Always & Forever (D. Swing)

Chapter 1.

January 1986

Devyn

I glance into the mirror nervously for the umpteen time for reassurance that I look presentable for school. Not that I necessarily care, but I never wanted to look unpresentable. My mom taught me to never let yourself into the public like that.

"Never let yourself out the house if you looking like you fell out a dumpster." She'd always say.

A loud sigh escapes my lips as I take a glance at the clock, anticipating for it to strike seven forty-five. Once it does, I head out to the bus stop for school. Though excitement is going through me like a shock of waves to leave the house, I loathe school.

I despised everything about West Mecklenburg High School. It didn't even feel like school if I'm being honest. Whether people believe it or not, school is supposed to be a place where kids are supposed to learn specific topics and acquire abilities that could be useful to society, contrary to the standards it's at now. Due to the system increasing subjects on the curriculum, there is no time for actually learning things that matter. Sometimes I think the only reason why we learn these things is to be tested on it. To see how fast we can grasp on to various topics that won't matter in the real world for us. To see if they can manipulate us into taking higher classes that'll bring down your GPA, causing you not to graduate. To include more honors classes to become a statistic. To mentally and emotionally murder. Genocide. Not to see if anyone truly understands the topic itself, but to treat us as Guinea pigs. Sometimes I feel like the government has a secret hatred for younger people.

But that still doesn't stop me from getting good grades, I have to or else.

Despite the errors of learning in our city, that wasn't the only reason why I disliked the place so much. Almost everyone at that place was fraudulent. It didn't matter what environment the crowd consisted of; everyone was shallow and I saw right through them. I constantly have to deal with the superficial tendencies of everyday people trying to find somewhere to fit in at. Thriving off being apart of something, doing the most self righteous things to even be respected. People always do this thing where they act out of character for attention which shows insecurity and lack of love somewhere. I could always tell when people lacked love and attention from where they need it. One who lacks love can detect another who lacks love. People annoy me but I never often display it. People were always trying to manipulate me as if they were onto something and I knew about it, but I never show them I know. Confrontation is tough. Smiling and acting oblivious is the form of response mostly to everything that occurs on my life, yet no one knew I was actually dying inside.

I take a glance at myself one last time, running my fingers through my long thick hair that compliments my brown skin, liking the volume it had. I pull my baggy pants up and readjust my addidas to make sure my shoes are tied fairly tight before looking at the clock again.

7:58

My eyes widen in response at how quick time went by. My feet take off, not waiting for my body as I run out the door. My legs take me down the sidewalk rapidly as I look down the far side of the street and seeing no one at the bus stop. I curse at myself silently, regretting my thoughts taking over my conscience during the time. I always did that. Whenever I start thinking, everything else in the world becomes a blur. The little voices in my head always overpowered me.

I know if my mom finds out about me being late, she'd murder me; literally.

As I finally make it into the doors seeing the time is 8:10, I smile small to myself because I beat my prediction. My face quickly falls as the negative atmosphere hits my skin.