I wake up the next morning to a blaring alarm. I look to my side and scavenge around for my phone to turn off the horrible noise.

I push my textbooks and sheets around and my face flushes. There I see it; the drawing of Leo I had made the previous night. I turn to Leo’s sleeping figure glad he didn't awaken and let out a relieved sigh. 

I pick the drawing up and throw it in a random drawer hoping that Leo won’t find it. It’s as if I’m trying to hide evidence of a murder.

Then continue my hunt for my damn phone finding it under my pillow. As I finally turn off the blaring noise I look at my uniform I had laid out for myself the previous night.

I groan and get changed to this old ass uniform as depressing as the school itself. It's navy blue with a white undershirt. I decide to just wear the hoodless sweater with the white collar of my undershirt peeking out.

It had the school's logo on the left side of the chest. It’s a shield split in half, a torch on one and a raven on the other with a ribbon that reads Lumbridge Boarding School on it.

I mutter under my breath “Perfect. Another reason added to the list” my tone is as happy as a middle aged drunk staring at an empty glass. 

I take another sigh and roll my eyes.

 lazily picking up my bag, slinging it over my shoulder then force to walk out of the damn dorm. 

I walk through the halls and of course, all eyes on me I swear they’re eyeing me down like a Lion does to prey. Once again I get to go meet my favorite front office lady. Ms. Gravely.

“ ‘ey kid wassup?” she asks with her usual smoker voice.

“Hey lady I’m here to get my schedule” I smirk.

She smirks back at me “you got quite the attitude kid. I like it.” She presses buttons on her computer slower than a snail stuck in syrup.

I impatiently tap my foot and look out the window of the front office and notice something…why does the scenery seem almost…lighter? Happier even. I shake it off and look back at the lady as she looks up at me skeptically.

“What’s on ‘yer mind kid?” she asks as she takes a puff from the lighted cig in her mouth like her life depended on it. 

“You’ll never find out if you keep huffin’ those cigarettes. You’ll die of lung cancer before you even find out.” I snarkily respond waving the smoke outta my face.

She darkly chuckles and hands me a piece of paper.

‘Daniel F. Hargrowth’s Schedule’

Room (619) AP Human Geography Mr. Snyder- 9:30-10:40 

Room (615) English IV honors Ms. Gravelly- 10:50-12:00

Free period 12:10-1:00

Room (419) Lab Mrs. Hardley– 1:10-2:20

Room (176) Art Mr. Gomosekual- 2:30-3:40

Room (271) Math IV honors Mr. Snyder-Hallow- 3:50-5:00

Holy shit this schedule is brutal. I look back up at the lady. 

“You’re an English teacher?” I ask in disbelief my eyebrows launch off my head.

She raises one of her thin eyebrows back at me. “Yea so what if I ‘yam” she responds before coughing harshly.

“Just hard to believe” I respond with a bit of mocking with my tone.

“How’s that kid?” She asks like it's the most confusing thing she’s ever heard.

“It’s hard to believe that a smoke addicted old crank who sounds like she’s been puffin’ since the first world war teaches literature.” I say without missing a beat.

I love to roast people. Their reactions are so funny everytime— I guess they don't expect a kid like me to come up with half way decent come-backs. But her, she’s different, it seems to be she finds amusements out of my roast.

She croaks out a dark cackle “damn kid you got some lip on ya’ but if i can go 17 years without stranglin’ myself in the teachers lounge I can teach some prepubescent punks how to write.” she smirks back as she blows out a puff of smoke.

“Be off kid. You have your first class in 10 minutes.” she says pointing to a clock hanging off the wall by a thread.

I head off to start my first day in this fucking hell hole. This school will be the death of me but hey…at least I look good in Navy blue.

I wonder if I’ll see Leo…