As I strolled out of my one complimentary class, psychology, I swaggered a bit, if I may: I was pretty satisfied with a seventy-five on a test I didn't study for, when a schoolmate from highschool, (West Preston) Joel, caught up with me. Now, there is much to be said about Joel, he's pretty tight but I never became his full blown friend. Like, we always made a couple jokes here and there back and forth, not to eachother but just to fuck with our teachers, french teacher mostly. I always thought that he was really intelligent but no one was really milking it out of him. He must have been smart enough to make it to college right? So I must have been a bit right. Right?
Anyway, so Joel catches up with me, and he says "Hey man," like I've been talking to him everyday. At this moment, I regret not getting any closer to him, and it seemed that it would have paid off. I had no idea he was coming so I was really happy.
"Dude! Where ya been man?" I was really caught off guard okay?
"I'm in your psych class! I wasn't sure it was you at first." My ego caught up with me and wanted to ask why he hadn't noticed I was starting O-Line, but I stifled myself. "Dude, I figure you'd enjoy this," That was always a pre-cursor to some minor gossip.
"Oh, what man?" I was ready for 'The psychology teacher used to have a heavy addiction to narcotics' or something small. What I got was way more serious than I expected.
"Remember Rachel Gilbert?" My puzzled look was proof I had no idea whom he was talking about. "Raven?" Click! Went my brain. Raven was this girl that I never understood. She seemed to be really liked but no one seemed to really like her. I remember being her friend through a play we were both in. She gave quite a performance as Arthur MIller's Abigail (The Crucible) and I expected her to go into movies, or at least television. My nodding signaled to Joel I remembered Rachel. "She's been institutionalized." POW! That hit me like the punch that killed Harry Houdini. I actually staggered a bit and kind of freaked out.
"Institutionalized?" I really could not believe those words.
"Yeah, man. I was shadowing a psychiatrist for some extra credit-" This should have hit me harder than Rachel's present whereabouts. Joel was the kind of kid who never ever ever went after extra credit. LIterally in all the time I had known him he never went after extra credit, college changed him for the better. "and I couldn't help but recognize her. When I asked abnout her the doctor told me she "lost conrol" one day and almost killed a stranger in the street. She was deemed mentally unstable in court and sentenced to the hospital I guess. She now spends her days convinced she's going to some made up school with fake classes and teachers. I don't know to be honest, I just know she's locked up." He suddenly looked like something behind me surprised him. "Shit I gotta run! Nice talking to you." I hardly was able to say anything. I was so stunned by what I heard about Rachel. I followed his movements past me by rotating, to see him go off. I was only more surprised when I saw him kiss and lock hands with another guy. If my jaw wasn't already on the floor, it just landed. I'm going to maintain that college changed him for the better. Shrek once said "Better out than in, I always say." I think it applies here. Well, goes to show you never know huh?
