Trapped away from the light

Part 7

The dining hall, it is huge. I don't know how to even describe it.

"You impressed?" Nio ask, walking over to a line with people in it. The board over it tells what's in the line "mash potatoes, grill cheese, salad..."

We all get our dinner and sit down at a small table next to floor to ceiling window. I have to admit, this place is amazing, I can't believe I never visited this place. I only focus on my food. It was amazing. Grilled cheese is my favorite, reminds me of when I used to live with my dad, I remember when I started living with him after my mom died. He can't cook. At all. I remember when he told me that he almost set the kitchen on fire by making some kind of pasta. Because grandma did not want him to live off fast food for his entire life. But in the end he did anyway.

Nio and Chloe talked for a little about the school but started to get distracted by their food, so it was pretty much silent. 

Nio finished her food first and instructed us to look around campus while she sorts things out for our dorm, she said she will catch up to us when everything is figured out. When she left, I barely notice before that there are not many people in the dining hall. But according to the sign it does not close until 20 minutes.

"So," Chloe says "what do you want to explore first."

"We can walk around the campus in the dark." I respond. "just to see where everything is."

"That does not sound bad, let's go. I think I still see people down there. Let's go check I out." Tacking up her tray and heading out the door as I do the same.

"Why don't you smile more" Chloe asks, when we where walking on the sidewalks  "it's easy, like this" as her smile.

"Okay, first I do smile. Second, I don't find humor in walking around at night. And third of all, and I can't stress this enough, it's because I don't want to."

"Oh, really? You smile? Alright, when was the last time you smiled?"

"Um, let's see." I hesitated before answering "when Patrick gotten beaten up by a girl he was flirting with."

Chloe laughed. She was there with us when Patrick got beaten up. He had it coming. He kept calling her "the lucky one" for him talking to her. What he didn't know he didn't know is she was a black belt.

"Okay, human suffering does not count." Chloe said, fighting the laughter herself.

"You're kidding, you were laughing just as hard as I was. You even got some on video."

"Yeah, well you would also know that I cracked my screen by pulling it out of my pocket."

"yet, you still manage to get thee last pieces of it."

"yep, and I'm proud of It." she said, picking up her tray and standing "you ready to go?"

"Yeah sure."

Nothing really catch my eye so I just followed Chloe. it seemed that she stopped every two feet. after 30 minutes of this I decided to sit down and have a breather, like a mom how is tired of her child and lets them do whatever they frecken  want to because they just don't give a crap any more. If that is harsh, but true.

this bench is behind the main building so no one on the outside can see me on campus. nothing seems out of place, no one looking over there shoulders in our way. we should be fine if we don't make any commotion.

There was a group of what seem like the jocks of this school, tall and muscular but 20 feet away from me. I get a funny feeling from them. I don't know why, I never got into trouble with those kinds of kids before.

But then again I never went to school, thinking it just the movies I seen in the pass. mostly 80's movies with the jocks dumb idiots with muscle. In most cases, yes some are, for sure but others okay.

I look down and look at my phone. Not turning it on, just looking at it. Why are people hunting over this? There is no way they can be hunting me for me.

"Hey." a man's voice says in front of me. I snapped my head up from where the voice was coming from. It was a guy from the jocks group. He was not muscular at all, but quit the opposite. He looked off. His hair was white but he looked around my age

"Hey." I said back. Confused. Why is he talking to me? I know he doesn't know me. He probably thought I was someone else.

He smiled and said "oh, I'm sorry. Did I scare you?"

I shook my head "No, you just startled me"

"Hmm," he said, "I'm pretty sure that means the same thing"

"I guess so," I said, shrugging my shoulders. He looks like foot taller than me. Now that I looking at him, I don't think he is a jock, no messed up clothing, no uniform, no equipment like the others had. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"I don't know." He says. "You look familiar, how long have you been here?

"Just today, I can't imagen how I look familiar to you." I say, I don't see the harm of telling him when I came here. It's not like he would care to notice.

"That's cool, but, why so late in the semester? Did you come from a different school? Do you like it here?" he asks

"Well, my friend was able to vouch for me to get into this school and I really like the programs here, I came all the way up here from Brookline, New York. And I been here for only a couple hours and so far I like it." I say.

He smiles at my answer, and sits down next to me and look to his right and straight ahead. I'm not a big fan of small talk so I don't even bother try to start anything. I look for Chloe. She was talking to a basketball player. Assuming from his uniform.

"Not a big fan of talking?" the guy next to me said.

"Not in particular." I respond

"Is she your friend? The one with the short blue hair?" he ask looking over in Chloe direction.

"Yeah, we transfer together. So she is excited about exploring this place as much as possible. "I say, looking over to the other peer group of friends. "I, on the other hand, don't see what the hype about this place is." Chloe starts to make her way towards us. Smiling like she knows a secret. "speak of the  devil." I say.

"Hey," Chloe said, skipping. "Guess what buttercup, I just got invited to hang out with those guy to a party. You want to come with?"

"Do you really think that's a good idea? We have to get early and met up with Nio. We can't afford to leave, it's late already."

"Don't worry, it will be fine. I would be able to up early. If you don't want to come with, you don't have to."

"Fine." I say, standing and making my way to the dorms "I'm not going to help you if you get drunk off your ass."

I headed towards the dormitory.

After 5 minutes, I'm inside a building. Not the dorms, but the main building. I did not even realize until I was the inside building. I have nothing but time now, so I decided to walk around the hallways looking into the empty class rooms. It was quiet despite my foots steps that eco down the hallway.

I walk into one of the classrooms that the door was open to. It look like a chemistry lab, Becker's and different labeled chemicals on the shelves. I walk father into the classroom up to the front. I walk behind one of the desks. "R+J" with a heart wrapped around the letters carved into the desk. "kiss my ..." was also carved into it.

I look at the board on the wall, look like chemical abbreviations. If I tried I can probably name them all. I was little when I learned all of them. I still remembered how I learned them. I've manage to learn them when I was in the hospital. Somewhat of a weird place to learned, but the doctor who cared for me was studying chemistry and talked about them to remember them. So I learned them too.

I backed away from the desk a couple steps. I feel uneasy, like someone is here. I stood still and listen. Hearing the creaking of floors behind me.