Drive to the marsh

Pull over, listen on road

Buzzing stops of the Tahoe

Birds start calling

Endangered songs sing

Sun peaks through

Sky turns blue

Off to the next

In the forest

Listen, listen

Misty trees start to glisten

Tires crumbling along sand roads

Windows open 

Breeze that flows 

Bullfrog chip and bellow 

Marshes flooded with misty air

Gentle breeze

Blows my hair

Night time happens 

Out of nowhere 

Eyes adjusted 

Fingers dusted

Sleep the ride back 

Morning enters

The nights black fades 

And the call of the black rail signals a new day 

There are multiple reasons Kayvon Thibodeaux was the favorite to go first overall for several months. He is 6’4 258 pounds, and extremely explosive. He has one of the best get-offs I have ever seen, he gets to the quarterback before the tackle has even finished his kick-step. He needs to work on his technique a little, but other than that he is all-around an amazing player. Kayvon will be the Giant's star edge-rusher for years to come, and is much better than Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines.

Evan Neal also seemed to be the consensus number 1 overall pick for a while, and the Giants got him at pick 7. Evan Neal is 6’7 360 pounds. He is very aggressive and throws a blocking punch almost every play, and when it lands it explodes defenders backwards. He has great processing and technique. Neal is very consistent, and is always improving. He is an amazing pass blocker and is good at countering his opponents moves, showing he is smart and watches film. Evan will be the Giants starting right tackle, already an instant improvement over Nate Solder and Matt Peart.

Wan’Dale Robinson was selected in the second round by the Giants, and one of the only reasons he fell there is because he was 5’8, but recently at OTAs he measured at 5’11. Robinson is hard hitting, and very sturdy. He is mostly slot guy, and some have said he is just a better Kadarius Toney, which I sort of agree with. He used to play running back at Nebraska before transferring to Kentucky to play receiver. 

Joshua Ezeudu is a very versatile offensive lineman who played both tackle and guard on multiple sides of the center. This is a key pickup for the Giants who needed interior offensive linemen badly. He will likely battle for a starting job with fellow youngsters Shane Lemeuix and maybe fellow rookie Marcus McKethan.

Cordale Flott is a lockdown corner from LSU that seems fit to play in the slot. He is a little underweight to play on the outside, but reports say he is beefing up. Cordale is an extremely talented tackler, always driving with his hips and following through. He will likely be the Giants’ slot guy for now, but might evolve to play on the outside and be a corner 2 for the G-men.

Daniel Bellinger is a tight end the Giants selected in the fourth round. He probably won’t have a big impact early on, and will most likely just be an extra blocker on run plays for the first half of 2022. Daniel was an amazing blocker at San Diego state, and always played nasty and played through the whistle. He is a really good blocker, but he also has soft hands and is great at catching. He will hopefully evolve into the Giants tight end 1, but for now he will just be a good backup for Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins.

Dane Belton is a fast, hard hitting Ball hawk. He was taken in the fourth round two picks after Daniel Bellinger, and in my opinion was a steal at pick 112. He was one of Iowa's best defenders last year, leading the team in interceptions and being among the team leaders in tackles and tackles for loss. Dane has said recently that he is willing to be in command of the defense if Wink Martindale calls on him. 

Micah McFadden I’d very similar to Blake Martinez. He is about the same size, and, like Blake, his best quality is tackling. However, unlike Blake, Micah is actually pretty above average at coverage, and can play in spots and in sets others are afraid to. I expect him to compete with Tae Crowder and Darrian Beavers for the Middle Linebacker two role.

D.J. Davidson is a great block-shredder. He can wrap up ball carriers very well and is very strong. He will probably be a backup DT behind Dexter Lawrence, David Moa, and Justin Ellis, but I could definetly see him getting some reps throughout the season, and he will likely come in on the goaline.

Marcus McKethan could contend for the starting role, but will likely be a backup for Shane Lemeuix, Joshua Ezeudu, Mark Glowinski, and Max Garcia. Like you’d expect out of a late round pick, there’s not much special about Marcus, but I think he will be a good backup, and he makes good depth in the interior offensive line.

Darrian Beavers is very versatile, as he has played safety, defensive end, and linebacker. He will be a valuable asset in Wink Martindale's defense, as he is known to move people around in unusual ways. Beavers is a great tackler and great pass-rusher. He is a very talented linebacker, as he was a finalist for the Butkus award (best linebacker) in the 2021-2022 season.

Overall, I don’t think many of this rookies outside the first two or so rounds will have a tremendous impact, but I think they will still have starting time and will all be great depth. I don’t expect much out of the Giants in 2022, so I mainly just want to see what these young guys can do.

Thursday’s 

Packing up all your stuff

Cloths 

Sweatshirts

Leggings

Fuzzy socks

Sneakers 

The same bag you bring every time you go

Friday’s

Before the road trip

Going to the same store

Bjs

Cookies

Marshmallows

Hershey chocolate 

Graham crackers

Fruit roll ups

Caprisuns

Car rides

Setting up the blankets

The pillows

The chargers

The snacks

The crew 

Dad

Sister

Friend

Friends dad

You 

The excitement 

Which camp are you headed to this time

Camp mason

Frost valley

Fairview lakes

Your dad, sister, and you have a rule

You must 

Absolutely

Get mcdonalds on your way

Youre here now

Driving up the rocky path 

looking around at the trees

Tables filled with snacks of all kinds

Grills

Cabins 

Cars

Heading up to the front cabin

Where everyone gets their wrist bands

Their maps

Their activity lists

Their cabin numbers

The excitement of running up to the doors

Opening them abruptly 

Everyone jumping down from their bunks to give you a hug

It’s the same people every time in each cabin

You being one of the last people arriving in the cabin 

There aren't many more options for bunks 

It doesn't matter

You throw your stuff onto the blue rubber thin mattress that isn't even a mattress 

