Lamentations

5- Back to School

Jane

She woke up to an empty bed but heard the rest of the apartment come to life as everyone got ready for the world outside. Feeling kind of left out, Jane took a shower in the en suite and put on a faded t-shirt and dark wash jeans. There. Now she fits in.

April knocked on her bedroom door. "Are you decent?" she asked, hoping not to see anything she shouldn't.

"Yes," Jane called out and rolled her eyes. Even if she were naked, it's not like April hasn't seen it before.

Jane was making up her bed, and April joined in, fluffing pillows and placing the against the headboard randomly.

"So, I'm taking you to school today," April said, not looking at Jane to see her reaction. Jane stopped at what she was doing abruptly, scrutinizing April. April stopped too, finally. "Oh, don't worry. You don't have to interact with anyone if you don't want to. And you aren't starting anything. I wanted to show you around and get you enrolled and all that."

Jane just nodded, but on the inside she was relieved as hell. Still, a friend her age wouldn't hurt. It's just that most kids in her generation were assholes. And she'd already had her share of being pushed around.

"Haley made pancakes. There's a plate for you in the microwave. I'll be ready in twenty," April said as she walked out of Jane's room.

Why'd it feel like this was gonna be a long day? It had barely even started.

*~*~*~*

The car drive was silent aside from Dressed in Black playing in the background. April and Jane hummed along with it, and April was grinning, happy that she and Haley weren't the only ones who appreciated Sia's genius.

The school was huge, too big. Too prestigious. All of the students that were milling around were uniformed in expensive, designer clothing. Jane stuck out like a sore thumb. And she couldn't the whole "this is the school of rich assholes" off her back. Of course she didn't want to be quick to judge, but the cliché thought just wouldn't disappear.

"Damn, April," she muttered in awe. "I can't go here. I look too poor."

April just shook her head and chuckled. "If you like the way you dress, you shouldn't have to change. But I wanted to take you shopping on my lunch break. It's all up to you."

The two stepped out of the car and walked into the building. Jane got odd looks from girls, but the guys didn't seem to mind the fact she was wearing rags. Typical, she thought. I could wear a damn trash bag, and they still wouldn't care.

Jane looked at any student she could walking down the hallway. No matter who she looked at, all she could see was richness. Not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into someone. She was prepared to get slapped; that was what her dad would do if she ever got in his way. Jane braced herself, her eyes shut tight, but she didn't feel the slap come.

"You might want to watch where you're going, sweetheart," the person said. And Jane opened her eyes. The boy was looking down at her, a grin way too large to have bumped into someone.

"I'm s-sorry," Jane stuttered.

"It's all good. I've gotta get going, but maybe I'll see you around," he said and walked off before she could say another word.

April found Jane in the sea of kids. "I see you've met Damian. C'mon, I want to show you around before first period's over."

And with her arm laced in April's, the two were off to explore the school.

The bell had rung before April got to her class. "You can sit anywhere you want," she whispered into Jane's ear. There were kids typing away on a laptop or scribbling quickly in notebooks, and she wondered what class April taught.

Even she took out a black journal-looking book and began to write. All Jane did was sit around awkwardly until April finally spoke up.

"Alright. Who's up first?" she asked, and a guy with blonde hair and blue eyes subtly raised his hand when no one else did.

April nodded and the guy stood in his spot and read what he had written in his notebook.

"The air is cold, and the atmosphere is damp. And for a second, you realize that there is one large cloud focusing its attention on one spot. The shelter is warm, and the cozy mood is set. Every hot prefix is put in use. Hot chocolate. Hot fire. Hot. And the nature outside is cold. Damp. The atmosphere smells of wet copper, making its victims aware of the attention that's focused on it.

"That spot knows what happens next, but it doesn't know when it starts. And it feels as if everything gets slower, and it all stops moving until the rainbow shines. One drop starts, and the phenomenon begins. Then the story is complete. And the rainbow shines. And the world gets put back into its own pace as the cold, damp, coppery atmosphere looks for its next victims."

The guy sits down, and Jane doesn't stop staring at him. How could someone make rain sound so pretty? He was talking about rain, right?

"Nice work, Jack. That was beautiful," April said, a proud smile on her face. "And that, my friends, is adoxogrophy."

Soon enough every student had raised their hand, and one by one each person gave their story about rain.

What class is this? Jane loved it. Everyone wrote with their heart and let down their walls. Every person, vulnerable, and not a negative word was said because of it.

"Did you write something, April?" a girl asked. Jane's eyes widened a fraction. April didn't have her students address her by her last name?

This place is heaven, Jane concluded.

April smiled. "I might have, but you guys know I never share what I write." She girl's hope was slightly crushed. It was written all over her face. "Maybe one day, Susan."

There was nothing else to do, so the class started to mingle amongst themselves. April sat next to Jane. "There's this one kid I think you'll get along with. Jack. Go talk to him, yeah?"

Jane obliged, despite the immediate paranoia. Jack. The guy who wrote about rain. She stood up awkwardly and sat in front of him.

He looked up from his phone and smiled instantly. "Jane, right?" he said.

She nodded, surprised he knew her name already.

"April told me about you. You're her boyfriend's little sister."

Her eyebrows drew together. "You know Adrian?"

"Oh no, not really. But last year, she wrote an adoxogrophy about him. That's the only story she's ever written and told us."

And their friendship sprouted from there. Once lunch started, April and Jane had went shopping. Jane wouldn't see Jack again today, but she excited to start school next week.