How to Save a Life

Chapter 2: Left Behind

Complete and utter silence. . . that's all that could be heard. This was unusually strange regarding the fact that this school has more students than it can actually fit. This high school hallway was almost always completely full of teens throwing each other into lockers, gossiping, and whatever else anyone my age does at school. Some of these people, however; would just sit there and do absolutely nothing, even when the first school bell rang. I was one of these people, ignoring basic rules that seemed so simple, but weren't as easy as they seem to be. I try to isolate myself from the others just to avoid having to engage in a physical conversation. I do this because I don't really find a point in being social. I've always thought that it's just for the popular kids that get whatever they want whenever they want. I'm just a bystander waiting to pass. Completely useless to the world in any way, shape, or form.

I wasn't going to have this conversation with myself, not now, at least. First I need to figure out what the hell was going on, and why no one was even here. After walking down the main entrance hall to the front office, I was reminded by the secretary that my class had gone on an early morning field trip and wouldn't be back till lunch.

"You can just take a seat over there and study. . . or whatever it is that you kids do these days," she told me in a disgusted tone, pointing across the hallway to a row of uncomfortable school desks that were supposed to be thrown in the trash a couple of years before, but were just left off to the side for people who were put into in-school suspension.

I knew I hadn't been put into suspension, but I couldn't help but to feel that sense of getting into trouble. I had been to talk to the principle many, many times since the school year had started in September. Still, I hadn't learned or listened to a goddamn thing anyone had said to me here. No one owned me, and I knew that. If they want to scold me, fine! Have it your way, but just because you can yell at me doesn't mean I have to listen to anything you say!

Once the most boring four or so hours of my life had ended, the hallways started to slowly fill with a slowly increasing amount of high schoolers entering through the main entrance and various side entrances. Soon enough, there were so many people that you couldn't even hear yourself think. Once most of the people had gotten back to class, I knew that it was my turn. Unfortunately, I had to stand up and walk to class. The feeling of my weak, half-asleep legs trying to hold up my 130-pound body was almost unbearable. I couldn't fall to the floor this time, not again. The last time I had fallen to the floor all of the nearby students stopped what they were doing and decided it would be a good, fun idea to walk over me one-by-one until my ribs had collapsed underneath me. I gathered my strength and stood up after a few seconds of being unable to lock my knees beneath me. I walked to class, unaware of what surprises the day ahead of me would hold.