Skits 

Nobody knows what to do

Everyone has both 10 ideas at once

Or none at all

The decision is hard

Usually a dumb idea too

It ends up being completely last minute 

And bad

The sticks

Painted exactly how you did not want them

Words

Glitter

Paint

Pompoms 

The food they make

Quesadillas

Burnt chicken nuggets

Grilled cheese

Pasta with red sauce

Pizza

The food they bring

Skittles

Often sour

Fruit roll ups

Sour patch kids

Cotton candy

Ice cream

Soft pretzels

Memories with the girls

Octopus

Attempting all nighter 

Frozen fruit roll ups 

Americas got talent

Volleyball 

Bug spray and potato chips

Smarties 

Olympics

Windshield wiper song in the making

Memories with dad

Sledding 

Flashing finger lights 

Sharing a bunk when dads slept in the same room

Hiking and all the complaints

Archery 

Soundtrack

Queen of mean -Sarah Jeffery

I’ll Always Remember You -Miley Cirus

In the Stars -Benson Boome

Good Riddence -Green Day 

You’ve got a Friend in me

With the ups

There come downs

The very last time ever seeing where we’re going 

The very last time getting mcdonald’s on the way

The very last time pulling up to the front cabin 

The very last time arriving with a late entrance 

The very last time being bombarded with hugs

The very last time making a skit 

The very last time telling the Medicine Man your name 

The very last time ruining your voice screaming save or sacrifice 

The very last time making a candle with these people

The very last time shooting a bow and arrow with these people

The very last time telling everyone goodbye

More tears 

Remembering all the memories you made form this

All the friends you made 

All the little girls you’re never going to see again

All the people you’ll never forget 

The experiences you’ll never experience again

Laying in the floor 

Everyone in tears 

Not comprehending that this is never going to happen again

Closing your eyes that Saturday night knowing the morning is going to be even more painful than in the moment 

Everyone leaving 

Saying goodbye

i’ll see you all again 

But not next time 

The summer came by and we are knee deep in the middle of Covid and as mentioned before confusion. Lots of confusion. Unlike many situations, girls are the problem. Tiktok is at large and as that happens so are tiktok lesbians. Making thirst traps and other interesting content. Me being curious I look through the content and notice things blooming in my chest. Not that I was in love with this random 16 year old girl on an app but it made my outlook on things differently. I began my research. “Am I gay?” Quizzes were my research. I was really pulling a Nick Nelson on this but I found myself a bit through it. 

The start of seventh grade sitting in my bed with my computer on my lap in a sweatshirt and pj shorts. At this point I’m playing among us on my phone and talking to my first ever girlfriend. I was definitely bi. There is no way that I would feel this way towards any girl if I wasn’t part of the lgbtq. But now there is a problem. What in the heck nuggets are pronouns? What are mine? How do they work? Well the question was answered for a little,she/her right? That's what you would think. But noooooooooooo life just had other plans and at that point I’m talking with my friends over FaceTime on the way home. They ask me about being genderfluid. I ask them to explain what that is and I was like heck yes. During that convo and after I’m finally able to say that day my pronouns were she/they.

COVID is still here and what the actual heck. I very much don’t appreciate this continuing confusion. I’m bi…right? I mean doesn’t bi mean liking two or more genders. I do that. So what is the question? Am I pansexual? Yeahhhhh most likely. Being pan means you personally don’t factor in gender to dating or intercorse. So you could like a boy, girl, enby, or anyone in between for dating or something else. And because I don’t like complicating things,I think of things like this. So there yes genderfluid and pansexual. Easy driving the rest of the way.

Summer once again  and it’s a good time. Well for the beginning of it, as you can imagine more gender identity crisis, those are fun aren’t they. I am still currently pan and I don't think that will ever change, but… of course, gender will. Not just because I’m gay but because the universe hates me. Besides that, genderfluid isn’t working for me, the back and forth of “What are my pronouns today”, the constant questioning is a no. So here I am. I am pansexual, my pronouns are they/he(the she/her isn’t doing it for me) I know I am not a girl, and I have no clue if I’m a boy but I don’t think so. So that leaves me (at this time I thought this my only other option but it worked.) with non binary. You know what, I like it. 

I likED it. It was good for a while. 8th grade happened and still is but I think that is what changed me. Not being in 8 grade but my experiences this year. I am a transgender boy, my pronouns are they/he and I am pansexual. That is me. It could further change, but that’s ok, cos I found my people that can help me through it. I’m sticking like this for now, middle school crazy but I wouldn’t have my sanity with it. Or my entire identity.

The rocks digging into my feet like a tiger digging into its prey 

The air thick 

leaves swaying around in my face 

The birds chirping 

singing a song 

Cameras clicking 

Eagles searching for their prey 

 Peoples shoes sounding like tires on gravel 

My thighs burning like the sun hitting my face

Sweat rushing down like 

water down Niagara Falls 

Bugs jumping 

My foot slipping the mud all over my pants 

My hand grip onto the leg 

Sharp pain go through arm 

like getting pricked with a needle 

My mind racing 

My nerves increasing 

My feet dangling about the rocks below 

Wondering what would happen if i let go 

The air thinner than before 

Wondering if i have reached earth's worst core 

People looking 

Panking 

Yelling 

Overwhelmed 

Wondering if i have reached earth's worst core 

Praying 

Hoping 

Realizing I shouldn’t be scared 

I should be static 

The adrenaline from hanging by one hand 

All the thoughts in my head

Dancing 

The thought of falling crosses my mind

The birds flying by 

Distraction 

It’s a dull rainy day. The clouds are gray and blue and the sun is playing a tedious game of hide and seek. In the isolated empty town I see a mysterious car. I walk towards the car, seeing its vivid lavender color. When I open the door pearly white seats appear,  patiently waiting to be sat on. The solid steering wheel is smooth and doesn’t hurt my fragile fingers. 

Then in the passenger seat is you. Shadows cross by making the car a dark purple. Finally, the sun comes out. Reflections of the sun make the car pretty, allowing sparkles to glisten off. We sit in the car on the squishy white seats. Chills roll up my spine, nervous to introduce myself. We both smile softly and say hello. Then we ride. 

