Use Me Like A Drug

Long Day

  The hall was dim and musty, definitely not well taken care of. Perhaps it was just the age of the school. You'd heard from others that the school had been around since the small town had been established and in all honesty, you wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

  The walls were practically falling apart, the lockers made an ungodly screech whenever they were opened, the roof had water damage as far as the eye could see, and the lights they used made that weird buzzing noise. The one that would eventually drive you insane. The tiled floor was clean but stained with an unknown substance and you wouldn't be surprised if mold grew in between each tile. The doors looked like chipped wooden boards and there was no doubt that someone could break it by applying a slight force.

  At your old school, the doors were a single polished and piece of wood that felt safe to be around. The door that stood between you and your math class felt like an occupational hazard. It looked like you would get a splinter just from being near it.

  The state of this school made you wonder if your parents had grossly over exaggerated every part about this town.

  The move was out of the blue. It was really a last minute thing, so it made you wonder if your parents even looked at where they were moving. As you stared at the door that seemed to have a chunk missing from the edge, you pondered why your parents would move here. Perhaps it was the fact that it was such an unknown location. Your parents assured you that this would be best for you, so you just went with it, no matter the mouldy state of the building you were in. At least your new house was better than this.

  Practically no one wore their uniform properly. It was a trend you'd noticed the moment you'd stepped foot in the building with your skirt ironed, shirt buttoned up, and tie done up properly.

  Some girls had rolled up their skirts. A trend with the boys was that they typically didn't wear their blazer. Amongst everyone, you noticed that the neckwear was not popular. In fact, everyone had at least two buttons on their shirt undone. The shoes that they wore obviously weren't something you were used to. You'd always seen dress shoes being worn, but people here wore colourful sneakers or nice heeled shoes.

  With a resigned sigh, you placed your hand against the rough door, pressing it open. You were greeted with people in their groups, having conversations of their own. They paid you no mind as you stuck to the wall, making your way to the teacher with your heavy backpack slung over one shoulder. The teacher greeted you happily, her eyes glowing at the sight of your proper uniform. She knew it wouldn't last. You could've been the best student in the school but she knew it wouldn't be long before you ditched the neckwear.

   She had asked for your name and some simple things to become acquainted and then she grabbed a piece of paper on her desk. It had perfectly arranged squares in rows with names in each square. A seating chart.

  "This is probably the only thing these kids listen to," she joked, offering you a smile as she grabbed her pen from her desk, looking closely at the squares before pointing to an empty one at the back left hand corner of the room, opposite the door. "Is this seat okay?" She asked, glancing to you quickly.

  You nodded, thanking her quickly before taking your things and scurrying to your new assigned seat. Rather than a student in each desk, there were small groups scattered amongst the room with one person in a desk and others surrounding the desk. It gave the room the illusion of being more empty than it was.

  You had the feeling that this class would be rather boring for you. You'd completed the current math unit that the other students were learning. You were ahead of them. At least until the next unit.

  When the bell rang, the students made no attempt to move quickly to their desks. They meandered about the classroom, continuing their previous conversations and starting new ones. They still hadn't paid much attention to you other than those seated around you who were weary to glance at the desk that was no longer empty.