Briiiiiiing! The bell rings. Lunch time! Students who have gotten out early put their stuff away quickly to avoid getting trampled. The rest are smooshed against lockers or boxed in by oblivious friends having a normal conversation during the lunch rush.
Up the first flight of stairs, down the floor above the gym, up the second flight, making a sharp turn onto the third… You’ve arrived! But the fun doesn’t stop there, no, not even close. Some students wait in line patiently for food , while others cut in front of them to avoid five extra minutes of standing.
After grabbing a plate, you pile it high with food, or try to at least. Unless you have some sort of magical way with tongs, half of it ends up on the floor. Wasted.
Then comes the salad bar. No one but the teachers really get a salad, but everyone comes for the dessert. You’re lucky if there are more than crumbs left by the time you get there, thanks to the people who take six.
Next there are the seating arrangements. Do you sit outside, risking spilling your entire plate of food trying to open the door, or play it safe and eat inside? Where are your friends? They’re probably all at the panini press trying to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, coughing on smoke.
Once you finally sit down, after all that, you only have fifteen minutes to shove food down your throat. When you finish your first plate, you decide you have enough time to get seconds. That’s where you’re wrong. You finally sit back down to eat again, but a teacher dismisses you before you can even take your first bite.
As you’re cleaning up, seventh graders start trickling in. People throw their forks and knives into the bin, splashing everyone within a five foot radius. You pour your untouched and uneaten food into the trash. What a waste. But at least now you’re not starving, and it’s time for recess. Get ready to do it all over again tomorrow.