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Show Fair Forever • - 112 Streams of autos flow in and out of the school drive, most stopping to drop off . students. Some are parking, looking for a space. Mom waves and blows a kiss. Embarrassing. . , From behind the school, banks of lights ward off the encroaching night. I follow fellow students. They're walking pods-talking, laughing, joking in one voice. They might as well be connected by a single umbilical cord. So far as I can tell, I'm the only soul who's walking alone. The stadium looks different at night. The lights are harsh, casting sharp shadows, straining the eyes. Last year, I'd only come to the stadium for P E. I'd watched from the bleachers as students ran laps. From what I can tell, the game has already started. The announcer's voice echoes from loudspeakers, broadcasting yards gained and yards remaining for first down. I see empty benches at the top of the bleachers and climb. Our team is red and white, the opposing team black and gold. We have the ball and our team is huddled. On the sidelines, red and white uniforms stretch from one end zone to the next. A play is run and a mass of bodies tangles midfield. Afterwards, Coach slaps a red helmet and a new kid races out! . Hook around. The bleachers are filling, but no one seems to be watching the game.,Instead,.students are huddling-just like the teams-planning social strategies, I assume. On the sidelines, a dozen cheerleaders perform. I spot Katie. She waves her arms, kicks, claps in time. She's happy. I see Lindley, too. She's out of the cheer group, standing near a player., Talking. Flirting. I wonder if her mom is home doing her . homework. . - |