Imagine this: you walk into the cafeteria, on a usual lunch, and suddenly the entire Lollapalooza 2026 lineup is there.
Your eyes catch Graded’s main cheerleader and treasurer. You know that friend who plans everything, who is always brushing her hair in the middle of class, dances, and organizes bake sales? That’s Sabrina Carpenter. Always making flyers, getting everyone pumped, and making sure everyone knows about the assembly during flex.
You keep walking down the main hallway, and this cool, crazy kid named Tyler (the school style creator) shows up in colorful clothes, painting murals in the hallways, maybe even turns the janitor’s closet into an art installation. He constantly surprises you, and nobody really knows what he’ll do next (but you love it).
Eventually, you head to the library to casually work on your Math homework due tomorrow, and watch a boy lying down in 2 beanbags, with his extra-large JBL headphones, and a hoodie on. He is really not watching his surroundings. I noticed a girl asking for one of the beanbags; she was almost shouting, “Lewis Capaldi! Please give me one of the beanbags,” but he was occupied listening to music and just chilling. He looked sad. He seems like the type of person who will be 100% listening to all your issues, write emotionally filled Instagram captions, and make everyone feel comfortable admitting they have feelings too.
After a long study session, I walk past the vending machine and spot my favorite popcorn finally restocked. I buy a bag, planning to eat it with my watermelon juice, when I suddenly trip over a rock. My juice goes flying straight onto a brunette girl. She stares at me and says, “The drink you spilled all over me…” I freeze, stammer an apology, and she just smiles. “I’m Lorde,” she says. We headed to the bathroom to clean her clothes, filled with watermelon juice.
She was my biggest company until flex time, in which we had a high school play presented by the theater class. Entering the auditorium, I hear the faint sounds of heels clacking and glitter floating through the air. There she is, ChappeIl Roan, rehearsing for the school play while wearing a feather boa and platforms taller than my math grade. She’s choreographing the whole drama club like it’s the Met Gala. If anyone could turn a pop quiz into Broadway material, it’s her.
Sitting by my side during the assembly was this blonde girl who just kept learning TikTok dances like she had an IB test about it tomorrow. Her phone popped up new followers every millisecond, asking for the high school to like and subscribe to her account. Her username is @addisonrae, an account with over infinite dance videos, with the dance moves as precise as a NASA launch. By the end of flex, she turned students into a full production center. People with flashlights to make her videos high quality, others holding her phone for stability, and others filming her talent. And honestly, we’re all okay with it.
And just like that, I realize Lolla week at school isn’t normal, it’s spectacular.
