Let me explain how Lockhart is laid out, this monster of a school plan.
Reaching at an expanse of 150 acres, it's about the size of a large university campus.
A fourth of its acreage is comprised of its outer gardens, with the school lawn and running hedge line that encompasses this school in what I'd call a blissful bubble. You can hardly see the outlying suburb and cityscape from the grounds of the school, thanks to its towering foilage. The idea that it's an Eden of sorts reinforced by this fact, as students are only subject to seeing the school itself; the outside world shouldn't exist in academia.
For the buildings, it's comprised in a traditional square design, as the clock tower adorns the southern face and holds the liberal arts quarter; there is a mid-sized theatre built into it and into the inner courtyard. To the west is the physical education quarter, with a gymnasium with a built-in pool, and a massive stadium that holds the majority of the sports in the school. I had never once gone there in my time here, as I was never athletic; so it goes.
To the east face are the math and sciences, I know even less about it than the west face, as it's all pretty hush-hush on what's taught there. Who knows, maybe they're building nuclear bombs there haha... uh, moving on.
And to the north is where the majority of the administration resides. A lot of the faculty live on campus, and from what I've heard; it's a pretty cozy deal. But not the Goodgardens, no, they have their own estate that's partitioned off in a satellite campus south of the school a ways.
With all of this in mind, it's no wonder how easy it'd be to get lost here. And as such, I didn't blame my past self for not knowing--
Hell, I already knew he wouldn't know as I didn't have a single clue how this place was setup when I first transferred here. I was just glad he rushed me out of class and saved me from humiliating myself.
"I do, I know where it is," I told him as I looked further down the hall. We were currently in the south face, meaning we would have to go to the northern face where the nurse's office was.
"Oh, good, phew" He said with a sigh of relief, he was probably really stressed out about that fact.
"In that case, uhm..." Lee looked around, his eyes shifting nervously.
"I-I think I should just head back, right? You look like you're okay enough to go alone, haha" He asked with a forced chuckle.
I couldn't help but look at him awkwardly hearing him say this. I know that I'm a loner, but to not want to go with the person you quite literally want to 'help at all costs' was a definite oddity.
"Look, it's okay, he doesn't skip class if that's what you're worried about," I reassured him as I deduced what he was really worried about; running into Eric.
"Oh, is that so... haha," Hearing this, he let go of some tension as he straightened himself up.
"So, you're name, it's Lia, r-right?"
"Yes, and your name is, Lee,"
"Yes, I'm Lee, Lee Lozer,"
"It's pronounced Low-"
"Lozer, yeah, that's easy," I readily cut him off.
"Y-Yeah, you said it right! Wow, you're the first one today." He said with a beaming smile.
As I saw him react happily, I noticed that his String of Desire flickered ever so slightly.
"Weird," I muttered to myself, I hope that doesn't lead to anything out of hand.
"Let's get going, even if I'm feeling better, I still need a report from the nurse stating that I'm okay," I explained as I motioned him to follow me.
Thankfully, he doesn't remember me already knowing his name when I had accidentally said it out there in the field.
And so we went down into the rabbit hole that was the school's innerworks.
---
"Hey, so, uhm, I heard you're a transfer too," Lee asked, whenever he tried looking at me, he'd glance away as soon as I'd return the gaze.
It felt easy enough to be next to my old self, nevermind the mindboggling strangeness of it all seeing yourself outside of your own body. I saw how I would walk, the way I'd say words, and how I always kept my head hung low pointed to the ground. It made me feel something, seeing myself like this; it was hard to pinpoint exactly what.
But, all I know for sure is that it wasn't a good feeling; that's for sure.
"Yeah, this is my first day," I told him as I showed him the cuff of my blazer.
"Look, this symbol indicates that I'm a senior. We're both seniors, see?" I said as I looked at his cuff as well.
"Wow, I didn't know that; that's neat," Lee said as he looked at the diamond on his cuff.
"Yep, we're both senior transfers; talk about our rotten luck," I joked.