We start off our journey talking, getting to know about one another. Our friendship grows stronger by the day, making it easier to drive. The town is no longer lonely and begins to feel homely. 

Big TV’s showcase our favorite movies and shows. Foods surround the town making our craving stronger by the second. Culture is spread world wide making dance the most popular sport. 

Amazed by all the sights and scenes we still ride together. The radio blasts with our all time favorite Taylor Swift and Harry Style songs. We sing with our exceptionally bad singing voices making it impossible for our family and friends not to hear.

Our adventure continues, making it more fun to spend time with you. It slowly eases, and the sun is about to set. Orange and pink clouds relax in the navy blue sky. 

The clouds disappeared and the stars sparkle. We get up from the white seats and out of the lavender color car. Then I see you vanish into the dark night. 

2. Dog shelters. If you go to most shelters, you can see that the living conditions for these dogs are not ideal. Sure, they are getting a home and food, but there is no way it is comfortable. The shelters are filled with outcasts who were abandoned by their adopted family, have birth defects, or just weren’t adopted in the first place. 

3. They have nothing to do all day. Many dogs live in houses where the humans go to school and work all day, leaving them all alone. It’s even worse when there is only 1 dog, so they have no one to play with. All they have is sleeping and barking. They can’t even eat, or go outside because no is there to do it for them. 

4. Communication. Dogs and humans have no proper way to communicate. We can’t talk to each other, so in order to know how the other is feeling, you have to go off of context clues. It is also harder to create rules for your dog, teach them things, and tell them their “rules”. 

5. Jobs. Service dogs are very important to humans, but if you think about it, it is unfair to the dog. They don’t get to choose their job, and they just become what humans want them to be. They have no control over what their life is like. 

6. Barking. Dogs always bark, and all humans do is punish them for it. They have to listen to us talking all day, but when they make one nose they get yelled at. They are just trying to talk to you or protect you from someone who could cause harm. They do not mean to do anything bad, but humans act like they annoy us on purpose. 

7. Eating. Most dogs have the same thing for breakfast and dinner everyday, and get the same treats on a rare occasion. Don’t they get tired of eating the same thing everyday? No wonder they are awash begging for food at the dinner table. They just want something different. 

    After reading this, I hope that you treat your dog to some treats, take them on a nice walk, and give them a little extra love. It cannot be as good as people make it seem to be a dog, so go easier on them and have some fun with them. 

The branches sway and break 

The crickets click in the cold dark night 

Every star lights up the night

 

The moon soft glow shines on a home

The dwelling abandoned and old 

The wind flows and twists through the home 

Every step creaks louder then the other

The house howls from the wind

The outside of the house glistens from the light 

The cold makes us shutter 

Every step the air gets thinner

The fear runs down are faces

The silence was void like 

The floor creaks once again 

Every breath we take might be are last

Steph Curry was born on March 14, 1988 in Akron Ohio. He is a 3 time NBA champion. He is the son of a veteran sharpshooter Dell Curry. His dad taught him the basics of shooting. In the beginning Curry’s form was not good. He didn’t make many 3’s in highschool so over 1 summer Curry and his dad perfected his form and made it so that he would make more 3’s. He didn’t receive a scholarship from major basketball colleges so he attended Davidson(North Carolina) College. Curry would make his mark averaging 21.5ppg as a freshman. Curry became a national sensation from his deep 3 point shooting. Curry got drafted to the NBA in 2009 as a 7th pick in the first round of the draft.     

Now that you know how Curry got to the NBA let me tell you some of his accomplishments. He is a 3 time NBA champ. He won the MVP in 2016 and he’s made the all nba team in 2022, 2021, and 2019. He also is the highest paid player in the NBA right now. The main reason people know him is because of his 3 point shooting ability. Curry’s career 3 point percentage is 43.1% which is one of the highest percentages in NBA history. He also holds the record for the most 3 pointers made at 2,977 in only 789 games. 2nd is Ray Allen and he hit 2,973 3 pointers in 1,300 games, that is a difference of 511 NBA games and Curry is not even close to retiring. 

Steph Curry also holds the most 3 pointers made in an all star game with 16 3s. Curry this year alone averages 25.5ppg, 5.2 rpg, and 6.3 apg, which are very good numbers for a small guard in a league with giants. This proves you can do anything you put your mind to. Everybody doubted him in the beginning but look where he is now. 

The kid from Ohio has now accomplished things that kids dream about. It’s hard to imagine Steph Curry playing in the backyard practicing basketball just like us, it is crazy what a kid can accomplish with a ball and a hoop.

After an hour of unpacking and getting ready, me and my family made our way to a restaurant to meet our friends for dinner. The food was so good there, they had everything you could ever imagine sitting right in front of me. It grew late so we all decided to finish eating and leave dinner so we could get some sleep for the next day. 

It was eight in the morning and I had just woken up from what was one of the best sleeps I had ever taken full of energy and ready to explore. We took the elevator down to the buffet and ate breakfast. Me and my friends finished eating early so that we could go and explore around the resort. We ran out of the giant glass doors and there it was the biggest and most beautiful pool I had ever seen. 

We ran down the giant stairs and dove straight into the pool. We swam around the pool and then we found an in-ground pool bar. We ordered so many drinks and since our trip was all inclusive we didn't have to pay for anything so after hours of ordering anything and everything that the bar had we finally left stomachs full to the brim. We ended up feeling sick because of how much we drank so we all went back to our rooms and slept for the rest of the day. 

When we woke up the next morning all of our families gathered in the main lobby. The parents had big news to tell us. When we all made our way to the lobby we sat down and the parents informed us that for the majority of today we were going to be climbing a waterfall. Yes you may be thinking “ this is crazy there is no way they are going to be climbing a waterfall”, but yes we were about to climb a massive waterfall. We climbed onto a big bus with lots of other people that were also being taken to climb the waterfall and when I say the bus ride was sickening I mean it. 

