Late spring gloomed over Ox Tailor High like a cloud was constantly raining, ruining everyone’s day. The clouds dissipated and Sunlight poured through the windows, warming up desks that no one really sat in anymore. Seniors drifted through half empty halls, counting down days instead of assignments.
Xena wasn’t counting anything
He was posted up in the parking lot after school, hoodie half way zipped, music blasting from his phone, food in one hand. Laughing with his friends like nothing mattered. Like graduation wasn’t creeping up.
“I’ll do it tomorrow,” he muttered more to himself than anyone.
But tomorrow kept coming and going.
Assignments piled up, as he was skipping classes left and right. Teachers stopped reminding him as much. It was like the world slowly gave up trying to pull him forward and Xena didn’t fight it.
Until the meeting
He sat across from his counselor, leg bouncing, trying to look unbothered. But the words hit harder than he expected.
“You’re at risk of not graduating.”
Silence fell over the room.
Not graduating.
It didn’t even sound real. Not to him, not this close.
For the first time in a while, the music in his head cut out.
That night felt different. He couldn’t relax, couldn’t even laugh the same. His phone buzzed with group chats, but he just stared at it. Replaying in his mind over and over.
Not graduating.
The next day, it got worse.
His coach pulled him aside and said, “You’re better than this.”
A teacher stopped him in the hall. “You’re one of the smartest kids I’ve had. You just don’t try.”
Even his friends weren’t letting it slide anymore.
“Bro, we’re all getting our plans together,” one of them said. “Are you really about to throw it all away?”
That one stuck.
For the first time, Xena looked around not just at the moment, but ahead. People were talking about college, jobs, and summer plans that actually meant something. Futures moving forward.
And him?
Stuck.
Falling behind because it was easier, but that night, he didn’t say “tomorrow.”
He opened his laptop.
The work wasn’t easy. It felt heavy, like trying to run after sitting still for too long. He wanted to quit halfway through every assignment. Wanting to go back to the parking lot, back to doing nothing, But he didn’t.
One assignment turned into two. Late work turned in. Then showing up to class. Then actually paying attention.
Some days he still dragged himself out of bed even when he didn’t want to and some days he still didn’t feel like it but pushed through..
He was showing up no matter what.
That was the difference.
Weeks passed. Slowly things shifted. Grades climbed just enough. Teachers nodded instead of sighed. The pressure didn’t disappear, but neither did he.
On the last day before finals, Xena sat in class, pencil tapping lightly, sunlight hitting his desk the same way it always had.
But he felt different.
Not perfect. Not suddenly motivated.
Just… determined.
To be continued…
