Love and Hate 

By: Dean Smith

I used to love large crowds. Being able to hide in them easily, be invisible to everybody. I always hated attention and with crowds, the attention wouldn’t be on me. I remember the days where it wouldn’t affect me. Walking down the crowded halls of the school and never paying any mind to it. The chitter chatter of students talking to their friends, and the occasional yelling. Walking alone I used to listen to people’s conversations, not to be nosy but to not be bored. 

I used to love riding the bus. Staring out the window as the bus rolled past houses, staring out into the fields and the trees. Daydreaming about random things and having my imagination run free. 

But now I hate large crowds. The noise is overwhelming and the people are annoying. I wait by my class until the hall clears up before I start walking to the next. I sit with earbuds on the bus, listening to music to drown out the noise. I always sit alone, not because I don’t have friends but because I don’t want anyone in my personal space.

 Not after that day on 92. Not after him.