After an hour of the most terrible bus ride I had personally ever experienced we finally made it to the site with the massive waterfall. We took a massive trail down to this beautiful beach and there were people there that were our instructors getting our families ready to climb the waterfall. When our instructor gave us the go we started to climb up the waterfall and our journey began. 

We climbed in groups but me being the energetic little kid I decided to run up the rocks ahead of everyone and explore. I waited for our families at the top of the waterfall because there was a flat space and we all took family pictures. As I waited I stood there mouth down to the ground watching in aw as the amazing sunset faded away in the beautiful Jamaican sky. That was when I realized that this very moment would be stuck inside the back of my head for the rest of my life. 

             Thomas

September 1st 2101

 I was on the pac-Mac boat. It was a huge boat, It was like 2 yachts connected but it's as tall as one of the tallest skyscrapers. A way to describe it is like the twin towers on top of boats. Speaking of twin towers, this boat trip is supposed to last 11 days, leaving one day for the 11th to be given a moment of silence; it would also be the 100th anniversary of 9/11. I was on the boat even though there was a whole hotel, we Pockets had to stay in the rooms at the bottom of the boat. It was just the thing us Pockets get. We stand below while the Mammoths get to reign high. The term Pocket is for people with no money only enough to fit it in their Pockets thus the name while Mammoths are the rich ones they get all the good stuff the expensive stuff there named Mammoths because they have more than enough cash to build a real-life model of a Mammoth out of 100 dollar bills and still have enough to buy 2 flying cars and a yacht

September 2nd 2101

 I was exploring the base of the pac-Mac and boy you don’t know how many nasty stares I got at me. The thing is that Mammoths and Pockets don’t like each other. Mammoths hate Pockets for being poor and Pockets hate Mammoths for abusing their money. I’m not the type to hate, sometimes Mammoths can get on my nerves but other than that I don’t pick fights or try to continue them.

September 3rd 2101

 This day I did the same as the day before but this time I saw a Mammoths that did not seem disgusted by me or other Pockets she was beautiful her golden hair was perfectly blown by the wind it made her look like one of those models, but she turned around I had no time to react so we met eyes staring at each other I couldn’t look away, she kept staring at me, our staring contest was then stopped by what I’m guessing was her father grabbed the pretty lady’s wrist and dragged her away from my gaze. I went to sleep thinking about her and her eyes. It might have been just a few seconds of us trading eyes but it felt like hours. I felt weird, I can't describe it. I'm going to try and talk to her tomorrow.

September 4th 2101

I went to the base of the boat and I was searching for her but then my search came to an end when I saw her. She was just as pretty as the last time I saw her. She was with her father so I didn't think about approaching her, it wouldn’t have been a good idea so I walked away watching from a distance trying to find an opening when she’s alone. I kinda sound like a stalker now but this has a reason. It's to test to see if she is different or not or this is just an excuse to try and talk to her you'll never know. I was watching for 30 minutes but then she was alone the people there got up and walked away laughing so I went up to her I said “Hi” she replied with the same thing and I started a conversation and she seemed into it she was not like others that would tell me to get away, so she is different after all she quickly told me her father was coming back so I left unsuspiciously. Later that night I was so happy I found a female Mammoth that is not like others. I have met a male one like my boss but never a female one. 

September 5th 2101

 The whole day I was talking to Kate she said her name was she told me to call her Katie though so I did that we talked for hours at a time she even gave me a fancy suit in public so we can talk without me being discriminated against in private I would still wear my normal clothes. We were talking in private I was having fun talking with her and she seemed into it as well it was cut short when her dad walked in on us before he could yell I jumped out the nearest window onto the lower balcony and then used the ladder that was conveniently there to get all the way down to the base of the boat.

September 6th 2101

Katie has not been talking to me recently actually she has been ignoring me I think it has to do with her dad right I don’t know but I hope it isn’t her idea to ignore me but I have been miserable without someone to talk to me so I have just been sitting alone with nothing to do it's so boring. It was late at night the boat was having a party I was looking around and found Katie sitting alone I tried to approach her with a greeting but the second I did I heard “get away from me you filthy Pocket” she walked away after finishing that sentence I was left there in shock I thought she was different but it seems not I then left and thought to myself for a while. It was 3 am I was still awake and decided to get some fresh air I was walking I looked over the edge and then it started to rain the words filthy Pocket ringing and ringing again I then couldn’t control my body as I step to the ledge and I can see the ocean I looked down and was about to end it there  when I hear “Tom?”

        

      Chapter 2

       Katie

 September 1st 2101

the pac-mac, Its a fun boat. I have been on the boat before, being rich and all. My parents also wanted to be here for the 100th anniversary of 9/11.

 I know that I should be glad to be rich but I don’t like acting rich. All my family and friends do is pick on pockets. But I feel bad for pockets and all the things they don’t get to do. And how they can not do anything back to mammoths without getting in trouble with a group of them. We get to stay all the way at the top of the hotel on the boat. It's fun, but I feel bad that the pockets only can use the bottom of the boat. 

September 2nd 2101

Today I was feeling sick, I did not want to go down to the base of the boat so I just stayed in my room. Thinking In my room bored with nothing to do. but i looked down to see a pocket getting stares. I could even see my family giving that poor pockets “the stairs.”

September 3rd 2101

 Today I actually went to the base of the boat. I was having an awkward time with everyone around me complimenting me on my looks. Then when i tried to get away someone bumped into me he looked like a model but the way he was dressed was like a Pocket and we stared at each other for what seemed to be hours and then my wrist was quickly grabbed by my dad. He yelled at me for even letting a pocket see me and while I was getting yelled at all I could think about was that pocket, the model looked with the poor people's clothes. It was weirdly appealing to the eye.

September 4th 2101

 forced by my parents to go with them to the base of the boat was not fun. I got stuck talking to my dad until he left. i saw him talking to some friends and i wondered where that Pocket was, but my question was answered when i saw that appealing look with poor people clothes walk towards me trying not to get noticed by other people and he approached me with a greeting i greeted him back and we talked for awhile he is a nice guy he is also a very interesting guy as well he talked about the strangest things i have never heard of. Later that night i could not wait to talk to him again.

