As a middle school student, I had lots of fantasies about high school. I imagined that in high school I could breeze through exams and play basketball like an NBA star. The rosiest picture of high school was that I would have a beautiful girlfriend by my side, like they do in sitcoms.

My high school journey started on August 23, 2016. At first, I did not work hard, and being late for class in the morning was part of my routine. I often slept in class. My class director, Miss Mo, more than once, scolded me for violating the code of conduct, but I did not give a damn about it. At the beginning of the term when I saw the upperclassmen running to the canteen at mealtimes, I thought it was ludicrous. I never expected I would join the ranks someday.

In the second term, all the classes were broken up. We were streamed into different classes based on our academic orientations and on our grades. To my horror, a lot of my ex-classmates had outshone me. Some of them even got selected as candidates for the ‘academically gifted’ class. I ended up in an average one. I could not believe it. In middle school, they had been way below me. That made a world of difference to me. I started to change.

My efforts have paid off. Now I am much wiser than the dewy-eyed boy who matriculated at YYHS on August 23, 2016. I have got a new goal and I will be striving for it in the remainder of high school days. The most interesting thing is that I run to the canteen now, just like the other schoolmates.

Time flies. In a couple of months, I will embark upon the last leg of the high school journey. I expect more progress in the last two terms before I sit the big exam. One thing I no longer look forward to, however, is a beautiful girlfriend by my side.