The lights burn down and blind can't see anything eyes on fire. Senseless jabber on all sides pierce skull head throbbing. Smells drift perfume too much perfume can't concentrate can't walk can't think. Curl up and slide down and close eyes plug ears please please please stop.
" !$#^%&?" senseless gibberish only increases pain and mouth open but no sound escapes words elude and too much noise noise noise. Open eyes again and scream scream scream from the pain woman standing over jerks back, fear terrorizes her face and she speaks again, "Sollux?" but cannot respond too much all at once just too much.
Students stop and stare and glare at them. Finally find a voice and scream and scream and scream. Woman waves them on and they see only a screaming, insane, impaired child and never look beyond the shell and the noise never stops and the lights hurt and the perfume and the cologne and please just make it stop.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Repeated over and over and why does no one listen no one understands and hand on back tries to help stand but hurts the touch hurts and scream becomes wordless again.
Lifted up and forced to move and on and on carried on and on and screams echo back through empty school halls and hurt more. Hands clamped over ears and scream forever. Placed gently down on something soft and hand pats head pain throbs with each pain impact pain just
"STOP!"
A little while later glare from corner at nurse as she tries to be soothing. She speaks as if to a child. I'm not a baby. I can understand what you're saying now.
"We're going to try to get a hold of your parents again, okay Sollux?" The tone is too sweet, and the words make no sense. How can she hold his parents if they aren't here?
Look at floor bury head in knees and scream mentally. Frustration turns to anger rage boiling and bubbling and frothing joins the thousands of other pent up emotions that have no outlet no words. Hunch shoulders and wish that the nurse would understand but she never does she can't she doesn't know what it's like and everyone else is outside.
Nurse places phone on cradle again, noise strikes in ears like a thousand drums cringe away and hope she just leaves just leave me alone. She speaks slow, deliberately, as if you were unable to understand her. "I am going to leave the room now, Sollux. Stay here please?" Don't respond to the silly idiot woman she doesn't deserve anything she doesn't know can't fathom the pain. She sighs and the door closes softly, click of the lock slicing again and nothing to do nothing nothing nothing.
Focus on breathing focus breathe breathe breathe. Old systematic routine kicks in.
Seventeen times one hundred forty-two is two thousand four hundred fourteen divided by seven hundred is approximately three point four four eight five seven to the sixteenth power is approximately four hundred million one hundred fifty-four thousand four hundred fourteen point zero nine eight one four.
Calm descends and fingers itch itch for computer keyboard stand shaky light no longer burning and rummage through desk through desk so messy everything unorganized put in neat rows perfect rows alphabetized and find small portable computer. Easy to guess password and open word processor and type type type computer language comes swifter than spoken language, easy and obvious.
Bell rings again outside and the others blather on and on and on their senseless words meaning nothing and walking walking walking. Ignore them ignore them they don't understand me but the computer makes sense and never treats me any differently than anybody else gives the same error messages and takes the same code and requires the same attention as from the others the others that aren't like me.
Nurse comes back in eyes widen then smiles fake fear and distrust in her body language pick up the small eye movement hand gestures biting of the lip. "Is that my computer?" she whispers and refuse to respond to her why should I? she didn't help only the keyboard and the word processor and the program calm.
"Well, the board decided you can stay here in my office until school is done. I'll just...go somewhere else." Voice drops off and whisper shows that she thinks I will attack her if she takes it away and she might be right I've done it before. Door closes no longer throbbing and only the small clicking clacking flowing of the only language that always makes sense and the only sound that never bothers and the only light that never blinds.
Typing strings and strings and strings on and on and on and on
and on
and on
and on.