Transgression (Prequel #1)

8 - Communal Ablusion

With the short-lived interaction over, he turned his attention back to the hall he stood in to get a feel for his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the unnecessary number of posters and advertisements stuck to every single wall. The second, was a powerful stench of window cleaner and hair products. He sniffled at the stink; rubbing his nose in an attempt to wipe it away.

The noise level fluctuated randomly, adhering to the current amalgamation of bodies in the immediate area. A headache started to creep into his brain from lack of food and water; he couldn't waste any more time. Standing in the middle of the walking path, Alex was forced to step more to his right when another crowd of people attempted to exit. Now out of the way, he stood with straight shoulders and a craned neck, glancing over large fluffy hairstyles and unexpectedly tall students.

To the right was a long hallway with waxed blue and green checkered floors that stretched on until it split into another intersection. The floor was different than the solid green smooth tile the rest of this floor had and was quite a bit distracting, to say the least. The hallway was wider than any other he could see and made for a jarring layout for first-time viewers such as himself.

Along the wall which harbored that section, was a single door and sliding glass window on the left side. A disinterested-looking lady sat behind the window sorting through papers. A sign above the window solidified that this was the Main Office; so, if he ever gets lost, at least he knows where that is.

Straight ahead of him and to his left were two more hallways. The one to his left had the long hallway of windows that he had just passed by and continued on to the gym lobby. While the hallway directly in front of him had a large ascending stairwell protruding from the back-right corner. To the left of the steps was another set of double doors. A sign protruded out from the wall to where he could easily read the big bold letters; Cafeteria.

"Jackpot." Alex exclaimed under his breath.

Obeying the emptiness within, Alex sprung forward with determined, glazed eyes. He moved carefully towards the door, wading impatiently through a bunch of people all heading in different directions. Most of them slowed as they saw him and offered a variety of confused and concerned looks.

Even though this was a community college, nearly everyone here appeared to be younger than him, or just about the same age. Still, he felt weird. Unsure whether or not their judgmental eyes were a result of his messy appearance or age, or whether they guessed he was part of the workers; which in their eyes made him a criminal.

Just as he arrived at the door, it swung open and he was forced to plant his feet while two guys passed by. A hand was extended out from within, holding the door open as another guy with his head lowered slowly made his way out into this hall.

Then, the person holding the door open stepped through and looked up to see him standing there. It was a girl, short red hair, round glasses, a petite frame and wide doe-eyes. She stopped when she saw him, froze for just a second then stepped all the way through but turned herself around to continue holding the door.

Surprised and flattered by her gesture, Alex gave her a big smile and stepped forward, taking the door from her. She smiled back, looked to the floor and then went on her way. He paused, taking a moment longer to watch her turn down the path beside the office and disappear.

Cute. He thought.

Shaking away those thoughts, he refocused on food and the limited time he had. Stepping into the lunchroom, he was bombarded by echoing, rowdy voices from every direction.

A mass of somewhere around one hundred and fifty students was gathered in this one space which nearly matched the size of the gymnasium. Starting from the center and expanding out was nothing but consolidated tables with no more than three feet of space between each one. To his right, lining the walls were vending machines that offered various drinks and quick snacks.