. The crowd went wild in the home stands. The band was barely heard over the cheering of the student section, Belles, cheerleaders, and everyone else in the completely packed bleachers. Maybe Southside would finally turn their football losing streak around.

…They didn’t…