Dear Dakota | Academic Rivalry Story

Thirteen | Project

N Y L A D Y L A N S

Sitting in the principal's office at seven in the morning was not exactly how I wanted to start my morning.

The coffee brewer in the back is letting out the heavenly scent of coffee I have grown to love. My eyes scan the office, noticing all diplomas on the walls. All of them are from NYU and the doctorate in education one catches my eyes. Why go to such a University and get that type of degree to be sitting in front of a computer all day having to assist fights that go on at school?

Dakota puts his bag in front of his legs as we wait for the principal to come back into his office. Once he does my posture straightens and all my attention is on what will come out of his mouth. He takes a hold of his coffee mug and sits behind his desk. After typing what seems like a ten-page argumentative essay, he finally begins to talk.

"How did I know you two would be in here?" He mainly directs the question towards himself though it seems like he is asking us. "Blank rankings right?"

Umm, I would hope so.

"Yes sir," Dakota speaks up and Principal J nods. His face seems way too calm and it is making me even more nervous. I try my best to not let my right foot start bouncing up and down in small movements.

"That was on purpose." He informs us and turns on his computer screen. "As you know semester one doesn't end until December and everyone but you two know your ranking. You two were quick at figuring out it was each other."

We are neighbors and best friends. Of course, we would find out one way or the other.

"It felt like yesterday this happened with Jordan and Lily."

Who?

By the look of my confused face, the principal starts explaining. "Dakota, you remember them don't you?" He asks and Dakota nods once. "They were in the same position as you two. We, as in the admin and I, didn't know what to do. So we ended up giving them a blindfolded project. They would create their projects, not put their names on it, and let teachers they have never had before, grade them. Whoever got the highest score would be named Valedictorian."

All I heard was the term tmi over and over again. I am not interested in doing a make it or break it project either.

"Will we be doing that too?" Dakota asks.

No. Hush it! The silence coming from Principal J's side only means he is considering the idea. When he shakes his head no I could sigh of relief.

"You will do a project, but..." he says when I am about to interfere, "It will be a bit different from what they did. You're writing an essay."

He passes us a paper with instructions as if he has been planning for this moment for his whole life. I don't have the chance to read it through before he continues talking.

"The topic is simple. Something you have grown to like. This can go in multiple ways. If you decide to be creative but that is up to you. You have two weeks to complete it. Make it sentimental and dramatic. That is all we are asking for."

Normally an essay would take me nowhere near two weeks to complete. The max I have spent on an essay is three days and it is because I had to write a ten-page argumentative essay. I had a few breakdowns along the way but I eventually got it.

My mind is already sorting out the ways I am going to space out the paragraphs so I don't get burnt out. One paragraph a day. Then a whole bunch of editing afterward.

After what seemed like endless questions from Dakota we are free to go to our first period. Except we aren't. I am not the bad student who skips class but if the principal is already going to email our teachers about this whole ordeal, I might as well catch a break in the morning.