Just Let Me Stay

Principal Brown come on don’t do this to me. Please you can’t! You  just can’t...we go way back. I was there when this place first opened, I know who pulled all the pranks, I remember the first graduation class back in 94’, and it just keeps going. I am the backbone of this school. Me and others, all have put so much time and effort into this place, so that the students can feel like home. Each and every year when new ones come, they come to us and start the next chain of stories to be held. It’s our job, it’ our life, and you want to replace us with me ones.

What if we replace you huh! You wouldn’t like that at all so why you doing this to us?

Remember back in 96’...when we got that stink bomb. You remember that and guess what? I know who did it. His name was Chris. He was a Junior, one of the bright ones too. He was a pretty good student too, but he just got in with the wrong crowd. You remember them, the so called thugs back then. They were bullying him, everywhere he went they followed. They were making him do whatever they wanted him too, and they told him to make and plant it into your office. And so when it went off, you remember how he came to you and told you who did it? You remember principal.

You believed him too easily, and expelled the student that he told you, but all the evidence was planted on that student. The students that bullied Chris planted all the supplies, and plans in his locker, so of course he couldn’t explain why it was there. A complete set up. He couldn’t do anything but accept the fate that was for someone else.  

The thing that made it worse is that you were so filled with rage, that you never considered the fact that he could have been framed, and maybe he didn’t do it. Don’t try to lie. The case was just too easy and you never thought twice about it. You punished the wrong person for a crime he didn’t do, and the bullies had a great laugh. After you expelled him, Chris came back to me got his stuff, but he couldn’t leave. The bullies came back, threw him in me, and thanked him for doing their dirty work.

Before they left they told him, “Tell anyone and you’ll regret it.” I can still hear their painful words, still see how badly Chris shook with fear, and I was the only thing around that could help. I was the only one who knew what really happened, and that’s just the start of my memories.

What about in 2000, when you thought the school was going to close, and all your hopes were in a students project being picked as the country’s best. You remember that girl? Her name was Amber, and where did she house her winning project? In me. I was the lucky locker to keep her project safe. I had all her notes on how to build it, produce it...I was the one that had the inspirational words on it from previous years that motivated her the entire way. I was always the one that was the first to see her, and the one that always said goodbye. I was the one that was always with her, and always knew what she thinking. I was the reason why she succeeded.

Now let’s not forget about the 2006 senior prom. You remember what happened, they couldn’t decide on who to pick as the ‘Queen’ but really, there was one true winner but they felt bad for the other girl who got into a car accident the day before. She was going to be the winner, but because of her accident, she had to stay in the hospital. So they went down to the hospital and crowned her there. They even came up with the idea to make a nice little video of it, and that got shared with the school the next day. They made that girl so happy, and she needed that for her recovery. I saw it all, heard it all, watched them get all excited about it, and saw them put it into action.

I grew as this school grew over the years. I know who steals the pretzels from your office, I know what the teachers do once all the students leave each day, and I know so many secrets from almost every student in this school. They never think that I’m listening to them while they walk past, but I am. If I told these secrets I could ruin so many lives. What I know can never be forgotten. What I know must be shared, but if not, at least let it live on in my memories. So I’m begging you, not to replace me with that new crap. Let me stay and be with the family that I grew up with.

I want to see how it all goes down. I want to see my family grow. I want to spend my last days rusting away watching them grow up, and go in the world.