Give Thanks!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!

I hope you are all somewhat rested and relaxing this week.  We have our November Writers all ready for you.  Please read the submissions.  We have seven this month.  Leave comments on three, your choice.  Remember to write thoughtful feedback.  Consider why you are responding to the post.  What do you like about the piece?  How do you relate or connect?

November comments are due December 3.

See you all Monday,


Mrs. Solano



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A Semi-Short Story--Brandon

            I put my hands behind my head, as no ideas came to me. In my cozy little corner of the world I called my room, I was troubled. I had been tasked with something herculean, something of a greater magnitude than even the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, I had been faced with the task of writing a story, and I had flinched in the face of such an adversary. 

I was fresh out of ideas, not that I had writer’s block, far from it in-fact, but I merely had no truly greatideas with which to write. As such, this meant that I was over due for some good down-time, some alone time in which I could plot my conquest of the world- and maybe pay some peace-of-mind to the writing of the dreaded story.

So, I went on a hike to pass the time. It was supposedto be a standard hike, nothing extreme, nothing exhilarating, nothing exonerating, so why, pray tell…

                                                                                                …was I stuck on an alien ship!?

All I wanted was to go for a hike… was it that some higher power hated me? Was it because I had chosen the path less traveled? Did I trip a death flag somewhere along the way by chance? I certainly didn’t invite Murphy and his laws to the party. At any rate- here I am, onboard a flying saucer of some descript, exhausted in every scene of the word after a battery of rather invasivetests, thathad been held on the behest of a bunch of little Greys. Oh, it’s not all bad, see, I’ve got company here after all. They’re an odd bunch, to be certain, and quite noisy. The bestway I can describe them is… ‘aristocrat-monks’. We all know of those old paintings, and in Shakespeare’s plays, of the kind old monks in their brown robes, and odd haircuts, but these guys, these guys aren’t the kind of monk you’d see Robin-hood with. Their cloaks were of a wine-red, their wide-brimmed hats of a similar shade, and the gold on these guys, it’s enough to make any Royal green with envy…                                                                                                                                                                                                           … and they were all shouting at me!

I don’t know, nor do I particularly care about, how long my sleep lasted, but tired as I am, I cared about being woken up by the shrieking of a strange alien langu- no, that’s Spanish. The cells have been steadily filling up over a painfully long time with random people; some in togas, others in armor of some knightly kind, and more in… indescribabledress of some kind or another. Its been alright so far, the robed men with me seem to have excepted me- or at least tolerate me. The screaming is from my new Inquisitorialfriends, as I’ve figured out what they are. With the rapid-fire Spanish which basically amounted to (in their broken English) “The Bug-Eyed Witches are controlling the Metal Demon’s flames!”.The cause of their screaming, though, is new. The lights, a clinical white, are now flickering and dimming. After an intermittent time of flickering, they give out entirely, being replaced with an eerie silence, before a mighty crash echoed through the halls, the still energized fields zapping all who were thrown into them, and surely frying some of the knights in full metal armor. The tortured screech of metal and roars of jets outside was deafening, before another lull in the noise and violence was had…

                                                … it appeared that Scotty had beamed down the whole ship.

We were free from our otherworldly captors due to one of the ship’s many new holes, but not out of the woods yet, literally. We had trapesed through the woodlands for hours in the night, just me and five of my least favorite friends. Earlier we had happened upon a paved road, and had followed it to civilization, though civilization here being a gas-station, and the attached liquor store. Things had gone less than stellar from then. We walked into a tense atmosphere, a masked man with a large knife was holding up the register.  Shouting had happened in plenty, punches were thrown, and prayers had been invoked, but in the end, with few injuries, and only several declared heretics, we had been victorious, after all…

                                                            … nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

We had been at the store for little more than ten minutes, and the former-robber was carried off into the back of the shop by the Inquisition to be… Inquisitizedfor his offenses, for lack of a better term. In his desperate attempt to get people- all of whom were just as terrified as him- to help him, he had thrown his car keys. They had hit me square in the chest. I am now driving away in my new jeep. In the rear-view mirrors, I can see the lights of a dozen cop cars or more tearing down the tarmac to the store I just left. Glad I’m not any of them, cop, or fanatic. I had vowed to myself, as I drove down that desolate road in what I’m certain is Iowa, that I would never speak of this incident ever again. But then, a crazy thought hit me, what would I do for the story, what would I write about? 

… well, vows are made to be broken, right?

