We all go through life with certain expectations. The first thing a human does when meeting another is form an opinion based off of what they see. That person then has the chance to change that opinion after opening their mouth. After getting to know each other, the opinions they had made will have completely changed. But what if they never speak to each other? What if they’re that quiet kid who sits in the back of your classroom? You know — the one who has never spoken up once since the beginning of the school year. They do not get the chance to change the opinion that people have put upon them.

All through life, humans go about with convinced expectations of people even though they do not even know their name. But where do people get those expectations from? Their friends? Their parents? Their favorite TV shows? You? What happens if one does not live up to those habitual expectations? