New Soul - Yael Naïm
Being dropped off to a new high school during the lunch break was never going to be a good start to Monroe's last year in that type of education. She had already faced the interrogating headmaster, the nonchalant receptionist, the prepubescent nerds, and the extremely self absorbed group of girls, all of which Monroe was determined to avoid.
She separated herself from as many people as possible during the lunch hour, as she required just a small amount of time to relax, which she felt like she had needed for around a week now.
Monroe and her family moved down to Tennessee because her dad had been offered a better job. Of course, Monroe had to say goodbye to many friends she had made throughout her high school years, as well as most of her family. Then she had to pack all of her clothes and items just to unpack it again in a place she might not even like.
She was in the perfect place; she wasn't popular, however she wasn't at the bottom of the pile. Monroe had great friends that's she rarely argued with and we're there for her since she began in high school. She was doing great in all of her exams and subjects, she wasn't bullied or threatened, she was just perfectly content. She had found her confidence and stability there. All for it to be shaken and changed.
Monroe sat in the far right corner of the far right stand in front of the baseball field, absorbing her surroundings.
It's been a while since she's felt this unsociable and vulnerable. Monroe knew every single detail about her old school, for example, she knew to get her body spray prepared when she walked past the staff room because they all smoked like a chimneys, and she knew which cubicle to go in when she went to the toilet to prevent the rusty lock from enclosing her in like a prisoner, she knew which staircase to use if she didn't particularly wish to be flattened by the school football team when moving to her next lesson, she knew every witty retaliation incase a group of courageous freshmans decided to get mouthy.
What could I do now? Follow the crowd like a lost puppy and hope for the best?
Monroe had been there literally less than half an hour and she already hated the uncertainty of it all. Not knowing who or what she should avoid already started to make her anxious. Although the students around her were rather talking about a party arrangement, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers game, or the new release of the second Ghostbusters film, Monroe still felt like she was being talked about, or at least looked at strangely.
The sun suddenly poked out from a break in the clouds, purposely shining straight into Monroe's green eyes, which she sheltered with her hand.
She considered whether she did actually want to keep her hand there; she contemplated if she'd rather be blind or have to look at the ditsy girls in short revealing skirts until they graduated.
Even though blindness did weigh up as the better option for school, it may not be as practical for the 60 plus years she is potentially alive.
Oh, the joys of being 18.
