to.

203 9 0
                                    

to.

AS SOON she introduced herself to the class, Danielle felt the weight of the air and a pressure rising. Sweat ran through her hands and fingers whilst she managed finding a seat between a redhead and a blondie. "The star of the day," she had heard from one of the girls.

The maths lesson passed relatively fast, not fast enough to her, because she hated mathematics, but enough to satisfy her anxiety. When she left her seat, the girls walked toward her table, putting down their books on it. "Hey hey hey, city girl, so, how's town? Must differ from your big Indiana Polis," asked one of them, who wore blue bright eyeshadow with the brightest pink top Danielle had ever seen during 18 years of life.

Do not socialize,

Do not socialize,

Do not speak to anybody besides your teachers.

But, that wouldn't be very polite to not answer ? Right ? "It's cosy and calm, I like it. I arrived yesterday so... I didn't have much time to build an opinion, yet," stated Danielle.

The blond formed a grin on her lips at the mere mentions of "cosy and calm". Yes, that'd exactly be how people would describe Hawkins before knowing the city for it's much gloomier side.

"I see, I see. So, your dad's an attorney? You must be rich. What school you were studying in, before ?" she pursued.

"I-... Roncalli High," replied Danny, caught short by the questions of the girl facing her. "Catholic ?" Danielle nodded and almost heard a discreet chuckle when her answer went to the ears of the girls.

"Okay, sweetheart! Name's Whitney, and the two others are Ada and Claire. We'll be leaving by now, I'm sure we'll each other around. Fine to you?"

Danielle gave a smile to the party and waved them goodbye. When she realized she was alone, the brunette observed the classroom : blank white walls, some posters to do prevention against drugs and alcohol abuses, others from what apparently has been the snowball of 1984, and others cheering the new year.

The board was a white one, the one you write with pens on it and not chalks. Different from what she had known until last Christmas

When she picked up her notes from her bag, Danielle laid her eyes on the numbers appearing on the paper sheets : the hallway where her locker was, and the overall class schedule.

Quickly, the woman decided to leave the room and go find her locker. Which she struggled to. She walked fast, fast enough to assure nobody would remark her, except if she walked on somebody. Soon, a tsunami of teenagers in puberty would show up to her, some discussing and others studying their science book already.

She swallowed her saliva,

May the Lord have mercy on her to ease her, certainly, future struggle.

Do not speak to anybody,

Do not socialize,

This won't last for over a year.

At least, that was what she repeated to herself. Just to not drift away from her goal.

"It'll pass, Danny," she muttered to herself.

It was already ten thirty, three hours to last. After that, she possibly might go take a milkshake to the mall she heard the girls ramble about after their mathematics class.

To be fair, Danny never moved out of Indiana Polis. The furthest she's ever been to, was New York City for her father's job or Scotland on Christmases to visit her grandparents. But never did she moved out of her beloved natal hometown.

Built for Error • STEVE HARRINGTON, OC, BILLY HARGROVEWhere stories live. Discover now