Untitled--Jessica

My brother Cody and I have often been mistaken as twins: we looked fairly similar, we were both know-it-alls, and we were attached at the hip for most of my youth even though he's four years older. He was, for a good chunk of my life, my hero, everything I aspired to be. He excelled in school and had many friends. When I was a sophomore, he was in his second year of college; his failing grades and attitude changes often led to heated exchanges between him and my parents. They seemed to fight more often than not. I was unconcerned; I ignored the fights my brother picked with my parents. Why should I pay attention to his problems? I wish I paid attention.
The penultimate fight between him and my parents occurred on the same night as the academic decathlon awards banquet. I walked home from school as usual, and found that our front door was already open. When I got inside the house, I found that our usually neat cabinet of keys was scattered across the floor. I thought someone had broken in. Pure panic seized me, I called my other brother Zack, no answer. I called my mom, once again no answer. I started getting ready for my banquet, awaiting any kind of information. Then, I heard the door slam and Cody had stormed in. He packed his clothes into his car and took off while ignoring all my questions. Eventually my dad called me. Cody and my mom got into such a heated argument that it triggered some kind of health issue with my mom. Zack rushed her to the hospital and my dad was already on his way there. He told me to just go to my banquet and keep my mind busy. My banquet didn’t matter to me anymore, but I obeyed my dad and put on my dress that my mom picked out, and went on my way.
While waiting for the bus to pick up our Academic Decathlon team, I sat outside the classroom and cried. That was the first time in a while that I felt like a little kid. Except this time there wasn’t Cody wiping my tears or bringing me ice cream, I had no idea where he drove off to. I had no idea if he planned on coming back. I sat through the banquet with my friends like I usually do, laughing and enjoying the great food. But my mom and my brother were still on my mind, worrying me. The anxiety about my family coupled with my anxiety awaiting Etiwanda’s results turned me into a ball of nerves. I was switching between feeling like puking or bursting into tears. The room quieted as results were announced team by team. By the time we got to seventh place, I thought Etiwanda didn’t place at all. Until they called, “Etiwanda High School Red!” We got fifth place. ​We got fifth place. ​Last year we thought cracking top ten was a huge deal. But fifth place felt life changing. I cheered and cried along with everyone else. But I felt guilty. Should I really be celebrating when my mom was unwell and my brother was even worse?
I came home with a smile on my face, clutching my trophy tight to my chest. That would be the only smile I’d have for the next few weeks. A few days after the banquet, we found out from a friend of my brother’s that he had been sleeping in his car parked on his friend’s driveway. My parents changed the locks on all our doors. I thought this was the end of my nuclear family. Cody refused to respond to any of my texts and I eventually gave up on contacting him. The next time I saw him, he came back to the house to grab the last of his things, bought a ticket for Florida, and stayed with my grandparents for the next few months. I asked if I could say bye to him at the airport, he said “No” and left without another word. How did my life change so rapidly? It felt like one second I was just looking forward to a silly banquet and the next I was watching my family fall apart. I wondered for so long what we did wrong. Why did Cody hate us so much? Why was he so angry with our parents? Who was this stranger that I did not know or understand?

Apparently, it had less to do with us and more to do with him. I wish I paid attention to him more. I wish I took the time out of my day to listen to his problems, and maybe things would’ve been different. But now, two years later, he’s back and living with us again. He’s now an EMT and seems much happier. My parents don’t ever fight with him and I no longer feel like he’s a stranger. But not everything is back to normal. He’s no longer my best friend, and certainly not my hero. But he is still my brother; and I’m very thankful that my family is healing the rift that formed in those tumultuous months of my sophomore year. It was a difficult situation to navigate, but learning how to empathize with my brother’s struggles and cope with my own made those difficult times almost worth it.

Fifth Place, a Hospital, and the end of my world.

November of 2012--Nathalie

It was november of 2012, its been 5 months since Mohamed Morsi got elected as the president of Egypt, and half of the population is in a frenzy, well the christian half. Islam has terrorized Christianity in Egypt for a long time, when (Arabs) invaded they enforced high taxes and if you couldn't pay them then (Christians) would either convert to islam or get killed. Christians in Egypt today were really rich because the majority of the public is Muslim. When i introduce myself to people i meet, they always hit me with ‘El salemo alykom” which means Good day to all, but only said in Muslim culture, its an easy mistake to make but i also feel uncomfortable at the ignorance they convey to me when i tell them that i am Coptic Orthodox.
A little background of my life, I lived in Egypt for 11 years and the last 6 months of those 11 years, my life was in flames, my aunt and uncle moved to canada while my other aunt and uncle came to California, America. At 10 years old, my sister and I were given three choices, America, Canada, or stay in Egypt. Later on, I realized that we didn't have a choice it was just my parents way of introducing the idea to us. We got rejected from Canada as we didn't meet their criteria for immigration and staying in Egypt after Morsi was elected as president wasn't an option. Most people do not know or comprehend why it is such a bad thing for him to be elected. He is part of a radical islamic brotherhood that has terrorized Egypt since the 10th century and still does today. They (Islamic Brotherhood) are also related to the same group that transpired the events of 9/11. And Morsi coming into power was the beginning of a new level of bad.
Being Coptic Orthodox and a part of history that was prone to getting repeated we had to flea and seek refuge in the small city of Chino, California. At the age of 10 we don't realize what it meant to be different until the first day of school, when we showed up and everyone was in their pajamas, because they were having a PJs day. My sister and I had to learn English while also maintain fluency in Arabic and French. it was hard especially when we were getting judged by our race. When it was discrimination of religion back in Egypt, it was of race in Newman Elementary School.
Making friends was a hard task, but i feel safe to say that coming to America at a young age allowed me to be able to learn how to make friends easily through trial and error. Having to go through all these hardships I was allowed to experience new and exciting things that were able to balance out the bad. Through these experiences I was allowed to become my potential and present self that wouldn't have blossomed if I was still in Egypt. Every year I learn something new about myself, it's always interesting to see how different I am from what I was the year before. I am also exploring parts of my memories I didn't not think was possible or accessible. In junior year, I found out that I wasn't comfortable with gunshots, cacophonous noises or orange tinted lights. America has allowed me to think for myself and enabled me to answer questions based on my experiences and knowledge rather than from a textbook page. Self exploration was the result of my move to America at a young age, I cannot imagine how hard it was for older people to come after they were brought up in a different culture and have to accomodate to a new one and throw the majority of their beliefs out the window to be considered in the normal age group.
Every year I try t expose myself to unknown things that would further my knowledge and experiences so that i can help others go through the same struggles smoother and have a better life than what was offered in 2012. The good news about Egypt is that Morsi got

