Chapter Text
Hi.
My name is Aveline.
But don’t call me that. I hate it.
Just call me Ave.
As of currently, I am 19 years old.
But this all started when I was 14.
You’ll see what i mean.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Mundane
Monday morning.
Wake up, makeup, dress up.
I head downstairs.
My older brother, Matthew, is already ready and walking out the door.
I try to call out to him, wish him a good day.
He ignores me.
Slams the door.
It wasn’t always like this.
We used to be close, he and I.
But those days are long gone.
Sometimes I miss him, how he used to be.
I break that chain of thoughts and go into the living room.
Grab my old, worn out, black backpack.
I ponder for a moment.
Maybe I could skip school today?
Nah. I’d have nothing to do all day.
I walk towards the bus stop.
There’s nobody else there.
Matthew is in college so he doesn’t wait for the bus with me.
One of his friends picks him up every morning.
I wait in silence.
Eventually, the bus finally arrives.
I get on, scan it with my eyes.
Too much people.
Like usual.
I find an empty seat.
Walk to it.
Sit.
Put bag on my legs.
Put on headphones.
Look out the window.
The bus ride to school isn’t that long, just 20 minutes.
I wish it were though.
I realize I forgot to eat breakfast, again.
Oh well, it doesn’t really matter.
I’ll be fine.
I’m always fine whenever I don’t eat.
I start to feel sleepy.
I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.
I begin to day dream.
What if she would’ve stayed.
What if he hadn’t done that.
What if
What if
What it
I wonder if things would be different, if only…
I fall asleep.
For once my mind shuts up.
It’s kinda peaceful.
I jolt awake.
The bus driver has been yelling at me to get off for a while now.
I quickly take off my headphones and shove them in my pocket.
Grab backpack, get off.
I walk through the gates.
The voices of obnoxious students can be heard.
Cars driving by.
A mom pushing her screeching baby in a stroller.
Dogs barking.
People walking.
Sun burning my skin.
Too much noise.
Too much movement.
Too hot.
I can’t take my sweater off.
Stupid school uniform.
I finally make it to the doors.
Inside the school isn’t much better.
Still too much noise.
I spot my friend.
I walk over to her.
“Hey girl!” Marigold practically yells into my ear.
She doesn’t even let me answer before starting to talk again.
“OK! So, don’t tell anyone I said this… Mark just dumped Veronica because he found out she was stuffing her bra! I knew she couldn’t have gotten a growth spurt just when she happened to be dating him!”
Mari keeps gossiping about this random girl’s boobs.
Great. I’ve been in school for a total of ten minutes, and I’m already dragged into a conversation about someone else’s love life.
Marigold keeps talking but I don’t really pay attention.
“Are you even listening!?”
“Huh?”
Mari scoffs.
“I knew it! You don’t even listen! It’s no fun to gossip if you ignore me!!”
She pouts.
“Come on Mari, knock it off.”
Delphine interrupts her rant.
“DELPHINE!! You were supposed to give me back my tank top yesterday!”
“A tank top? What tank top? I never borrowed a tank top.”
Delph says as she smiles innocently
“Shut it dumbass! You KNEW I had a date with Oliver!”
“Oh yeah, that one blue tank top! Oh silly me! I must have forgotten it!”
Marigold crosses her arms.
“Just cuz you’re jealous doesn’t mean you can sabotage my date!”
“Me? Jealous of your skanky ass? Girl, don’t even try!”
They start bickering and throwing insults at each other.
As usual.
Hm,that’s odd, Elma always arrives before Delph, I wonder where she-
I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder yank me.
Speak of the devil.
“Ave, the hell is going on with your skirt?”
“Hm?”
I glance down at my skirt.
Oh.
I forgot to roll it.
“This stupid uniform is already ugly enough! Not rolling that fugly skirt is a true fashion crime!”
Sigh, this girl will be the death of me.
“Ok ok, I’ll roll it”
“GOOD”
I fold my skirt a few times until it peaks ever so slightly from under my shirt.
I don’t get why people don’t just wear the uniform how they’re supposed to.
But oh well,
That's just another thing I don’t understand about people.
The first bell rings.
Time to go to class.
Yay.
──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──
Bizarre
Once we’re sat down in math class Ms.Arnault doesn’t say anything.
Weird considering she always finds something to be mad about.
She just sits at her desk silently, while students talk
about their weekend or whatever parties they went to.
“Everybody settle down!” Ms.Arnault stands up and makes her
way to the front of the class.
“We have been informed that all of you are to go home right this instant,
if you can’t be picked up by anybody please stay on
School grounds, classes will be canceled until further notice.”
Class is canceled? Until further notice? What?
I mean, I’m not complaining, It’s just weird.
The whole class erupts and starts asking a mountain of questions.
“Miss why is class canceled?”
“Miss until when is class canceled?”
“Miss does that mean the due date for the homework
will be delayed?”
“Enough with the questions everyone! I’m as lost as you all are, I don’t know anything else. Now do as I said, those whose parents or other relatives can pick them up please call them and go wait outside at the gates, no one will be allowed out until the guard verifies that You’re leaving with a legal guardian.”
