"Everything Is Blah"
by Kylah Shenkin
by Kylah Shenkin
The Tuesday third-period P.E. class gathered at the track outside of their high school. Avery was stretching. Spencer walked up.
“Hey Ave,” Spencer said. Avery looked up.
“Hey Spencer,” Avery replied.
“Are you gonna go to track today?” Spencer asked.
Avery sighed, “Yeah, it’s what I always do.”
The P.E. teacher Coach Millman walked up to the group.
“Alright kids!” Coach Millman yelled. “We’re gonna start today by running! Let’s go!”
Most of the kids groaned. The class started to run. Avery sprinted in front of the group.
One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi… Four, Avery thought. She focused and tried to get herself to run faster.
“Avery,” Spencer called from the crowd. “Ave! Wait up!” Avery slowed and turned to look behind her.
“Sorry, I was kind of focused,” Avery said when Spencer got up to her.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting kind of weird lately, and you only get focused like that when something’s wrong.”
“Spence, how long have we been friends?” Avery said.
“Since sixth grade, so like five years,” Spencer said.
“Right, so if something was wrong I’d just tell you. Can we get back to running?”
“Fine,” Spencer said. He started to run faster. Avery picked up her pace too.
Avery wasn’t lying when she said nothing was wrong. Technically, nothing was wrong, but nothing was right either. The only way Avery could think of to put it is that everything was blah, but no one seemed to understand what blah meant. It means that Mondays I have soccer practice, Avery thought, Tuesdays are track, Wednesdays are also soccer practice, Thursdays are track again, Fridays I hang out with my friends, nothing varies, maybe every once in a while we hang out in a different place but that’s it, and then it seems like I don’t have time for any of the other stuff I like to do. I really like to play guitar, and I used to play a lot, but I can’t remember the last time I actually played.
When high school started, without realizing, Avery made a lot of decisions. In middle school she had done a lot of extra things: she ran track, played soccer, played guitar, and she was a part of her middle school’s student government. When high school began, though, she started on the soccer team, and when Coach Millman found out that she was good, she didn’t have time to play guitar anymore, and she didn’t get a chance to join student government. She couldn’t stop thinking about how she had given up things she loved. She wanted to do other things, but she didn’t know how to make the change.
Avery started to run faster. She kept pushing herself. She wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around her. Again.
“Ave! Ave!” Spencer called, but Avery couldn’t hear him. She was rounding the track with Spencer doing his best to keep up with her. Avery started to feel something in her ankle but ignored it and weaved through her classmates. She didn’t really care about whatever was going on with her ankle; she just wanted to run and not think. Spencer slowed down; he was panting.
Pop! Avery screamed and fell to the floor. The second Spencer saw her fall he sped ahead of the rest of the class.
“What is it?” he asked.
“My ankle,” Avery answered with pain in her voice, her eyes starting to tear from the pain, as the rest of her classmates arrived and circled around her.
“Well, let’s get you over to the bleachers,” Spencer said. Spencer helped Avery up and when she put weight on her ankle she yelped in pain. Spencer and another guy from the class carried Avery over to the bleachers and set her down.
Through the pain, wheels began to turn in Avery’s head. This might make things a little less blah, she thought.
Avery was back in school the next day. She was struggling to juggle her crutches and her books when Spencer walked over to her.
“Hey,” He said.
“Hey,” she said as she turned to face him.
“How are you?”
“Not so bad. I’ll be on crutches for a few weeks.”
“Good thing it’s not worse.”
“Yeah,” Avery shrugged. “Could you help me get my books into my bag though? It’s hard with the crutches.”
“Sure, what books do you need?” Spencer started to look through Avery’s locker.
“Bio, Global, and English. You know it’s weird: like ten people I’ve never even spoken to today have come up to me to make sure I was okay.”
“Yeah,” Spencer said as he put the books in Avery’s bag. “A friend of a friend told me that you broke your leg in two places.”
Avery laughed and picked up her bag. Spencer and Avery started to walk. Spence sighed, “So are you ever going back to track?”
“My mom doesn’t want me to. I’m not sure about it yet. I definitely want to join some clubs since I’ll have some extra time. Music and probably something else, but I haven’t decided what yet.”
Spencer smiled, “Cool Ave. You’re really good at guitar.”
“Thanks. This is my stop,” Avery said in front of a classroom. She groaned, “Bio. But, yeah I think the change will be nice.” Avery started to walk into the classroom.