impeached in 2013, and now we have a military leader whose improving the quality of life for the working middle class.
One day i aspire to be an influential leader that is able to go back and help her home country improve and get educated on topics like equal rights and women rights, a healthy government and make the country a better place and make an impact on the next generations and bring back the intellect that Egypt had as the smartest and most intelligent and educated people in the whole world. A teacher once told me, ‘be educated so you can offer the best for your country, because if you don't then that means you're willing to let idiots run the country’ I am done letting idiots lead my country, it's time for me to take the lead.

How To: Make ​​BOO​​-BA--Amanda

How To: Make BOO -BA
Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought it’d be fit to do something related to the theme. For those that don’t know, my name is Amanda Boo, and my family had the greatest idea to create a “BOO-BA Bar.” This is a play on words: my last name and a boba drink. So keep reading to see the proccesthis is the process of us making this happen.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• -  Pot filled with 10 cups of water, crockpot
  
• -  Tapioca pearls that you can find at any asian market
  
• -  Some sort of tea (any flavor you desire)
  
• -  Cups, boba straws, napkins, ladle
  
• -  Sugar, brown sugar, vanilla syrup hazelnut syrup, white sugar, and honey
  STEP 1: BOIL, ADD, WAIT
  When your 10 cups of water come to a boil, add your tapioca pearls in increments to ensure that the temperature of the water doesn’t change too quickly.
  *side note these pearls reminded us of little brains or eyeballs and it fit the theme we were going with perfectly 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  *DISCLAIMER: I thought that my blog post was due in October so I have it Halloween themed
  

  STEP 2: MORE WAITING...
  Once all the tapioca pearls are added, place the lid on for about 20 minutes or until the water comes to a boil, after, turn the heat down to medium and simmer for another 15 minutes to soften the pearls 
  
  

  

  
  
  

  STEP 3: THAT’S THE TEA :)
  You will need to brew, steep, or strain your favorite type of tea, mine happened to be thai tea that I got at the asian market; a type of black tea. I put my tea into a coffee maker, because my coffee maker holds a lot of grounds, or in my case, tea. 
  
   
  

  Step 4: DRAIN THE BRAINS
  When your boba pearls are finished (you can check by either tasting it to see if the “chewiness” is up to your liking, or grabbing one a squishing it to see the elasticity of the pearl. If you can’t squeeze it you need to cook longer) you need to drain the pearls and then immediately rinse them in cold water for about 2 minutes, you can run your fingers through them and make sure that the residue is off of them,
  *I used clear boba instead of the traditional black boba, so it will look different but it’s exactly the same as the original 
  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Step 5: SUGA SUGA
  In this step, you will need a mall saucepan, filled with half a cup of water, A TON OF HONEY, 1/ 2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/ 2 cup of white sugar. This is the sweetener that the earls will be soaked in, and it's the signature flavor of honey boba. This mixture should be in between the flow of water and honey, not to thin not too think. After the sugar is evenly dissolved all the boba and continue to keep over heat.
  *my trick is to put the boba and the syrup in a crockpot because it keeps the boba warm without keeping the store fuel on all night
  

  
  
  

  STEP 6: PUT IT ALLLL TOGETHER
  This is where you rown creativeness comes into play. What we did was set up a table outside, and wrote a sign that says BOO-BA Bar, along with that we put the out the tea along with some ice, so they can have it either hot or cold. Further we put out some boba straws which are just straws wider in diameter so the pearl can’t fit through
  

  *DISCLAIMER: I thought that my blog post was due in October so I have it Halloween themed
  it. Also, we put out some flavored syrups that sweeten the tea if you’re not a strong brew type of person. Lastly you need some type of milk, whether it’s milk, almond milk, condensed milk, or evaporated milk you need something to create your Thai tea boba milk tea.
  

