Two Sides To Every Coin

Chapter 2

Upon stepping on the walkway of the school, I took a deep breath in. I've waited for this day all summer and finally it's here. I watch other students strolling to the front doors, some wave at me as they all file in. I decide now is a better time than ever, and step towards the doors, wondering which classes I'll be in this semester. It feels me with glee just thinking about it, and walking through the doors I see some friendly faces, like one of the 3 vice principles, and my favourite teacher in the English wing. I smile at them and start up some small talk, asking how their summer was.

*DING*

That was the bell. I frantically say goodbye and run the right where the cafeteria is, with the windows plastered with the names of everyone and the locations of their homeroom classes. I pass by each window, looking for the letter K, eventually coming by it and it wasn't long before I found my name, right at the bottom.

Tokinami Kyotogima C224

C224? That's on this floor. Briskly walking, I pass by the kids who don't care if they're late, and rush to my classroom before the bell rings again. I enter the classroom and sigh, I'm on time. I look around and see Steph, one of my really good friends. She's deep in conversation with Emily, a friend that we share so I don't bother waving and I take the empty seat next to her. I poke her shoulder and she literally jumps. I couldn't help myself, and laughed openly at her. She gets really invested in things, and doesn't notice her surroundings change. It's very flattering to know when she is talking to you she's putting all her focus onto you, and I suppose that's why we're so close. "You're so uppity today Steph, you'd think it was the first day of school or something." I joke with her.

"You don't just come up to people like that Toki, you scared me!" She wines. While Steph catches her breath, the teacher walks in, and I learned this would be my English class this semester. I've never really been fond of English, but I always do well, it isn't too hard. As the day progresses I learn I have 3 classes with Steph and Emily. English, Global Geography, and Calculus. I've always wanted to travel the world and learn about other countries, or really just learn anything, hence why I took Global Geo. Math has been my strong suit, since elementary school. I was doing pre-calculus in Junior High, just for fun. When lunch hits, I decide to go to the student council room and see how the whole crowd is doing on the first day back. I come to the door to find its been locked. It's never locked. Thankfully, being the president, I was entrusted with keys to the room in case this ever happened. I pulled them out of my back pocket and sorted through them, each one clinking against the rest as I figure out they aren't the right one. Eventually, I find a brass coloured key that is missing a bit of paint in places and put it in the lock on the knob. It goes through without a problem and I sigh, of course it would be the last one I try. I turn the metal knob to the right and open the heavy door. Inside, the lights are off and it almost felt like I entered some sort of dungeon. I flicked on the light and was surprised to see absolutely no one there. No one wanted to come by and chat about start of school events? I had some really good ideas I was going to pitch. Dejectedly I pulled back a chair at the long table and sat down, pulling out my lunch. This was very unusual. The room wasn't too big, smaller than your average classroom, and we only just managed to set up 2 fold-up tables inside. I made my lunch last night, it had a ham sandwich, a bottle of Powerade and an apple. More than enough nutrients for me to get through the day. While I eat I hear footsteps repeatedly falling, fast. It was coming closer and I watched as a little boy stopped in front of the door to the student council room and brandished a revolver, pointing it at me. I freeze. 

*BANG*

The gun fires and all I hear is a massive bang and shards of brick fly across the room from where the bullet hit. I had hunched myself into a ball and I stand up, looking around. The boy was gone and he had missed. It was all such a blur to me, then I hear faintly the intercoms going off, probably telling everyone to lock down the classrooms. I stay where I am though, shaken by this whole experience. The one glimpse I got of that boy, he looked, scared. Of what, I don't know. There's a ringing going off in my ears and I move to the corner farthest from the door and lean against it, waiting for my ears to fix themselves. Eventually, my hearing almost came back fully and I hear men shouting to each other and walkie talkies being used. I supposed it would be the police and it would be better for me to go to them so I stand up straight and walk through the door into the hallway. It's empty. Barren almost. A pair of kids sit at the end of the hall enjoying their lunch.

I turn around. The council room was the same as when I walked in when lunch started. No bullet hole in the wall, everything still in order. What just happened? Am I going insane?  I think this to myself as I clean up my lunch and walk to my next class. It all seemed so real. So vivid. The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, and I'm already at my next class, so there's no need for me to rush. I don't know what happened, but I can't tell anyone. They'll think I'm losing my mind.