Lunch was exactly 19 minutes, 59 seconds, and 100 milliseconds long. For everyone else that meant 19 minutes, 59 seconds, and 100 milliseconds of talking, laughing, gossiping, and other meaningless activities. For me, that meant 19 minutes, 59 seconds, and 100 milliseconds of sitting isolated from everyone else. That was social isolation to be exact. I looked around the lunch room. There was a group of boys having a milk chugging contest. According to my research, chugging milk could cause serious problems for the stomach and it should be outlawed. To my left there was another group of boys, but these boys were flipping water bottles. With each additional thud, the water bottles seemed to never land correctly. According to my research, in order to achieve the perfect water bottle flip you have to be aware of on the water bottle’s center of mass.
“Hey Deborah,” Rebecca shouted at me in her mocking voice, “what are you wearing? Like c’mon I know we are like studying the ancient times in Social Studies, but you don’t have to dress like those times too!!!!” I began to distract myself with my peanut butter sandwich. Every day it was either 99.9% peanut butter and 0.1% jelly or 99.9% jelly and 0.1% peanut butter. Today it was surprisingly almost even with it being 51.1% peanut butter and 48.9% jelly.
“Hey Rebecca,” Rebecca’s friend Ashley shouted, “Aren’t you excited for the awards ceremony today?! My WHOLE family is coming. My aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, grandpa, grandma, it’s going to be AWESOME!!!!” I looked at my peanut butter and jelly (who I had named Carl Frederick Robinson the third or Carl for short) and began to think of my grandma. She was who I wanted to be at the awards ceremony the most. She was also the one person that wasn’t going to be there. My grandma not being at the awards ceremony was like missing just one piece in an 2000 piece puzzle. Sure, from far away the puzzle would look complete, but if you were to examine it a bit more you would notice a piece missing and never see the puzzle as complete again.
“Deborah where is your grandma?” Rebecca asked in a very mean voice, “ I’d be sooo “sad” if she couldn’t make it. Like c’mon you’ll win awards, but your grandma won’t be able to see. Sooo sad.” While I began to clean my glasses for the 1,456th time that day, Rebecca and Ashley continued to feel “sorry” for me.
“Hey Ashley, “ Rebecca said loud enough for me to hear, “Remember that time when I was able to stay ALL NIGHT on Snapchat? Deborah did our whole Social Studies project for me and guess what - I got an 100!”
I desperately looked at my TIMEX™ Marathon watch. Only 1 minute, 23 seconds, and 345 milliseconds until lunch was over and the awards ceremony began. According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, this 1 minute, 23 seconds, and 345 milliseconds were going to be the longest 1 minute, 23 seconds, and 345 milliseconds of my life. Ashley and Rebecca kept pounding me with their words of “wisdom.” I tried to be as brave as the people of London during the London Blitz.
         “Hey goody two shoes goody two shoes,” Rebecca shouted at me while setting the world record for the most “do I look goods” said in 30 seconds. SMACK. A water bottle hit me straight in the face, knocking my glasses off.
          “PERFECT HIT!!!!” the water flipping boys shouted at the top of their lungs. I held back the tears while the boys began hooting and jumping up and down like wild  animals who have discovered a large freshwater lake during a time of drought. I slowly bent over, picked up my glasses, and cleaned them until they were shiner than a diamond. Ashley and Rebecca got up and urged the whole lunchroom to give the water flipping boys a standing ovation. RIING RIING RIING RIING RIIINNNNNNNGGG. The standing ovation was interrupted by the school bell. Within 3 seconds and 457 milliseconds about 137 students began their small migration from the school cafeteria to the gym where the awards ceremony was to be held in exactly 2 minutes, 10 seconds, and 100 milliseconds. I waited until the stampede of students went away and then I got up and began my slow walk to the gym. Remember, I told myself, smile for the picture. I wanted to tell myself that my grandma was in the gym waiting for me, but I knew it wasn’t true. I looked for my name on the chairs in the gym. With each step I thought how different everything would be if my grandma were here. I saw Ashley and Rebecca laughing and gossiping only seats away. They held up a sign that said “She’s never coming.” I wanted to go right up to them and tell them that my grandma IS coming, but I knew that she wasn’t. Then I asked myself, what if she is? I blew away that thought faster than leaves caught in a tornado. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. The announcer, Mrs.David, called for everyone to sit down. Getting 137 loud and energetic students to sit down in their seats would be harder than getting a solute te to pass through a semipermeable membrane. After 3 minutes, 54 seconds, and 984 milliseconds all of the students sat down. Mrs.David began her long lecture on the importance of education. “Education is soooo important,” Rebecca whispered to Ashley, “that’s why I make Deborah ‘help’ me.” I focused on Mrs.David’s lecture which was hard to do. Her lecture was longer than an actual war (Anglo-Zanzibar War). Finally Mrs.David said the magical words - “now for the awards.” She started with merit roll, then she moved on to honor, and the finally the award I had been waiting for so long - the most influential student.
“Today we will honor a special student,” Mrs.David started. “The recipient of today’s most influential student award has shown us that not giving up is what makes you SHINE!! Over the last 179 days, she has never given up. When she was made fun of - she didn’t give up. When her dreams may have looked dim - she didn’t give up. When everything seemed to go wrong - SHE DIDN’T GIVE UP!!!!!!. Let’s give a huge round of applause for the recipient of this year’s most influential student award ……………..Deborah Robinson!!!!!!” The whole gym erupted in applause. The parents, the teachers, and even the students were cheering me on. I estimated all of the sound caused for the room to reach a level of 100 decibels!!! I quickly got up from my seat and began walking towards Mrs.David. As I passed by the front row of students I remembered that I had forgotten to look back towards my mom for a picture. Oh well, I told myself, you can do that once you’re up on the stage. Now is your time to SHINE!!! I shook Mrs.David’s hand and received my award. It had a golden page border and what looked like Slavic designs inside the border. The most important part, however, was that my name was clearly printed in the middle of the page. Deborah Robinson - me; the girl who dreamed had won this award. In spite of all of the cheerfulness from receiving the award I still felt like crying. My Grandma, one of the most important people in my life, was not here. Then I remembered to turn around for a picture before I let out an ocean full of tears. The second I looked back at where my mom was sitting my jaw flung open faster than a middle school door at 4:05 PM on the last day of school. My eyes became larger than saucers and I stood like a statue. I tried to say something, but all what came out was a squeak. She was there. The missing puzzle piece was right there. Seated next to my mother was my grandma. The person who I wanted to be here the most was here!!! I ran as hard as I could and hugged my grandma so hard she almost fell. She and I hugged each other for what seemed like forever. Finally, we let each other go. I sat down next to her and for Mrs.David’s surprisingly short conclusion. “I hope all of you continue to not give up. Remember this quote by Jesse Jackson, ‘If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.’” With that Mrs.David dismissed all of the 137 students and 441 families/friends. I waited for the stampede of people to pass by (it took 7 minutes, 46 seconds, 345 milliseconds) and then I walked out of the cafeteria holding my “Most Influential Student” award in one hand and my grandma’s hand in the other.