  *DISCLAIMER: I thought that my blog post was due in October so I have it Halloween themed  
  

  

  

   
  

UnExPeCtEd--Curtis

It was a dark cold Michigan summer afternoon, there were three best friends who had grown up with each other. Their bond was unbreakable, they went to school, church, and played little league sports together. The oldest boy was Xavier, he was who the other two boys; Rodney and Jacob looked up to. However, Xavier was not the kid that your mom or dad liked you hanging around because he was always getting into some type of trouble. Rodney and Jacob were around the same age of 14, while Xavier was turning 16 later that summer. All three of the boys had just returned from football practice and had planned to all go straight home and ask their moms if it was okay for them to spend the night at Xavier’s house. Rodney’s mom had no problem with him staying the night at Xavier’s house. It was Jacob’s mom who was skeptical about letting him spend the night. Her words were “Jacob, you already know how I feel about that boy...But I’m going to let you go anyways, YOU BETTER BE ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR! You know right from wrong!” Jacob wasn’t really paying attention to what his mom had to say, he was just ecstatic that he was able to spend the night at Xavier’s house with Rodney. Once the boys got the okay from their mothers, Rodney’s mom went to go pick up Jacob to head over to Xavier’s house. Then, the boys were all together it was about 7:00 pm and the boys were starting to get hungry but Xavier’s mom had went to go run errands. Xavier had an older brother that was 18 with a full grown beard and shoulders that looked as if he had football shoulder pads on. The boys told Xavier to go ask his brother if he could take them to go get some food. Xavier’s brother didn’t really want to take the boys to go get food because he had something to do himself but he was heading out anyways to go take care of some “business”. The boys really didn’t know what that meant but they were just glad that they would be getting some food. They ended up having to wait an additional 15 minutes just for Xavier’s brother to get ready to go. Once the boys made it to the car, Jacob leaned forward and asked Xavier’s brother, “Why are you bringing gloves, it is not that cold out?” Xavier’s brother responded “Don’t worry about it youngin, sit back jack.” Rodney had told Jacob before that Xavier’s brother was in a gang, but Jacob did not believe him until now. Xavier’s brother tells the boys that “I gotta go pick up William before I get yall some food.” All three of the boys are sitting in the backseat together, while Xavier’s brother is going pick up William so they could go take care of their “business”. William gets in the front seat, he is very tall and Jacob noticed that he had also brought gloves with him but that wasn’t the only thing William brought. Jacob was able to tell that William had 2 pistols in his pants. Jacob tried to tell Rodney what he had saw but he was so nervous, his heart skipped a beat and he became paranoid but didn’t want to make it seem like he was scared. William made a phone call to some other guys named CJ and David who supposedly were going to be meeting them at “the spot”. The boys are still hungry and just wanted some food and to go back home to play some video games, instead they are stuck with Xavier’s brother and William. When they arrived to

“the spot”, CJ and David were already there parked across the street from this mansion. The boys did not know what was going on or what was about to happen, all they knew was that Xavier’s brother told them “Stay put, we won’t be long... keep the car running.” while he was putting on his gloves. In the meantime, which felt like forever since the boys were hungry, they were just sitting in the back of the car playing rock, paper, scissors trying to wait for Xavier’s brother and William to get back. When all of a sudden a loud BANG went off 2 times and the boys panicked and were frozen. William, CJ, and David came running out of the mansion but Xavier’s brother was nowhere to be found. William got in the driver seat and sped off, Xavier is screaming at William asking him “WHERE IS MY BROTHER? WHERE IS MY BROTHER?...WHAT HAPPENED?” Rodney and Jacob are just sitting there confused and terrified about what had just happened. As William is driving away from the mansion, sirens and flashing lights are flying by going towards the mansion. Xavier is still desperately crying out for answers while Rodney and Jacob remain shook.

Thanksgiving--Zoe

Thanksgiving is a time for family, reflection and appreciation, and how much I looked
forward to my aunt Lauren’s macaroni salad. I woke up to hearing music, knowing that I’m going to have to be cleaning the house most of the day. I get out of bed and slip on my cow slipper and head downstairs. Sure enough, my mom has a list of chores for me to start doing. Around 12 o’clock, I finished all my chores for my mom to tell me that Thanksgiving is at Uncle Taylor’s house. I just hoped for a small get together with my grandma but this is nice to. Just as long as my favorite cousin is there. I put on the same Thanksgiving outfit I put on every year, and sat downstairs waiting for my family to get ready. About, what seemed like 5 hours to me, we finally left and headed towards Hemet. My dad parks the car in his brother’s driveway and I make my way in, with the store bought apple pie in my hand. I was mentally preparing to be welcomed by relatives and my devilish little cousins. As soon as I walked in, I hear at least 6 kids shout “Kelsey!”, which caused all heads to turn towards my family. I see my family members spread out on the couch, all watching football. I smell the ham cooking in the kitchen. My little cousin, Hailey, comes up to me and gives me a bear hug. I’m looking up and down the hallways looking for Lianna, praying she is here. I gesture Hailey away and put the pie down in the kitchen and see my Aunt Bella. She pulls me into a hug and gives me a kiss on my cheek. I awkwardly hug back and ask if Lia’s family has arrived. I walk into the playroom and see Lia sitting on the bed. I walked over and we watched The Office on television, waiting for dinner to be served. About an hour later, dinner was ready and we all gathered into the dining room. Food was spread out throughout the whole house, since there is so much of it. We all grabbed a plate of food and all sat in various places in the house. I sat at the dining room table, next to my grandpa Sam. Everyone chatted while they ate and you can hear sprinkles of laughter throughout the night. We all finished our meals and started digging into the millions of pies that we had. The rest of the night was light. I got to catch up with my uncle and got to laugh at old memories I had with other family members. Then, my grandpa got up to leave and that’s when we know that the night is over. My family and I kissed and hugged everyone goodbye and made our way home. I put my earbuds on in the car and started smiling looking back at how enjoyable my day was. I look forward to this day of the year because it makes me grateful to have such a wonderful family and how we are all able to come together and make memories.

