May 23, 1997

Thank gosh its the last day of middle school. I've been waiting over two years for this day and to get out of Grant. I still don't know where I'm going to high school next year. The house is for sale and hopefully we will move to the island and I can go to Flour Bluff, but if not I'll be Carroll I guess even though Daniel and Scott won't. Anyways I'm waiting downstairs with Cory and Daniel for the Baldrees to pick us up and take us to school. We ponder whether or not we should hide outside like we have been doing most of the semester and try and steal Scott or Justin's seat. We don't, instead we watch TV and wait. Daniel and I mention how this doesn't feel like the last day of school, seems like we still have weeks to go, but we don't of course thank God.

The Baldrees pick us up and Cory and I are stuffed into the back row seat and Daniel got one of the captains chairs and Scott is in the front seat. At school we hang outside until they let us and then head for class. I have Geometry first with Mr. Bradshaw. I kind of was mad earlier in the year at him because I wasn't making good grades but I've got it back up to a B and Mr. Bradshaw is one of the nicest guys and has said a lot of good things to me this year. Geometry is long, we don't have a test because Bradshaw said that was dumb on the last day so we mostly talk and hang out, Daniel is in my class as well as some other friends. Next is US history and we have a test that takes nearly the entire 75 minutes. Classes are a little shorter today since we have an hour early release. Lunch is after history and I buy my lunch like I have most of the year and sit with Scott, Daniel, Stephen, Justin, Jason, Ryan, Nabeel and a couple of other guys. Too bad all year we never had a girl sit at our lunch table, oh well its been mostly fun.

Last two classes are English which we do a short writing final and then my final middle school class is PE, thank gosh and I consider my day done. We don't have to dress out and coaches let us just play basketball in the gym which is good because it is hot outside. 3:00 comes around and we get out. I meet up with Scott, Daniel, Cory and Justin and we walk about five minutes away to our spot and wait for mom to pick us up. She rolls around a little later in the suburban and we head home.

The day is not over because oh yeah the 8th grade dance is tonight. This isn't any dance because its at Kings Crossing Country Club not the school cafeteria. No dates, well most people don't we just go as friends. We dress up quite a bit and Daniel is actually wearing a tie. Ms. Baldree takes the three of us and we talk about how we probably won't ever see most of these people again as Scott and Daniel are going to IWA and I might be moving to Flour Bluff next year so we say we will have a good time. The dance is really nice, we hang with Justin, Stephen, and Adam and talk to the "bartender" who is just serving cokes and tea. It's fun and people are dancing. Scott has already danced with a couple of girls and Justin and I embarrass him at one point. Justin and Stephen dance with girls and now Daniel and I are saying we need to get courage and get out there. Finally I walk over to Jacquie and ask her to dance and she says yes. My first dance at a school dance. We only dance for like 2 minutes as the song had already began. She thanks me and I head back to the guys. Somehow all of us managed to get a dance with a girl that night.

The dance was fun and we head home. Daniel actually spends the night and we make plans to go to the movies tomorrow to see The Lost World, can't wait for that! It was fun and despite our differences through middle school we talk into the night about girls and high school. It's been a long day, a good ending to a fair three years of middle school.