September 5th 2101

 I loved talking to him and he seemed interested in me his name was Thomas but he told me to call him Tom i got him a suit so he could talk to me in public.talking every day but today it was in a room above the base of the boat which Tom has never been to he was wearing his normal pocket clothes. We were talking about Tom's job. It was a weird one. He works on boats as big as these and has to rate it 1 out of ten for a pocket view. Him being a Pocket he was perfect for the job. I thought it was a fun job. Before he could say anything else, my dad waltzed in. I was worried for Tom but he got away through the outside of the window where I saw him climbing down a ladder which led to the base of the boat. My dad was yelling at me for having a pocket in my room. I was ok with being yelled at until my dad said to stay away from him. trying to argue back did not work he said if he sees me talking with him again then he will do everything in his power to destroy tom.

September 6th 2101

 I was on the boat base and really trying to blend in with the crowd to avoid anyone or him. I was talking to people I would normally not talk to and I felt a word I really wanted to be with tho9mas instead of these weirdos. I was walking away from the crowd when he was there Thomas came up to me and tried to talk to me but i tried pushing him away but he just kept on talking to me and then it came out “get away from me you filthy Pocket” i said he looked really sad then he ran away

It was late at night i had to get Thomas’s sad face out of my head i went down the elevator all the way to the base of the boat the lobby of the top part of the boat i was about to exit the lobby around the corner when I saw Tom. 

“Tom.”

      Chapter 3

Forgiven

 September 6th 2101

Tom: I turned back and it was my boss. I did not know he was on the bus.

Katie: I saw a man talking to Tom who was at the edge of the boat. I hid around the corner just staring.

Tom: my boss looked at me with a concerned look then asked what I’m doing.

Katie: I see Tom walk down from the edge of the boat and approach the seemingly rich man. 

Tom: I try to explain myself saying I was just looking at the water but my boss is too smart for he figured out what I was trying to do and asked me to explain why.

Katie: I hear Tom explain that the reason he is out here is because of a mammoth girl he fell in love with that he thought was different but ended up being like a normal mammoth and it really broke his heart then I noticed he was talking about me so I started to tear up.

Tom: my boss offered to let me stay at his part of the boat just this once. I had a lot of information about the pocket part anyway so I agreed and we headed toward the elevators.

Katie: after hearing the conversation I heard them walking towards me so I quickly headed to the elevator first crying before they noticed.

Tom: While we were heading towards the elevator I heard loud footsteps and then when I went around the corner I saw the elevator close which worried me. I thought someone heard everything but when I went to the room I fell asleep on the extra bed my boss offered.

Katie: After I got to my room crying I continued to cry myself to sleep.

September 7th 2101

Tom: My boss woke me up early in the morning. He made me talk more about the whole situation so I told him the whole situation. He explained to me the possibility of her dad threatening her to not hangout with you. I agreed with the possibility but still thought what she said went too far. 

Katie: I woke up early and thought to myself about everything I heard yesterday and how Tom was going to kill himself. I decided at that moment that I would not listen to my father and that I would explain the situation to Tom. 

Tom: I head down to the base. I was the only one since it was very early in the morning but after a minute of being by myself I hear the elevator open as I look toward the elevator I am disappointed with who I see.

Katie: I exit the elevator to get a fresh breath of air but I am meeted with Tom who seems to be doing the same. I start to run towards him and explain my situation.

Tom:  i hear the situation of Katie and while i already knew it i explain to her that what she said was still to far she really apologizes but if she did not get me away from her then i would of lost my job according to her father i laugh and explain to her that my boss would never had fired me even if said by another mammoth.

Katie: After hearing this I start to feel even worse but before I can cry Tom says that he forgives me and he hugs me then I tell him that I heard him and his boss the day before.

Tom: I laughed because I thought it was some random mammoth but it was just Katie and I got that mystery out of my mind so I continued to laugh with tears of joy running down my face now happy that everything worked out.

September 8th 2101

Tom: I woke up in my pocket room and smiled as I stretched to get up and got changed and headed to the base of the boat. I did not care about the stares I walked up to Katie on the boat.

Katie: Tom approached me and started to talk to me. I was having fun. My dad then came towards us. He yelled at me for hanging out with Tom but I yelled back at him and told my dad that I loved Tom and my dad reminded me of what he said to me about hanging out with Tom.

Tom: my boss then pulls up asking what the problem is while I’m surprised that Katie loves me Katie’s dad knows who my boss is since they have talked before so when Katie's dad talked to my boss about getting me fired my boss said no and then he walked away followed by me and Katie, Katie sticked her tongue out towards her dad before he was out of sight. Later that night while everyone was gone it was just me and Katie looking at the night sky

Katie: while looking at the stars Tom brings up the fact that I had basically confessed my love to him this morning.

Tom: while she stuttered in embarrassment I grabbed her face.

Katie: and suddenly I was pulled in for a kiss.

Chapter 4

Tragedy Strikes

September 8th 2101

 They were stuck in the position of kissing one another for awhile they were actually together and wanted nothing more than this for a while. Tom was happy that he took his chance and Katie was happy that Tom took his chance as well. They broke the position after a while and just stared into each other's eyes and without saying a word they separated into their own rooms and went to sleep.

September  9th 2101

 Tom and Katie both woke up with smiles on their faces, while Tom took his time to get up and out Katie had to quickly get out not wanting to face her dad. When they both made it to the base of the boat an announcement was heard “this is day 9 of the pac-mac travel i hope you are having fun on this trip.” The announcement said while they heard an announcement like this almost everyday it was surprising that it's the 9th day to all of them the time has passed by fast. When Katie and Tom heard this announcement they were sad because they would be separated and at home Katie probably couldn’t get away with hanging out with tom. Katie and tom knew that they would have to make the best of this trip with each other and that's exactly what they did, they would spend the whole day together and then go to sleep.