Relationships--Ravi

What does it mean to be in a relationship? Commitment, love, attention, and faithfulness
are all important in a relationship. We all go on Twitter and see people tweeting “men are trash” and other various things. But when you look at how many of those people there are, it’s actually quite tragic. A random person could just find someone who just tweeted about how their significant other cheated on them and take it for granted. That is unacceptable. Relationships are what drive us as humans to better ourselves for the sake of love and affection. Spending the whole day with your lover, cuddling with them, sharing both positive and negative emotions, and being proud of the relationship you two have. Why is it so hard to do those things with our lovers? Embarrassment perhaps? Too much energy consumption on your part? If you can’t even do those things, stop getting into a relationship. I once saw an amazing tweet that went along the lines of “If there isn’t trust in a relationship, then there is toxicity”. However, not everyone can easily trust when they get into a relationship. Such trust was could have been lost in a previous relationship. It is because of the lack of energy and commitment to a relationship that people end up getting hurt and start to lose faith. Who are we to blame them if we can’t even fathom the pain they suffered? I define a relationship as a bond forged on trust because of the shared emotions and commitment to one another. When all that starts to fade, trust starts to fade as well causing the relationship to be toxic. I knew of a person who was controlling in their relationship and ended it because she fell for another

guy. The boy who was dumped started to notice that the girl started hanging out more with the guy she fell for than the person she was together with. The boy later asked her if she wanted to

end it, and she did. To make yourself in charge and control your lover is not what defines a relationship. Both lovers must be willing to show their sensitive side because it is that very thing that brings us closer. Another thing, being in love and desperate for love are two different things. I knew a girl who broke up with her boyfriend because he was cheating on him with another girl. However, the girl started to become desperate for love and found herself wanting her ex. This is a tragic example of what cheating does to someone. Their hearts are broken, and they need someone to fix it. That is why I believe a relationship should always be taken seriously and not for granted. If you believe something is wrong in your own relationship, don’t be afraid to speak up. Talk to your lover and sort out your feelings. If it’s deeper than that, TELL SOMEONE YOU TRUST. Do not allow yourself to be in a toxic relationship because the effects are nearly irremediable. Strive for love, not lust my friends.

October Writers!!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!


The October Writers are here.  This month we have nine original pieces for you to read for your enjoyment.  You have until Friday, November 9 to leave feedback and comment on three pieces of your choice.

I hope you are enjoying our blog and the creative writing of our talented students.

We have a very busy next few weeks.  Stay focused and organized.

Trick or Treat and Happy Fall, Happy Halloween and Happy Everything,

Mrs. Solano

Deaf--Kylie

She had lost track of how many days it had been since she'd last seen one. Sometimes she wondered why she drew them in, why she killed, but the thought typically did not reside long in her head. It was in her nature, so she did not often question it too long. Besides, the only time she ever really thought about it was when there wasn't any around, for unlike other times, a new group quickly emerged from the billows of sea.
She perched high on her rock, starting her song. Each of them were affected to different degrees; they drew away from the berth and towards the bow, itching to get closer. Some jumped over the edge, making themselves easier targets. She normally choose those to end personally, the ones so seduced by her song that they swam towards her. The rest went down with the ship, as they should. She'd never experienced any form of pity. She never really sought them, except the ones she drew close. They had their own corruptions to blame.
All of them were drowning in her song, making her feel like the sea goddess she thought herself to be. This moment was her favorite, the feeling of utter importance and power. The feeling that she controlled everything, controlled everyone. Absolute power over everything she could see.
It was then that something particular caught her eye. All of them had drawn towards her from all parts, except one. One lone man frantically attempted to grab the attention of his friends

as the boat sunk. For a moment she stopped her song, aghast at this unknown occurrence. Then, quickly realizing he must have not heard her, projected her voice. He still, however, stood oblivious to the source of disarray of his fellow shipmates. He looked around, panicked, as the boat turned about uneasily. Without men manning their stations, the boat had started to turn with the shifts of waves. Recognizing that it was going to go down soon, he hastily tried to wake his shipmates from their dreamlike trance. Curiously, she noticed that he never once opened his mouth to call out to them, instead he shook them vigorously.
This, of course, was a new feeling for her. Never had she felt very curious about anything. Every one of them she’d come across had all been the same, all acted the same, all succumbed to their desires. Her curiosity quickly turned to frustration, how was it that this man could avoid her song? It had to be impossible, for it had never been done before, but then, it couldn’t be because he was doing it. If this ship was to go down, she wanted to have control of everyone o n it. She stopped singing, slipping into the depth of the murky water below.
For days, she followed, watching the ship to understand the man. She never once saw the man interact with anyone, never once converse with anyone. Though she watched for days, she still could not understand how he was immune to her song. He mopped decks and hoisted sails, for several hours she did not see him as he worked below decks. This became her obsession, though she did not consciously realize it. She abandoned everything that had been her before, obsessing to understand this complexity. She lost interest in simply singing, taking down ships, the thing that was all that she was.
The days turned to weeks, the weeks to months. She followed the ship relentlessly, the need to understand so great. She no longer wanted to draw any man in but him, but she knew she

