If my seventh grade year was my roughest, eighth grade was a close second….and academically my performance was the worst in 8th grade….

It’s a little known secret that I actually failed 8th grade English….you see our teacher gave us this assignment to do a 10 page research paper on any topic you wanted….whatever grade you got on the paper counted 10 times…..but if you didn’t do the paper you got 20 zeros (failed the class)….guess who decided to not to the paper?….actually I was going to do one on Major League Baseball but I just got really apathetic all of a sudden….

So imagine my parents surprise when they got that report card from Camp Creek Middle School and saw that F….I had a season pass to Six Flags and I had already been a couple times, but the first thing my mom did was take that away from me….my Super Nintendo was also banned….at first they were considering making me do the paper during the summer but never happened….

We had just moved into our house on Loch Lomond Trail (the other side of the lake this time)….so I spent alot of time playing basketball and football with Nile, who lived up the street….and I went down to Rashard’s house alot….and of course I would go and harrass my next door neighbor Jennifer….

My mom also had a couple of “trips” planned for that summer….and she still went with Nina and Che but she made me stay in Atlanta with my dad….Dad wasn’t really all that upset, or at least he didn’t express it outwardly….he did tell me that he was disappointed, but I think he could kind of understand what I was going through so he didn’t harp on it….

The first trip they went on was to Jekyl Island which is off of the coast of Georgia….it’s a nice place to just get away….and when Nina and Che got back they made sure to rub it all in….then they went to Chicago to go pick up my aunt and her kids who would be staying with my grandmother for awhile (I can’t believe that at the time we were actually looking forward to it!!!….it ruined our lives for the next 9 years!)….and yet again Nina and Che came back talking about all the fun they’d had…..I still haven’t been to Chicago (not that I’m bitter or anything….I mean who wants to see Wrigley Field and United Center????)….

While they were away I went to work and stuff with Dad….he had moved and he also had new hours (the later 10PM - 2AM shift)….he was staying with my Aunt Kym at the time (they shared a condo, he had the bottom she had the top)….I remember my mom giving Aunt Kym instructions to not let me watch Beavis and Butthead….but at the same time me and Dad went to go see Menace II Society (go figure?!!?)….

Eventually that summer began to wind down….I remember my dad taking us to see Poetic Justice at the very end….and wanting to get a Paco outfit so I could be hot and sweaty on the first day of school like the rest of the cool people….instead I got some wack ass clothes from a place I’m ashamed to name….

Yep….that was the wackest summer….and it ended on a perfectly wack note….I started high school at Westlake that August and they didn’t even have my record….