Senior block was both the best and the worst part of the day. Senior block was nice; getting out of class, relaxing, doing homework to lessen the workload that awaited unsuspecting students at home … but the worst part? It got boring, sometimes, when there was nothing to do. It wasn’t like everyone had senior block, as others still had classes they had to do work in.

I was one of the lucky few who had the privilege of messing around during eighth period, but the curse of having no one to mess around with was a problem. I finally left the school, wandering outside towards the forest towards the back of the school. I bunched my hair in a ponytail, with the holder that waited for me in my backpack, and readjusted my backpack on my shoulders. I got my phone out, and started to take pictures as I carefully tried to maneuver down the steep incline without running into stray rocks or planting my foot hard enough to injure some sort of bone in it.

The added weight of the backpack was awful, and I nearly just threw it, but ended up placing it on the ground at the end of the incline and on the log at the splitting path near the winding river. “Time to explore,” I announced, mainly to myself, putting my hood up around my hair. I remembered, suddenly, wandering just as I had in ecology the year before. It was nicer back then, when I had someone to wander with, but part of me was still just as appreciative of the quiet serenity of the forest in the present. It was calming, just to sit down by the substrate and watch the water move as rapidly as it did.

I took a deep breath. “This is nice, y’know?” I talked to the wind. “Nature isn’t so bad when there isn’t anything bugging you…literally, I mean the bugs. But without them, it’s…calm. I’m not at all worried about having to swat them away like I would’ve been a while ago, back in the fall months. Winter is nice, isn’t it?” I looked around. “Just wish there was more snow, I guess.” I shrugged, not knowing how I could possibly rant without a listening ear. Mother nature must be the listening ear, huh? I thought randomly. I laughed. “Winter just isn’t winter without snow. And Christmas is coming up, and thank goodness it is, because I was getting sick of this semester. My classes are great, don’t get me wrong, but…”

“…I just want to graduate already, y’know?”

It was like a weight was lifted off of my chest. It might’ve been silly, ranting to nature, in hindsight, but it still felt somehow cathartic. My frustrations were let out, and I was just by my lonesome, in the calmness of nature. I looked back to see if my backpack was still there, somehow worried it would’ve dragged itself off (maybe from my outpouring of emotions), and it fell over off the log. I laughed nervously, feeling my lip twitch in annoyance, but left it alone instead of going to grab it like I would’ve in any other situation. I just wanted to relax, but refused to lie in the dirt due to my fear of any bug getting on my jacket.

It happened last year, when me and my friends were out for ecology, and soon enough I became paranoid that spiders just were chilling out on my shoulders. It made me shiver, but I suppressed the urge to leave. I wanted to stay a little longer, until-

I checked my phone, as I went to take a few more pictures, and realized that it was time to leave already. I looked up again. I sighed. “Welp, I guess this is when I take my leave.” I stood, dusting off my pants, and turning around. “See ya around, forest. Hopefully.” I added, knowing somewhat that I would not be making another trip to the forest. I grabbed my backpack on the way out, and started towards the entrance of the forest again.

I gave one last glance back, seeing birds crowding together on the trees above me. I smiled, turning back to leave. Nature isn’t so bad after all, is it?