The Arcane Society

Chapter 26

August 8th: 8:32 PM

'14/'15 School Year

I'm finally back from the recess! Sorry about the wait.

We're nearing School and one thing that I'm gonna hate is to retake the ACTExplore Test. What you did, for those coming into 7th or 8th grade, was you took a test in April. The test consisted of an inventory check, where you are given a certain activity and you either bubble in: I like, I don't care, or I dislike this activity. It looked something like this.

Ex:

Counting Money: (L) (I) (D)

Then, they asks like 50 questions and get this, it's timed! You get 45 minutes per section. It was Math, English, Social Studies, and Science. They only gave you one 10 minute break. I got my test back, and it looked like my knowledge died.

I died right around there, but I kept reading.

Oh my god, I did horrible. Let's keep going..

I flip the booklet over to the next page and the following are highlighted.

The medical field: Anesthesiologist, Nurse, Surgeon.

I can't handle blood or death, so no... Anything else?

Creative Arts (Verbal): Author, Illistrator, Publisher

Creative Arts (Preforming): Actor, Dancer, Painter, Interior Designer

Media and Information: Journalist, Reporter, Editor

Personal Services: Paralegal, Lawyer, Waitress

Yes! I was hoping for that. We were in math class when Mr. Slipfoot asked to share our career results when Nate raised his hand.

"I got pharmacist." All of us look at him with the are-you-kidding-me look. A lot of us had first hand experience with his unreliability.

"How many years would I need of school?"

Mr. Slipfoot was still in shock. "Around 6-8 years of college." It seemed like he was telling the truth.

"Okay, pharmacist is out." We gave a collective sigh of relief. I felt...sorry and conflicted for him. I mean, the guy has some soft spots, but he's mostly known for throwing people under the bus when it was clearly his fault. Sometime teachers fall for that. Which makes me think at the time; How did you even make it past college? You should be able to see through that stuff by now.

Another thing I'm somewhat looking forward to, is Cadet Band.

The way they treat band in middle school is almost like the military. We 8th graders are considered Cadets. What we do this year is super complex. Visit elementary schools, practice for festival, practice for Solo and Ensemble, practice for concerts, oh and did I mention practicing in general?

I'm wondering if I'll still be the only oboe. I mean, the pros are I have absolutely no competition for first chair (I'm the first, the last, the only.) and I get a lot of chances to shine. The cons, I'm stuck next to the overly-dramatic, and gossipy flute players, and the clarinet players who the multitude think I'm just a show-off, mainly Julia's subordinates. I don't ever really mean to take away the spotlight, except for Julia, who I despise, I just know too much to let to opportunity slip away. Music is my life. My salvation from this god-forsaken world. Don't even get me started on orchestra music.

Maybe I'm over contemplating things. Or that I watched a horror show last night that didn't allow me to sleep 'till 12:30 two nights before. Either way, I can't believe I'm saying this but, this year might not be so bad. My brother gave me heads up on all the teachers, I know better how to handle "romantic" situations, I know how to communicate but I still sound like an adult.