My alarm clock lights up and starts to blare “Payphone” into my ear, giving me a jolt. It’s 5:40 AM.

Monday.
I hate Mondays. I’m thinking this as I walk groggily into the shower hoping the hot water will wake me up. It doesn’t.

Clean and even more tired (how is that possible?), I walk into the kitchen to make my lunch. After I put it in the fridge, I realize with dread that I have to walk the dogs. Outside it is freezing, which is a total shock because it is Louisiana. I try to lead my dogs into an open lot to do their business, but of course they do it in the middle of someone’s yard. Oh, but don’t worry, I always come prepared.

When that nasty scene is over with, we go back into the house. It’s 6:30. I suck my breakfast down, brush my teeth, make my mom’s coffee and head out. The school parking lot isn’t quite filled yet and I see other exhausted teens slurping down their coffee as if it was their life source.

Right when I get inside the bell rings. First period: Chemistry. I try not to fall asleep as my teacher drones on and on about electron configurations. Finally, 54 minutes later, the bell rings. I race out of class to go to English. My teacher said she had something fun planned for us. Spoiler alert: it was the opposite. She put us in groups of three and as usual I was stuck with the boy who picks his boogers and then eats them and the goth girl who just stares down at her paper. I stare down the clock, watching the minute hand slowly reach 9:18 and I’m out the door.

Next class, P.E. Oh, Lordy. We do our twenty sit ups and push ups watching them eat their mouth-watering do-nuts. My class gets to go outside. Yay.

“We’re playing softball!” My coach yells as if it’s the best thing in the world.
“Cecily, you’re up first.” Did I hear that right? Me, oh no of course it would be me. I pick up the bat and whisper, “Lord Jesus, please let me hit that ball.” And I do, but I don’t even reach first base before getting out.

Twenty minutes later out coach tells us to go back inside and dress back into our regular clothes. The girl’s locker room smells like sweat and enormous amounts of perfume.
*Ding*

On to Civics. I practically fall asleep, again, as we talk about the election. For fifty-four minutes. I am so happy when the bell rings. My best friend, Kylie and I have to sprint to get to each of our next classes. I run into theatre class panting just as the tardy bell rings. Phew. My theatre class is divided into two sides. On one side are the gifted weird kids and on the other side, my other best friend, Gabby and my two friends, Maddie, Madeline and me. We run through the children’s stories we will be performing soon and learn about some old, dead guy who apparently created theatre. Who knew huh? I look at my watch. YES. Its 12:12, which means lunch, which means the day is almost over.

Lunch is basically the best part of my day. I get to eat food and relax with my friends before taking on the next two classes. Too soon, the bell rings and we all go to our sixth period; mine is Spanish III. Spanish III is actually really difficult. I thought it would be a blow off class but I was very, very wrong. We learn how to conjugate in the future tense and do some worksheets that I know I won’t finish for homework tonight.

The bell rings and I head for Algebra II. Finally, seventh period. I try to pay attention to the student teacher’s lesson but I fail. All I can do is look at the clock and try to will it to make it to 2:36. I see other students do the same and start to pack up. When I look back at the clock, its 2:36! I quickly pack up and write my homework down just as the bell rings and speed out of there.

Well, Monday is over. Four more days to go.