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〘 t e a s e r 〙

warning:
contains blood

🜁


Graduation day usually doesn’t end with a trail of blood, but there is always a chance. Grade eight graduates are celebrating their last day inside of the gymnasium. I am having a fantastic time dressed up in a pretty black dress, dancing with my peers. Strobe lights, fog machines, and a DJ have been blasting nonstop. My long curly hair bounces with every move. Decorative jewelry clipped to my dress bust shines in the flashing lights. It's a great party, but I honestly can’t wait to leave.

Ten minutes before final bell, I sneak out the gym’s rear exit. Hallway lights immediately assault my defenseless retinas. The only sound I can hear is a high pitch ring in my ears. Squinting, I advance towards my locker placed between the gym rear door and one of the school’s exits. It’s perfect for a quick escape. This is the last time I will open my locker. For a moment, I think of how much I will miss this in high school. My friends will be different places after today. I’m not ready to start my next stage of life alone, but I don’t have another choice. With a tired sigh I step away.

Through ringing in my ears, I can hear distant banging. I don’t need to look to know it is students who want inside. Everyone who isn’t graduating is having a regular school day. Two sets of doors impede their path. The inner set swings open and the outer set automatically locks. General shapes of people yell and knock on the windows outside. My eyesight is fine without glasses, but at moments like this I regret leaving high-definition vision at home. Students asking for entry is a hint to how close we are to the end.

Bursting with excitement I run over with both arms out and ready for impact. I give the window a confident push. Somehow, the door is swinging open slower than my reach. Force against the window should have changed my pace, but it’s not. A bang from my knee hitting metal makes me flinch. My arms are still reaching out even though I just collided with the door. Finally, I put all these clues together. The window shattered.


🜃

the rest coming later

critiques welcome

♡
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2023