The Switch

Today was the day of the big writing circle. Today we would be pitching ideas for the essay that we would be writing for our senior project. This project was taken very seriously by my school. If you didn’t show up for the writing circle, you didn’t graduate. I looked around the house for my twin sister Kara.

“Kara, we have to go the writing circle is today!”

“I’m in here Lynn, can I talk to you for a minute?”

I walked into the living room and Kara was laying on the floor. She looked distraught.

“What’s going on?”

“I have a college interview today at the same time as the writing circle. I don’t know what to do”.

“Oh no, that is the worst possible timing. Don’t worry we will think of something”.

After thinking for a few minutes, I had the perfect idea.

“What if I pitch your idea for you?”

“How would that be possible? You have to pitch your idea”.

“Yes, I could pitch both. I will pitch my idea and then when it is your turn, I will pitch yours”.

“That’s a great idea, are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Yeah, you go nail that college interview, I’ve got this”.

Kara left for her interview and I practiced giving her story pitch. I had to get this right or everything could fall apart, and I couldn’t let that happen to Kara. When I got to the gym, I stashed my change of clothes in the bathroom. The show was about to begin.

I went to the front booth to check in and one of the other seniors was working it.

“Where is Kara?”

“She will be here shortly, I just wanted to get here early to practice”.

“Okay, send her over when she gets here”.

I ran to the bathroom and changed into Kara’s clothes. I put on my best poker face and returned to the booth.

“Hey Kara, I just seen Lynn. She is such an over achiever”.

“Oh, I know, she is always wanting to get places super early”.

“Well good luck!”

“Thanks, I will see you in there!”

I found my position in the writing circle and searched for Kara’s. Of course, her seat was right next to mine. I had to fix this immediately. I went to the guidance counselor Ms. Johnson to see about changing seats.

“Hey Ms. Johnson, would it be possible for me to sit further away from Lynn? We don’t really get along that well”.

“Let me go check and see, it might be too late”.

She came back a few minutes later and I was in luck. I was able to move to the opposite side of the circle. This would be more manageable.

It was almost time to start so I changed back into my clothes and  took my seat. The principal stood to speak.

“Hello everyone, we are so glad you could make it. Today is a very important step in completing your senior projects. We will go around the circle and when we call your name, it will be your turn to give your proposal. You will have five minutes to give your proposal and then there will be five minutes for feedback from your peers. Good luck!”

Annie was the first one to go. She was talking about writing about the effects of greenhouse gases on the Earth. I could tell this was going to be a boring few hours. All of the smart kids in my class started giving her feedback on the specifics of her project. I just kept going over my proposal in my head.

A few more students went and it was finally my turn. I gave my proposal on writing about the importance of classroom management in the classroom. I answered some questions and took in the feedback that I was given. Then it was time to change.

I ran to the bathroom and put on Kara’s clothes as fast as I could. When I got back to my seat there were still six people ahead of me. I kept going over Kara’s proposal in my head. I had to get this right. I finished going over it one more time and then it was time to give it.

“Hello everyone, for my essay I will be writing about why it is important to do community service. I will be writing about the benefits it has for the individual and for the community. As part of my essay I will be interviewing students at the school and individuals in the community. This way I can get the insight of the people living in my community”.

Now it was time for the hard part. I had to also answer the questions about her proposal.

Annie was the first to ask a question, “So, have you already figured out the people you will need to interview or do you still have to find people?”

I said “I have already asked people in the community to interview but I still need to ask more people at school”

Bryan said “Why did you choose this particular topic?”

“Well community service has always been important to me. So, I thought it would be a good topic to write about. I also plan on staying involved in the community after I graduate”.

“That is awesome, and a great reason to choose a topic”.

Jessica asked “what research will you use in support of this topic?”

“I am not sure exactly which resources I will use yet. However, I will make sure to check databases first, as they will have the best information”.

“That is a great idea!”

I had survived the round of questioning. Now I could relax. Or so I thought! I looked around and the principal and administrators were talking to individual students about their projects. The principal was approaching my chair. I ran to the bathroom as fast as I could and changed back into my clothes. I reached my seat seconds before the principal did.

“Hello, Lynn. I came to talk with you about your project. Is there anything you need support with?”

“No Ma’am I am good. I think I have it all figured out”.

I watched as the administrator got closer to Kara’s seat.

“Well that’s great. If you need any help don’t hesitate to reach out”.

“Okay thank you!”

She started walking away so I bolted for the bathroom. I changed and got back to Kara’s seat just as the administrator was approaching.

“Hello Kara, is there any part of your project that you’re not sure about?”

“No sir, I think I have it all planned out. Thank you though”.

“Okay if you need any help don’t hesitate to reach out”.

He walked away and I took a deep breath. That was way to close. The principal dismissed us and I headed home.

I told Kara about the whole thing and she was relieved that it went well. She also told me that the interview went great. I just hoped that we never had to switch again because it was very stressful.