Boarding School for Giants (G/T)

Part 10

My thoughts were in a frantic whirl as I raced to my next class. Human trafficking was a very scary idea in itself, and thinking about being kidnapped made me feel vulnerable and helpless, but it was a remote possibility, and I didn't want to delve into it too much. My more immediate concern was with my homework assignment. I wouldn't be able to type up my essay on a giant computer by myself. Such a herculean feat would take hours, if it were even possible. I needed help.

I pulled into my next class a mere minute before the bell rang and hurried to my seat to avoid unwanted attention. My next class was chemistry, which was far from being my strongest subject. I should have been paying close attention, but I couldn't focus with all the stress I was under. How the heck was I going to accomplish this task?

I considered asking Mr. Henderson for assistance, but I really didn't want to bother him more after he had already gone so far out of his way to help me. Besides, I knew I would eventually have to get to know my peers. I wasn't going to survive at this school without any friends, and I couldn't rely on the vice principal for everything. At some point I would be forced to interact with giant students, so why not now? Keeping a low profile, I subtly glanced around at the giants around me. I was strongly intimidated by their grand size. None of them looked very approachable. I slumped down in my chair despondently.

The problem was only compounded when the chemistry teacher assigned homework too. Now I had two homework assignments that somehow would need to be scaled up to giant size. At least I only had two classes today, since my sixth slot was empty. The bell rang and I waited for a good opportunity to leave, making sure the chemistry teacher didn't harass me on the way out. I went to the dining hall and found a brown bag lunch waiting for me, with a ham and cheese sandwich, some carrots, cookies, and apple juice. Not bad. I decided to be brave and ate my lunch in the cafeteria like a normal person. Nobody bothered me, but I also was too skittish to interface with anybody. The lunchroom environment was too crowded and noisy, dampening my spirit further. Being such a coward left me downright miserable. I felt pathetic.

Procrastinating on the inevitable, I reasoned that my next course of action should be to finish the assignments before I asked any of the giants for help. That way, when I worked up to that point, I would be fully prepared. I would use my time efficiently, get all my work done during sixth period when all the other students were in class, and then I would have the whole weekend to manifest the courage to speak up, since I wouldn't have these classes again until Tuesday. Resolved, I headed for the library.

I didn't want to get yelled at again, so I kept a wary eye out for the strict librarian as I slunk over to the human tables. Thankfully, I was left alone this time. The library, in stark contrast to the lunchroom, was deathly quiet, except for the bell signaling the beginning of sixth period. The hush allowed me to focus, and I slogged through my essay fairly quickly. The final product was a bit sloppy, but I was past the point of caring: I just wanted to get it done. The chemistry homework was harder, especially since I hadn't paid any attention during the teacher's lecture. I had to read through the class material, and I didn't fully grasp some of the concepts, but I answered the questions as best I could.

The time slipped by, and before I knew it the school day had ended. The easy part was done. Now for the hard part. I felt a surge of misery as I heard all the giants tramping through the halls, talking and yelling, happy and carefree, glad to be done with their school week. I wished I could be that blissfully unaware, but my disquieting obstacles were only growing larger.

One of the giant students entered the library. At first, due to his incredible height, I didn't see his face, but I did recognize his shoes. He wore black and white sneakers, and I wracked my brains trying to recall where I had seen them before. Then it hit me: He was the giant whose shoe I had collided with the other day. My knees still ached as a painful reminder. A spark flamed within me. This was my chance! He would be the perfect person to ask, since technically we weren't total strangers. Plus, while I had freaked out at the time, he seemed harmless enough.