YEARBOOK

The Yearbook

THE YEARBOOK

BY NZFANTASY

Inspired by Yearbook from the album Middle of Nowhere by Hanson.

It was that time of year again. Yelling and shouting from the boys while the giggles and squeals from the girls all surrounded me. The exhausted teachers had just given up trying to control the mass. Kids fluttered from room to room, crowding the hallways as everyone grabbed anyone they knew to sign their yearbooks.

I glanced down at my photo. It was average, certainly not the best photo I had taken but as far as yearbook photos went it wasn't half bad.

“Hey, sign my book?”

I looked up to see Amy, the girl who sat diagonally from me in most of my classes.

“Sure. Any plans for the summer?” I asked, exchanging hers for mine.

“My parents are dragging me cross-country to our home-town for the whole summer. I'll be lucky if I make it back in time for the next school year.” She jokingly groaned and I laughed along.

“How about you?” she asked as she wrote.

“Nothing much,” I answered then quickly wrote in her book.

‘See you in September? ~ Alex’

“Well I hope you remember me next year,” I told her as I handed her book back. She laughed as she quickly read my message, which made her laugh more.

“For sure” she replied before giving me mine and going off to find others to sign.

I looked down to see she had written ‘Hope we are in the same classes together again next year ~ Amy’

I smiled at the thought. Maybe I should make an effort next year to become real friends with her.

I gathered up my things and stiffly walked out of the room. Conversation flowed around me, as the returning students finalised vacation plans while the leaving seniors gloated about where they were travelling, what universities they got into or jobs they had lined up. There were funny stories about the past year told that incited varying degrees of chortles, guffawing, snickers and whooping, creating a sense of nostalgia in all.

I couldn't help but feel the joyfulness and excitement and the underlining nervousness that had enveloped the school. However, it just left me feeling unknowingly empty. Sure I smiled and laughed along but deep down I didn't feel the happiness. Inside I was a twist of emotions — sadness, confusion but most of all, anger.

At my locker, I looked at the page in the yearbook again. The photos were listed by year then by surnames in alphabetical order.
I touched my one, and the sinking feeling filled me again. Like when you drive over a hill to fast and your stomach feels like it's falling out.
I was so happy that day it was taken before I found out.

My finger slid across four photos and stopped on the blank space.

JOHNNY.

The named echoed through my head.

Where did he go? I wondered for the umpteenth time. His picture was unavailable for the yearbook but I couldn't seem to forget his face. I barely knew him but when I heard he was missing something within me had shattered.

When it was quiet in the halls I could hear it echoing off the walls, rumours of Johnny's mystery. With a sigh, I closed the book and stared at the action around me like it was a scene from a movie.