"Przemyśl"

It is now March...

These past few months have been a strange mixture of tension that I can't quite seem to avoid. Gerardo had quite the 'Government' Club and Siephus has been giving me weird looks in the classes that I share with him. I'm petrified. After the incident with Franco, he ended up in the hospital and Franco's family didn't seem to do anything about what had happened to him. You would expect most families to try an pursue a lawsuit after their son had gotten brutalized in a way that could have killed him...but they did nothing.

Luciana and I have been spending more and more time with each other, and after he little breakdown at the library, we tried the very next day to study together at the same place, and she seemed to be more understanding about the material. I know for myself I had gotten more comfortable with sharing the material. It's a strange growth of mine that I hadn't really realized in the moment since my mind was in more places than one. 

Franco's incident did affect me, however, I made it a strive to not allow it to hinder my life. I didn't take a break or pause, I continued on. I kept going to school, I kept talking and spending time with Luciana, and I still kept social with my current friends.

However, it still bothered me that I had to see something like that. 

I am walking down a darkened hallway filled with what I can analyze to be frustrated teenagers--they share the same frustration with everybody else here--Nothing ever changes when it comes to the atmosphere of this school, in contrast, my life has begun to change. This change in my life has changed my perception of the campus drastically. It's strange how your experiences shape the way you see your environment, but that must go for all places.

Recently, there has been a shift in my friend group; Daniel hasn't been hanging out with any of us as of late. I've been rather concerned about his unannounced absences, and at this rate I believe he has moved on from our friendship completely. For the past two weeks, he has not shown up to the table. He isn't absent from school, I've seen him around campus. However, I have taken no effort to confront him myself about his situation. 

Maybe it's something sensitive, I don't want to push an intervention onto him.

Daniel Cabrela, a smart mediated individual who doesn't act so impulsively. Exiting a group of friends can be quite a daunting change, I know he would be the first person to explain his situation. I speculate that there must be something seriously off as of right now, that makes me uneasy. 

Without Daniel, there is an imbalance within the table group. Without mediation, our conflicting personalities never seem to cease toward a compromise. The chaotic situation would most likely be unbearable for some, or at the very least uncomfortable. Yet, I haven't cared too much about how the situation has made me feel. I just can't be bothered by a bunch of chaotic peers...not after what I've seen.

My walk down the hallway is somewhat tribunal since it's the everyday tradition that represents the entering of a system. That system being the school...and notably comparable to prison. Many of the same students gather around the same areas to talk to the same people. However, in comparison to a month ago, I witness one of Venustiano's 'convoys' travel through a building they are not usually seen traveling through.

However, this time it is different.

This time as I take my glance at the group of students that I have learned to fear, I notice a new member that walks beside them...the mediator himself, Daniel Cabrela.

I stand there in shock. I can't seem to imagine why Daniel is walking with them. Is he just going the same direction? I'm being naïve. I know exactly why he is walking with them, specifically he is walking to the right of Siephus. Daniel is going to be made Siephus' right hand man in replacement of himself after graduation. The signs are clear; Daniel has the intelligence that Venustiano wants, and Siephus has been persistent with his search for a successor.

It just amazes me that the person I've always seen as a pacifist and compromiser has joined in on the violent regime that controls this school. Maybe he was blackmailed? Maybe he was threatened? I can't speculate enough why I would bear witness to this truth. 

Is this where he has been this whole time?

I still stand there in shock, and I notice Venustiano staring at me with a look of malice. I feel as if my very life may be on the line. Venustiano has yet to actually confront me after the incident. He's given me a stern warning about not getting in his way, and I've followed that warning quite extensively. However, he still frightens me.

Lunchtime has come around. 

For the past week, I would spend my lunch with Luciana and we would mostly talk academic or share funny stories. Ever since Daniel left, I felt like I should take the opportunity to see Luciana instead. Before that, I would see Luciana every other day or so, but for a week now I haven't been at this table. However, today I decided that I would spend it at the table rather than with Luciana.

I walk up to the table where my friends reside, Miles quite instantly gives me a dirty and hostile look. I feel like I'm being stared at once more. Ashley notices me and gives a seeking scoff. Jennifer never removes her eyes from her phone.

Nathan is the first to greet me, "Hey Johnny," Nathan goes for a handshake, "how's it going?" He asks me.

I don't engage in the formalities, but rather I cut straight to my purpose being there, "I have something to talk about." I address the group.

"Where have you been?" Miles immediately interrogates me, countering my avoidance of a question with his avoidance of a statement. He glares me down in anticipation for a response.

I am unsure how to answer as of right now, Well, I don't know-" I stutter profusely. This is becoming distracting.

"Do you think you can just fucking leave us like this?" Ashley shouts toward me interrupting me. I didn't realize that I would attain such hostility, I wonder what they would have said if I were Daniel.

"I've been in tutoring." I defensively snap back with a shallow excuse.

"Oh yeah," Jennifer says as she looks up from her phone, "because tutoring is every single day during lunch for a random week in the year?"

I'm now fighting a three front war, this pressure makes it very hard to think, I might just burst.

"Fine," I burst, "I've been hanging out with Luciana the past week." I tell the truth, "Listen," I attempt to change the subject, "I want to talk about Daniel-"

"So you've been ditching us for that girl?" Jennifer contributes her comment while interrupting me in the process. I assume my personal life is more interesting than Daniel but I digress.

"So what if I have? I've been hanging out with her every other day or so for the past couple of months, what different does it make now?" I interrogate the group. I genuinely am curious what difference it makes since they really already should be used to my absences.

