By Sanya Bery ’17, Staff Writer

As soon as the first bell rang, I raced out of 3^rd period Science; my class and teacher close behind. Dumping my backpack on the Common Room shelf, I sprinted to the cafeteria. The clock was ticking… tick tock tick tock… there was no time to waste. If only I could get there before- I stopped dead in my tracks, catching my breath. I blinked, I was too late. It started in the middle of the cafeteria making its way past the salad bar and stopping very close to the vending machine. Grumbling, I walked slowly to the end of the line. I looked ahead of me and I could barely see the Frozen Yogurt Machine, it was blocked by the hundred heads of middle schoolers who had enough luck to reach it before me.

Every Thursday and Friday, it seems to be a race to get to the Frozen Yogurt Machine. The first ones are the lucky ones, they grab their yogurt, sit down and enjoy their lunch. The others, however, are forced to stand in what seems to be a forever lasting line filled with 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders. No high-schoolers. Never. For the middle schoolers, waiting in the fro-yo line is not only a time to stand in line to get a treat but it is also a bonding experience.

5, 6, 7, 8, 9… 9 people in front of me… turning to my friend I looked at her and she gave me a face, her mouth stuffed with personal pizza. I couldn’t help but smile, none of us likes to wait, but since we usually have to, we better make the most of it. First off, there is lunch. By the time we get our frozen yogurt, it is usually already 15 minutes into lunch. If there isn’t frozen yogurt involved, most NA middle school students take 10-15 minutes to eat. Basically, once most NA middle school students are done with both eating and having frozen yogurt (which includes standing in the line) 1^st half of 4^th period would probably be almost done and time would be wasted. The 15 minutes we spend standing in line could be used for meeting with a teacher, playing outside or finishing last period Spanish homework. There has to be a way to cut down time. So, we decided to work in pairs. One person would stand in line while the other would get two lunches, one for themselves and one for their friend. This way, no time was wasted. While we are waiting in line we can eat lunch and then when we get the frozen yogurt we can sit down and eat. Another idea, what most “geniuses” do, is to eat lunch first and then relax. Come back 5-10 minutes before 5^th period and you have your frozen yogurt with barely any line!

“You CUT!” is a phrase that is overly used in the cafeteria line for frozen yogurt. For example, if you have to stay after class to talk to your math teacher about an upcoming test; there is no way you can get frozen yogurt. It is almost impossible. Almost. There is one way you could get frozen yogurt. If you scan the line and see a friendly face waving at you, hollering, “I saved you a spot!” Would you get in the line? Sure, cutting is bad, it is very unfair. Everybody knows that. However, sometimes people can’t resist a spot in line. A 7^th grader states, “Cutting is bad, we all have to admit that. We also have to admit that we have all cut at least once. We cut someone they cut us, nobody loses but nobody wins.” This 7^th grader is right. Cutting is wrong, yet it is something we all experience.

The bonding experience isn’t only with people from your grade, but the whole Middle School. According to another middle school student, “It is best to stay in line with a friend, because the line is so long.” Since the line is long, you have to do something in it. Some people eat in line, like I said before, but others just talk. They talk to the hundreds of other middle schoolers in desperate need of frozen yogurt. Soon friends are made throughout the grades, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th. Who knew that a frozen yogurt line could bring middle school students together?

Waiting. Watching. That is what people do during lunch every Thursday and Friday: wait. To me it feels like we are waiting for something that will never come, something that will never end. Like a mirage; we see it, but is it really there? The truth is that it is there, but getting to the frozen yogurt is like a journey; you can’t do it alone. This sounds pretty dramatic as we are just talking about a frozen yogurt machine, but it is true. Since the line is so long you need someone to be with you during the line. Waiting. Watching. Bonding. Those are the three steps you need to do to successfully survive the line. That’s what the middle-schoolers have been doing, and hey, they are doing just fine!