Untitled--Layna

 

It was Saturday, October 10, 2020 and my friends and I were spamming each other's phones with excitement, in anticipation of the upcoming homecoming scavenger hunt event. We thought “Of course we have to go! It’s our senior year.” After a week of planning, we finalized our plans and were all excited to embark on this scavenger hunt. My friend group is known for talking all through the night. All of our parents get irritated by the amount of time we spend on the phone, but it always brightens up my day to speak with and to see the people I love.

My friends and I FaceTimed, per usual, as we all did our hair and makeup together. My mom helped me quicken up the getting ready process by helping me with my eyelashes. Having her help me made me feel like it was a real homecoming. She helped me put on lashes for the first time, and although it was daunting trying to put glue and a lash so close to my eyes, I was so glad to have her there, to help me every step of the way.

My parents took pictures of me at home before I left to meet my friend at her house. I was very anxious, enough to cause me to have goosebumps, as I waited for the rest of my friends to arrive. Of course we were all very late to meeting up than we had planned, but that did not have a big impact on the day at all.

Even though we love each other, no friend group can prevent their little fights. Our first small hiccup of the day happened when my longest best friend (or sister by chance, friend by choice) out of the group and I wanted shotgun, but I gave it up for the better. Having mini “fights” like these and really not getting mad about it, reveals who your true friends are. I give props out to my friend who drove us all throughout the town having to keep it all together with my other friend and I dancing and being loud in the backseat.

We happened to start at the perfect spot because it was very close to the first clue’s destination. We worked so well as a team solving the clues and contributed our best abilities to get us to the next place. We saw a lot of familiar faces and loved to be able to see them even if it was staying safe socially distanced in our cars. And coincidentally one of the stops were at Chick-fil-a where we planned on eating dinner together.

At the fourth location, Starbucks, is where our second and last hiccup of the night happened. We took the freeway there and our driver got a little shaken up at one point, so much so that she, to a certain degree, forgot how to drive---which is a lot-a-bit scary. She had forgotten that the clues were written on signs and did not see where the ASB members were standing as we were telling her where to go and we started heading in the wrong direction. She was pretty embarrassed and fed up as we were getting the clue and just wanted to get out of that parking lot. She zoomed through to make a u-turn and as we were pulling out to make a left turn, my friend in the passenger seat shouted out “oh, you’re really close to the curb!” and the driver was in her own world and did not hear. Next thing you know, we were driving over the curb and it was a super loud thump! and then the car went silent. Afterwards, we bursted out laughing, but I felt really bad for her. On our way to the last destination, we suggested that our most experienced driver of the group switch spots because the driver was tired and stressed out because of all that was going on. We got to the end point of the hunt, Etiwanda High School, and received our certificates of completion (that I ended up forgetting in the car) and we were all so very shocked to discover who the grand mask was, BLAKE MICHAEL! We parked and my friend driving was finally able to get some fresh air. I could tell that not everything was okay at the moment for her, so I decided to just ask her if she needed a hug and she said yes; I then built up the best hug that I could and wrapped my arms around her with love and comfort and I was able to bring her back to her real self. We took group photos, but knowing us we just had to take more. Not many groups took pictures, so we decided to stay in a corner and take a bunch of photos to capture these precious moments of our senior year homecoming. The feelings that I get when being with them are so powerful I forget that there are other people around.

We again drove to Chick-fil-a and got our food and took a detour into a store to wash our hands, being as precocious as possible; we were able to film a vlog, which I think we should be and should have been doing everytime we’re together. Being safe and smart as well, we decided to find a more lit up parking lot to eat in. Once we found one, we had a blast eating together and jamming out to music that I played, as I was the dj for the night. One of my favorite drinks is boba, so I just had to stop at the local boba place to get one and it was delicious.

We went back to Chick-fil-a once more to fill our bellies and parked in the car, we made some of the best videos anyone has ever seen no cap...follow our group tik tok @thecheetahgirlz3!! Something special we like to do is try to match our outfits. For homecoming, we wore the same dress in different colors.

Since being in quarantine, I’ve come to appreciate every moment that I can have with my friends and family. Driving home, I was feeling a bit sad to have to leave them for the night, but I knew that they would be there tomorrow or let me take that back that night actually (we do not get tired of each other at all). With being in quarantine because of the virus, it may be very hard for people to stay socially active. Luckily, my friends and I are always with each other and would love that feeling of love and company for anyone who feels they need it. We started a new club this year called Lend A Hand and you can message us to join our club on remind with the code laheagles.
Surround yourself with people who bring out the best side of you.