couldn’t. He never talked to those around him, unknowing to the noises around him. Once, a man fell overboard, the entire ship burst out in yelling as the rest of the men unsuccessfully attempted to save him from the swallowing tide. She watched the immune man, who took several counts to even notice anything had gone wrong. He did not react until he noticed the people around him in a panic.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ship came to dock. At first she kept her distance, knowing the danger of coming too close, but as time passed she found herself drawing closer. When the sun finally started to come down, the men filed back onto the ship. She watched each man walk on, looking for his face. Finally, the gangplank was pulled back up and she started to go into a panic because he had not come back onto the ship. Hoping she had made a mistake, she followed the vessel, carefully watching the post he normally attended. It did not take her long to see that she had not been wrong, that he never came back.
Once again, she experienced a new feeling, a deep pain in her chest. She couldn’t identify it, for she never felt it before. The pain tore heavily in her chest at this realization. What was she to do? Soon after this, she felt something familiar... annoyance. Months she had spent chasing this man, trying to learn how to make him fall to her song. She would never make the mistake again of losing what she was, letting herself fall out of her nature. She looked up at the ship, starting to sing her song.
This time, as the men jumped over into the sea, she smiled. She watched as the entire ship went down, collapsing into the sea. She’d thought before she felt like a goddess, but that feeling was nothing compared to how she felt now.

Untitled--Madison

The first time she saw him, she was almost repulsed by his strangeness. She never would have thought that a year and a half later she’d be crazy about him. Throughout the beginning of the early phases of Gabby and Marcus’ friendship, she stayed away and would refuse to even call him a friend. She’d immediately clarify: “He is nothing but an acquaintance!” There was never the bridge between acquaintance and boyfriend and from boyfriend to love of her life... or so she thought. Things with Marcus went so quickly that there was no time for her to process what had really happened. After she became interested, he met her parents and then they went steady for a long time until those final 5 months.
Even though the break up was months ago, Gabby couldn’t help but ponder as to if the decision was right. He’d tell her how much she meant to him and she’d exchange those same feelings. There came a day where it appeared that Gabby’s love was stronger than his. Love is blind and she was oblivious to this. Gabby allowed things that should not have been allowed in fear of Marcus leaving due to the stigma of the “psycho and over controlling” girlfriend that she had seen so many of her peers portrayed as. She kept quiet and obedient in hopes that they’d last forever. She often replays the good memories but also is haunted by the bad that was glazed over for so long.
That kiss:
The first kiss with someone is always special, but more so when it’s the first kiss a person experiences in their lifetime. When it first happened something awakened inside of Gabby. She had no idea why she had said it so quickly, but immediately after she had told Marcus that she loved him. Immediately following the kiss they stood in the middle of where ever they were not caring and just embracing each other. Neither one of them wanted that moment to end. Marcus

told Gabby that this was something that he was going to tell his kids someday. Gabby being so “in love” let these words linger and then began thinking about a distant future with Marcus. The kiss led to many more and a total of 2 years of only kissing each other until one of them decided that they weren’t enough anymore.
Those fights:
Some of the young couple’s biggest downfalls was one: they were young and they both had underdeveloped frontal lobes, and two: there were contradictory conversations that arose after the fact they thought they were too far into the relationship to let these topics come between them. Rather than address the situation at her discretion, Gabby would agree with Marcus in order to ward off a fight each time. He meant to much to her to disagree and chance losing him. Only if that same girl saw what the outside looking in saw.
Those Moments of Friendship:
There would be times where nothing felt romantic. It felt as if for the first time Gabby had a real friend. A permanent friend that wouldn’t get lost in a move or stab her in the back. There was one time she was bribed into watching his favorite movie, as to which she was bored out of her mind. Usually she is restless through movies, but for the sole purpose she was with him, she was still, and content, and happy. Marcus had a strange effect on the typically high strung Gabby. There were also times were nothing was even being done. They just sat there together and the conversation between the two of them filled both the space and the silence of the open field they’d escape to, or the quiet campus after hours. The conversation could even be surrounded by hundreds of others and it would feel as if it was only theirs that existed.
The Physicality:

Them physically was the unhealthiest aspect of the entire relationship mentally and emotionally to Gabby. Marcus was manipulative and Gabby gave to much most of the time but only when Marcus wanted that to happen. It was never Gabby’s decision as to when, how, and exactly how far things went. Then there was the instance where Gabby found him hurting her on purpose and trying to play it off as if it was supposed to be delightful for her. This by far was the most extreme thing that Gabby remained silent about and continued to overlook in fear of losing Marcus. How could someone she loved so much do such a terrible thing to her? This was a question that she asked herself often.
Although these are not all the aspects of the relationship, these are the most frequently replayed in Gabby’s mind. One of the most devastating truths of this clearly toxic in some ways but went unnoticed until one day something clicked. One day Gabby came to what many would describe as a revelation. She realized she was being treated so terribly and needed to get out in order to preserve her sanity, self respect, and future. Marcus took so much of her and altered her as a person so much that she was no longer the person she had wanted to be. How did she let this go on for so long? She can’t decide to be angry with herself or him. She can’t even decide as to if she should feel guilty for being heartbroken because that would be disrespectful to herself. A thought that often reached the darkest part of Gabby’s brain was that he is the person she desires to be there for her and who she can be fully vulnerable with. This is not achievable due to them not making themselves available to each other by no longer associating themselves as a couple and also it would almost be as if she were asking him to hurt her again. The main objective Gabby learned of heartbreak is that one must be careful while distributing vulnerability. A life

lesson Gabby obtained is that she needs to be her unapologetically and use the voice that she has been gifted with so that people have less power to hurt her from now on.