September 10th 2101

Tom and Katie were going to do their regular hangout today but were weirder out there was no announcement today but they shrugged it off as just a malfunction in the system. Later that day Katie and Tom went to watch tv together when they changed the channel to the news and saw something sad. “A Plane was highjacked and is now being controlled by terrorist we dont know what these villains would want but I’m pretty sure its not anything good.” Katie and Tom were not too happy about this news and were worried when they realized what tomorrow was and the news sounded very similar to something that happened 100 years ago. After the news they went to eat dinner and ended the night with dessert before calling it a night and heading to bed.

September 11th 2101

Katie and Tom were woken up by an alarm and the announcements turned on again. “This is an emergency, a plane is heading our way.” The announcement said Tom and Katie immediately thought about one another and ran to the base of the boat so they could be with each other. They made it to the base of the boat and saw each other they hugged each other and before they could do anything else “CRASH”

Tom and Katie were laying on the ground confused on what just happened. They slowly open their eyes and find dust falling down. They try not to get any dust in their eyes but need to see what is happening.

 

 They looked up and saw that there was a plane in both of the buildings above the base of the boat. They were horrified by the sight of it and wondered how many people were left in the building and were worried for their loved ones. The towers started to fall and the boat started to sink, Tom and Katie ran to the emergency boats to get out of there but all the boats were being loaded up. Tom and Katie were worried but it was too late the boat was tipped backwards and everyone was pushed into the water by the angle of the boat. Tom and Katie found a wood piece floating and they decided to float on it together.

The lovers waited there for a while and by the time help arrived Tom had passed out from the cold and Katie was warm because Tom gave her his clothes. They were rushed to the hospital Katie was checked and completely found but Tom would not wake up.

September 12th 2101

Katie slept on the hospital bed all night and was struck with bad news when she woke up “Are you miss Katie” the doctor asked

“Yes” Katie answered

“You came here with Mr Tom do you have any relationship with him” the doctor asked again

“Yes he is my lover” she responded in hope he’s ok

“Well sorry to tell you this but Mr Tom is in a coma and we don't know for how long.” The doctor said in a sad tone

Katie was heartbroken her lover was in a coma she did not know when he would wake up but she knew.

September 13th 2101

Katie thought about Tom for a while but she eventually decided to live her normal life until Tom would wake up.

September 14th 2101

…

September 15th 2101

…

September 16th 2101

…

September 25th 2101

…

October 5th 2101

…

November 1st 2101

…

December 25th 2101

…

January 23rd 2102

Katie was working when she took over her dad's company and is now a multi millionaire. She was about to fall asleep when her personal phone rang. “Is this Mrs Katie” the man on the phone said

“Yes this is Katie” katie said suspiciously 

“This is the hospital we have some great news” the man said 

“What is it” Katie said hopeful of something

“Mr. Thomas is awake” the man said Katie’s eyes widened and she immediately hung up and started to drive to the hospital. She arrived, ran in and got the room Tom was in. She opened the door to the room and looked around before noticing a very attractive man that she knew very well was Tom. Tom was sitting up and was facing towards the door in surprise as he recognized the beautiful women standing before him as his lover. They both screamed each other's name as Katie ran towards Tom and gave him a kiss. After the kiss they decided to catch up and Katie told Tom that she is really rich now and runs her own business. Tom was surprised and happy for her.

January 24th 2102

Tom was able to leave the hospital and could surprisingly walk even after the coma. Katie was there to pick him up and took him to her house where she had set up a room for Tom.

 January 30th 2102

Tom contacted his boss telling him that he is ok and that he is planning on becoming unemployed and the boss was completely fine with that and was really happy that Tom was awake.

May 12th 2102

Tom and Katie are getting married, they have a fun time and are happy to be with each other.

May 12th 2103

Tom and Katie had their first two children on the same day they got married. They found the coincidence funny how a year later they had kids on the same day they got married. They were twins and they named them Pat and Matt, short for Patrick and Mathew. They were so happy and lived an awesome life together.

     The end

Being filled with joy

The movement 

The flow 

The rhythm and tune

Having the ability to express yourself

Without anyone judging you

Putting all your troubles aside

With a clear state of mind

Releasing all your current stress and pain

Dancing

A form of communication

Emotion

It’s helped my ancestors during the times of slavery 

Enlivening the captives' spirits and reducing their sense of agony, suffering, and longing

It’s a form of exercise

To keep your body in decent shape

A form of entertainment

Films

Concerts 

I can go on and on…      

Dancing 

Various types

Ballet

Ballroom

Contemporary

Hip Hop

Jazz

Tap

Those being the main categories but,

Each one is unique in its own way

Dancing

A form of art

Anyone is able to do it

You may stumble on some turns

Forget a couple of steps

But never give up

This art requires practice

Determination

Patience

And Experience 

Dancing

Done all around the world

For boys and girls

Connection with others

Are you just too smart for tests? Want to be like that cool kid that always fails? Well by the time your teacher notices that you're reading this, you would fail anyway. Wherever you are, whether you are in detention or taking a test now, here are some tips. 

Tip #1, you must make it convincing. To fail a test, you can’t just write the work and forget the answer. You have to forget everything you have ever known about what you just learned. The more you fall asleep, talk, or ignore the better. That way you won’t accidentally get points for the right work. However, we don’t want to have the teacher think that you should redo it. We need a perfect medium for the quality of your work, so when your teacher tells you to pay attention, pay attention but only for a minute or so and then ignore it. 

Tip #2, drink plenty of water. This might seem redundant to failing a test but one of the best places to fail a test is in the bathroom. Don’t take the test so seriously, you should goof off in the bathroom for as long as you need. It's the perfect excuse to leave the classroom and catch up with friends, get a drink and just skip class. By the time you come back you will be in two positions. You would have flunked anyway for skipping class, or you won’t have enough time to finish. This trick is guaranteed to make you fail, so you should really give this a shot.  

