The Novel: New Year, New Project

I didn’t choose a New Year’s resolution, but a resolution chose me. I’m coauthoring a YA novel. This is an unexpected turn brought about in part by reading No Country for Old Men and by a personal and highly controversial project Ironman was working on. No, none of that is supposed to make sense to you. Perhaps I’ll explain someday if this novel is successful and I end up on a book tour.

To get in the right head space for writing for this audience, I spent some time looking back through my senior yearbook. I’m not in the yearbook as much as I was in previous years because I only went to school a half day that year. I was all about making money at my awesome Burger King job, hanging out with my college-age friends, and being done with Alden once and for all. But, I still had friends in school and they left some entertaining and often cryptic messages on the pages of that yearbook.

I have no idea what these messages are about. 

Let’s make some novels for Drama at the Rock! – JH

I’ll never forget the Hobbit Hole or Mae West. – CS

I accomplished one deviant deed taking you home, but I’ve only just begun. – NB

You know what I want to say about Gettysburg, but I won’t. – TK

Remember over the summer harassing Brandon about Phil’s $; PHIL – ewww! I can’t believe that happened. – MM

Well, I was no angel but I guess I was being a good friend.

Thank you soooo much for being you. Whether it be by providing a safe haven in for me in English, or supplying my first cigarette in July 1995 at the Weezer concert. – DR

Well, I gotta go finish copying your paper, bye-bye. – CK

I hope this one was just joking around!

I’ll get the $…don’t cut off my toes! – NS

And how sweet some of my friends were.

I really don’t think your tongue ring is gross although other people do. – LS

Sorry a million times about the fat chick that I took to the prom last year…bitch. – ML

I also went through my old photos, and when I was digging these up, I realized how few candids I have of my and my friends from back in the day. But then I remembered – we didn’t grow up in a world where everyone had a camera on their person at all times. Photos were often limited to what parents took at formal events. And thank goodness for that! I can’t imagine growing up now when everything you do is online in eight different places before you can blink.

What are your favorite send-off messages from your high school posse? Share in the comments!