Grad selections from the Seycove Secondary yearbook:
Marcus Craig
Girls, it’s your last chance! Call me this summer. Good times with the gang at the Raven. Remembering the grad kidnapping, four gorgeous chicks in my bedroom at once!
Activities: Senior boys soccer team, Ultimate team.
Future career: pervert.
Most likely to be: an unwed father.
Phil Davidson
“Outta here,” remembering the provincial finals in soccer, the grad ski trip, KT: TGIW
Class award for top scholar/athlete.
Activities: Soccer senior boys team, Team Captain. Track: sprints, high jump, triple jump, Team Captain. Swim team, Team Captain. Jazz Band 12.
Nicknames: P.D., Stud.
Voted: best looking male, most athletic
Future career: civil engineer
Most likely to be: next owner of the Playboy mansion.
Cameron Elliott
Thanks to everyone for making our grad year the best ever. AL: you are an inspiration to me. Off to Waterloo!
Activities: Student council president, Band 12, Tech club.
Nicknames: Cam.
Future career: Computer geek
Most likely to be: your boss someday.
Chun Ling Hu
I love Canada! Please come and visit me in HK!
Activities: Foreign Student association.
Most likely to be: misunderstood.
April Lachance
KT my BFF with unicorns and hearts! DR: you rock, babe.
Activities: Drama club, choir
Voted: best dressed.
Future career: actress/waitress
Most likely to be: starring in a Fox TV series.
Karen Leighton
Bye everyone and thanks for the best five years ever! Love to: TW, my girls.
Activities: Student council.
Voted: best looking female.
Future career: Veterinary assistant
Most likely to be: married first.
Charmaine Leung
Good luck to all my friends, I hope we can stay in touch. Seycove has been a wonderful experience for me, thanks to the staff and teachers for making it so.
Academic awards: Chem 12, Physics 12, Biology 12. Top scholar.
Voted: nicest.
Future career: Dr. Leung
Most likely to be: a Nobel prize winner for science
Kelly Tanaka
Hockey is life. I’ll miss the L’s: April, Karen, Charmaine. Next stop: McGill!
Activities: Student council, choir, Track: 800m, 1500m.
Nicknames: Sparky
Future career: skate sharpening at the rec centre.
Most likely to be: mistaken for a boy
I was not impressed by my lame yearbook write-up. “Skate sharpening at the rec centre? Who wrote this crap?”
“Andrea Murray was the editor,” replied Karen.
“I don’t get it, why does she hate me so much? First it was all, ‘Oh Kelly, I guess she’s a lesbian because she plays hockey and doesn’t date.’ Then once I did start dating, she hated me more.”
April shrugged. “It’s because she has a big crush on Phil. She calculated that if he kept going out with a new girl each month, at some point it would be her turn. And then he settled on you.”
“There are approximately 17 million women in Canada,” remarked Charmaine. “It seems unlikely that she would ever be the one.” I was sure that Charmaine was speaking statistically, but that comment came out bitchy enough that I was totally cheered up.
“Besides, Phil’s done now,” said Karen.
“What do you mean he’s done?” I asked.
“I mean he’s done dating random women. Obviously you’re the one.”
“The one?” Sounded like The Matrix.
“Phil’s true love. Happily ever after.”
“You’re kidding, right? We’re only in high school! We’re teenagers. That’s dumb.”
Karen was getting carried away now. “You guys have known each other since you were kids and you’re so good together. You were friends first, but now things are hot: it’s perfect. If we were having a grad-dance king and queen, it would be you guys. I can totally see you getting married.”
“I’m sorry, did you say married? Get real, Karen.”
“It is kind of romantic,” said Charmaine. I could almost see the hearts swirling around their heads. “Childhood sweethearts. And you could play hockey together. Your kids could play hockey. Of course you would have to graduate from university first.”
“You guys are putting the mental in sentimental,” I declared. “We’ll see you later.”
I shoved my yearbook into my backpack. April and I were going to Park Royal to do some shopping, so we had to catch the bus. We got a seat at the back. With April, it was good to agree on a mall mission or she could shop for hours.
“So, shoes for me and a purse for you, right? And we’ll get something to eat?”
“Every time we go anywhere, you have to eat,” April groused. She had been a ballerina, so she had a tendency to worry about her weight. Personally, I thought she was too thin.
“If you don’t feed me every four hours, I turn into a Grumpy Gus,” I warned her. “Anyway, this whole trip seems unnecessary.”
“Kelly! I helped you find the perfect formal dress for Grad, and then found out you were going to wear flip-flops with it!”
“They’re metallic. That’s dressy, right?”
April shook her head. “Shoes. Like a normal person.” She squinted at me. “You have an evening bag, right? And a wrap?”
“A wrap? What am I, a tortilla? Don’t worry, my mom’s lending me a cute beaded bag.” I also had a jacket in mind, but I knew that April wouldn’t approve, so I kept quiet about that. Time for a subject change. “Can you believe Karen and Charmaine? Talking about marriage. That is so insane.”
April twisted a strand of hair, which was her signal for thinking hard. “Really truly, Kelly—have you never thought about a future with Phil? You two seem more committed than I’ve ever been with any guy. And Karen was right, you guys are perfect together.”
I could tell she was serious, so I replied honestly. “No. We both know that it’s over at the end of the summer. Once I decided to go to McGill, we had a big discussion. Phil doesn’t believe that long distance can work, so we’re going to split up when I leave.”
“Wow, that’s cold,” April said.
“This coming from the Queen of Broken Hearts? You turf guys if you don’t like what they order at Starbucks.”
“That’s an exaggeration. I dumped that vegan because he kept going on about factory farming when I was trying to eat my chicken burger. But back to you, that’s okay with you? Doesn’t it impact the way you feel about Phil, knowing you’re going to break up at the end of August?”
“I think it’s better. We appreciate the time we do have together.”
I wasn’t a person who worried a lot about the future, so it wasn’t like it weighed on my mind. And I didn’t tell her the other part—I believed it was one of the things that kept our relationship going. I figured that we kept going out because Phil knew our relationship had an end date and he didn’t have to worry. And at the end there wouldn’t be any big drama or hurt feelings. We would split up because that was how it had to be.
“I swear, Kelly, you do not have a romantic bone in your body.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah, I had one. But it got broken during a hockey game.”