Shutter ❋ Joe Sugg AU

6 ❋ Joe

Since it was a Thursday, Corsham School was packed full of students. I realised that perhaps we should've come in the afternoon, but nevertheless Zoe pulled into the school car park. As we walked across the pavement to the schools office, we attracted both stares and whispers from the students. While the juniors looked on with innocent curiosity, some of the seniors probably remembered us from our days of attendance.

"I don't remember any of these people..." I said quietly to Zoe, who rolled her eyes.

"Well it has been 5 years since you went to school here Joe." She said, a smirk on her lips. When she put it like that I was shocked - surely it hadn't been five years? I was 23 now, and I left when I was 18. That added up to 5 years - 5 years of being indecisive and unsure. It felt like such a waste.

I let Zoe handle all the talking - she had a way with communicating, and she was less likely to say something stupid. The people at the office remembered us fondly, which definitely helped our appeal. They agreed to let us use the dark room - as long as there was no class in there currently. Both Zoe and I thanked the lady - I think her name was Mrs Dawson - before heading into the main school building. I knew we didn't have to worry about a class in the dark room - it was clearly lunchtime, judging by the students ambling about the courtyards.

"It feels like we never left..." I said as we walked through the halls, en route to the art block.

"I suppose it does." Zoe said, glancing around her at the familiar surroundings. I could still remember pacing these halls each day, counting down the seconds until the bell. I felt a brief longing, longing to go back to that simple time.

We arrived at the photography classroom, which brought back a flood of memories. I could still hear Mr Corker's flat voice droning on about exposure to light and correct angling. The room still looked the same, and I was surprised to see that some of mine and Zoe's work was still tacked on the walls.

In the corner of the classroom was the little door that opened into the dark room. The large machines looked intimidating, mostly because I had forgotten how they operated. There was a clothesline and pegs for hanging up the photos, and a sink where they were actually developed. Zoe's eyes were bright as she surveyed the room.

"I spent so many hours in here... It's actually quiet nice to come back." She said, her mood obviously nostalgic as she walked leisurely around the room, poking around the equipment.

I tapped her on the shoulder and held out the camera for her to take. "Can we get on with it?" I was literally buzzing with the anticipation of what we might find on that mysterious film roll.

"Alright alright, give me a chance. Let me have a look..." Zoe then became absorbed in her own little world - I knew it was best to leave her alone when she transitioned into this kind of deep set concentration, so I simply leaned against a bench and watched her work. She extracted the film roll from the camera and set about preparing the machines for printing. She also mixed the chemicals that would be used in the sink. After about ten minutes of her getting everything ready, she turned around to face me with a glinting in her eye.

"Do you want the photos printed in colour or black and white?" She asked.

"Definitely colour."

"In that case we need complete blackness in here..." She said, grinning at me excitably.

"How are you going to see what you're doing?" I asked, my tone skeptical.

"I know my way around this room, trust me. But Joe... I think you should just let me handle it. It'll be easier that way."

"That was my intention from the start... I honestly don't remember a single bloody thing from this class." I admitted, more than content to let Zoe have free rein.