For many of us, March 2021 will be the month we are presented with our full-year-in-quarantine badges. That’s 365 days of wanting to see our friends, dealing with the anxiety of COVID-19 and wishing we had valued the time we had at restaurants or parties when it was still safe to go to them. 

If you remember, the class of 2020 had to miss out on all of the things they had been promised since they first started kindergarten. A prom, a graduation and the highly-anticipated privilege of being a senior in general.

It was a movie moment that ended in disaster, but for the class of 2021, the movie never even got to play. 

When quarantine first began, I was actually happy. No more test stress, no more being the only one confused in an entire room full of students and no more having to get up at seven in the morning to catch a bus. Bliss.

But now, I would give anything to live through any of that, because doing so would mean life is back to normal. I want to get to know my teachers and sit in the cafeteria with all of my noisy friends. I want to be squished in the hallways and get cold in the commons. 

I didn’t want to be realistic about the situation, but now I have to. This class of seniors will be robbed of their once-in-a-lifetime experiences and forced to settle for plan B. We will be remembered as the class of COVID-19; unforgettable yet elusive. 

To my fellow seniors, I’m sorry. We worked hard to get here. I know that because this senior year I accomplished all my hopes and dreams, but all of them are twisted versions of the original. This virus stole many things, but I hope it hasn’t stolen your drive to keep going. I hope each and every one of you gets your main character moment. 

You deserve it.

Follow Camila Villarreal (@fliipthewriter) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.