The Permutation

Breakthrough (Part 1) Christopher

Thursday 3:14 p.m. November 3rd

Seven ticks of the second hand of a clock, and he would be free. Christopher's eyes never wavered, not for one instant. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and the abrasive BRRRING of a school bell rang through the school, heralding his release. At the sound, he jolted into motion making a beeline for the door. Plucking his coat from the hook he had installed exactly eleven inches from the door, Christopher descended into the hallway without a word spoken to anyone.

"Mr. Stroud! Wait up I have a question," a voice called after him.
Christopher checked his watch. 3:16. "Alright Jessica, be quick about it. I've got to be at my car by 3:19."

"Uhh, well, I just wanted to ask you about my missing assignments," she stammered. Why is she chewing gum with her mouth open?

"Well," he paused, "Are you going to ask about them or not?"

"Umm, I was just wondering what they are," she said, twirling a stray piece of blonde hair between her fingers; the gum chewing increasing in frequency along with her discomfort.

3:17

"That's still not a question," he stated, digging the nails of his thumbs into the flesh of his index fingers. How is that gum chewing not driving her crazy? She's about to bruise her chin!

"What are they?" She asked her voice raising an octave, a sound he had come to associate with anxiety or confusion.

"Oh, why didn't you start with that? You're missing the dihybrid cross worksheet, the phylogeny tree worksheet, and you still need to take the vocabulary quiz you missed during your volleyball tournament. Is that all you need?"

She chomped away at her gum, mulling over the question like a cow with its cud. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. "I don't know what those assignments are," she said tilting the edges of her mouth upward; a smile that did not reach her eyes.

3:18

"I'm sorry Jessica, you've used up the time I've allotted for this discussion. Best of luck. I'll see you tomorrow," he said turning and striding down the hall. Finally, away from that accursed chewing

Amidst the throng of fleeing students, it was nearly impossible for Christopher to avoid physical contact of any kind, but he tried his best. When he first started at Lancet High, he needed to wait until everyone had left the building before he would even chance the halls, but Dr. Lewis helped him get over it.

"Christopher, you could have picked any number of jobs more suited to your particular habits and challenges, but you didn't. A large portion of this job you've chosen has a social component. In order to be successful, you're going to have to get used to leaving your comfort zone. Isn't that what you said you wanted? For Gracie?"

That's all it took. Christopher ventured out into the halls every day from that moment on. At first, he needed to wear a thick layer of clothes as a buffer zone, but little by little, he got so used to it that all he needed was his black trenchcoat and driving gloves.

Christopher pushed open the double glass doors of the school, and took another quick glance of his watch. It read 3:19. He felt the telltale increase in heartbeat and quickness of breath that Christopher associated with an anxiety attack. Quickening his pace to that of a jog, Christopher honed his vision onto his white 2017, Subaru Impreza, and ran towards it, right through the parking lot. He heard the squealing of brakes to his right, but forged onward, desperate to get back on schedule.

Donning his sunglasses, Christopher sped out of the parking lot, using the exit reserved for teachers. He had a long drive ahead of him. The commute to Twin Falls was an inconvenient one, but he didn't mind. Driving was one of the few times he could be himself and listen to pop punk without the symptomatic exhaustion that stemmed from human interaction. Something in the music resonated with him, like no person could. Excluding Gracie. When he listened, Christopher didn't have to pretend to conform to social niceties. The singer was just as lonely and broken as him. The two were kindred spirits thousands of miles away.