The Palmer Pool

8 | Alive in My Head

The high school loomed ahead, three floors of red brick with the auditorium wing on one end and the gym wing on the other. I thought maybe I could find a good place there to hide out for a couple of hours. My feet were dragging, I was dizzy and not sure I could make it much further without passing out. But because it was summer, the doors were definitely going to be locked. And I remembered that because I couldn't open them, whether doors were locked was irrelevant. So I was surprised to find a window wide open, right on the first floor leading into a hallway.

I hoisted myself up over the windowsill and dropped onto the floor. I was near the auditorium, which would be a perfect place to nap. My wet shoes squished as I walked down the empty hall. Suddenly a class bell rang, doors flung open and students began pouring out of the classrooms. They swept through the hall in skirts and short-sleeved blouses, the guys in button-up shirts, dress pants and shiny shoes.

"Did ya fall in?" a guy in a letterman sweater asked loudly as he passed me, then snickered.

I tried to blend in with the crowd as I made my way to the auditorium. I ran past the rows of seats and up the stairs to the balcony. My eyes adjusted to the dim light, and I navigated my way down the wide steps hoping to find a couch.

During Sophomore year Kaitlyn convinced me to join the school theater tech crew. It was perfect because it wasn't a sport, and only involved a couple weeks of actual work for each production. I operated a spotlight, and spent hours in the balcony sitting on a comfy, broken-in leather couch. I hated the idea of being in the spotlight, but enjoyed the power of controlling where the audience looked.

This time there wasn't a couch, or even a comfortable chair, so I laid down on the wood floor and fanned out my skirt to help it to dry. In spite of my racing pulse from navigating an unexpected hallway full of people, I immediately fell asleep.

                                     ~~~~~~

When I woke up my mouth was dry, my limbs were heavy, and I had no clue where I was. Even though I had experienced it before, there was no growing accustomed to the disoriented, unsettling feeling of waking in an unfamiliar place.

I quickly sat up and looked down at the stage as I patted my clothes and hair. My dress was dry and stiff. Falling asleep on my wet hair had turned it into a frizzy mess. I tied my hair back into a knot and cautiously left the quiet shelter of the balcony and ventured into the hallway. The first classroom that I peeked into was empty, and so was the second. At the other end of the hall, the window I entered through- my planned escape route- was closed.

I panicked as I ran around the entire first floor of the school, checking for open doors or windows. I tried and failed to open every single one. Even throwing all my body weight into pushing open the main door did nothing. It was heavy and hard for me to open even when I had all my strength.

Would I be stuck in the eerily empty school all night? What if it was Friday and I was stuck here all weekend? Would I be able to raid the cafeteria for food? What were they doing in school in July anyway? Then a thought crossed my mind: I could have skipped July and gone straight to September. School was in session and the pool was drained. Was summer over?

Every classroom, hallway and stairwell was silent, until I turned a corner and reached a computer lab. A high-pitched grinding noise and the smell of freshly cut lumber poured into the hallway from the open door. The rows of computers were replaced by rows of metal workbenches, and near the back of the room there was a man engulfed in a cloud of sawdust operating a table saw.

Afraid he'd catch me staring at him, I darted into the darkened classroom next door and squeezed my eyes shut to think. I decided I'd have to wait for him to leave and follow him out, which I probably couldn't do without having to talk to him. He was older, probably a teacher. What excuse did I have to be in the building after everyone else had left? Studying? I didn't have any books.