"Haha, yeah..." Lee's chuckle trailed off as he looked a little crestfallen.
For my past life, being a senior transfer was like a death sentence; especially so in this school. With how ugly he was (sorry 'me'), the chances of him making friends or doing anything worthwhile here were zero to none.
Thinking back on it now, this is the most I've ever talked to anyone having since transferred here; this conversation we're having now in the walk to the nurse's office.
It felt a little sad knowing that it's really just him talking to himself, in a cosmic-rebirth kind of way.
Maybe I should cheer him up? If I grow my past self's confidence, maybe he'll spur himself on to make some friends.
"How's dad-- I mean, how are your parents? Are they happy that they've gotten you in here?"
"It's only me and my dad. But, if you're asking if he's happy that I'm here; it'd be an understatement." Lee gave a mixed look.
I already knew what he was going to say, but for the sake of conversation; I'll pretend I know nothing.
"He did so much to get me here, Lockhart. It was all he wanted to talk about, all of his old friend's went here while he went to a regular public school when he was young. So, to get a chance to have his own son to go here, well, that was like a dream come true for him" Lee paused as he looked like he was searching for some answers in his head.
"I begged him to not send me here at first, knowing what kind of crap I'd have to deal with. But, when I saw that look in his eye--"
Yeah, that look. I know it all too well, that misty-eyed look; the kind you wouldn't want to disappoint.
"I told him, 'fine, I'll go', in the end," Lee said as he slumped his shoulders.
A brief awkward silence followed as he finished his story.
"Well, I guess I could say the same." I said as I lied straight through my teeth.
I had no idea what kind of life this Lia Wynner had lived so far. For all I know, she could've been some rich asshole who would've gladly joined the mob picking on Lee. But that's a given for people like her, them in their big houses and expensive credit cards.
"R-Really? You're also like me?" Lee asked with a sparkle in his eye.
Oof, what did I get myself into? I guess a little white lie wouldn't hurt, I'll just tweak my story a little bit; nothing big.
"Y-Yeah, my mom also had friends who came here, but she didn't. For her, this place is a dream; the perfect place for someone like me to succeed at."
"*Snort*" The System chimed in, hey don't ruin my flow right now!
"Hm, I think you'll succeed here easy enough," Lee said flatly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I let slip out, a little peeved surprisingly. Why did I get agitated at him for saying that? This is a lie afterall.
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to make it sound like a bad thing," Lee backtracked.
"It's just... you're you, and well, I'm me," Lee cast his eyes forward, looking down the hallway.
I stopped walking hearing what Lee said.
It's true, what he said was this new fact that I get too live. I'm me, and my past life, is well, another life.
I felt a surge of goosebumps run down my skin as this reality sunk in, I guess all it really took was hearing my past self say it; it felt almost like a goodbye, even.
"Sorry! Did I say something w-wrong again?" Lee asked nervously.
"No, not at all." I reassured him with a smile.
"It's true, I'm me, and you're you. But, don't worry, I have a feeling you'll do alright for yourself here too; I promise you that,"
"What makes you say that?" Lee asked with a kindling of hope in his eyes.
"Mm, call it... women's intuition?" I can't believe I just said that, gah.
"Besides, I stopped because we're here; this is the nurse's office." I said as I spun around and looked up at the brass plaque that read 'infirmary' on the door.
I have fond memories of the nurse's office from the brief month I had spent here. With how often I had gotten hurt by Eric, I would usually come here to get patched up and take a nap or two. It was a universal safe haven for losers like me.
Time to take a breather myself, and forget about all of this System nonsense for a while... until next period at least.
And the last thing I need is to think anymore about that note that Ria had given me; I don't think my tiny body can handle another incident like that.
As I placed my hand on the metal doorknob, to my surprise, the door opened itself; someone had opened it from the inside.
I felt myself go slack-jawed as I looked at who it was behind the door.
"Oh my, do you two need some help?" The mysterious being said as she was dressed in a stereotypical sexy nurse outfit.