"..." Blinking slowly, I felt a cool blanket of air wash over my eyes as I adjusted to the familiar scenery in front of me.
*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*
The still rhythmic stomping of students and beats of the music sounded in my ears as I was reintroduced to the dreadful music and flashing lights of the homecoming dance floor.
"Ugh."
I groaned out loud as I slowly removed my head from its position nestled deep in my chest. Looking up, I spotted about two teachers who met me with strange glances as I slowly straightened myself up against the wall once more.
'HEEEEE' I smiled widely at them as they met my gaze, and it took only a few moments after that for them to get creeped out enough to look back away from me, returning to discussing how much they hate the letter 'E' or whatever teacher talk they were previously enthralled in.
'Shit.' I thought back to the strange vision I'd just had.
'Real vivid daydream.' Although I knew it couldn't have been that simple. I hadn't been to a doctor in quite a while, maybe it wouldn't hurt to get the old noggin checked at least once.
"How the hell does insurance work, though?" I wondered out loud.
"Not well without parents." A warm voice answered as it walked up to my side.
"Damn, Caroline. Straight into the no parent's thing? I mean, I thought I could trust you with that information. Pretty cold." I answered, jokingly.
"Oh shush.." Caroline responded in front of me. "And that's Miss Caroline to you, Cay. We talked about this." The curly-haired woman said as she stood next to the wall beside me. She was a short woman, wearing a long-sleeved white sweater and loose, black jeans, she gave off the typical feel a high school English teacher should.
Incidentally, she calls me 'Cay' for short. Although, I'd initially tried to convince her she was a failure of an English teacher for shortening my name from two syllables to one for convenience's sake.
" 'Miss' huh? Is that your preferred Anglo-Saxon name or...? Cuz I've always been more of a Viking guy myself."
"Shut Up." She retorted, chuckling slightly at my terrible joke. I still remembered the face of the girl I had first attempted to use that joke on. Turns out, intelligent humor doesn't work that well when you're speaking to a caveman who's knowledge spans nothing beyond than the etchings in their small cave walls.
"So, what are you doing over here?" She asked, the flashing lights dancing in her caramel-colored eyes.
--You don't belong here--
"I... don't really know. This really isn't my kinda scene, huh? I" I forced out a laugh.
"No, I mean over here, by the wall." She started. "Why don't you join the other students out there?"
"To, what, sing and dance like a jester? Nooo thank you." I answered curtly.
"What did you come to homecoming for if not to dance and sing?" She pouted.
"I guess you're right about that..." I looked out towards the ocean of students that hopped and turned, some wrapping their arms around one another in a sickeningly prohibited display of public affection.
"Shouldn't you be doing something about that?" I asked, gesturing lightly towards the horny rabbits that were now all out smooching in the center of the room.
"Relax a bit Cay, can't you stop looking for the next thing to be negative about all the time? Or try to have fun like everyone else?" She asked back. "Who knows? Maybe you'll like it." Her furrowed brows sat exaggeratedly above her eyes.
"To say I should hide my individuality and try to fit in with everyone else! How terrible! A teacher like you won't survive in the modern world!" I announced dramatically at her rude sentiment.
"Shut up." Ms. Caroline smacked my head before retorting again.
"Ouch." I rubbed my temple to quell the sting from her extremely violent action.
"Hmm." Caroline's eyes scanned the room around us as if in search for something while she hummed in contemplation. Completely ignoring my cries of pain despite my best efforts to convey the agony I was going through.
"Oh!" She exclaimed as her eyes stopped on a brown-haired girl who also stood, leaning against a dark wall of the gym across from us.
"Look Cay! It's Annie! who also happens to be alone, huh Cay?" She spoke as she turned towards me slightly, a clear intention behind her words.
"..." I stared blankly at the girl as Caroline pointed me in her direction. It wasn't that I didn't understand the meaning behind my gossip-obsessed teacher's words, but rather that I was trying to place in my mind who exactly this 'Annie' was.
"Ah yes, Annie. Annie the... the uhh... theeee..." My voice trailed off as Ms. Caroline rolled her eyes at my forgetfulness, joining in to help me. "theee" -- "Theee". "Trrrr" She started as I matched her syllables "trrrr". "Traaa" she continued.
"Traaaavel agent!" I finally said, pride evident on my face at my logical conclusion.
