Epidemic
Epidemic
School today was odd, a lot of people just didn’t seem right. Everyone was acting slow and out of it but I guess it could just be a Monday thing. Man, I hate Mondays, let alone school in general. I feel like people take this whole high school thing way too seriously. I mean, I understand the preppy kids who are just trying to get their work done and the obnoxious kids who just don’t care but the people in the middle are the people I just can’t stand. The average student at my school I bet is a lot worse than yours.
Everyday after school I have to wait for the 37 bus and it takes FOREVER to get here. There is usually the same people at my bus stop everyday but today I see a group I haven’t seen here before. I saw a couple of them acting strange earlier, they seem sort of shady. They’re walking up to me, why are they coming up to me? “What’s up man?” the guy in front shouted out, “Not much just waiting for the bus” I reply. “True, you take the 37?” He asks like he also rides this bus. “Yeah do you?” “Not usually but today I am, I gotta go to the suppliers house.” The supplier? Supplier for what? Why would this guy think I know who that is? “True.” I say just to make it not awkward. “Yeah I’m on the last of what I got right now.” I’m still puzzled to what he’s talking about. “Of what?” I ask. He shakes his head almost in a state of daze, “Oh… You’ll understand eventually.”
Maybe this is why people have been acting so strange, Mondays never really seem that weird. Whatever, they ain’t even on the bus this morning but I doubt I’d get any answers from them anyways. Hopefully school will be back to normal today.
“What’s going on with those kids?” I hear a voice I haven’t heard before and turn my head. “This is all pretty new to me.” I realized it’s the new girl who came in late yesterday. The teacher, Mr. Morris definitely did not appreciate that. He gave us a whole entire lecture on how being late you’re first day will get you nowhere in life. “Hello?” She asks, “You there?!” “Oh, sorry, I space out sometimes.” She looked at me calmly, but seemed as if she was almost amazed I spoke, “Don’t worry about it.” I figure I should probably respond because these people have been acting pretty weird again today. “People have been like this since yesterday, just not as many.” She looks back at me oddly, “So this isn’t normal?” “No, people are always whack around here but it’s never like this.” She sheds a quick laugh, “What’s your name?”
“Mac but I don’t really like the name Mac, you can just call me Vortex.”
“Vortex?” She asks.
“Yeah it’s my last name but I like it better than my first.”
“Alright than Vortex, I’m Hope.”
“Where the hell is this bus?” Crowds of people at my bus stop are seeming to get rowdy. “I could walk home before the bus even gets here!” One guy yells. “Then why don’t you walk?” I hear that voice from earlier, it’s Hope, casually walking towards the bus stop. She takes a seat next to me and takes her headphones out. The kids who were yelling all started to calm down, it’s like she has mind control powers or something. “What’s up?” “Not much, just waiting for the bus.” She looks at me blankly, “Well obviously, why else would you be sitting here? You should really work on your conversation skills.” I feel a quick burst of shock, “Sorry, I just don’t talk that much, I don’t really like anyone at this school so I stick to myself.” “Do you not like me?” She asks. “Well if that was the case I wouldn’t be talking to you, would I?” She looks reassured, “You’re quite the character Vortex,” She says. The bus is pulling up to the stop, I pick up my bags and look back at hope. “See ya!” she says. “Oh do you take the 38?” She looks and smiles as I’m walking onto the bus, “No! My mom picks me up!” She yells to make sure I can hear through the tinted glass windows, “I just wanted to talk to you!”
I arrive to school the next day and immediately think what the hell is going on? Why is all of this happening so fast? This is completely fucked. What is the point of even being here? Should I leave or stay? My mind is racing, people keep asking if i want a dose. There’s hope, she looks normal, I need to talk to her.
“Are you seeing this?” She yells.
“Yeah this is nuts, what should we do?”
“Let’s get outta here.”
We head out through the backdoor behind the gym and walk far away from the school. “What should we do now?” I ask as I lean over on a tall oak tree. “Let’s just keep going.” Confused and tired of walking I ask her, “Did people offer that stuff to you too?” She looks at me almost instantly “Yeah they did, I kept rejecting it but I got some from one kid.” “YOU WHAT?!” I respond, “Why would you want that stuff?” I’m realizing I probably don’t know her as well as I thought. “I’m just trying to figure out what it is, people were calling it Vlatin.” I’m flabbergasted, “So?” “I’m gonna try it, I wanna see what the hype is.” She says. “Are you sure?” I ask her. “Yeah, it’s not like one time will turn you into a junkie or anything.” That is true, maybe she’s right. “Alright I’ll do it too than.” She then handed me a clump of this weird looking yellow substance.
As soon as I ate it I felt an instant rush. I knew I didn’t want to be doing this, but I did, and I did it for her.
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