At first I was quite happy that I got to go home early.
Then I realized.
Shit.
I don’t have anyone to pick me up.
I’m stuck here for god knows how long.
Maybe Matthew could pretend to be my guardian?
Ha.
As if he would ever.
“Well my mom is on her way to pick me up, see you later y’all!” Marigold says before
Running off to the nearest exit.
“My dad said he’ll send our chauffeur” Elma explains.
“Yeah me too” goes Delphine.
“Uh, ok, bye guys.”
“Byee!”
“Buh bye!”
They leave.
Actually, the whole class has left.
I’m the only one left.
“You’re free to go wherever Aveline, so please leave so I can lock up the classroom.”
“Oh, sorry Ms.Arnault, I’ll get going.”
I walk out of the classroom.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
I don’t have any other friends except for the girls.
Well, if you can even call them friends..
But what happened for school to be canceled?
I’m so confused.
I wander around.
From corridor to corridor.
There’s no one here.
I’ve already made my way through the first and second floor.
I still haven’t seen any other students.
I’ve only come across the janitor a few times.
I go up the stairs that lead to the third floor.
Maybe someone’s still there.
I walk and walk.
No one.
Walk up the stairs to the fourth floor.
Check everywhere.
Class D-4001, no one
Class D-4002, no one
Class D-4003, no one
Class D-4004, D-4005, D-4006
No one, no one, no one
Why is no one here?
Usually a handful of students stay after class to hang out or whatever.
Why is it that this time no one stayed?
I forgot my phone at home this morning, so I can’t check online for info.
I only have my IPod.
Not very useful unless Mother Mother is planning on explaining to me what is happening.
I walk up to the fifth floor.
I hear footsteps.
I wonder who’s there.
I hear the sound of a drawer being opened.
It seems to come from the left.
Room 508, the student council.
I make my way to the door frame and peek from the side.
My eyes slightly widen in surprise.
Oh, it’s Romie.
Romie is very pretty.
She has beautiful light brown hair, it almost looks golden in the sunlight.
She has blue eyes,
I really like blue.
She’s very social.
She’s always talking and joking around with just about everyone.
It’s as if making friends is the easiest thing for her.
She’s in my math class, she always gets the right answers, always.
She’s also good at sports.
I see her play volleyball in the gym at lunch time.
I always watch her from afar.
She’s the student council president.
She always has the best ideas.
She’s basically perfect.
I really wish we were friends.
But I think she doesn’t like me.
She doesn’t like rude or entitled people.
I’m not rude or entitled as far as I know.
But let’s say that my so-called friends aren’t really the most polite people you’ll meet.
“Hello?”
I jump, startled by the sudden voice.
I quickly get behind the door and sit down on the floor.
I hope she didn’t notice me staring.
I feel my cheeks get hotter.
My heart beats a little faster.
I guess she really did scare me there.
“Can I help you?” Romie calls out again.
I don’t say anything, don’t even move.
Silence for a few seconds.
I hear a little giggle.
Is she laughing?
“I know you’re there you know? No use in hiding”
Fuck…
Of course she saw me, I was literally standing in the middle of the doorway..
I reluctantly get up and slowly walk into the classroom.
“Sorry, I-uh.. Hi..” my words come out a lot more unsure than intended.
“Hi!” She says, smiling brightly.
She has a really pretty smile.
“Aveline, right?”
“Huh?”
“Your name? Aveline?”
“Huh?”
Why did I answer ‘huh’ when she asked if my name was Aveline?! Twice!
Who the hell does that!?
“Oh, YES, I’m Aveline”
WHY DID I SAY YES SO LOUDLY
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME
“You’re not going home?”
“Uh, no, I don’t have anyone to come pick me up..”
“Me neither!” Romie turns around and places some stacks of paper she was holding in a drawer.
“Ave.”
“Excuse me?”
“Um, call me Ave.”
“Well alright, Ave.” She says before smiling again.
She smiles a lot.
“Would you like to stay with me for the rest of the day? I don’t think there are that many other people still in the school.”
Romie is asking me if I’d like to stay with her?!
“Yeah, I’d like that.” For once I actually spoke properly.
“Yay! It was getting pretty boring being all alone-”
The power suddenly goes out.
“Oh.”
“…”
“Uh, should we go check or?..”
“Probably.”
──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──
Maladie
We walk through the dark hallways.
Luckily Romie has her phone.
Without its flashlight we’d be bumping into everything.
We tried checking for any updates on what’s going on but found nothing.
We pass the girls bathroom.
A weird, muffled noise resembling sobs can be heard.
“Hey..” I whisper to Romie.
“I think someone might be crying?”
I point to the bathroom door.
“Oh, we absolutely need to check on them!” Romie is already opening the door.
I quickly follow her.
We can’t see anything here.
It’s much darker than in the hallway.
Romie points her phone’s flashlight towards the sobs.
It isn’t a person crying.
It isn’t even a person.
What
The
Hell
Is
That.