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Chapter fourteen
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I DIDN'T know where to go, I never did at times when I'd storm out the dorm, minutes before curfew hit. But I'd developed some sort of routine, and that was the closest feeling of familiarity I got within this shithole. Not particularly because it was comforting, but because it had become such a private habit of mine.
Slipping out into the cold of the courtyard, I kept my body pressed tightly against the shaded wall, out of sight from the moon rays.
It was a full moon tonight, and as much as I'd love to sit and just stare at the white globe laundering above me at all times, I knew I wouldn't be able to without a sort of punishment.
Along with all the wandering I'd do, I quickly realized how empty and outdated the first gym in the school was. The bleachers, the tiles and plastered-on brick that looked as if it was about to crumble from the walls, the creaky doors, and inconsistent lightbulbs that flicker for the first few minutes upon usage.
Schools like these loved priding themselves in their ancient buildings and outdated preppy style, but along with that went the inconsistent security on the older buildings.
Such as the door to the gym that could be pried open with a bobby pin, or just enough force to break the flimsy lock.
Shoving open the door, I used my phone flashlight to guide me across the gym floor. The tap of my shoes echoed in the large darkened building, the sound of my jacket feeling too loud as I scurried to the emergency exit doors.
The doors were supposed to sound an alarm upon opening, but I quickly found the alarm didn't even carry a battery anymore. This allowed me to easily unlock the door and push it open, and out in the backyard I was.
I'm not sure if the backyard is the right term. It was more like an empty space that had yet to be replaced with more unneeded buildings. It was still fully fenced in, having faded white lines signally the presence of what used to be a soccer field. Now, it was just overgrown grass with weeds and vines springing up and around the door.
As much as the darkness and unknowingness of the cold outdoors scared me, it was more peaceful than any place inside the building.
Upon even further inspection of the area, I quickly found that some sort of animal had made it their personal job to nibble through the chainlink fence, creating a pokey outline of a hole just big enough for me to shimmy through if I really wanted.
And then, out in the open I was. With nothing but a road a few miles away to stop me from escaping. The thought of running away was far past pleasuring, but the feeling of having no place to truly go seeped throughout my brain even deeper than the desire to escape.
So I'd simply just stand in front of the fence, peering longingly at the hole. I felt foolish, but the damp air and soft night breeze were enough to allow my thoughts to drift.
