Hometown.

un

My shadow tilts its head at me,

Spirits in the dark are waiting,

I will let the wind go quietly,

I will let the wind go quietly,

Josh;

The uneasiness feeling in my stomach has now sprawled across my body. I was shaking, uncontrollably, like I was someone's puppet. It was now my turn, and I felt my body lose control, my mind barely hanging on onto sanity. I could hear the teacher calling my name out, but I chose not to listen. It was as if my ears were cut off, but it's not like I minded.

"Joshua, you have to present now." Mrs. Dubois said. I shook my head continuously, wanting the voices to go away. All they did was ruin my entire life, I couldn't live with them.

I stood up quickly, grabbing my essay from the corner of my desk, a big A plastered on the front of it. I knew I worked my hardest writing it, because I actually tried in school, but this was the part I did not sign up for. I walked slowly to the front of the classroom, my peers judging me with their vicious eyes, like I was some foreign creature. I didn't belong, and we all knew it.

I looked down at my paper, heart beating out of my chest and my stomach uneasy. Throwing up might have been a good idea. I looked up suddenly, scanning the entire classroom of over 20 kids.

"You can start now, Joshua." I hated when they called me Joshua.

"It's Josh, ma'am." I responded quickly, my pulse rising with each turning second. She simply nodded. What a bitch. I wanted to die, my knees buckling, and my arms failing. I stood there, in the middle of the class, shaking like a fucking retard. What more could I do?

My eyes scanned the class once more, this time glazing at the back, closely and carefully. Tyler Joseph was in this class. He was sulking quietly in the back of the classroom, eyes fixated on the notebook sitting on his desk. He scribbled words on the papers, delicate fingers writing delicate words. I took notice in the mysterious boy, but it wouldn't go anywhere, like my own life. I finally took his curious eyes off of the boy, and looked back at my paper.

"I can't do this, just give me an F." I explained to the teacher, my whole world falling apart. The anxiety would always get the best of him. I ran out of the classroom, the students and teacher in awe, not knowing what to do with the troubled boy.

I ran and ran, my tired legs taking me anywhere they went. I eventually found my way through the hallways, and into the bathroom. I shoved the door open, and ran inside.

My chest constricted, and the tears came out quickly, them running down cowardly down my cheeks. I felt useless, like my whole world was crashing down. I slid down the wall, and I captured my face in my hands. I sobbed quietly, as I didn't want a big fuss to take place. It'll only bring more attention to me, something I obviously didn't want. I pulled out my phone, with shaky hands, and checked the time. It was now 11 am, and the bell would be ringing in five minutes. It's not like I cared it I was late anyway, not right now, anyway. I stood up, my tongue tasting the salty tears that had made it to my mouth. I walked slowly towards the long, mirror on the front side of the wall, my scary reflection staring back at me. My entire face was red, and my eyes were swollen and red. I felt run down. I could really use a nap right now. I reached over to the faucet and put water on my hands, and brought my hands to my face, washing it. I felt cleansed in a way, but it would never wash away my sins. I could never change.

The bell rang loudly then, right in my ears. I jumped, jump scares not treating me well. I made sure a second time that I at least looked presentable, and cowardly left the bathroom, running into the mass group of people walking to their classes. I ran straight into someone, and I quietly said a sorry and looked up, ashamed of my mistake. I was hoping it wasn't James. I saw that it was Tyler, the mysterious boy. He looked tired, purple bags surrounding the bottom of his eyes. His head was bowed, and it was like he didn't even notice me bumping into him. Not that I didn't mind. I ignored the gesture and ran back to my English class, only to find it empty, because Dubois must have had her off hour this hour. The tardy bell now rang, and my heart sank. I rushed to my desk and grabbed my bag. I then ran off to Calculus, my fifth hour, and found everyone staring at me when I ran into the classroom.

"You're tardy, Josh." At least one teacher listened to my pleading into being called Josh.

"I know, Mr. Gould. It won't happen again." I tried to say calmly, but it ended in being a small whisper. He nodded in understanding, already knowing my struggles with Anxiety. It's like he's the only one who cares, and that's alright. I've always been an honest person. I took a seat in the back, the only place where I felt comfortable. I felt invisible, and it was nice, sometimes.

Then, he began his lesson, and I saw the eyes of Tyler Joseph staring at me from across the room.