Piece by Piece

6. Loud

Davyn stared at the school building, trying to come to terms with the fact that he was actually doing this. He'd never seen the building in the dark and it looked strangely eerie. Only the lights in the dorm building were turned on as students most likely got ready to call it a day.

He'd be an intruder in there, just someone looking for an escape. But, after all, what was wrong with that? He had the right to be there as much as any of the other kids. His options didn't look fantastic anyway. He sure as hell didn't want to go home, and by then he'd extinguish all decent driving routes. It wasn't calming anymore, just frustrating.

His mind made up, he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a few of his tapes, stuffed them in his jacket pocket and got out of the car.

The path to the building seemed to go on forever and he found himself studying the Georgian style architecture which resembled that of Harvard. Anything to delay the inevitable for a few more seconds. Though no one was forcing him to do this. It was his choice so he would own up to it.

You can't be forced into anything. Any decision is a reflection of a path of those offered to you that you choose to take.

His father's words seemed to haunt him as he walked towards the door. He'd been right, as usual. Also, not entirely truthful. He'd had no choice when it came to the accident, to his death, to his mother collapsing.

Your choice resides in how you handle it.

He hated that particular piece of wisdom. No matter how he handled it, it didn't change the outcome or the reality of it. Entering a freaking school building was easy in comparison. All he had to do was act like he belonged.

Without slowing his pace down, he entered the reception area of the dorms. There were a few students still milling about and the receptionist was too drawn by the latest episode of Cheers on the television behind him to take any note of potential intruders.

Davyn strolled past his desk and the rec area, heading for the door that tied the building to the rest of the school. It was empty, but the lights were still on. He'd expected as much seeing the late hour, so he casually made his way past the art studio, the music room and the drama center until he reached the gym. The doors were locked and the room beyond drenched in darkness.

Using his key, Davyn opened it and found himself in the cavernous room. Even if he'd spent a lot of time there, he'd never seen it empty. His footsteps echoed as he headed for the closest light switch. Once the overhead lights were on, he had to admit it looked a lot bigger with the stands empty and no students loitering or training.

The space, even if a tad creepy, was very familiar. It brought Davyn a sense of peace to be in a place he'd often excelled. Just to prove to himself that he still had it in him, he dropped his jacket on one of the benches and headed for the dangling ropes. It only took him a few moments to climb up one of them all the way to the top. The gym was even more impressive in its emptiness from up there.

After a few moments of admiring the view, he slid back down and landed with a loud thump. Yep, he still had it, though he hadn't trained in weeks. He should really get back to that as soon as possible. Physical activity was bound to release some of the tension in him, especially something that implied hitting things. For now, he didn't have that luxury, but he did have an empty basketball court and a stack of balls he could use.

He picked one up and started dribbling, bouncing the ball from one hand to the other. It was second nature to him to bend his knees, lead the ball between his legs and then back, twist it around to fool any approaching opponent. Then he ran at the nearest basket and took his shot from the side. The ball went through the hoop with a satisfying swish of the net.