SOMETHING I REMEMBERED FOR NO REASON

WHEN I WAS IN THE SEVENTH GRADE, THERE WAS AN ORIENTEERING UNIT IN OUR GYM CLASS, WHICH WAS A SHARED CLASS OF SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADERS. WE WOULD HAVE TO GO AROUND THE SCHOOL GROUNDS USING OUR COMPASSES TO FIND THESE HIDDEN FLAGS, THE COORDINATES OF WHICH WE WOULD WRITE DOWN AND HAVE SCORED BY THE TEACHER AT THE END OF THE HOUR. ON ONE OF THE DAYS, INSTEAD OF GOING OUTSIDE AND GETTING RIGHT TO IT, THE TEACHER GATHERED EVERYONE AROUND AND STARTED LOSING HER SHIT ABOUT HOW SOMEONE HAD RIPPED DOWN ONE OF THE FLAGS, AND HOW IT WAS SO FUCKED UP AND DISRESPECTFUL, AND ASKED EVERYONE WHO DID IT. OF COURSE NOBODY CAME CLEAN, AND SO SHE SAID THAT UNTIL SOMEONE DID, NONE OF THE EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO ON THEIR CLASS TRIP TO CEDAR POINTE AMUSMENT PARK. IN THE LOCKER ROOM AFTER CLASS, THE EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS WERE FREAKING OUT, AND FOR SOME REASON THEY CAME UP TO ME AND WERE LIKE "ELIZA WE KNOW YOU FUCKING DID IT." (I DIDN'T) "WHAT IS YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM YOU HAVE TO TELL HER YOU DID IT". BASICALLY THEY WERE BEING COMPLETE ASSHOLES, AND I HADN'T DONE ANYTHING, BUT THEY PRESSURED ME SO MUCH THAT I WENT AND TOLD THE TEACHER THAT I HAD RIPPED THE FLAG DOWN. ALL IN ALL IT WAS A REALLY STUPID THING, I MEAN, ANYONE COULD HAVE DONE IT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, UM, THE GYM CLASS BEFORE OURS, A RANDOM PERSON WALKING BY, THE CROSS COUNTRY TEAM...YEAH, I DON'T KNOW WHY OUR TEACHER WAS SO BENT OVER A FUCKING FLAG BEING RIPPED OFF A TREE (IT ALSO MIGHT HAVE FALLEN OFF?) BUT SHE WAS, AND SO WHEN I CONFESSED SHE TOLD ME I HAD TO WRITE A TWO PAGE PAPER ABOUT WHY WHAT I DID WAS WRONG. WHEN I GOT HOME, I TOLD MY MOM THAT I HAD TAKEN THE BLAME FOR SOMETHING I DIDN'T DO, HOPING I THINK THAT SHE WOULD THINK IT WAS NICE OF ME OR SOMETHING, BUT INSTEAD SHE WAS LIKE "YOU IDIOT" AND CALLED MY TEACHER WHO SHE KNEW PERSONALLY AND TOLD HER WHAT I HAD SAID. SO THEN THE GYM TEACHER BELIEVED ME, BUT I STILL HAD TO WRITE A TWO PAGE PAPER ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULDN'T TAKE THE BLAME FOR THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE DO WRONG.

THE END.

TWO WORLDS AT ONCE

I WOKE UP RIGHT BEFORE WHENEVER DAWN IS WITH A BUG BITE ON MY LEG. IT ITCHED LIKE CRAZY SO I SCRATCHED IT, AND TRIED TO FALL BACK ASLEEP, BUT AS SOON AS I CLOSED MY EYES ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS "WHAT IF IT WAS A BROWN RECLUSE?". I TRIED TO NOT THINK ABOUT IT BUT I COULDN'T HELP BUT REMEMBER A BROWN RECLUSE POPULATION MAP I SAW IN A MAGAZINE ONE TIME AND TRY TO PICTURE THE LEVELS OF BROWN RECLUSE (IF ANY THERE WERE) IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. OF COURSE I COULDN'T. SO THEN I GOT ALL FREAKED OUT AND LAY FLAT AND STILL WITH EYES OPEN IN TOTAL DARKNESS UNTIL I HAD PUT IT ALL FROM MY MIND, AND WAS TIRED ENOUGH TO SLEEP AGAIN, BUT EVERY TIME I CLOSED MY EYES ALL I COULD SEE WAS THE SAME LIGHT BLUE, DROWNED, DEAD, ROTTING ARM IN REPOSE SURROUNDED BY BLACK, SO I DON'T KNOW IF I ACTUALLY EVER WOKE UP OR WHAT. IF I WAS AWAKE AND SAW THAT WHEN I CLOSED MY EYES, HOW FUCKED UP AM I? MAYBE I WAS IN TWO WORLDS AT ONCE.