If you really want to know why I didn’t go the school today, then let me start off with who I am. My name is James Jonah Jameson, I am sixteen years old and I attend school at Curry Academy. It’s a really boring school with a lot of boring people if you think about, most people who attend are preppy overachievers that their parents own half the country or something, the others don’t say a word half the time and are always sitting in their rooms playing video games or something, but I don’t know, I don’t talk to those people much. On the other hand, I consider myself a free-willed individual, that’s why I made the choice of skipping that lousy school. The teachers expect perfection, even though they know they will never get anything close to it, then when you don’t do good on a test, they get all ticked off at you for not doing better when they are the ones not teaching enough. They all care too much about school and that really depresses me. It really does. All the kids try so hard for nothing; it’s all a waste of time if you ask me. What is school teaching us about the real world anyway? If anything at all, it teaches us that this world is full of fake people who will lie and cheat their way to the top. That’s why I’m out here at McDonalds sitting in the parking lot watching all these cars go by, on their way to their important jobs and big lives; it makes me feel really lonely not having anything better to do. So what I did was, I started my new Buick, that my dad bought me before he flew to Japan for a business trip, and decided to drive over to the drive-through.  “Welcome to McDonalds, this is Mac how may I help you?”

“Uh can I just get a cheeseburger Mac?”
“That will be $1.06. Please pull forward to the first window.”
“Thank you…. How are you anyway Mac?”
“What?”
“How are you Mac? How’s the McDonald's crew? How’s business? All that stuff.”
“Uhh fine? Can you move ahead sir you’re holding up the line.” He sounded very confused and as I looked around I saw that there wasn’t another person anywhere near the drive-through, but I didn’t want any trouble so I moved up anyway. “What’s the idea kid?” Mac spoke with a little irritation in his voice; that really bothered me, I was just trying to be nice and he decides to get all mad about it, but I decided to let it go. “What are you trying to do here?”
“Nothing Mac just wanting to talk, to be honest I’m not all too hungry.”
“So why did you come here?”
“Well here’s what I was thinking, I’m not all that hungry and I don’t have anything to do for a while, so if you want you can have my cheeseburger and I’ll even buy you a Coke and we can just go sit and talk for a while”. I don’t even know why I asked this guy to talk for a bit, I kinda regretted it once I said something, but I just played it off and went with it.
“That’s nice of you. I think….actually that’s really creepy and I’m working so I’m just gonna have to say no.”
“Come on Mac I…”
“No! Now take your cheeseburger and get out of here you creep!” Creep, ha. That made me laugh. I was just trying to be nice asking this guy if he wanted to get away from his dull job at McDonalds, but he just wanted to be salty about it and that made me depressed. If someone is nice enough to try and get you out of something as boring as working at McDonalds, than they should have the common courtesy to take your offer, but no, no one does because everyone is self-obsessed and fake. I really wanted to get out of that horrid place so I put on my Varsity jacket, that I got for being like 3rd string catcher on the baseball team or something like that, I loved that jacket I really did, it was a faded blue and smelled kinda awful, but I wore it anyways. Man I loved that jacket. It had a big C right on the front from attending Curry academy, man I really got a bang out of that jacket. Anyway, I headed out of the drive through and I decided I would go to the park to eat my cheeseburger. I figured it was still better than being there at school and it was way better than staying at this crummy McDonald's. It was a quick drive from McDonald’s to the park, but it felt like it took about 5 hours because of all the stupid people on the road. Everyone was driving really fast and changing lanes like they had somewhere to be, that just depressed me even more. I was supposed to be attending school but instead I was driving, lonely with a cheeseburger and a coke I didn't even want. Anyway, when I got to the park there wasn’t really anyone there besides this one girl that was sitting on a bench. I figured I had my jacket on so I’d go talk to her. At first, I just saw the one girl alone on the bench, but what I didn’t realize was that there was another girl sitting next to her. I don’t know how I missed her but I didn’t care much that I did. The girl I didn’t notice wasn’t very attractive, but the other girl was kinda cute and I thought I should try to talk to both of them anyway. I didn't really have much of a plan just trying to pass time or something. I walked up to the cute one and said “Hello.” All sexy like I was a movie star or something.
“Oh um, hi.” The less attractive girl said. The cute one did even look or turn; she just sat there staring at this one bird sitting on a branch.
“Sorry if I scared you my name is Ryan Johnson.” I didn’t really mind I told her the wrong name. If things went south I wouldn't want her knowing my real name.
“I was just startled a bit, my name is Scarlet and this is my friend Natasha”
“Does your friend talk much?”
