Locker Wish

My fingers shake as I spin the locker combo, three numbers I’ve repeated all week. Behind me, everyone else somehow seems to know exactly where to go. I wish I could slip back to middle school, where the hallways were smaller, and my friends were always close. The lock sticks, then finally clicks open. Inside, I’ve already taped a tiny yellow sticky note to the door: “You’ve got this.” I wrote it at home, late, when my stomach wouldn’t stop twisting. For five quiet minutes before the bell, I breathe, read the note again, and pretend the wish is true.

Salvador Juarez Perez is a high school student who loves reading, drawing, and late-night music. He writes to capture small, everyday moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.