Night Time Nightmare--Deztiny

Today is October 19, 2018, my name is Nina Cole, it’s my 17th birthday, and I am having a huge Halloween party. My mom and dad are out of town and I am asking the whole
senior class to come. I have sent out all the invites, and all I have left to do is decorate my house and get my costume. I asked my friend Macy to come over to help me out a little before it starts. As I watch the clock “tick,tick,tock”, the school bell rings. We rush back to my house to get the decorating done, it took us so long, but the final outcome was pretty amazing. When we were done I sat back and just smiled and said “ Thanks Macy, it looks so good!”, she smiled back at me and said “It’s gonna look even better with your COSTUME and PEOPLE.” she laughs. “I know right! lets go!” So we jump in the car and drove to the store with the music blasting and our hands out the window, as we were driving we heard a couple yelling at each other. Macy looks at me and knows what i’m thinking, so she says “Keep driving Nina, we don’t need to get involved!” But I had to make sure everything was alright, “Macy, if something happens i'll never forgive myself for not helping” I said. As I drove closer to the couple I hear, “I’m Sorry Luke! It was NOTHING!, HE WAS NOTHING, DON’T MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF NOTHING!”she yelled, “ NOTHING?! YOU HAVE A MAN IN MY HOUSE AND YOU SAY IT WAS NOTHING?!” He screams. I sat in terror as I watched the man beat her to death. The man looked at me right in the eyes with a look I couldn’t explain, I tried to start the car, but when I moved he began to charge towards us. He was yelling “NOTHING, IT WAS NOTHING.” I couldn’t get myself to push on the gas, but Macy was screaming “ NINA!GO NOW!” Macy took over the gas pedal and the wheel, it wasn’t long before we crashed into the light pole down the street, I helped Macy out of her seatbelt and pushed her out of the car, she wasn’t moving, I checked for her pulse and screamed for help, but he was getting closer and I was panicked. I had to make a run for it, I had 5 blocks to run if I wanted to make it home.I was determined to not stop or look back until i made it. So I did, I got back to my home where the party had already started. I ran in screaming for help, but it was as if nobody could hear me. I was screaming in the middle of the dancing circle, and still no reaction from anybody. I ran up to my room to call 9-1-1 but my phone was gone. I ran back downstairs and tried to find somebody that could help me, I was trying to shut the party down by , turning off the lights, banging pans together and closing doors, nothing was working. I didn’t understand what was going on. I was thinking maybe the music is too loud, maybe everybody thinks I’m joking. But I couldn’t stay here any longer I was worried about Macy, I had to go see if there were any cops around her and the car. I ran there very cautiously, not knowing if the man saw me run to my house. I knew that if he caught me alone I would surely be dead. I made it back to the scene, where the cops had found Macy and the women who was beat to death. I tried to tell the cops that I know who did it but they walked right through me, literally through me, like I was a spirit. I looked at my hands and feet and wondered how that happened, I must have been dreaming, but it felt too real. I saw the firefighters picking up Macy off the floor, as I sobbed for my friend I tried to wake myself up,

slapping and pinching myself. But I was still here watching Macy be covered, and be put into the back of the ambulance. The firefighters looked back into the car, I try to tell them “There isn’t anybody else, it was just the two of us, we weren’t drinking if that’s what you're looking for.” As I speak at them they pull out another body, it was another girl my age ,she was wearing my shoes, my pants and my shirt, and I looked at her face as they put her in a bag and I noticed..... “THAT’S ME!” I said quietly. “THAT’S ME! That can’t be me i'm here, WHY AM I STILL HERE?” I look around and yell “WAKE UP! WAKE UP!, YOU NEED TO OPEN YOUR EYES! WAKE UP!” As I stand doubtfully about the situation, I am unsure why I am still here. A bright light then shines in my face, with a voice saying “Nina come on we need to go home.” “I want to go home, I want to go back home to my mom and dad, I want to say i'm sorry for having the party, i'm sorry for not going with them and spending my 17th birthday with them.” I cried “Nina what are you talking about? Were here, what party?” says mom “Mom? Is that you?” I asked confused “Yes Nina, I'm here and so is dad, your ok.” she says. “Mom.. Dad I had such a bad dream, I had a party and my and..... Macy..Macy!! Where is Macy I need to call her!” I said, “I’m right here Nina!” Macy said, “I Love You Macy! Don’t ever get in a car with me, I still don’t have my license.” I laughed “I know that I’m not dumb.” she said sarcastically. “I love you.”

