The Lunch Room

Candy wrappers and crumbs from the first lunch shift lay abandoned on the cold ground, sort of like some of the hopes and dreams past students have left behind. An older janitor begins to sweep, but then stops as he realizes his efforts will soon be done in vain. The moment he steps out of sight, a rather loud and annoying ding echoes throughout the school. Students (hard-working, lazy, happy, depressed) burst out of multiple classrooms. One-third of the crowd shuffles onward to the commons, flooding into the lunchroom with music blaring and mouths running. Teachers and janitors alike scatter to avoid the mass of hormones barreling towards them.

The large, chilly space is soon filled with conversations of homework assignments, parents, and what that one girl said in English class. A line stretches from one end of the room to the other, comprised of hungry and impatient teenagers. Very slowly, they trudge onward and decide which food looks the least disgusting. Back at the tables, those who chose to pack their lunches laugh and smirk at their miserable peers. A balding, overweight teacher takes a deep breath before launching into the daily lunch announcements. A few heads turn, but most stay engrossed in their music, food, friends, and forgotten homework due next hour.