The October Amaryllis

Chapter 38 - May 19th, 2020 - 2:31 P.M

In the group, they taught us about drug prevention, which I've already gone through about a million times with the DARE program. What's funny is that despite going through the DARE program countless times, I grew up to be a Libertarian like my father. I felt annoyed at having to go through it again, but I knew that complaining wouldn't have changed a thing here. One of my weaknesses is that I constantly complain about things that don't matter. I make a big deal out of things that really aren't that special.

The counselor kept talking on and on, and after a while, her words sounded like Charlie Brown's teachers. It all seemed fine and dandy until she handed us a quiz based on what she had talked about. As if this place wasn't already shitty enough, they were now giving us tests...

Oh no, I am so screwed...

"Now, if you were paying attention, then this quiz should be elementary for you. However, if you were slacking off, then this might prove to be a bit of a challenge for you," she said, looking directly at me.

I felt my face turn crimson red and decided at that moment to wing the quiz and hope for the best. I honestly expected to get every answer wrong.

- Cocaine affects which neurotransmitter in the brain?

This one I actually knew already, so I put down dopamine as the answer. We were taught that excessive dopamine was thought to be responsible for stimulant psychosis. Trust me; you don't want to experience it. During one of the DARE presentations, they had an addict speak about what cocaine did to him, and I swear he said something like, "My carpet was crawling towards me and growling." He also said he saw his furniture disassemble and assemble back together.

2. - True or false, Does drinking coffee help you sober up faster after drinking alcohol?

This was another easy one that I had already gone through in school, so answering it proved to be easy for me. I picked False for it. All coffee does is mask the sedation you feel from alcohol, nothing more. It can actually be dangerous to drink coffee with alcohol because you feel less drunk than you really are.

3. - True or false, crystal meth destroys the teeth due to how acidic it is?

I'll be honest and admit that I did not entirely know the answer to this question; as a result, I put it as True since at least part of the statement was already correct. If I remember correctly, it's terrible for the teeth due to all the paint thinners and other junk they put in it. I wouldn't know, though... Maybe next time I'm in a public park, I'll ask all the tweakers why their teeth are so fucked up.

4. - Heroin is what type of drug?

This was another straightforward one, as anyone in the DARE program already knew its answer. For this one, I put an opioid.

At that moment, my paper was snatched out of my hands by the counselor, who looked over meticulously at everything that I had written as if looking for a mistake she could criticize me on.

"Very nice," she said, smiling and giving it back.

Thanks, I guess...

5. - True or false, psychedelics are completely harmless?

Once again, because of the DARE program, I knew the answer had to have been false if it related to how harmful something was, so I put False for this.

6. - Inhalants can instantly kill you, true or false?

I also knew this one by heart, so I put True. I remember hearing tales about students in my high school who died from abusing computer dusters; their hearts kinda just gave up. In fact, this one kid named William McGraw sat next to me in my Algebra class and passed away from it. They found out because he had a backpack full of Dust-Off. I didn't know him too well, but it still hurt immensely to hear that he died. They said he died from sudden sniffing death syndrome.

I flipped to see if there was a backside to this before realizing that no, this was the entire quiz. At that moment, I felt a smug smile overcome my face. I couldn't wait to see the expression of the counselor when she realized I paid no attention at all and still succeeded. That's the thing; I can somehow pay no attention at all to something and still succeed. I've had this strange skill ever since I was a child. Some things come really quickly to me, while others are impossible to learn, no matter how long I try to understand them. I still struggle with what an adverb is, for example. I'm not very smart; to be honest with you, I just act smart to hide my emotional scars. I hide behind the veil of pseudo-intellectualism to protect my fragile ego.

"Let's see how you all did," she said, carefully looking over all of our completed papers.

"Very nice, Madelynn," she said, patting her on the back. I could see visible discomfort flood her face. One thing that I noticed growing up is that the eyes speak when the mouth is silent.

"Next time, don't sleep in my class, Morgan," she said disapprovingly to a boy that I had never heard speak. I could have sworn that he replied something back, but he was so quiet that it proved impossible for me to understand him.

"Satisfactory job, Ashley," she said, smiling genuinely.

I was next, and I could have sworn that she glared at me right before reading my paper. More than anything, I could tell that she wanted me to fail so that she could tell me, "I told you so." But boy, did I have a surprise for her!

When she finished reading my paper, she nearly screamed out in shock. I had to try my absolute best not to burst out laughing when I saw her expression.

"Clive, are you aware that you are the only one who got all the answers correct?" she said in this strangely high-pitched voice as if she had just sucked the air out of a helium balloon. Okay, it wasn't that high-pitched, but it was close.

"Actually, no, no, I wasn't," I replied awkwardly, chuckling.

"Well, you did, and for that, I congratulate you. Now, seeing as this is everyone who showed up, I'll see it fit to dismiss this group as we have gotten everything out of the way now," she said, clasping her hands together.

And I thought that it would have never ended...