Get Real: 2020 Life in the Pause
Story I: Olympic-Level March 13, 2020 Freshman year of high school was supposed to be the start of something new—late-night study sessions, cafeteria food complaints, maybe even some dumb high school drama to roll my eyes at. Instead, I was stuck at home. At first, it was tolerable with the constant zoom classes, awkward silence filled breakout rooms, and the occasional “You’re on mute.” But as the months dragged on, the walls of our house felt smaller. Tighter. Conversations turned into arguments. Arguments turned into screaming matches. Every little thing got under my skin. My younger sister chewing too loudly, my older sister hogging the WiFi, and the way no one else seemed to put their dishes in the sink. I tried to escape with my nose in a book, drowning out the tension. But the fights found me. My sisters and I had nothing better to do than get on each other’s nerves, and we did it with Olympic-level dedication. Story II: Bombshell October 15, 2020 I found the test b...