Notes from Financial Lit

I'm going to miss my Financial Literacy class. I'm going to miss beating up Chris. I'm going to miss Drew's snarky comments and Marty's ferocity when someone tries to keep them apart. I'm actually going to miss learning about investments and tax forms and credit reports and feeling that much safer in my future. I'm going to miss making the acquaintance of Braeden and Jace. I'm going to miss Coach Kelley's stories of his kids' quirks, his financial/wrestling history, and his biased political views. I'm going to really miss having time to spend with Logan in our class, developing our friendship with our own special inside jokes and laughs and tears. I'm really going to miss Gage, who I have grown to love so dearly in the past couple of months. I don't know what I'll do without his notes and pictures and hilarious faces.

We played Cash Flow. We passed out in our desks. We sang Queen at the top of our lungs, and we announced the Montezuma-Cortez High School Marching Band too many times to count. We got warning glares from Coach Kelley, and we enjoyed being "the back corner," the group of crazy kid who never strayed from their friendship and always managed to get the notes down. We were rebellious, lackadaisical, and pure in our high schooler experience, and we came out on top. Financial Lit, the most boring required class, became a haven and a sanctuary of sorts. We loved, and we now leave, parting ways and slipping into the practice of mere high fives in the halls (if we're lucky).

I'm going to miss them.

...

I feel I should say something about the shooting. I feel like I'd rather not. Not tonight, but not for forever. If we don't talk about it, those children will vanish even further, and we will be at fault.