*Tak* Caroline flicked my forehead with her finger before speaking. "No, stupid. Transfer student! Annie the transfer student! How in the world would a travel agent be a student in high school?"
"Hey, don't blame me!" I retorted, holding my head again as a tear surfaced in my eye. "It's not my fault your stupid education system hasn't taught me what the hell a travel agent is!"
Recovering from the flick that still stung my forehead, I looked over in the girl's direction once more trying to understand how I was ever involved with such a person.
'Ah'
My mind drifted to a couple days prior...
_______________________________________________________
"RRRRRRRRNG... RRRRRRRNG" The amazingly ear-shredding sound of the school bell rang throughout my advisory classroom.
I jolted up and quickly pulled out my bag from under the wobbling seat before pulling up the headphones wrapped around my neck up to my ears and making a beeline for the front door.
"Um hi! It's Annie from this morning! Do you have a second?"
Before I can even reach the doorway I'm stopped by a muffled voice attached to a pair of optimistic green eyes staring holes into mine. "Crap."
My face contorts as I remember what Caroline Aspern had told me to do today. I spare no effort to conceal the bothered look in my face as I see the herd of people walking out the door before me.
"I'm a little busy right now. I'm sure someone else would be happy to help you." I say as I try to make my way past her.
"Yeah I'm sorry but I really have to print some worksheets from chem and Ms. Aspern said to ask you if I needed any help so.." She moved back once more, her dark brown hair blocking my exit. "Please show me where the library is" She said in a tone not hiding the fact that it wasn't a question.
I wince at the idea and my face morphs further but still she keeps her eyes on me expectantly without any reaction to my apparent discomfort. "Fine." I replied. Expecting refuting her any longer would waste more time than it took to get the thing done. "And the homework center too thank you." Stepping aside she gestured for me to lead the way. 'This little..' I stop my thoughts before employing the use of a few choice words. Sighing mournfully, I took a moment to think of what to say before noticing the deadly stare coming at me from my home room teacher who seemed to have been listening in on our little exchange. "Well, come on then." I said hastily, hurrying out the classroom door.
As I walked briskly towards the direction of the school library not intending to waste any more time than I needed to. Annie followed behind me, but from the flustered look on her face she definitely wasn't content with jogging to keep up. "Hey, can't you slow down a bit?" She asked in a strained voice. I ignored her question, maintaining my pace. "Hey!" Suddenly the sound of her hurried footsteps came to a halt. And turning around, I found her now standing still, arms crossed, looking at me with eyes indicating she wasn't having any of it. She was starting to really get on my nerves now.
"Huu." I stopped in my tracks and let out a sigh along with my impatience. She quickly caught up before I started again with a more 'reasonable' pace.
"Where is it you have to go so badly that you can't help showing me the library 'Mr. busy'?" Annie asked in a mocking tone, dragging out her breathy words. "None of your business." I replied. Her face remained the same as if she was expecting the response but then her eyebrows shot up in the smug kind of way I didn't appreciate at all.
"So why are you so insistent on getting me to help you? I know what Caroline said but I'm sure there's a dozen other people that would jump at the opportunity to help the new female transfer student find her way to the library." I said making sure to emphasize the word female.
Annie took a second to give me a glance suggesting she didn't understand the indication but perhaps after she realized I wasn't at all buying it she answered me anyways. "Well, I didn't want to bother anyone."
"So 'anyone' doesn't include me?" I asked. She didn't answer but kept walking, facing forward. "Well, I do have somewhere to be so you're not exactly not bothering me either."
"Sure, and where's that?" she questioned me incredulously.
"Same place it was before: none of your business.." I said, my face slowly becoming dejected at the thought. My legs moved faster on their own. Perhaps she took the hint from my expression or just lost interest but Annie didn't seem interested in talking the rest of the way there.
Finding my way to the library wasn't exactly a difficult process. But, given it was on the opposite side of my two favorite places in the school: the side exit and the front exit, it wasn't the most convenient detour. "Here you are." I said standing at the library entrance. "The homework center is behind the double doors in the back so you don't need to worry about me showing you where that is too." I stated happily not bothering to hide the relief I got from that fact.
"Well" Annie glanced back at me. "You seem glad to be done with this. That makes two of us." She said before turning back and entering through the library doors. Although that little jab at the end surprised me a bit I still watched graciously as the finished issue made her way farther away from me. I looked briefly at the grandfather clock opposite the library doors before turning to walk quickly back the way I came in.