Congratulations to all the winners.
The prizes, valued at more than $200, were a mix of iTunes gift cards (courtesy of PTO) and other gift certificates from local business. Each student also received a copy of the book Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook, from the PTO’s donation.
Show me how to lie
You’re getting better all the time
And turning all against the one
Is an art that’s hard to teach
Another clever word
Sets off an unsuspecting herd
And as you step back in the line
A mob jumps to their feet
Agnes took one last look in her rearview mirror. She saw only her mother and her brother, Floyd, standing outside their small bungalow waving a solemn goodbye. She barely had the courage to wave back. She instead swallowed her tears, gave a final chipper wave, and backed out of the driveway, slowly and carefully. Agnes could almost imagine her father right beside her, telling her how proud he was. She was off to start a new life as a student at MIT.
When she was a young girl, Agnes’s father passed away in a car accident. She closed her eyes and swore she could still see the flashing lights of cop cars and ambulances. Her family had left to go to a movie as a birthday surprise for Floyd. Captain America was playing at a theater that was a bit of a drive from their home. Agnes could remember looking out the window and seeing the city lights stream by her. That was, until a drunk taxi driver slammed into their car at an intersection. After that, all she could see was stars and blood.
She took a deep breath and sped as fast she could from her house. She was too close to breaking and couldn’t bear the thought of her family seeing her lose control. Agnes had proven long ago that she would be fine on her own. She laughed to herself as she remembered her mother’s face when she brought home the old, rusty Ford she was driving now.
“Agnes Clayworth, what were you thinking?” her mother had screamed.
“Jeez, Mom, chill! I saved up enough money to buy a car, so I thought, who’s stopping me?”
“I’ll tell you who’s stopping you. It’s me, young lady!”
Agnes sighed to herself as the memory faded. She turned onto the highway. Now, her adventure was really about to begin. Traveling at 70 MPH in her own rusty Ford, her belongings strapped to the top on a journey from New York to Massachusetts. This was fantastic.
And now you steal away
Take him out today
Nice work you did
You’re gonna go far, kid
The sky started to turn a deep shade of crimson, highlighted by specks of orange and yellow that dotted the gray horizon. Agnes let down the window and blasted her favorite song. She sang to the words, her hair blowing in the light breeze of the autumn day. She yelled out the lyrics as loud as she possibly could. This song, it was her father’s favorite. He used to sing it to her before bed every night when she was a child. Her mother had scolded him for it.
“It is not proper for a girl to listen to this…rock…music,” her mother would say, almost indignantly. Without fail, her father would whisper the song to her every night, although her mother objected.
The sky turned a dark shade of indigo as she passed the sign that welcomed her to Massachusetts. She was going to stay with her good friend, Hazel, who lived in Concord. They would travel on to MIT in the morning.
Agnes’s phone played the next song. She hummed to the melody, a low, sweet tune. She stuck her arm out the window and felt the breeze brush over her tired, cramped muscles.
With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See ‘em running for their lives
Agnes pulled into the driveway of Hazel’s small apartment.
“Agnes! Aggie!” Hazel called out from the front door.
“Hey, Haze, what’s up?”
“Come inside! It’s far too cold to be out there!”
“Hazel.”
“Yes?”
“It’s 70 degrees outside.”
“Oh.”
Agnes chuckled to herself. Hazel had always been a little spacey. She walked up to the front door of Hazel’s small, quaint apartment, lugging her large, tan suitcase full of clothes with her. This suitcase will travel around the world with her. Agnes sighed as Hazel showed her to the living room and motioned at the sofa. Agnes grunted and flopped down onto the hard framed, flat sofa with a loud thud.
“So. I haven’t seen you in forever!” Hazel squealed.
“Yeah! Can you believe it? We’ll be going to college! I can’t wait to be on campus. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.” Agnes could feel the anticipation rising in her chest.
“My parents aren’t home for the weekend,” Hazel started. “They left us some dinner for later.”
“You know, I’m actually kind of hungry now. That car ride was awful! I really can’t believe I made it here. Too many memories were crowding my mind.”
