I stumbled into my class, dumping my stuff down. I collapse into my desk. I quickly felt eyes shift to me when I heard, "Arthur, late again, are we? Go to the office and change the attendance." I rolled my eyes, sighing. I got up as hastily as I sat down.
I strolled to the office, taking my sweet time. I wasn't quite one of those who wanted to be in class. I walked to the office door, steeply inhaling. Preparing to talk to an authoritative figure wasn't one of my strong suits. I considered skipping, avoiding it, but I knew I'd be in a world of trouble.
"Hello, Mr. Williams, good morning. What's it today?" the principal implored cheerily. I mumbled back to her dismay, "I was late. Can you change the attendance, please?" She shook her head in response. "Again?" She paused, "You'll be marked tardy. Get back to class. Hurry now. I don't want to make you miss a lesson, right?"
I went back to class as slowly as possible. - I didn't want to go back to that horrid place. I knocked on the door and let myself in. Just as I walked through the threshold, the bell rang. Everyone dashed out the door as I went to grab my stuff. I was dreading the second period. Math is my worst subject.
I sat down hazily, half asleep at this point. The teacher muttered something about algebra. Suddenly, the speaker system jutted me awake. "We are on lockdown, this is NOT a drill. I repeat we are on lockdown,
this is NOT a drill." As she repeated that, Mrs. Smith ran to the door, turned out the light, closed the curtains, and locked the door. She yelled, "Get under your desks! You all know the protocol."
I paused for a moment, contemplating if this was an urgent situation. I slid under my desk, knowing this was more than likely a drill - despite the school's words. A yawn escaped my mouth, though it quickly vanished as soon as it started as a crash came from outside. I was confused before the realization hit; This is not a drill. I let out a quiet gasp.
It began to sink in. This is a real lockdown. Was someone armed? Were the police here? Panic filled the tense air.
The other students responded to the sound. Slowly, one by one, everyone started to freak out. Mrs. Smith was trying to calm us down, to no avail. We were all scared for ourselves and others. Some tried to get out for themselves, hoping for safety. I stared in disbelief.
It had been 30 minutes since the lockdown started, every minute drug out like hours. We had all settled down after being reassured of our protection. We sat in what was mostly silence, as talking was against protocol. Of course, whispers were flying around, I didn't dare speak. I was too distracted. Completely alert, looking around, listening for every little sound. Such a booming noise like that doesn't just happen, it sounded so close, too.
As the drill ended, I was still on edge, yet I walked to my next class. I decided to usher myself into my next class. I had no intention of staying in the open hallway. It was crowded. Who knew who could be out there, after all? I shivered at the thought of it. We were welcomed into class, being notified that P.E. had been - understandably - canceled. I sighed in relief.
The rest of the day was rather uneventful. I had my mother pick me up in fear of anybody… anything being around. Walking home seemed like a nightmare. My mother later informed me she had no clue about the lockdown. I decided to forget about it and start on homework.
Though I tried to distract myself, the thoughts just wouldn't leave me alone. Could I have died? Was the intruder even caught?
As I sat there, consumed in my thoughts, I felt the bed shift. I look over, to see my cat, Murphy. He was a good way to distract me. I pet him, as he purred and rubbed against me. Before I knew it, I had stopped thinking about it.
That is, until the next day. I walked to school, paranoid. What if something happened? As I walked into class, early this time. I heard another drill come over the intercom. I sighed, trying to keep myself calm.
I looked to the teacher for comfort, but she didn't even seem… Here. She seemed completely disconnected. Like she had not a care in the world. I sat there anxiously. School went on as normal as the drill ended, and I wondered to myself, "How come nobody else seems to care?"