Wanderlust

Chapter 1

Vagabond. 

      That was all I wrote. The assignment up on the board was to write down a word that we felt described us most. After everyone was done, we folded them up and placed them in a can on the Ms. Dollie's desk. This assignment amazed me. It was our last week of senior year and now they wanted us to discover ourselves and be open with it. We've been trying to discover ourselves all throughout high school and no one cared then, why do they now? Oh yeah, cause we're done now, one week and these past 700 days of high school will be nothing but a faded memory. I couldn't wait.

     Ms. Dollie started pulling the slits of paper out of the can and reading the words on them, while we tried guessing who wrote what down. The first paper pulled said "mournful". This was Charlie Bradshaw. The fact that he was mournful made me chuckle, the only one he's ever lost was his hamster, in kindergarten.. But, then again, he was the first kid in the class of 2016 at Truman High to go goth at the end of our 8th grade year.. He was asked why he wrote this and all he did was quote The Downfall of Us All by A Day to Remember,  which again made me laugh, I wonder if anyone else noticed? Probably not.

     The next word drawn was "Cheerful". This was Amber Lucas' word. She was the head cheerleader at Truman High. Need I saw more? When she was asked why she picked this word all she did was shout "Go T-birds" and moved her hands as if she had pom poms in them. 5 more minutes in class, no way my word would be picked.

     "Vagabond". Of course. I should have known by now that if you think the teacher isn't going to pick yours, she will. Nobody even tried to guess. So I offered up my confession so we could move on. I stood up and started my reasoning..

     "Vagabond, this is a person who travels to place to place without any set destination, no house, or job, and no plan. They just let life take them where it takes them. Sure that sounds a bit hippie, but oh well. These past 4 years of high school, everyone tried to decide my life after graduation for me. The college brochures, fast food applications, summer internships, and apartments for sale in town. Frankly, I'm tired of it. There is nothing I wont more then to get out of this confined town. and I guess that's my plan. I am a vagabond full of wanderlust." 

    Just then, the bell rang, I rushed out of the class room and went to my locker. As I was staring into my practically empty locker besides my travel journal, this was an empty journal that I planned on logging in during my free time on the road trip I was about to depart for in the next 3 minutes that it took me to get out to the parking lot. There was still 3 periods left in the day but I knew I couldn't make it and if I didn't leave now, I never would. My car was already packed. It wasn't much, just a couple different outfits, some money I had been saving up from babysitting the neighbor kids, and then just some snack food in case i get hungry before the first pit stop to only god knows where. 

     I started out to the parking lot, ignoring all the familiar faces that I passed in the hallway. I made it to my car, checked the back seat to make sure I grabbed everything I need, turned my phone off, and looked around Truman High one last time, thinking to myself I wouldn't be back. I whispered goodbye to not only my high school and my peers but also to myself. I was no longer going to Aria Madison from Tipp City, Ohio. I was only Aria now, on my own, which wasn't much of an adjustment. I started the engine to my 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix and pulled out of the parking lot and headed start out of town on West Main Street as I watched the town I grew up in but never really felt was home grow smaller than it made me and my dreams feel these past 17 years. As I branched onto I-75, that was goodbye.