A Plagued Winter

Chapter 4

Everyone is a new kid at some point. Being a new kid gains a lot of attention. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory. And in a place like this, where hell's creatures grasp at the bark of trees to crawl their way out of the wintery fire pits, attention is the worst thing you could have.

Andre 

I hated this place already. 

Everyone's curious glances in my direction like I couldn't tell I was the center of their attention. There wasn't one class where I was free from prying eyes. Most tried to be discreet about it and take quick fixes when they thought I couldn't see. The worst ones were the ones who were shameless. The ones who would give me bug eyes for the whole class period without saying a word. Like I wasn't another high schooler here. As if I was something foreign.

But it wasn't just the people that made me want to return to my old school. It was the school itself. Lake Taylor just didn't feel right to me. It wasn't as clean as my other school and the hallways of my high school weren't as dark and grim, the classrooms weren't as packed and I knew the people there. I think that's what I miss the most. Knowing who was in whatever class with me, and which classes my friends had. I knew it would take me a long while before I got used to this and I'd probably end up moving again soon, so I didn't see the point in trying to get a head start.

I also found that the classes I have aren't worth my time. Sure, all the public schools of the Norfolk area were on the same academic track but this school taught things way differently and everything I had learned previously was now all jumbled up and I was struggling to get a grip on the way this school taught.

That was how I met her. Ditching language arts class, something I didn't bother to try at because I honestly didn't think it was necessary. Or I guess not really met, since she didn't see me and I didn't introduce myself. But I don't see how you could fit in a time for introductions when the stranger looked like she was about ready to kill everything in sight.

As I was exploring this new form of torture I'd be residing in for a while, I ventured into the library. And I have to admit, the sight of that pathetic little room made me want to cry. The bookshelves were about waist height and only contained textbooks like: Venturing into the World of Science or How to Understand Calculus. The brick walls were suffocating and their white paint still had remnants of a lazy job. It was so bad, I was out of the door before the librarian could even take note of my appearance and as I left, I vowed to never step foot back into that room on my own accord. After that messy adventure, I decided I felt like going to the restroom. It was there that I finally overheard a piece of gossip that wasn't about me.

Usually, I'm not one to take an interest in senseless rumors unless it's about some kind of fight, but this was different. This gossip wasn't about who was cheating on who, or the he said, she said scenarios. This was something else.

"Yeah, I heard that he was murdered. My dad's a police officer , and last night he was telling my mom that Trevon, that boy that went missing a while back, isn't actually missing. He was murdered in the woods. And that's why that emo-looking girl is so messed up now. Because she saw it happen. She used to be cool but now she barely says anything at all. She creeps me out honestly."

I stepped towards the entrance/exit of the boys' bathroom to eavesdrop easier whilst shaming myself in the process because why the fuck did I care about some most likely unreliable information? Despite questioning myself, I pressed my ear against the cold wood and listened anyway.