“Maybe I’ll take up drums,” Spencer said.
“Hey Ave,” Spencer said. Avery looked up.
“Hey Spencer,” Avery replied.
“Are you gonna go to track today?” Spencer asked.
Avery sighed, “Yeah, it’s what I always do.”
The P.E. teacher Coach Millman walked up to the group.
“Alright kids!” Coach Millman yelled. “We’re gonna start today by running! Let’s go!”
Most of the kids groaned. The class started to run. Avery sprinted in front of the group.
One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi… Four, Avery thought. She focused and tried to get herself to run faster.
“Avery,” Spencer called from the crowd. “Ave! Wait up!” Avery slowed and turned to look behind her.
“Sorry, I was kind of focused,” Avery said when Spencer got up to her.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting kind of weird lately, and you only get focused like that when something’s wrong.”
“Spence, how long have we been friends?” Avery said.
“Since sixth grade, so like five years,” Spencer said.
“Right, so if something was wrong I’d just tell you. Can we get back to running?”
“Fine,” Spencer said. He started to run faster. Avery picked up her pace too.
Avery wasn’t lying when she said nothing was wrong. Technically, nothing was wrong, but nothing was right either. The only way Avery could think of to put it is that everything was blah, but no one seemed to understand what blah meant. It means that Mondays I have soccer practice, Avery thought, Tuesdays are track, Wednesdays are also soccer practice, Thursdays are track again, Fridays I hang out with my friends, nothing varies, maybe every once in a while we hang out in a different place but that’s it, and then it seems like I don’t have time for any of the other stuff I like to do. I really like to play guitar, and I used to play a lot, but I can’t remember the last time I actually played.
When high school started, without realizing, Avery made a lot of decisions. In middle school she had done a lot of extra things: she ran track, played soccer, played guitar, and she was a part of her middle school’s student government. When high school began, though, she started on the soccer team, and when Coach Millman found out that she was good, she didn’t have time to play guitar anymore, and she didn’t get a chance to join student government. She couldn’t stop thinking about how she had given up things she loved. She wanted to do other things, but she didn’t know how to make the change.
Avery started to run faster. She kept pushing herself. She wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around her. Again.
“Ave! Ave!” Spencer called, but Avery couldn’t hear him. She was rounding the track with Spencer doing his best to keep up with her. Avery started to feel something in her ankle but ignored it and weaved through her classmates. She didn’t really care about whatever was going on with her ankle; she just wanted to run and not think. Spencer slowed down; he was panting.
Pop! Avery screamed and fell to the floor. The second Spencer saw her fall he sped ahead of the rest of the class.
“What is it?” he asked.
“My ankle,” Avery answered with pain in her voice, her eyes starting to tear from the pain, as the rest of her classmates arrived and circled around her.
“Well, let’s get you over to the bleachers,” Spencer said. Spencer helped Avery up and when she put weight on her ankle she yelped in pain. Spencer and another guy from the class carried Avery over to the bleachers and set her down.
Through the pain, wheels began to turn in Avery’s head. This might make things a little less blah, she thought.
Avery was back in school the next day. She was struggling to juggle her crutches and her books when Spencer walked over to her.
“Hey,” He said.
“Hey,” she said as she turned to face him.
“How are you?”
“Not so bad. I’ll be on crutches for a few weeks.”
“Good thing it’s not worse.”
“Yeah,” Avery shrugged. “Could you help me get my books into my bag though? It’s hard with the crutches.”
“Sure, what books do you need?” Spencer started to look through Avery’s locker.
“Bio, Global, and English. You know it’s weird: like ten people I’ve never even spoken to today have come up to me to make sure I was okay.”
“Yeah,” Spencer said as he put the books in Avery’s bag. “A friend of a friend told me that you broke your leg in two places.”
Avery laughed and picked up her bag. Spencer and Avery started to walk. Spence sighed, “So are you ever going back to track?”
“My mom doesn’t want me to. I’m not sure about it yet. I definitely want to join some clubs since I’ll have some extra time. Music and probably something else, but I haven’t decided what yet.”
Spencer smiled, “Cool Ave. You’re really good at guitar.”
“Thanks. This is my stop,” Avery said in front of a classroom. She groaned, “Bio. But, yeah I think the change will be nice.” Avery started to walk into the classroom.
“Maybe I’ll take up drums,” Spencer said.
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