After disappearing for a year, it's now time to go back. Back to the lack of privacy. Back to the strangers that are supposed to be family. Back to the "friends" that are just a group of kids in the same social circle forced to spend time together...
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6:37pm. I was late.
At the beginning of every school year, the evening before classes start, Victoria Floreat Academy holds a welcoming banquet in the main dining hall to welcome new students and staff members as a way of making them feel a part of the schools so-called family.
I would have skipped the dinner, but I already hadn't had much to eat the entire day besides a granola bar and a bottle of water for breakfast before I left. I hadn't even eaten anything during the long plane ride over because of my endless nap that started off being one hour and ended up with me sleeping the whole ride.
I pressed my ear near the door's wooden surface, with my hand comforting my murmuring stomach. Not much could be heard through the thick material, but there were a few evident ruffling sounds that managed to spike my anxiety.
I'd been too more than enough of these dinners to know exactly what goes on.
At exactly six pm all students and need to be in the hall, then soon after all staff members enter. Once all staff members have entered then all students must take seats. The headmistress will then give a short welcoming speech to greet all the newbies and welcome back the oldies. There's a brief round of applause then everyone rises for a ten second moment of silence that allows pupils of different religions to silently say their prayers. The food is then brought out and table by table everyone goes forward, starting with staff then the seniors and of course ending with freshmen.
The process doesn't exactly take very long either considering the fact that the institute only consists of a few hundred students and staff combined, so I had no doubt in my mind that everyone was already seated and eating.
I took a deep breath then checked the time on my phone once again.
6:38pm.
I glared at the large, closed wooden doors that lead to the dining hall and silently cursed whoever came up with the rule that they needed to be closed once everyone was inside.
Well, some rules are meant to be broken, right? Especially if it's at the expense of your hunger.
The longer you stall the more anxious you'll get I thought to myself as I bounced on the balls of my feet and shook my arms around trying to get rid of my nerves.
I took a deep breath then reached out to twist the shiny handles and push open the enormous doors. The faint murmurs from behind the doors turned into chatter the more I opened them.
That chatter ceased instantly once the doors were fully open and I stepped through the threshold.
It was silent.
I didn't look at anyone, but immediately turned around to close the doors. When I turned back, I briefly scanned the room to take in my surroundings. Just how I remember it I thought.
