Loosen Up
by Carmen Lehtimaki
Monday’s suck. You won’t believe what happened to me at school today.
I’m sure it’s something small and stupid.
I wish you could see the look of shock on my face right now. It was horrible and huge.
Did the cafeteria lady jip you on fries again?
Did you speak before raising your hand in class?
Because you do realize all of this has happened before and it’s only a big deal to YOU
No! It’s a big deal for all of us.
How are people going to take me seriously if I can’t even get more than 8 fries? Only 8 fries! I mean who does that?
You’re too uptight Karmen. You take yourself way too seriously.
You have to have fun in life or else everything will get to you.
OMG you’re right.
See :)
If I become okay with being a buffoon I’ll be taken more seriously amongst all of the other laughing stocks.
I wish you could see the finger I’m holding up right now.
I’m sure it’s a thumb.
Get on with your story.
So I was in class and actually paying very close attention. Too much attention actually.
I don’t like where this is going...
You’re MY sister. You’re going to love it.
I hope this ends up with you in a dunk tank somehow.
Anyway. I always keep my tote that I use instead of a backpack pretty well organized.
“Pretty well organized”? That’s an understatement that uptight people use when referring to their OCD.
Would you stop? This gets worse.
Okay. Okay.
So I go in the top zipper part to reach in and grab a highlighter.
I don’t need it right at the moment, so I’m just sitting there. Twirling it around in my hands!
What’s so bad about that?
Well, I thought it was nothing until I go to use it and realize...
I accidentally grabbed a neon green feminine pad instead of a freaking highlighter!
OH God! I’m dying over here. How did you not realize that at first?
I have no clue. I just noticed it and tried to stuff it in my hoodie pocket.
Well at least you caught it quick.
Yeah you would think, but it didn’t work.
What?
I dropped it because I tried to do it in such a hurry.
I was too busy trying to breathe and stay calm that I didn’t realize it at first.
So you pull it out and twirl it like a baton then drop it? This is like something out of a slap stick comedy show.
Well you aren’t the only one to laugh at this.
Once I finally stuffed it in my pocket I look up and notice out of a class of about 12 of us all sitting in a circle that about 4 or 5 people were laughing hysterically.
Their faces were so red. They were at least trying to be quiet about it. I think that was only because they didn’t want to bring attention to themselves.
I bet you were ready to run out of the classroom weren’t you?
I was ready to just curl up into a ball and disappear.
OMG! It’s not that bad.
It would have been okay, but then the professor notices people laughing and starts looking around and asking people what happened.
She was talking about Voltaire so she knew it wasn’t the lesson.
Did she find out?
Almost. One guy began laughing harder when she asked. He tried pointing at me but couldn’t even get that out.
So she asked a few clueless people playing on their phones and that was about it.
I should start coming to class with you.
I bolted once class was over.
But I learned to chill out some. Afterwards even though I wasn’t bragging about it I actually laughed.
It was probably partially the mini adrenaline I got from the fear.
Pull that stick out Ms. Uptight.
I did. Or loosened it anyway lol I see that things only typically feel so bad because I gas it up in my own head.
So pads helped you to grow? And they say it’s just the periods that make you a woman.
Yeah, who knew? But we’re not telling anyone about this still.
No of course not. But in unrelated news I will be reactivating my Facebook account.
You only know half my friends list so it’s not like that many people will know what I mean when I refer to my sister.
Alyce. Don’t you do it!
I’ll leave out details...like what day it happened on.
How does this help me to let loose?
It doesn’t, but I’m sure there are other people that could use a good laugh.
App