Achievement High

Temporary

I wandered helplessly down the hall as my peers started to slowly disappear into their classrooms. My schedule looked like it was written in a different language and these halls were a mazes. It seemed impossible to find my homeroom.

The bell rung and I sighed at the realization that I was now late on the first day of school.
The rubber soles of my boots made soft sounds against the tile. The halls were completely empty now. I can't explain why but as I walked a felt a wave of loneliness and anxiety rush over me.
I knew I didn't belong here.

This was just another stop. As soon as I did manage to make friends I would be pulled away from them. That gavin kid seemed nice, it would be cool to get to know him... But I know that's not a good idea.

My thoughts started to get overwhelming as I thought about the friends I missed, the friends that promised to keep in touch but never gave so much as a text a month after my move. Tears started welling up in my eyes.

I crumpled up my schedule and shoved in into my pocket.

This whole place was about as permanent to me as a temporary tattoo.

My vision was getting so blurry that I had to stop walking. I leaned against a wall and let myself sink to the floor. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face in my hands. Tears started to slip down my face.

I didn't like this thick silence. It let my thoughts shout and spit cruel words at me. What good is running from your own mind?

"Hey kid? Are you alright?"

I quickly wiped my eyes, embarrassed that anyone caught me. I look up, with still blurry vision, to see a man slightly older than I. Maybe a year or two? His arms were already drenched in tattoos and he had a well developed mustache that curled at the tips. It looked like he hadn't slept well. I nodded slightly as I looked at him.

"Y-yea... I'm alright." My voice trembled slightly, and more tears threatened to spill.
He sat down next to me, sighing slightly as he did. We sat in silence for about a minute.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" I said to interrupt the thoughts slipping back into my head.

"I could ask you the same question." He said in a joking tone, with a faint smile on his face.

"Touché."

"So why were you crying?"

I don't know why I said it, it was stupid to say, but I replied by saying "I wasn't."
His eyebrows furrowed. "Don't lie to me." He said giving me a cold stare.

"Yea, sorry."

"You didn't answer my question." I don't understand how he remained so patient as he spoke. The therapists I was forced to go to hated when I dodged questions.
"I know." Was all I said before the bell rang.

"Well anyways, I'm Geoff." He said standing up. Geoff held out his hand to help me up but I rejected him and stood up by myself.

Remember Temporary. I thought to myself.

"Thanks Geoff." I paused and looked at him. "I'm Jane." I had to look up slightly to keep eye contact. I wasn't very tall. He turned to walk away. "Wait!"

He turned and looked at me.

I blushed slightly. "Do you know where Mr. Burns room is?"

He let out a small chuckle. "Yea I'll show you newbie." Geoff started to walk again, but this time I followed closely behind. People seemed to avoid being in his way. Unlike when I previously walked down the hallway, when I walked I was nearly invisible. People bumped into me without even looking at me afterwards.

I was pulled away from my observations when Geoff spoke again. "So where are you from?"

"Around."

"You're pretty shit at giving specific answers." He said smiling and looking ahead of him. "Mysterious. Cool." He added. I just nodded and held onto my books. When he stopped walking I nearly slammed into his back, but managed to stop myself in time. I blinked rapidly and looked up at him. "We're here."

"Thank you." My voice felt so small in the noisy halls.

"Hey sit with me and my friends at lunch, alright?" He said smiling warmly. "I wanna get to know miss mystery."

I nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for you at lunch, thanks." After that I walked into the classroom and took a seat in the back.

It was freezing in this classroom, I started to regret not wearing a sweatshirt. I got cold fairly easily, the problem is that I don't admit that I get cold easily, not even to myself. I sat and shivered in the back of the classroom. A kid with curly brown hair took a seat next to me. He had on a black sweatshirt, and for a moment I was envious. His sweatshirt had a green and black logo on it. It was a classic game controller in a star in a circle, it was located on the left front side of his sweatshirt.

"What are you starring at?" He sounded tired, and when I looked up at him with startled look on my face, I learned that he looked tired too.

"Oh, uh, sorry..." I said with a faint tinge of pink on my cheeks. "I Was just looking at your sweatshirt." I said shyly.

"Why?" He paused and look at me for a moment, "dude, you look like you're freezing." I crossed my arms and frowned, annoyed that my discomfort was so obvious. He shook his head and unzipped his sweatshirt and handed me it. "Give it back at the end of class."

My eyes widened. "Wait really?" I examined the sweatshirt in my hands, wondering if this moment was real. I was a compleat stranger why did he give me his sweatshirt.

He nodded. "It's a thousand fucking degrees in here." He smiled and looked at me. "You're just a wimp."

I pulled on the sweatshirt and zipped it before jokingly pouting. "Thanks-" I paused I hadn't learned his name yet.

"I'm Michael."

"I'm Jane." As soon as I said that Gavin ran into the room.

"Sorry I'm late Mr-" he looked at his schedule. "Mr, Burns!"

Michael was laughing as the teacher scolded him for being late on the first day, he sighed softly. "Please take a seat Mr. Free and don't do be late again."

Gavin flashed a smile. "No problem sir!" He proudly walked over and sat next to Michael. He looked at Michael, and I saw the excitement in his eyes as he realized that I was in this class too. "Jane!"

The class went by slowly, and despite my best efforts Michael and gavin kept pulling me into conversations. "You should sit with us at lunch Jane." Michael said with a faint smile.

"I already said I'd sit with someone else." I said awkwardly as I fiddled with the sleeves of Michael's sweatshirt.

"You're quiet popular huh?" Gavin said sadly. I laughed at that response, I'd never been in the in-crowd. Sometimes I wanted to at least know what it was like, but in all honesty, being popular looked like too much work. "So who are you sitting with?" Gavin added.

"His names Geoff." I said peeking at the front of the classroom to make sure mr. Burns hadn't noticed our conversation, plenty of people were whispering. I'm sure he understood we had all heard the rules a thousand times.

"Tattoos and mustache?" Michaels asked pulling my attention back to him. I nodded, "he sits with us." He said smiling.

gavin let out a cheer, a cheer that was too loud. Mr. Burns shot him a look, but laughed at his mistake. "I know no ones listening. You can all just talk for the rest of class." He said smiling.