Vertigo

4:27 pm

Things never go the way as planned, but I think most people know deep in their souls that everything will be okay even life doesn't go the way it's supposed to. Unfortunately my fucking brain doesn't work like most people. Here I am, facing a woman who is lecturing me about how things work at my new school, and my mind is running through all the things that could have gone wrong in the 13 seconds I've been standing in front of her.

"Here is a copy of the rules and regulations, you'll want to keep them around. As a traditional school, The Dundee Institution prides itself in the maintaining of good discipline and upholding the traditions and ethos of the school. Serious offenses will be handled by the headmaster immediately, and can result in a disciplinary hearing or termination of your stay at this school. Some key rules to remember are as follows: absolutely no smoking, drinking or bunking with a member of the opposite sex. Any form of racism, violence or bullying are strictly prohibited and any example of the mentioned will result in immediate action from the school board. All other rules will be on this paper, I advise you look over them in your free time tonight." The neatly put together but gorgeous woman looks down the end of her pointed nose at the me. "Any questions?"

"No, thank you ma'am." I say, stumbling over my words.

"I hope you will find your stay here more than enjoyable, Miss Shepard." She stood up and shook my hand, and I quickly turned to go. "Your room is on the fifth floor of the O'hare building. You can pick up your keys at the front desk there. " She finishes her sentence and I close the door to her office.

As I walk out of the building, I look at the grey sky above me. It reminds me of home to some extent, but for the most part, Portland is quite different from Seattle. I shivered as the wind blows, chilling me to the bone. Even though it was the middle of October, I had decided to wear my black ripped skinny jeans, cause ya know, punk rock as fuck. Looking back on that decision, I realized how bad of an idea that was. My teeth starting to chatter, I pull my sweater closer to me, trying to grasp for any semblance of warmth. I finally approach my dorm building and quickly run inside. My grungy vans squeak against the linoleum as I enter the tall structure at the edge of the campus, and I cringe at the noise. You're so loud Ava, everyone is probably looking at you.

I pick up my keys from the scary looking older woman at the front desk, avoiding eye contact at all costs, and head over to the elevators to start the long trek up to the fifth floor. How typical of my luck to land me with a room on a floor above ground level. Ever since I fell out of a window when I was 6, my fear of heights has led to me going above ground level as little as possible. okay now where the hell is my room?

I walk down the hallway from the elevator, finding my room at the opposite end. Jiggling my key into the lock, I step in and look around the space. Bare and small, two beds sit in opposite corners of the room, with a window separating the wall between them and a desk just below it. It doesn't seem like much, but I can already envision some serious modifications I can't wait to get underway.

Leaving my thoughts on renovation in the room, I walk back to my car to grab the rest of my luggage. One of my favorite things about this school, is it's right downtown. Which means I'm near all the aesthetic coffee shops, book stores, the subway, and best of all, one of the best concert venues in Oregon. As I roll my suitcases from the parking lot toward the student dorms, it starts to rain. In typical Ava fashion I don't have an umbrella on me, so I get soaked. God fucking dammit, why am I the walking definition of murphy's law? I walk into the lobby, dripping water onto every surface. I press the button for the elevator, shivering all the while, as the doors to the dorm open and close under constant student use.

When the elevator finally drops me off on floor five, my teeth are chattering. I clumsily wheel my suitcase out, and run straight into a tall guy who seems like he's in the biggest hurry of his life. This causes me to drop my duffel bag to the floor, which I instantly trip over. Giggles erupt from several girls who are standing in the hallway watching my plight. Great, just what I wanted to start my semester off with! The boy who made me drop everything gives me a glare and slides the elevator doors closed. I'm pretty sure people are demons in disguise. I mean, just complete and total assholes. Occasionally there may be a guardian angel, but I'm still looking for a person who doesn't go completely Lucifer on me. Grunting, I pick myself and my bag up and make my way to the room avoiding judgmental glances. Fucking asshole... Slamming the door behind me, I peel off my sopping clothes and head into the shower, struggling to let the hot water wash away the intrusive thoughts. I'd managed to escape my mind for several hours, but as soon as I stand under the jets, my mental facade starts to crumble. My skin starts to sting from the continuous stream of burning water, and I struggle to stand upright. I turn off the water, climb from the shower, and dry myself quickly. My eyes blurry, I toss on a long-sleeve, and pull my favorite blanket from the top of my duffel. Crawling on the plastic covered mattress I let sleep consume me.

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