"Damn bro, I have to admit," Miles begins, "I'm proud of you man!" Miles exclaims. It isn't out of character for Miles to be so focused on issues that involve girls.

Jennifer then seems to roll her eyes and returns them back to her phone. Ashley gives me quite the nasty look as Miles cheers on in celebration. Looking over to Nathan I get this sense of envy which I would expect from him. I'm not really romantically involved with Luciana, I don't understand these people.

"Yeah," Ashley says, "I'll give you another week before you fuck things up with her." Ashley comments. I should be offended by something like that, but honestly I could care less. 

Like I said, I'm not romantically involved with Luciana.

"Damnit man, you're so lucky," Nathan adds with his usual spice of insecurity, "I could never be able to get a girl to hang out with me so much." I almost feel bad for the guy, except that I'm not romantically involved with Luciana.

I break the discussion, "May we talk about Daniel?" I ask with aggression.

"What do you mean?" Jennifer asks me, "Have you not heard about him already?" 

I stand in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"He's been busy with the Government Club." Jennifer tells me the confirming story. It turns out that all of my suspicions might just be true.

Daniel is the next successor for Siephus.

"When did he tell you guys this?" I question. I don't remember Daniel ever addressing the group about what he was doing.

"I don't know, it was sometime a few weeks ago." Jennifer gives me her half-hearted response.

I then take a step back to think. I retrace my steps to a few weeks ago. Where was I a few weeks ago? I might have been absent, I did get a flu for about three days recently. I believe that was a month or a few weeks ago. I don't know, getting sick is always an emotional rollercoaster that I don't like to think back on. 

Discovering new information about Daniel is my primary goal at the moment, if anyone were to know more information about it, it could be Gerardo. Even though Gerardo was kicked out of the group, I can still learn more about the club that Daniel has joined. 

I set my heading outside of the cafeteria into the empty open hallways. I know that Gerardo can sometimes be found near our shared geometry class since he doesn't seem to like to eat in the covered eating area for lunch. The commotion of the cafeteria area dies in the distance as I make my way through some of the buildings and the outdoor pathways. 

There are a lot of random sights to behold during the distance between the covered eating area and my geometry class. Since my geometry class is on the opposite side of the school near the front entrance, it can be quite a journey to trek my way through the entire school. I continue through one building where on the outside there is a couple trading saliva. I internally gag then I come across Gerardo sitting down and reading a book just at the location that I have suspected.

I speed walk into the building and pass through the repetitious doors and abandoned lockers. The uniformity of this school may be difficult to navigate for some, however it just makes me a little uneasy how so many things can look the same. 

Gerardo catches me with the corner of his eye and looks up directly toward me. He closes his book and simply places it in his bag that he had next to him, and he struggles to stand up. I assume his struggle came from sitting there the entire first half of our lunch period.

As I walk up to him, he begins to greet me, "Hey there." He says with clear confusion and a little bit of anxiety.

"What do you know about the Government club?" I cut the formalities and head straight for my main concern.

Gerardo gives me a near puzzled look, "Well, I was apart of that club for a while," he begins his story, "obviously, Venustiano is the president of the club. However, instead of Emilio Santiago being the Vice-President, that title actually was held by Siephus."

"Do you know why that is?" I continue my questioning.

"That's because Emilio isn't even apart of the Government Club, he runs his own club in the school. He founded the Advance Music Club and it's no surprise that he is the President. Thus, Venustiano allows him to focus on that club." Gerardo explains to me.

So, Emilio is another musician. Him and Siephus might share a lot in common. Emilio and I might share something in common too. Music seems to be strong in this part of the city, a total far cry from the lack of music in my elementary school and middle school. I also hear it's a far cry from most high schools in the state.

"Who's the teacher that's responsible for the Government Club?" I ask a very important question.

"That would be Mr. Villa-Nuevo," Gerardo responds, he then looks away in nervousness, "and that's how Venustiano has gained all his power in the school, he uses that teacher specifically to ensure that the rest of the faculty don't try anything." 

That one teacher is able to grant Venustiano so much power? How in the hell is that possible? What about the principle, or the counselors, or the dean himself? How could a teacher have so much say in this school? I don't know who this teacher is, I haven't heard of him until now. I assume he's an upperclassmen teacher, which would explain his connection to Venustiano, but he must be really important to be able to protect Venustiano's violent actions.

I ask one final question, "Do you think it's possible to get Venustiano's club taken down?"

"No." Gerardo gives me a straight answer, "Venustiano has too much power in this school. He's the President of the Student Council, he's connected with a very powerful teacher and is the President of a prestigious club. Venustiano is also the perfect student, he's able to be pardoned because he's been a straight A student all three years he's attended this school. Many teachers like him, and many teachers use him quite often. Venustiano is single-handedly carrying the test score rank and academic rank for this school." Gerardo is explaining a lot of information to me. 

I'm in quite a shock at the sheer power that this one kid maintains. Being the perfect student is not easy, and having so much of the teachers and faculty staff like you is also very difficult to maintain. He has too many allies for him to actually be punished for his actions.

It's rather entertaining how much people try to escape from the regularity of school. Creating an entire political system on campus to put yourself on top doesn't yield much benefit. The only thing that it truly achieves and securing the highest form of entertainment and adventure for yourself. Humans are fallible creatures, we can't accept the perfect systems. We always need something to cure our boredom. Sometimes those cures could come at the cost of other people's safety.

I might have to achieve justice for all.