Four years passed

Between crowded hallways

Last assignments

And clocks that always seem stuck

I learned how to rush to class

With airpods in

Half-awake and carrying too much in my backpack,

Pretending I had everything figured out.

There were nights spent staring at screens,

Trying to finish essays

I waited too long to start, 

And mornings where exhaustion

Followed me through every period.

I won’t miss the stress

Of tests, grades, and due dates.

I won’t miss the pressure of homework,

The pressure of finals,

Or hearing “this counts towards your future”

Over and over again

I won’t miss the building itself either,

The cold classrooms,

The crowded cafeteria,

Or the feeling of counting down the minutes

Until the final bell rang

But somehow,

Inside a place I often wanted to leave,

People found a way to make it better.

I’ll miss laughing with my friends

During moments we were supposed to be quiet.

I’ll miss the random conversations

That turned bad days into good ones.

I’ll miss the teachers

Who cared more than they had to,

Who listened, encouraged,

And reminded me I was capable

Even when I doubted myself.

I’ll miss the comfort

Of seeing the same faces every day

Never realizing how temporary it all was.

The goodbye feels strange

Because part of me is ready to move on,

While another part wishes

Time would slow down for a little longer.

High School was never perfect.

Some days were stressful, lonely, and exhausting.

But between all the chaos,

There were memories worth keeping

And years from now,

I probably won’t remember

Most of the assignments I turned in

Or the grades I worried about

I’ll remember the people.

The laughter echoing through hallways.

The friendships that carried me through.

And the feeling of growing up

Without even noticing it was happening

“You take it from here…” – Kento Nanami