“You should be outside, enjoying vacation while it lasts.”

The MyStaples app said it best. This week, I’ve struggled to find the lunch schedule for August on the MyStaples app, only to see it taunting me with my wishes to be frolicking outside, enjoying the remainder of the summer.

As much as we dread the first day of school, we know it’s inevitable. But the fact that we go back when it’s still 80 degrees and sunny out is just cruel and unusual punishment. I’ve been trying to concentrate on my AP Gov textbook readings and Pre-Calc problems, but my eyes can’t help darting to the windows where the sun is shining in, just beckoning me to come out and play.

I remember the days when going back to school after Labor Day was still a thing. Plenty of schools in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland start after Labor Day. Jersey City even goes back September 8!

So while my friends in other districts are squeezing every last drop out of their tanning oils, sprawling out on the beach and attempting to rid themselves of their tanlines, I’m trapped in the claustrophobic hallways and musty book-scented classrooms, a mere spectator of the fun that could have been had this week.

Also, it’s not like we’re going to be getting out of school any earlier. No matter how early we go back, school will still end in late June. So while we suffer in August, they still won’t compensate for it in June.

And really, what’s the first week of school anyways? Teachers passing out syllabi and lecturing us on their rules and expectations? Like I really need to hear that same old spiel another million times.

But now it’s almost September. Soon enough, the MyStaples lunch schedule will be up and running, the warm weather will trickle out, and we’ll be back to the grind of the school-year, our dreams of our shortened summer hibernating until next year.