Ephemeral

Chapter 1

What makes humans want to be a hero? What is it with their need to want to save everyone? Does it make them feel better about themselves? Does it give them purpose? Or do they simply do it because they want to be known as the hero, because it brings them attention?

I've had my fair share of people trying to befriend me. Try to help the girl no one wants to be friends with because all she does is glare at every breathing thing. Maybe they genuinely wanted to be my friend and get to know me, but I guess we'll never know. I don't care either, I'm better off alone. Always have, always will be.

"Avery, lessons over." Landon said as he lightly shook me awake. I lift my head up to find my English teacher standing in front of my desk with a small frown replacing his usual disgustingly happy smile. Yes, we call our teachers by their first names.

Landon has been my English teacher for the last year and a half, and for some reason he's one of the only teachers that doesn't force me awake and listen to the rubbish we're supposed to be learning for the day. Instead he lets me sleep for however long I need to, and emails me the PowerPoints and work and also answers the questions I never have.

Without saying a word, I put my empty notebook back into my backpack and zipped it close before giving him a slight nod, wordlessly thanking him and walked past him out of the classroom into the almost empty hallway.

It's only been an hour into the day and I've already taken a forty minute nap. That's a record breaker, usually it takes me thirty minutes into the lesson to fall asleep, today it was twenty, nice.

Walking up the stairs for my next lesson, I hear the lift doors open just as I took another step up the never ending stairs. Without wasting another second, I jumped down the stairs and dashed inside the lift doors that were inches away from closing. Just letting you know, this is the only way you'll ever catch me run.

My school has five floors and unfortunately for me most of my lessons are either on the fourth and fifth floors, or the second floor. It takes me a good 20 minutes to walk all the way up the five floors considering I have to take a good couple minutes to catch my breath after each floor. Let's not forget my selfish school only giving lift keys to those with heart problems and asthma. Sounds like excuses to me. They're literally indirectly fat shaming us.

Pressing the button to the fifth floor, I leaned against the wall and patiently waited for the lift to stop. I'd very much rather be trapped in here than continue with my lessons but unfortunately for me, any hope of this lift breaking down disappeared when the doors opened.

Taking my time walking to my lesson, I didn't bother paying any attention to the handful of people skipping or just like me, turning up late. The only difference is that they think it's cool, while I care too much about not having a cardiac arrest in the middle of the hallway.

"Look, it's the mute freak." A familiar voice sniggered from behind me as I rolled my eyes and turned around giving barbie and her new flavour of the week a bored look.

"We both know I'm far from mute. Do I need to remind you of the last time I ran my mouth?" I said with an innocent look as her face slightly paled while the smug look she had on earlier was nowhere to be found.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was Brooklyn Davis. I've known her practically all my life and trust me when I say she's been a bitch the second she came out of her moms vajayjay. She's always been the kid that had to be picked first for a prize, or had to win the competition. She's always been, that girl. A 'pick me girl' if you will.

I took my usual seat in the back corner while Jenna, my biology teacher, just started her lesson. In all honesty, biology is my favourite lesson and one of the few lessons where I actually pay attention and do my work. The only other lesson where I don't nap is calculus. I like my numbers.