Last Friday was the last day of school, and it was also a perfect day for a reunion of middle school classmates. I’m not a party animal, but whenever there is a middle school reunion, I usually try my best not to miss it. Why are middle school classmates so special? First, as we enter our senior year, ready to take off for college, the opportunities for get-togethers are limited. More importantly, we are friends in the purest sense, never distrusting or second guessing. I’m always at a loss of words..
I arrived late at the pizza place, but when I showed up, I got a celebrity’s welcome. “Yifu!” a dozen of my friends called out. I remember entering my middle school classroom and seeing nearly forty classmates packed inside the bright classroom. That classroom is gone now, renovated into a boys’ room and a girls’ room, but the boys and girls who once called the classroom home are intact.
We were in one of the top middle schools in Beijing, but some of my friends did not score high enough in the High School Entrance Exam to attend their dream schools. Nonetheless, we didn’t evade the topics of school and scores.
“My English score is poor as hell! You know, my English abilities are okay, but my score can’t reflect my abilities!” one of them said.
“I’m sure I’m 200 points lower than you [in the final exams],” another chimed in.
These jokes belong to the halcyon days of middle school, where no one was ever judged by his scores. In high school, we are the only people who continue to make such jokes.
As for college plans, some intend to remain in Beijing, one wants to go to a military academy in Changsha, while others are applying to colleges in the United States. A comrade decided to take a gap year in 2011 and is now one year our junior, whom we dubbed “little brother.”
As I approached Mr. H, with whom I used to discuss the NBA, I suddenly felt a loss of words.
“Now the Celtics are without Ray Allen,” he grinned, “no one can shoot three-pointers.”
“Maybe Rondo is up to the job,” I said.
“Well, the Celtics can still make it to the playoffs, and the Lakers…oh, no the Lakers are done this season!” he laughed.
“And now your idol [Tracy McGrady] is playing for Qingdao!” I joked.
Mr. H buried his head in his arms, laughing like he always did three years ago. We have just picked up our conversation from a distant yesterday.
After feasting on pizza, we took group pictures and posted them on RenRen as a part of our tradition. These pictures immediately became the envy of those who didn’t make it to the party.
Finally, why is a reunion with old friends so precious? It is a time to reminisce and truly appreciate the memories from countless yesterdays. As seniors, we are all anxiously worrying about the present and eagerly looking ahead to the future, but we also need some time to look back. Reminiscing helps us realize who we used to be. This understanding of our past is crucial to shaping our own future.
After the reunion, everyone is asking, “When is the next one?” It is indeed a sad question, but I do have an optimistic answer: there will always be a next time!这周五是整个学期的最后一天，是最适合初中同学聚会的日子。我不是个热衷于派对活动的人，但是我总会想办法去参加每一次和初中同学的聚会。为什么我对初中同学情有独钟？首先，因为我们都已是高三的学生，很快要步入大学的校门，聚会的机会实在难得。更重要的是，我们之间的友情是最纯洁的，没有猜忌，也没有人事后诸葛亮。
我迟到了，但是当我踏进比萨店的时候，十几个朋友都喊起“一夫！”，如接待名人贵客一般地欢迎我。我想起了初中的教室，仿佛看到大约四十个同学，紧凑在那间明亮的教室里。那教室已不复存在，被翻修成了一个男洗手间和女洗手间，但是曾经将那间教室称作“家”的少男少女，却如从前一样。
我们曾是北京市一所顶尖初中的同窗，但是我有几个朋友中考（高级中等学校招生考试）发挥得并不好，没能进入他们的梦想高中。尽管这样，我们却没有回避关于学校和考试成绩的话题。
“我英语成绩糟透了！你们都知道，我的英语水平还算好，但是分数根本不能反映出我的实际能力！”他们其中的一人说。
“我肯定（在期末考试中）比你低200分”另一个同学突然插了一句。
这都是我们在初中那段快乐而安宁的日子里常开的玩笑，因为在初中，我们从不以分数论英雄。而到了高中，我们也是仅有的那一群还在开这样的玩笑的人。
说到上大学的打算，有的人想留在北京，还有个同学打算去湖南的解放军国防科技大学，其他人在申请美国大学。有个同志在2011年选择休学一年，现在正读高二，被我们戏称为“小学弟”。
我来到H兄面前，我们以前常常讨论NBA，而今天我却一时不知说什么好。
“现在雷·阿伦都不在凯尔特人打球了。”他咧嘴笑着，“没人能打出三分了。”
“也许隆多能成功顶替他的位置。”我说。
“噢，凯尔特人还能进季后赛，湖人嘛…不对，湖人这个赛季都完了！”他笑了。
“你最崇拜的麦迪还正给青岛队打球呢。”我跟他开了个玩笑。
H兄埋头苦笑着，和他三年前经常笑的样子一模一样。我们只是提起了昨天的对话，很遥远的昨天的对话。
在比萨大餐上一饱口福后，我们延续一直以来的传统，分组照相，然后把相片传到人人网上。很快，这些照片就招来了那些没能参加聚会的人的嫉妒。
为什么初中同学的聚会如此珍贵？聚会上，和老朋友共度美好时光，重温旧日记忆。作为高三的学生，我们不是心急如焚地担心着当下，就是满怀期待地展望着未来，但我们也应该抽出一些时间，享受回忆。回忆总会让我们认识过去的自己，而这种认识恰恰可以帮助我们走好今后的路。
聚会后，所有人都在问：“什么时候再聚？”这确实是个令人伤心的问题，但是，我仍有一个很乐观的回答：我们总会再聚的！