Whisper

ONE

I snapped my textbook shut as the bell rang over the loudspeakers at my sleepy town high school, Middletown High School. I followed the swarm of students through the halls, where we all found our lockers to put our books away for the day. I trudged down to the very end of the hallway, where I found my locker and dialed the code to unlock it. I pulled the combination lock and opened the door to my locker. Inside was like any high schooler's locker. I had books, a little mirror, and an extra hoodie just in case I didn't need one in the morning but did in the afternoon. There were a few bottles of perfume and a pouch of extra pencils, my special pencil pouch.

I threw my textbook into the locker and grabbed my hoodie and pencil pouch. I closed my locker and resecured the lock. I turned to face the other side of the hallway and walked directly into the girls' restroom, where I made a beeline for the biggest stall. I locked myself inside and set my backpack on the ground. I sat on the toilet without pulling my bottoms down and opened the pencil pouch. Inside, there were a few pink mechanical pencils, a large pink eraser, an iPhone charger, and some regular number 2 pencils. I moved all the main contents to the side, exposing a small zipper that opened a small private pouch within the bag.

Unzipping the little section, I pulled out a small bag filled with white powder. My favorite thing in the world. Coke. At the ripe age of 13, I was exposed to a life of wonder, and by wonder, I mean drugs, alcohol, and crime. Lately, I was starting to mind my troubles, doing less illegal shit, doing less coke at school, hanging out with my friends less. My parents were going crazy trying to raise my siblings and me, whilst also pouring copious amounts of money into my rehabilitation and court fees.

I pulled open the small baggie, stuck my pinky in, and scooped out a small amount with my nail. Holding my nail up to my nose, I inhaled deeply and quickly felt my heartbeat speed up, and a euphoric feeling came over my entire body. I inhaled another small bump and closed the baggie. I reinserted the bag in the hidden compartment and shoved the pencil bag in my backpack. I pulled my shorts down, used the bathroom quickly, and hurried out to wash my hands. I looked in the mirror to make sure my face was clean before I exited the bathroom.

I headed towards the exit doors, right by the end of the hallway near my locker. I made my way through the doors and out into the yard where the bus riders boarded. I cut through the bus loop, going between the buses waiting to take off. We weren't allowed to do this, but again, I wasn't one to follow the rules anyway. I made my way through the student parking lot and found my older brother and his old beat-up Honda Civic. It sounded like a fart in a can, but it was still so fun to drive around in, regardless of where you sat in the car.

I hopped in the passenger side of the Civic, and Mason followed suit in the driver's seat. He shoved the key in the ignition and started the car. The engine tried to purr to life, but instead it sounded like a long night in the bathroom after a mukbang from Taco Bell. He put the car into reverse, and we started our way home, which was a thirty-minute drive, if traffic was good, and it never was. I looked around and spotted his most prized possession in the vehicle, his aux cord. I snatched the cord up off the ground in front of me and shoved it into my phone. I played the first thing that popped up, and we sat there in proverbial silence for the better half of the drive.

As we were driving, we passed a small trailer park that looked like it hadn't seen a maintenance man in more than a year. I let out a loud sigh, and Mason turned the music down, glancing at me. "What's wrong, little sister?" He asked. I shrugged and sighed again.

"We passed that piss poor looking trailer park, and it just kind of made me feel like I should be going home to a pair of parents that live there and not to our parents." I shrugged with my response as Mason glanced over again, and he gave me a comforting smile. Mason reached over and patted me on the back and then squeezed my left shoulder.