Tip #3, use your head, or more specifically your body. One of the best ways to fail is by cheating a test. The most obvious way to cheat is to write your answers on your arms and wear a shirt with short sleeves. Do not wear sweatshirts/long sleeve shirts! This way you won’t be able to get away with cheating and you will fail there right on the spot! It just takes some time for people to notice so make sure you glance down at your arm almost the entire time and you should be fine. 

Now you should be a pro at failing exams. You have 3 new techniques to destroy your grade miserably. Now go! Disappoint your parents!

My mom’s face

The first thing I remember

Her milky chocolate eyes

Shone as she saw me for the first time

Fast forward

To my fifth birthday

Full of laughter and smiles

Family and friends everywhere I look

my mom whispered

I looked at her confused

But she walked away

Later that night I wrote that down as neatly as I could 

in my childish handwriting

Hung it up on my bedroom wall

So I would remember it

The first day of middle school

My mom gave me a big hug

She said

After my middle school graduation

Walking with my friends

Hanging out with them

Making me laugh

My mom, in front of me

Turns around when nobody else is looking

She mouths

First year of high school

I run up to my room crying

I wasn’t allowed to hang out with friends 

Or go out with my boyfriend alone

I stare at my wall, my face wet with tears

Filled with pictures of friends and family

But one thing stands out

A piece of paper

Written in my 5 year old handwriting

And a drawing of me and my mom

Holding hands

The summer after senior year

I’m packing my belongings

Taking one last look

In the house I grew up in

I give my mom one last

Hug

She says

That’s when I remember

Running back to my room

I grab my picture I made when I was 5 years old

And tuck it in my purse

Flash forward some years

At my wedding before the ceremony

Live in the moment 

she says

I gave her a smile

Still not knowing what she meant

Walked down the aisle

Feeling as ready as ever

The crying of a baby

My baby

Echoed in the hospital room

  And my husband holding my hand

Holding my baby girl 

For the first time

I could picture my mom saying

The years of taking care of my daughter

Were all a blur

A happy blur

That I will never forget

And as I drop off my kid 

At college

I find myself whispering

And as I retire

Into old age

I finally get

What my mom’s been trying to say

I finally understand

What

Means

As I take my last breath

I thank

My mom up in the sky

For her help all these years

Can’t tell if they’re true

You hear they come at dusk

No one has ever come back

Your curiosity overpowers all the warnings the tell

The clouds block out the moon

while you climb out the first floor window

Be sure not to wake someone up

Ride your bike past main street 

All the way to the alley next to the barber

Wish you had a sweatshirt

The wind pushes through the tight walls

From the darkness of the night

They grab you and take flight

The cool breeze within our warehouse

Chills your skin with fright

The suddenness of a blinding light

Forces you to hide

Shoved down to a chair 

Hands bound to the seat

Your body starts to shake with fear

Take a look for it might be your last

Plastic sheets line the walls

Splattered and stained in red

Join us now

Just sit and kneel

Dip your hands in the bowl

It will hurt but then be done

No prints that match you now

The sound of the acid burning the skin

Calms down the leader as he lifts his chin

Bow your head and pray

Or since be sent to the room with red

And dragged out through the hall

Your last wish is that you stayed in bed

On that dark and gloomy night

Club sports. We all have heard of the subject if you are involved with any sport. Whether it’s cross country, soccer, gymnastics, lacrosse, or even quidditch, which is actually considered a sport, we all know that they are usually a step above the high school or recreational level. Considering the hefty price that it takes to join a club team roster, does the extra practice matter for an individual aiming to just get better at their sport? Does it matter when aiming for high school varsity? For college teams? 

     The NCAA found that 91% of current college women volleyball players have played for a club team in the past. As a club volleyball player myself, I can vouch that I have spent hundreds of more hours at Highline, the home of Warren Sixpack club practices, than I have in the Nettingham New Gym, for PAL practices. The high school practice ratio is similar as well, not even counting in the days of tournaments that are available through club teams. 

    

    Tournaments are the cornerstone of increasing the skill of a club team; the whole day or weekend is devoted to practicing and performing under pressure. Brandon Indoe, the other outside hitter on the 14-2’s team agrees that our performance as a team increases exponentially after tournaments. For example, our first one-day tournament at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, we barely had an idea of our rotations, but after playing all of our matches, someone could yell out “Serve 4!” and we would subconsciously start heading towards our positions. 

    

    An easy way to analyze the advantage that club volleyball grants is to look at the performance of the players. Warren Sixpack contains the most players from Scotch Plains Fanwood and Oldbridge. At this moment, they are both section champions, Scotch Plains Fanwood being the top of North 2, and Oldbridge being the top of Central. 

The stat leaders from these teams are also renowned for being on elite teams in Warren Sixpack. One of many examples is SPF varsity setter Nicholas Schmidt, considered one of the best setters in the state, is the coveted setter for the Warren Sixpack 17-1’s team. Other SPF/17-1’s superstars include Jeremy Zimmerman, the MVP from last night’s state semifinals (SPF vs Oldbridge), the captain, and a bearer of an insanely aggressive topspin serve that reached the floor numerous times during the game. 

    On the opposite side of the court, Oldbridge’s whole bench and starters are spread out across Warren Sixpack teams. You can find their setter, David Flores, their libero, Robert Obdyke, their opposite, Pavlo Chernyshov, their outsides, Evan Jazmin, Blake Krapf, and Jacob Lupinski. During the match, you could say that club friendships had to be put aside for the sake of their respective towns. 

In my opinion, if you have the drive and passion to get better and reach for that junior

varsity position, varsity position, or college position, it is of importance to join a club team to give you that edge over other athletes. In a town like Scotch Plains, Oldbridge, or Southern, the best of these groups are sweating in club as well. So if you get the chance to tryout for club, do it for yourself, and do it to help the competition, which is what club is all about. 