“Uh... hi.” She seemed like she was too busy doing something to even talk to me she was just sitting there staring at a bird and she was acting like she was the queen or something. Man that killed me I was trying to be nice and say hi to her, I even went out of my way and all she wanted to do was stare at that stupid bird. I didn’t really know what to do at that point. It seemed kinda pointless to try and talk to someone that didn’t want to pay any attention to me and suffer through someone trying to talk to me more than I wanted. All of a sudden I saw some leaves fall out of the trees.  It was the end of September and the beginning of fall; the leaves were changing color and starting to fall right off the tree one by one. The ground was littered with them but I didn’t know why. “Do you know why the leaves change color and fall off the trees in the fall?”
“What kind of silly question is that? Are you joking or something?”
“Oh yeah of course I am.” Through all of this the cute girl just sat there, and I felt no need to suffer anymore and decided I would just leave. I started to walk away, didn’t say goodbye or anything, I just started to leave and the cute girl spoke up.
“The leaves mature and eventually they fall off because they lived the life they were given. In the spring, new leaves will take their place and the whole process just starts over again.” I looked at her for about a minute just thinking about what she said and then I turned around and walked back the way I came. Still didn’t say goodbye. Whatever that girl said to me made me really sad and even more depressed; I don’t even know why, I wasn’t even sure what she was talking about. I tried to let it go but it made me feel so lonely, I just couldn’t shake it. I then took off my jacket and just threw it over my shoulder; as much as I loved it, I didn’t feel right wearing it.
I thought something cold might help me get my head on something else so I went to go get ice cream. Thinking about ice cream and my dad made me miss the younger days, when I didn't have much of anything to worry about I was young and free. Man I miss those days. Now I’m just driving down the road lonely as all hell going to buy ice cream all by myself and nobody to enjoy it with me. I felt so lonely and depressed when I arrived at the ice cream store. I stepped out of the car out of nowhere this cute jogger appears. She was just jogging down the side of the road and I got the bright idea to ask her if she wanted to get ice cream with me. I felt stupid right after the thought came into my head nobody wants to go and get ice cream with a loser like myself but against everything I decided to ask her. I stepped in her path, she had ear buds in so me saying anything wouldn’t have mattered I just kinda stood there waiting for her to realize I wanting to talk to her. She pulled one ear bud out and looked at me funny. “Um can I help you?”
“Oh sorry I was uhhh… would you like to get some ice cream with me?”
“I’m really sorry but I--”
“I'm lonely and was just looking for someone to talk to I’ll buy and everything I'm loaded. Whatever you'd like I’ll get it honest I just want to talk.”
“No thank you, I really shouldn't eat more sweets when I’m trying to get into shape.” That bothered me she looked amazing she didn't have to get into shape at all. That made me upset if she didn't want to get ice cream with me she could've just said no but instead she found a way out like she had to or something. I can’t stand fake people. “No problem. Sorry to bother you” I really wasn't sorry I didn't mind lying to her I didn't even feel bad for it. She just put her ear bud back inside her ear and continued with her jog. I don’t think I have ever felt so lousy in my entire life. All I could think about was how I was standing here in the parking lot of an ice cream store with no one to talk to watching everyone living out their lives when I can't even figure out mine. I didn't even want ice cream at this point I just wanted to not feel so lousy. I thought about going to another place in hopes of finding someone to talk to but I couldn’t think of anywhere, everyone feels the need to make up a reason why they don't want to talk to me like I'm a creep or something. Man I hate fake people. I got back inside my car and just sat there wondering where to go there wasn't anything I wanted to do but sit there and never move again. I grabbed my varsity jacket and threw it on if that didn't make me feel better I don't know what could. I sat there and thought about what the cute girl at the park had said about the leaves and all. Living their lives they were giving just to die that depressed me why do we even live if we know we are going to die in the end? Like it is all for nothing, what a waste. Then it just kinda hit me. It’s not a waste not unless we make it a waste ourselves we are all given one chance just like the leaves we will all fall off and die in the end but we have to make the most of it before we do and there wasn't any chance of me making the most of my life sitting in my car alone in this ice cream parking
lot. I’m so worried about wasting it when that’s what I’m doing right now all by myself. I started driving towards old Curry Academy suddenly all the cars in a hurry living their lives didn't bother me all too much I started to understand how we don't have long to live so why not fit as much in  as we can. I soon realized I became one of those cars racing to their destination. Before I was moving slow just wasting time now I had a mission I had to get back to school. Not before long I reached the Academy, it was just starting sixth period, that was my language arts class and that’s why I am writing this paper. Now that I was back at Curry it didn't seem all too bad. Everything seemed to have purpose and meaning. I still wasn’t too sure what school was teaching us about the real world, but as I thought more and more about it in class I started to realize that school was teaching us about life and we can’t live forever so we have to make the most of our opportunities. That started to make me happy, I was happier than ever. I finally felt like I had a place and a purpose and that was all I really ever wanted.