Hazel put a hand on Agnes’s shoulder. “Cheer up, old girl. College’ll be a great place to start a new chapter of your life. As an astrophysicist!”
“You’re right. It’s silly to live in the past.”
“That’s the spirit! So, do you want mac and cheese or a sandwich?”
The two girls had a dinner of Kraft® mac and cheese and chatted more as they ate the noodles. Agnes could feel her eyelids getting heavy.
“Hey, Hazel? I’m gonna hit the sack. We gotta be rested for a jam-packed day tomorrow.”
“See ya in the morning,” Hazel called from the kitchen.
“Yeah. See ya,” Agnes called. She stared down at the sofa before sitting down. It felt as comfortable as a bed of nails. She tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. She pulled out her phone and saw messages from Floyd. She and her brother had become pretty close after their father died. Agnes was only two years older than Floyd, but she felt that he acted more adult-like than she ever did.
Floyd: Hey Aggie! Did you get to Hazel’s all right?
Agnes smiled to herself. Floyd worried too much for his own good.
Agnes: I’m all right, Floyd. Can’t talk right now…
She threw her phone across the room, and broke down into a mess of tears, choked sobs escaping from her mouth. She rocked back and forth, trying to hold onto the sanity she had left in her. She would be alone for years with only Hazel to keep her company. Hazel was kind, and fun, but she didn’t compare to Floyd or her boyfriend from home, Lukas. She had found a real friend in both of them, the kind of people you only come across once in a lifetime. Agnes was simply awful at making new friends. She was socially awkward and different, taste wise.
Slowly out of line
And drifting closer in your sights
So play it out I’m wide awake
It’s a scene about me
There’s something in your way
And now someone is gonna pay
And if you can’t get what you want
Well it’s all because of me
Agnes decided it was nothing to cry over. This wasn’t the first time someone she loved had been taken away from her. She flopped over on her back and resolved that she would think about it again later, when she was at MIT. Her phone started to ring, a cheery, annoying pinging noise. She rolled off the sofa and dragged herself to the phone. Agnes’s voice caught in her throat as she saw that it was Lukas.
“Hey, Aggie,” Lukas said.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I just called to wish you luck at school.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.”
“Aggie?”
“Hm?”
“I really miss you.”
“I do too, Lukas, I do too.”
“I promise to come up and see you sometime, okay?”
“All right.”
“And Agnes?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“Love you too, Lukas.”
“See you soon, Ag.”
“Bye, Luke.”
Agnes pressed the small red button on her phone to hang up the call. She once again broke down into a mess of tears. She crawled over to the small sofa where she wrapped herself up in the thick quilt of Hazel’s and cried until she couldn’t cry any longer.
And now you’ll lead the way
Show the light of day
Nice work you did
You’re gonna go far, kid
Trust, deceived!
The next morning passed in a flurry of movement. Agnes and Hazel loaded up the Ford again and set out on the conquest for college. They each shoveled down some still gooey blueberry pancakes and a cup of coffee before heading out on the long ride. The movement of the car rocked Agnes’s aching body, the light wind caressed her face, and she felt full from the breakfast as she fell asleep listening to Hazel ramble on about the future.
“Aggie. Agnes. AGNES. AGNES ASTRID CLAYWORTH!” Hazel yelled into Agnes’s ear as she shook her from her peaceful slumber.
“WHAT!” Agnes shot up, hitting her head on the ceiling of the car, creating a loud thump.
“We’re here.”
There it was. Agnes was sitting right in front of MIT, the place she had worked so hard to get to. Hazel ran up to the facade of the building and yelled out a triumphant cry. Agnes looked up at the massive university that stood before her and smiled. This was going to be a great year.
She realized then that this will be one of the best, one of the greatest adventures that she would ever come across in her life. Why be afraid? Why hang on to distant memories? Why not just jump in head first and make the most of the best years of her life? Even though life had hurt her beyond repair, she knew that this would heal the scars of pain. It was a new life, a new beginning. Agnes had the world at her feet.
With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
Hit ‘em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See ‘em running for their lives
I gratefully acknowledge The Offspring for the song lyrics included in my story from their hit song “You’re Gonna go Far, Kid.”
