A Juncture of Boundless Potentialities
I’m standing up in front of my English class holding a shoebox in my sweaty palms, all eyes are on me. The teacher clears her throat and tells me to continue with that motion of her hand. I close my eyes, take a breath, open and begin my presentation. “I’ve decorated this box in a way that signifies the way that I am and who I am,” I croak out, my mind urging my voice to build confidence. “I am a softball playing; boot wearing, and sweet tea drinking, southern girl.” Oh no! Here it comes. I gulp louder than I anticipated. It’s like there’s a spotlight shining down on me because sweat is beading off my forehead. “And yes, I am a little bit of a book fanatic.” I let my eyes pull up from the ground and look at my pupils sheepishly only to find that none of them are laughing, so I continue. “I enjoy reading on wattpad, a website where undiscovered writers can come to write their stories for fun and maybe even get the book promoted.
That day went better than I thought it would and now I’m not ashamed to show my face with a book. Okay, maybe it’s a little bit cliché, but before I thought I was going to get picked on by the “cool kids.” I’ve imagined many times that I would be the girl with glasses, her hair up in a ponytail, dressed in all pastel colors who shies away from everyone who looks at her, or even just walks past her. No, I am a strong young being who has a passion for books, I would now, never coward away from anyone, because this is my life, and I am going to do whatever I want with it.
If I wouldn’t have decided to tell that English class about my love for books, I would probably be like a turtle, all fine and dandy until something intimidating comes along to make me hide away. If I hadn’t walked up to that English teacher, I would not have been able to get out what I wanted to.
