Yessenia Moreno
Carrie Jean Shroeder
English 1A
23 January 2014
Did you hear about The Voice?
“Noooo, this can’t be? Are you kidding me?” I screamed angrily.
“I am sorry Yessenia, but she has not gotten back to us since last night,” said Alma.
“But what are we going to do, the rally starts in 20 minutes,” I remarked.
And so it had hit me, what could be the most important event this year could go down the drain and disappoint hundreds of students at my high school. A special day awaited my student government classmates and I. For we had been preparing for this day the entire summer and all our work would finally pay off. The Homecoming Rally would take place in our school’s gymnasium and every student looked forward to this event because it was the highlight of the year. Since I was the rally committee’s chair I had to make sure everything ran according to schedule. As I approached the gymnasium in hopes of finding nothing but great news, reality struck me right in the face. I would have never guessed that the most important person was going to miss this event. The host of the rally was nowhere to be found or reached.
“Oh no Ms. Klein, who is just as capable to host the biggest rally of the year?” I exclaimed to our ASB advisor.
Melissa Garcia who had done this many times and was excellent at it was missing and she would not make it in time to host this rally. I panicked for there was no one who was as great or experienced as her. It was strange that she had not contacted me explaining her absence, so that way a replacement would have been found and prepared. I paced back and forth thinking of an alternative.
“I have an idea Yessenia, you could do it! You are the only one I know who is so energetic and outgoing in this class,” Ms. Klein stated.
Was she really referring to me? Was I our only option for this event we had been planning for months? I was just the planner, the creative one in this; I could not possibly be the planner and the host. This was all new to me. I was only a junior who could possibly be hosting the rally in front of hundreds of people in just a few minutes.
I began to sweat from my hands, my mouth was dry, and my stomach was turning of nervousness and anxiety. There was not much time to be debate with myself on whether or not I should do it; it was now or never. I was about to have a nervous breakdown when suddenly I remembered a significant phrase that gave me a huge boost of confidence. I remembered it roamed many different social media. The quote stated, “Real life takes place here and now,” and this was my chance to face reality and not be intimidated by it.
I looked around the gymnasium at everything that had been put up for display. The gymnasium was no longer dull and filled with sweaty basketball players; it was full of life and color. There were green and purple balloon arches at every corner, the stage had been placed in the middle of the gym, and there was a red carpet so that it could look more official. I admired every little detail that had been put into this rally. After all, it screamed mardi-gra! Students began making their way on the bleachers; some faces full of excitement and others filled with blank expressions. The time was getting closer, the stress was increasing, and my stomach felt like a bunch of bees had been trapped inside and wanted to come out. “You can do this Yessenia, you are so outgoing and energetic in class. I believe in you as well as the student body,” said Ms. Klein.
Nevertheless, there was no turning back. I wouldn’t let my student body down nor would I let the entire high school down. With the schedule and the script in hand I began to make my way up on the stage. All the thoughts racing through my head were negative. I thought about how tight my dress felt, how sweaty my feet had gotten, and how likely the odds of me falling off the stage was.
My anticipation and nervousness grew, for I was about to make an impression on the students or