"Baby Steps" by Wesley Meeks

This whole experience is scary new.

Your life is changing and you’re not sure what to expect.

She’s small swaddled in pink and staring at you

And you know raising her will be your hardest test.

Now she can walk and talk and sing

She’s getting bigger and growing all the time.

You’re her hero, her best friend, her everything

But someday it won’t just be all nursery rhymes

Years go by and you’re always there

You teach her right from wrong.

Her burdens aren’t just hers to bear

And you nurture her and make her strong.

You comfort her in times of hardship

And rejoice in her success.

You instill in her patience, independence, and leadership

And assure her she is perfect even if she feels like a mess.

She’s now a young lady.

Under your guidance she came into her own.

She’s no longer just a baby

Just look at how much she has grown.

Her senior year has finally arrived.

Acceptance letters trickle in one by one.

High school is almost over now; she survived

And you are so proud of all she’s done.

But now it’s the day you’ve been dreading

 It has finally appeared.

All along this is where her life’s been heading.

She’s ready to leave home just like you’ve feared.

Leaving her is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do

And you try not to let that show.

You are scared to say goodbye – she is too.

But it’s time to let her go.

"Beware: Dangerous Equipment Resides in this Purse" by Wesley Meeks

I was lying on the blacktop while Charlotte leaned over her seat cracking up while she watched me. I’m sure it was an interesting site to witness; I was flailing around on the ground moaning and groaning about the traumatic experience I had just encountered and how I was pretty sure my best friend attempted to kill me. It is possible that some might say my reaction was overdramatic but to me, at the time, my actions seemed completely justified.

Our night began at 9:00 pm right after Charlotte picked me up from my place after she got out of work. She had the munchies and as past experiences have dictated you can’t allow your best friend to feel like a pig and stuff her face alone so we were quick to head to the best place we know for junk food together: Mellow Mushroom. We had our fill of pizza and soft pretzels and at my persistence the Mary Jane Brownie, which despite its namesake that gives a nod to 70’s hippie culture, is honestly just a brownie with ice cream and whipped cream on top. Afterwards we figured out who had to pay what and we sluggishly left the restaurant with sore stomachs and regrets.

Driving back the food began to take effect. Other than giving us tummy aches the strange thing about Charlotte and I is that we are most rambunctious after we have just eaten a ton of food, especially me. I’m not sure why and it could just be the sugar working its way through out system but  I sadly think it might be due to the fact that it is the most rebellious thing we ever do together and it makes us feel extremely hard-core. Either way, despite feeling sick to the stomach and overstuffed we felt pretty alighted in a tired, weird kind of way.

We sat in the parking lot near the entrance of where I lived listening to Country Music and talking about anything we could think of. It had been a while since Charlotte and I last hung out so we had a lot to catch up on. I was in the middle of describing the latest Pokémon game I was playing. I recently learned how to use hacks on the GBA4ios app on my phone and I was really excited about it; she was not. While she nodded and “mhhmed” in all of the right places she could care less about the game and seemed a little distracted. All of a sudden she looked over and asked if I wanted to see what her boyfriend got her. I was expecting it to be something nice and sweet like maybe flowers or chocolate, typical lovey-dovey stuff, so imagine my surprise when she excitedly whipped out a taser! She turned it on, the blue lights flashed, the device buzzed, and I freaked out.

When showing your friend a taser, or any dangerous equipment in fact, I think there are certain rules of decorum that should be followed. The first: do not turn it on in a tight space. Sitting in the car there was barely any room to escape and to make it worse the blue lights were pointed down and flashing near my left leg so I did the only logical thing. I grabbed the handle of the door and threw myself out of the car. I read about this before in psychology; it was the fight or flight response and I was not going to fight.

That night I ended up lying on the blacktop with my best friend laughing at me trying to get a picture or capture it on film. I felt like a star on a horribly made YouTube video intended to be funny but wasn’t really at all. The only thing I could think of a moment was, Beware: Dangerous equipment resides in this purse and while this girl might seem sweet and innocent, she will take you down. 

"A Recipe for Disaster: The Super Senior Deluxe Surprise" by Wesley Meeks

            In this simple recipe that serves one senior the ingredients are easy to procure and every twelfth grader student is capable of making it. This concoction will knock you off your feet, give you high blood pressure, make you a nervous wreck, and leave you never wanting more!

Necessary Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of an overwhelming schedule
• 2 tablespoons of anxiety
• 3 ½ cups of tears
• 1 ½ teaspoons of sleepless nights
• 1 ½ teaspoons of early mornings
• ¼ teaspoon of difficult classes
• ¾ cup of despair
• 1 ½ cups of pressure
• 4 college essays
• 5 college applications
• 1 ¼ cups of worries
• ¼ teaspoon of poor self esteem
• ½ a cup of college visits

Directions:

1) First, preheat the stress level to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of an overwhelming schedule, 2 tablespoons of anxiety, 3 ½ cups of tears and 1 ½ teaspoons of sleepless nights. Then set the bowl aside to brood for later use.

3) In another bowl mix together 1 ½ teaspoons of early mornings 1 ¼ cup of worries, 5 college applications and ¼ teaspoon of difficult classes until they create an overbearing and oppressive cream then beat in 4 college essays and mix well.

4) Next, stir ¾ cup of despair, ¼ teaspoon of poor self esteem, and 1 ½ cups of pressure then add in the mixture from the large bowl until they are will blended.

5) Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated stress levels then leave it out to cool for 30 minutes.

6) After the Super Senior Deluxe Surprise has cooled drizzle ½ a cup of college visits and your creation is ready to be served!