"Can you... walk me to class?" I ask, my eyes darting to the backpack as I quickly realize I had no idea where or what I was meant to do once I made it into the school. Bridgette suddenly perks up, her hangdog expression shifting rapidly to an excited grin as I ask for help.
"Sure!" she blurts out excitedly, the towering woman quickly leading me away from the car and towards the side entrance to the first large brick building. "I'll take you there and... and I can carry your bag for you. Why is it so heavy? You shouldn't be carrying something like..."
"Thanks honey" I coo, raising her hand up with my own as I plant a little kiss on it.
I watch as Bridgette's cheeks begin to burn bright red, the tiny sliver of affection seemingly doing more than our brief make out session in the parking lot. Her sentence falls short, a pathetic mewling blabber consuming her words before she manages to shut herself up.
"I... I think you have English first right?" Bridgette chokes out, her breath shuddering as we pass over the lane way to the parking lot and begin up the short set of steps. "Lots of books for that I... I guess..."
The trip to the classroom itself is rather uneventful, if a little disconcerting. The sheer domineering size of everything around me set my teeth on edge, from the teenagers who were easily over a head taller than me now to the top lockers being simply out of reach. Thankfully Bridgette seems more than happy to carve us a path to my first class, the towering young woman getting a soft and lingering kiss as a reward before she passes me my bag and races off to follow her own timetable.
Strangely enough the desk and seat feel almost roomy as I slide into it, my shrunken stature doing wonders as I wriggle into place. The aging CRT screen in the corner suddenly grows pale and misty as the audience sets up to watch my class, a shiver running down my spine as I stare directly into it.
To get my mind off of things I quickly begin to search my backpack, a small black leather diary thankfully resting atop the pile of text books and literature as I snatch it out. Inside I find a timetable on the front page, each day of the week followed by a series of classes and room numbers.
"I can work with this..." I squeak, quickly finding that each day started differently. "I just need to work out what... day it is..."
As if on cue a series of electronic bells ring out through wall mounted speakers around the school, the noise quickly being followed by a tall and lanky woman in her mid-fifties rushing into the classroom. Her black curly hair is a wild and untamed mess, her spectacles resting on the bridge of her nose and supported by a little gold chain. Loose jeans cover her legs while a massive warm dark purple shawl wraps her shoulders and obscures the green fluffy sweater beneath.
"Alright class..." she pants, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Please take out your copies of King Lear, we're picking up from act four scene one, who was reading for Albany?"
The day races by in a bit of a blur, the novelty of being back at the desk and in class quickly wearing off as I find myself wishing I was back home in my apartment and back in my own reality. Despite this I try to play along, at least to keep the audience entertained in the hopes of winning that prize money, my hand shooting up at every opportunity to act like a perfect proper school girl.
"That's correct Ms Hughes..."
"Thank you Jordan, that's right..."
"Well that is an insightful interpretation Ms Hughes..."
"Can somebody else... Alright Ms Hughes, have at it..."
With the humanities heavy school schedule I quickly find myself answering the lionshare of the questions in each and every class, my multiple college degrees leaving me as a dominant force in pretty much every single lesson.
I can't help but giggle as I move between classes, my gaze darting from the room number on the schedule as I try to intuit just where to go next in the boxy maze-like school building. Rounding a corner I begin to trudge up some steps, grinning ear to ear s I ignore the hazy smog chasing me from pane of glass to pane of glass.
"This must be so fucking weird..." I giggle, biting excitedly at my bottom lip with a grin. "Bet they never had a high school student with a masters degree before."
By the time lunch rolls around I barely have a few seconds out of my classroom before Bridgette comes bounding over, the Labrador of a woman racing up to me as she eagerly takes my bag. I can't help but be thankful for her following me around like a love struck puppy, the eager to please young woman certain makes navigating the school and this life all the more simply as she tries her best to do every little thing for me.
After a quick lunch I'm soon thrust back into classes, the time flying by as I once again take charge in answering questions and moving discussions along.
"Is this what being a genius feels like?" I mutter under my breath as I leave Literature, my heart bounding with exhilaration at feeling just so far beyond the other people in the room.
As the last bell for the day rings I stay seated at my desk, the brief reprieve being a great time to go through my bag again. I'd taken every single book out of this thing today, however, I had yet to find a phone or anything that I could use to delve further into this strange alien life I had found myself in.
Rubbing the bridge of my nose in frustration I pile all the books out and then back into the black bag, my rummaging finding little more than an old eraser and handful of loose change.
"God damn it..." I grumble, my sweet delicate voice sounding almost off as I huff in frustration. I pat down the pockets of my skirt one last time, merely feeling the small wallet filled with ID cards and the jingling of my car keys.
Sliding out of my seat I pat down and straighten out my skirt, my whole body drooping slightly under the weight of the bag as I sling it over my shoulders. "God this is heavy" I whine, wincing slightly as I feel the straps dig into my shoulders. "The of being a good student I guess" I chuckle, walking slowly towards the door and the side exit on the other side of the school.
As I reach the steps down to the lane way and the parking lot beyond I immediately spot the pacing sight of Bridgette, the over six foot tall athletic young woman being difficult to miss and she shuffles around beside my old sedan.
Inching down the steps she spots me, my bright copper red hair likely not doing me any favors in subtly. She waves wildly at me, watching for a moment as I heft my tiny frame and heavy backpack across the lane before bolting over.
"Babe let me get..." she whine, her voice dripping with concern as she practically pulls the backpack off of me and effortlessly slings it over one shoulder. Her free hand clutches at the large gym bag she had carried this morning, the large black denim bag appearing to crumple and squish around whatever was inside.
"Thanks..." I sigh, my body feeling leagues lighter as the weight is pulled off my shoulders. It was like everything was relative, the straps of my bra having been completely ignored all day as the ache and pain from carrying the bag consumed my thoughts more presently. "What are... were you waiting for me?" I ask meekly, adjusting my glasses a little as I look up at the practical amazonian in front of me.
Bridgette rubs at the back of her neck nervously, her face turning red as she looks up and away for a moment.
"Kinda..." she mutters, her husky voice shaking a little. "I was.. well I was going to ask..."
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