By Quinn Hyman

The smell intoxicates me

The depth of the color captivates me

Wet paint runs through my fingers

Drip

The dripping continues throughout the room

The deep blue consumes me

In a sea color 

Drip

Waves crash

Thunder booms

All of the room fill with gloom

Overhead water absorbed me

Pulling me deeper and deeper

Drip

I fight against the waves

Trying to get up

Trying to be free

I continue to be pulled down 

Trapped in a sea of color 

Drip

The more I try and leave

The deeper it pulls me down

I feel as if I’m starting to drown

The dripping gets louder

Drip

I feel tide pull me further and further 

Deeper into the sea of color

I try and move

But every time I do 

More and more of the deep blue liquid consumes me

Drip

But then there’s a light

So dim I almost can't see it

But it stands out in the sea of color

Drip

The warm light gets brighter 

The dripping slows down

Less consistent with every drop

Drip

The sea goes down

Color swirling around me

Down into my palm 

The dripping gets even quieter 

Drip

The paint drips one last time

Then it stops

Everything stops 

Surrounded by silence

All that remains

Is dried paint in my hand

As I sleep,

The feeling of a soft breeze

Ever so light

Constantly forces its way to my face

As I sleep,

The sweet dreams of nothing 

Bring a resting smile

My face peaceful in the meantime

As I sleep,

My phone urges me awake

Moving ever slight

Buzzing on the sheets of my bed

As I wake,

The beams of sunlight shine

through thin curtains

And provide light to my room

As I wake, 

The smooth smell of coffee and bacon 

Travels to my nose

Notifying me of what’s to come

As I wake,

The sheets of my bed cling on

Wrapping around me

Dragging the comfort of sleep back to mind

As I dress,

The smell of last night’s lotion

Absorbed by my skin

Transfers to my clean shorts

As I dress,

The wrinkles in my shirts 

Complicate my choice 

Urging me to use the untouched iron

As I dress, 

My bonet reveals my braids

The shine of oil

Highlighting my roots

As I sit, 

Syrup drips back to the plate

Leaving the fork 

each bite satisfying me greater

As I sit,

The music from the speaker calls to me

And I travel to the patio

The plastic brown chairs cradling me

As I sit, 

The birds chirp in echos

Perched on the branches

Calling for each other to wake

All is focused on walking 

An entity walking through these same paths 

Leading to a new undiscovered path 

A world with nothing left, but this path

A path always leads somewhere, but where does this path go

Each path, leading to it’s own world

Focusing on its own storyline

But all paths can lead to its good or bad 

All paths are a take a risk to the future it has

Each entity has its own path

The future it leads 

Each path and its own mechanics 

Own lives

The entities it leads

Some World's most best undiscovered 

Some best discovered

All share one thing

All are strange Mysterious their own ways 

All by choice

Most by force

Some undiscovered 

On a night behind bars

Inmates are barking at guards

Lightning cracking outside 

Mayhem starting

The inmates trying to break out 

Metal clicking 

Anddddd

Crack 

Beeping! beeping!

Inmates cheering

Guards say ONE OF THEM GOT OUT

Everyone running

Inmates are getting out left and right to the point 

where they are all gone 

And its just me and the storm

Crack!

Trying to sleep but hearing nothing 

Is keeping me up

Hearing the wind

Hearing the thunder

Hearing the lightning 

It’s making me go nuts 

I can’t take it anymore 

Glass shatters

Footsteps stomping on the wet glass

Cops right on my tail

But cops disappearing 

Cops are no where to be found…..

In those more or less two days we did nothing. I mean on the first day all we did was pack but that was it. We left for the airport pretty early, all things considered. Our flight was from North Carolina to Costa Rica. Now you might be wondering “I thought Jurassic World was on an island not Costa Rica” and you’d be right, you have to catch a ferry to get to the island. 

The flight took around 4 hours and once we landed we had to grab our luggage and get to the dock around 35 minutes away from the airport. My dad signaled for a taxi while me and my mom got through the airport doors. When we put our stuff in the trunk and got in the driver said “you you from america?” “Yes, yes we are” responded my dad. That was the only conversation throughout. When we got to the dock there was the ferry waiting there for all of the guests. The ferry ride took around 2 hours but when we got there the view in the park on the monorail was breathtaking.

The monorail came to a stop as the track ended. When the door opened we grabbed our bags and walked out the door. We were supposed to first go to the hotel but instead I begged my parents to take me to get some food on main street. There were a whole bunch of stands with great selection of food but I ended up going for a hotdog at the hotdog stand. The thing I was surprised about was the fact that the hotdog was $4. In my opinion that's highway robbery. I didn’t even get any toppings. It was just bread and meat.

Anyways we walked to the hotel which was like a 5 minute walk with all the luggage. Thank goodness there was an elevator in the hotel because I probably would have given up because of our room being on the 6th floor.

Our hotel room was pretty cool. I guess we were in one of the more… fancy hotels. It had an office, a really big kitchen, and two master bedrooms, and ofcourse a bathroom. It felt like it was its own separate house.

We took around an hour to get settled and once we did we went down to mainstreet and started to look at all the shops and restaurants as one does. The first place we went that actually had a dinosaur was T-Rex Kingdom. We were really lucky because it was feeding time. But what I found gross was the fact that the T-Rex threw a goat leg at the glass.

Next we went to the dinosaur petting area. Mom was really enjoying it. She was mostly interested in the baby Apatosaurus. I think the Apatosaurus really liked my mom as well because it kept rubbing it’s head on her body.

    

    Then these loud blaring sirens started to scream and shout and let it out. Then seconds later Pteranodons and Dimorphodons flew down from the sky. We tried to run but it was complete chaos. People were getting their shoulders pierced with the sharp talons of the Pteranodons. I can’t even believe to remember how bad the screams were. At points of running blood was raining from the sky onto my shirt.

It was my fault it couldn’t save my mom. A Pterodactyl swooped down towards my mom, started to pick her up,digging it’s talons into her shoulders. Her screams… Me and my dad tried to save her. I dove from something and got her shoe… but it slipped off. The look my dad gave me “that look” I closed my eyes accepting to get hit. But I didn't. He gave me a hug. We had to get out of there as soon as possible.