Immigration--Nico

Long before I was born and even before my parents were born, my grandmother Alicia decided to take the chance on immigration for the sake of love and leaving behind her life in Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico. This is the story of my grandmother’s experience coming to the United States, specifically to Southern California.
My grandma came from a very well off family in her home city of Guadalajara. Her father was a dentist who provided for her, her mother and her two siblings like a traditional mexican household at the time. Once she turned 16 years old, she met my grandfather at a gathering through mutual family friends in March of 1957. My grandfather Gilberto was visiting from California when the two fell in love and eventually got married that April. The question then arose: where would they live, in Mexico or California. My grandmother than made the brave decision to pick up her life and move it to Southern California with my grandfather.
The two newlyweds, with little money, gathered some supplies such as bread, meat, peanut butter, and water, packed up my grandfather’s small car, and ,over the course of a week, drove from Guadalajara to the Tijuana border to get into California. Keeping in mind, the couple expected to make a quick trip over the border to Chino, California where they would reside, however, what they did not realize was the week following their wedding and also their trek to the border was the Holy Week which is a prominent holiday in Mexico as citizens in Mexico predominantly follow the Catholic faith. While this does not seem to connect to their experience at the border, the border was in fact closed from Holy Thursday through Easter Monday. Unluckily, they arrived at the border on Thursday and were already very low on the already miniscule amount of supplies they packed.
For the next five days, my grandparents were able to ration their low amount of supplies. On top of that, they were forced to sleep in their car for the entire duration of their halt at the

border. In the meantime, the two decided to find cheap entertainment as they had little to no money left to pass the time. Throughout all this, my grandmother, coming from a stable household in Mexico, wondered what life she would lead coming into the United States.
My grandfather was a first generation United states citizen and my grandmother was able to gain the equivalent of a visa after being married to my grandfather who was a citizen.
As the couple crossed the border and finally arrived to Chino California, everything came as a culture shock to my abuelita. As opposed to homes in Mexico which had long corridors and large rooms, the house they were going to be living in was a one bedroom, one bathroom home. While this was a large change for her, she had even bigger issues to deal with in her new life. On top of the living situation, my grandma had to deal with my grandfather’s eight sisters, which were now her eight sister in laws who did not accept her as their brother’s wife as they wanted him to be with an American citizen. Over time, my grandmother was able to gain their trust and win them over. Another issue she had to overcome was the difference between economic and social standards between California and the United States. My grandmother, much like most citizens in Mexico, grew up with maids and cooks to cater to the families however, in Chino, my grandmother had to clean and cook for my grandfather as he was the “breadwinner” of the family and she was the “stay at home wife”. On top of these challenges, cultural differences were a prominent task to get used to as well when comparing Mexico’s unicultural country to the multicultural country of America and even California alone which was prevalent through her interactions with multiple religions, nationalities, and lifestyles. While these setbacks were challenging, the main issue she had to deal with was the language barrier. Before arriving to the United States, my grandmother spoke little to no english. Through all these struggles and more, my grandmother was committed to embracing the American lifestyle by first learning english. All

these thing were overcome by her while having three children within 22 months of each other within her first few years of her American life.
Fast forward to later in her life, my grandmother and grandfather, who came from a poverty, were able to move to a larger home in Ontario to raise my tios and my dad. Also they were able to put their five children through universities in the United States. My grandmother, who was able to learn english fluently, became a teacher’s aide for an elementary school near their home in Ontario and eventually was able to become an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher to help students who were going through the same hardships she went through when first arriving to California.
I went to school this past Thursday knowing that I wanted to write about my grandmother’s immigration experience, when little did I know she past away that morning, October 18 after battling cancer for many years. Her sacrifices and challenges when arriving to the US and even throughout her life will live on through generations of my family.

Happiness--Haley

Happiness
/ ˈhapēnəs / Noun

1. Happiness is this;
   Not crying after every school day, after every opening of your eyes, or every rising sun. Not breaking with every shattered scream, and not stepping down from your mountain peak. Not feeling emptied or stuffed, not scared of not blending in with ‘them’ or ‘us’, but being your own person for yourself only. Believing, telling the truth, not using their words, words that weren’t made for you. Looking them in the eye and no longer saying “I’m fine”, but telling them that you’re amazing, and you’ve never felt better.
   
2. Happiness is this;
   Not flinching at their sharp glances, cutting thorns in your fingers, not caring or worrying about what others think of you and not tearing yourself apart trying to fit their standards, not changing masks for every person you’re with. Untangling your heart from your lungs, untangling their fingers from your mind, bending and twisting and snapping and unattaching. Not breaking down and shaking after seeing a pair of scissors or a bottle of
   

pills. Not avoiding the situation because you’re scared but taking action and diving in head first, excited for what another day has in store.

3. Happiness is this;
   Laughing but not aching, talking but not gasping, standing still and not tripping or falling or dissolving into the ashes under your feet. Being able to fall asleep even with 50,000 different thoughts in your head, waking up every 2 hours instead of 1. Having control but not being afraid to lose it, speeding through life but still able to slow down and enjoy it, feeling a different emotion every 30 minutes but still feeling joy. Picking up hundreds of different hobbies just to ditch them a week later, spending time with others and spending time alone while still being content.
   
4. Happiness is this;
   Not being lost in oceans of maybe and soon and one day, it is this; Being the fire that burns you, filled by it, prevailing on it
   Being the monster that cannot be killed.