Off Limits

i. winnie

"This school is for the gifted and artistic, not tongue-tying, hormonal children. You have come here to further your talents; to fully achieve the greatness you have inside yourselves, not to 'explore your hearts" or "learn from your mistakes". Thus,

no dating."

Strepp's Hall was enormous. As I yawned, my head tilted back to let my eyes trail over the patterns and paintings that decorated the high ceilings. Orientation at this school was just like any other: a snooze-fest. The chandeliers gently quivered as Headmaster Leblanc roared over the microphone. Even as far as I was sitting from the stage, I could still faintly see the headmster's bursts of spit as he talked. Although a short fellow, he certainly seemed feisty.

Every sound made echoed throughout the hall. To kill time, considering this orientation ended in an hour, I slid my phone out of my coat pocket. Carefully unwrapping the earplug wires, I lifted my gaze to see if anyone was watching me. Sitting in the last row in the back, I sighed with relief since no one was around me. Plugging my earplugs into my phone, I stuck one into my ear to test if the music was playing.

Looking on the screen, the time bar for the song had started to run, but no music came to my ears. I turned up the volume until it could go no more, yet my earplugs were still silent. I began to grow frustrated, shoving my glasses higher up the bridge of my nose. Stupidly, I decided to rip out my earplugs.

Rachmaninov's "2nd Symphony" erupted from my speakers, the banging sounds of the piano and the blares of the orchestra dancing throughout the hall. All eyes turned to me, and I felt the blood rush to my head as Rachmaninov succeeded in his complex crescendo. Headmaster Leblanc was interrupted halfway through his "No Gum-Chewing Policy", as I frantically tried to turned the music off. My hands trembled and shook as I tore off the back of my phone and ripped out the battery, sending it flying.

In one swift motion, the battery made a B-line to one boy's face, square into his eye. He yelled as his the boys surrounding him roared with laughter.