And I Thought This Was Hell...

 

My feet pounded the pavement, the moon above me, obscured by the pounding rain. Though my hair was drenched, I felt strength and energy pounding through my body as I continued my morning ritual. I always ran in the dark; where it evoked fear in others, it brought a kind of comfort for me, a blanket, cloaking me, protecting me from the outside world. The rain was also an ally, cooling my skin as I sprinted through the dimly lit streets. The sun appeared on the horizon, a blinding speck of light. It struck me hard, like a physical blow. The glaring light shone in my eyes, reminding me to return to the world of reality. It pulled me out of my peaceful cloak of darkness and rain until there was nothing left but harsh, glowing sunlight.

            There was another reason to warrant my dread of sunrise. High School. Or rather, Hell, in my opinion. It was not bullies or gossip or backstabbing that made school miserable for me, though the school was by no means devoid of these elements. No, it was the slow, narrow minded teachers that made high school my personal purgatory. I was not one of those lazy students whose greatest ambition is to survive school without learning a single thing. Those students hated the teachers for an entirely different reason. I had always been a bright, hardworking student, and for that reason, I detested the professors and their entire program. It had always been the ones like me who suffered. The ambitious students, who understood everything on first explanation, who needed fast-paced classes to occupy their minds, they were the ones who got the least from the system. The classes, even the GATE and AP ones, were designed to help those of us who lagged, slacked off, and needed constant repetition to ingrain lessons into their tiny minds.

            My thoughts were cut off by the sudden rush of noise and bustle of people. I had arrived at Laviera High School. I tensed, bracing myself against the rush of oncoming students. Fairly small, it was easy for me to get swept up in the current of students in the halls. I elbowed and shoved my way through the hall to my first class, where I dumped my backpack with a sigh of relief. It weighed about twenty pounds. Blake, my boyfriend, was waiting for me as always. And, as always, I felt myself tense at the sight of him, as if preparing for an assault.

            “Lorielle.” Blake was one of the few people who addressed me by my full first name.

            “Blake, why do you call me that?” I asked, more out of tradition than curiosity -- it was our standard greeting, a ritual we underwent everyday, God knew why. Maybe because you have nothing else to say to each other, a meek voice remarked within my mind. I shoved it away. I loved Blake. Of course I did, he was my boyfriend, right?

            “Because it’s your name.” He answered, the same curt response I received every time. “You’re tense. What, do you think I’m going to hurt you? And besides, you’d hardly be a match for me, so why bother tensing for a fight? A waste of energy, if you ask me...” He laughed, softly, but infuriatingly. He saw the anger that flashed through my eyes. He was right, of course; I was too small to even hope to be able to fight him, but the way he said it was condescending, as if I were just an amusing little child.

            I love him. He's just in a bad mood, he's not trying to be derogatory. I love him. I chanted to myself.

            “Come back.” I returned to reality as he touched me lightly on the shoulder. “Your friends are calling you. Not that they matter. You should really find a better clique, Lorielle. You know I hate to let you be seen with those losers.” His disdain for my friends didn’t even faze me. I had heard it only too many times. I didn’t bother to respond.

            “Bye.” I said as he leaned down to kiss me. Our lips met for a brief instant, his icy and unfeeling. We parted and I sprinted across the hall toward my friends. 

Author's Note

I know this is probably crap, considering I wrote it two years ago, and barely bothered to review it before posting....but I'd like a little feedback anyway, I'm thinking of continuing the book and I want to know if it's worth it.