Lesson Learnt

My entire future is dependent on this very small, yet significant moment in my life...and to think, two years ago I was too lazy to care. However, I now find myself sitting beside my family home's letterbox scanning the streets for the postman that is carrying my year 12 OP results. In theory it had been a simplistic idea, Though, in actuality, the workload and subsequent repercussions were anything but. My once easy lifestyle had sharply deteriorated into chaotic imbalance.

My first and hardest step began two years ago when I visited the school's extremely blunt careers consultant, Mrs Fitz."Road works", the words still send shivers down my spine. Supposedly, I had "very few choices" for my future, due to my C average and low effort rating. Envisaging my so called 'future' I knew that I had to 'get my act together'.

Year 11, Term Three was a real struggle for my girlfriend, Ashley and I. My new prerogative forced an expanding chasm between us. Ashley was so fortunate, she had been gifted a photographic memory which allows her great leniency. A mid-term legal test was nothing more than a few quick flicks through the textbook for her, whilst I had to spend hours memorizing even a quarter of the dogma relevant to the exam. I did my best to accommodate all aspects of the 'textbook' high school life, but as time progressed and the mountains of assessment became ever more daunting, my best didn't seem to be enough.

The dreaded Term Three of my twelfth year was pushing every aspect one of my barriers. This football season coach was acting like nothing short of a tyrant, babbling about "this being the year". This translated into training occurring every morning before school; tiring the mind and body before the day had even begun.

Game day consisted of a crowd of three separate factions; first, the school group, forced to demonstrate 'school spirit' while lacking all sense of morale. Second, the parents: who acted as if they were having their own match with the other team's counterparts, if, that is, your parents actually bothered to show. Third, there were the true supporters, people actually willing to be there just to support you; in my case I had Ashley.

I scanned for her face though she was nowhere to be found. It's was half-time of my last game. I'd checked my phone a billion times and received nothing from Ashley. She had said she would always come to my games, no matter what.

"Luke, get your head in the game!" I heard my name being screamed by Coach and couldn't help but feel my anger flare up. All season I'd to put up with his endless torment. He should have realized that, along with my other teachers, my life wasn't consumed by just football, history or physics. Instead, I had to shove the information of all six subjects into my brain, most of which I didn't even enjoy.

I tried to calm myself down, to keep continuing on like I had been. However, once the game ended I just couldn't anymore. The absence of Ashley was bothering me to no end. After my third phone call having immediately gone to her voicemail I decided to look for the source.

While having approached her front door, Ashley stood before me. She wore a tight pink dress which came to her mid-thigh; her caramel blonde curls framed her face. She was wearing a little bit of make-up, enhancing her naturally beautiful features. Surprised, she jumped back yet her voice had a slight edge to it "Oh, hi Luke".

I tried to keep the mood light, "Hey Ashley, you look nice, going somewhere?"

"Matt is having a football party, to celebrate today's last game."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that but-"

"But you aren't going because of 'school work', right? It's always the same lame excuse. Two years ago this would have been your billionth party, but now..." she looked me up and down disapprovingly, "you just hide in your room all day."

"And two years ago I had a girlfriend that actually attended my football games." I counted, matching her edgy tone, " It seems as though we have both changed, and at least, I have for the better. I have gained a better education and appreciation for my future whereas you have revealed your scant level of compassion and understanding. You don't understand my need and constrictions of studying because you don't have to, so you get to have fun while I cannot."

"So your accusing me of being unsupportive." she scoffed, "I've been waiting for my boyfriend to return for two years, if that's not support I don't know what is! You've got the issues surrounding support, compassion and understanding. Don't forget, you're the one that stopped meeting with me! For Christ's sake you're upset because I want to spend time with my boyfriend! In case you didn't know, that's what you're meant to do when you're in a relationship! But no, you don't and you didn't, I'm sick of it! I need a boyfriend who actually spends time with me and thinks about me, not just his OP result! You like the change, I do not. It's over"

I went rigid, "Is that what you really want?" my voice cracked, "We've been together for three years and now that I'm almost finished school you want to break up?"

Unfazed from my breaking heart, she stared dumbly at me, "There's still another term and then there's university, no, school has only just begun."

On reflection, the last years have been bitter sweet; I have done all I could to prevent "road works". Yet, loosing Ashley is regretful. We were too different: different priorities, different levels of freedom and had different emotions. I couldn't expect her to put her love life on hold for me or for that matter, wanting a relationship with someone with more similar interests. BANG! There was a backfire from a bike as the postman entered the street. This is it; this is what two years of tedious work has led to, my defining moment. I worked hard, I've persevered and I hope to God that I earned a decent result.