Senior Column: An evolution

Senior+Column%3A+An+evolution

Ellie Gnass, Staff Writer

*Record scratch*

*Freeze frame*

Yup, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got here.

I use to wonder the very same thing myself.

Here’s the deal. It all started the summer before freshman year. It was 2014 and kik was the way to communicate. I was added to a group chat which consisted of most of my friends, as well as someone new. This someone was none other than Dennis Kim. Somehow somebody (I honestly do not remember who), thought it would be funny to come up with the concept of Dellie (Dellie being the combination of Ellie and Dennis), and none of us thought it would ever go as far as it did. Fast forward to Sadies season. I asked Dennis, of course, and not only did he say no but he planned an entire trip to Chicago the same day as Sadies in order to avoid going with me. Sure, fine, I got over it. Sophomore year we got on homecoming court together because Alex, Makenzie, and Alexa thought that would be just the funniest thing. It was pretty funny. I asked him again to Sadies again that year…he said no again, but at least this time he didn’t run away to a whole different state. Progress, to say the least. The next year, junior year, there was nothing new with Dellie. Quite honestly I don’t think I saw Dennis that entire year, but also I don’t really remember. That whole year was just so terribly awful that I’ve pretty much just blocked it all out completely.

Senior year comes along. Dellie gets nominated for homecoming court. I can’t believe it. Why? I don’t know, I guess that’s what the people wanted because soon enough we were standing in the middle of the football field during halftime of the homecoming game. They’re about to announce who won king and queen and I fear for my whole life. I told Dennis I knew that we didn’t win it (this was false, I had no idea, I just assumed because we had no real reason to win). Anyway, I’m standing there holding Dennis’s arm for dear life. I already know that if they call our names (which again, I highly doubted),  Dennis will not be happy. After putting up with me all these years and going along with the whole Dellie joke, I was sure that he would actually lose it now. They announce the winners. It’s me and Dennis. People are clapping or whatever, but I just turn to Dennis, nearly in tears because I don’t want to get fought in front of the entire school, and say “I am SO sorry Dennis!”, hoping that maybe he’ll forgive me, (even though if it was anyone’s fault, it was Makenzie and Alex’s). He just laughed. I couldn’t believe it. Then a few months later we get nominated for “Should Have Been A Couple.” I can’t even imagine what would have happened if we won, and every single day I am grateful we didn’t. That really would’ve been the last straw for him, I just know it.

So that’s it. That’s pretty much the only cool thing that happened to me in high school. I don’t have any advice or inspirational message. I’ve never had a quote that I’ve lived by, or anything motivational that got me to where I am today. If I had, I probably would’ve been in a very different place in my life. I’m glad that that wasn’t the case though, because I rather like the place I’m at now, surrounded by people who are just so silly, that they stay doing the absolute most for the four whole years of us being high school.