I figured out very early in life that things are not what they seem. Even the happiest person can be the saddest, and even the nicest person can be the most coldhearted. People will deceive you. Sometimes it for their benefit, and sometimes it's for yours. You have to make sure that people won't hurt you once you know the truth.
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Needless to say, sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a freezing cold classroom was not how I wanted to spend my day. I tried to listen to my English teacher, but I found my eyes wandering around the classroom. I immediately dismissed the people in Category A, but I stopped to take a look at the others. Where other people saw a shy girl doodling on her paper, I saw a girl full of ideas and an ambition to be an artist. Where others saw a timid boy, I saw a boy who studied for hours every night, and was restraining himself out of fear from putting his hand up to answer every question.
I kept making my small observations until I noticed a small crumpled piece of paper slide onto my desk. Looking over to see where it came from, there was a guy with long bangs who was staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened. He was slumped forwards in his chair in a posture that screamed, "Please don't notice me". Perplexed and slightly annoyed to have been noticed by someone, I shoved the paper onto the floor. As I looked over again, I saw that he was picking up the piece of paper and tucking it back in his book.
The bell rang for the final time today, and most of the students ran out of the classroom as fast as they could. I packed my bag, swung it over my shoulder, and walked out already thinking about the homework. But I couldn't help noticing the guy who had passed the note to me watch me walk out.
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Sitting in the dark closet, memories that I've been trying to bury for years started surfacing. Me laying down on the sidewalk alone cradling my limp dog's body. My mother scraping the mold off the bread when she thought I couldn't see. Visiting my father's grave with my mother and acting as if we didn't notice each other crying. It went darker and darker until I convinced myself I wasn't alone in a black closet. I was floating, flying away, and no one could stop me. I don't know where I was going, but I knew it was away from here.
YOU ARE READING
In-Between The Lines
AcakYou're missing a whole new world. A whole new outlook, whole new people, and a whole new way of living. You could have it all if you just looked in-between the lines.
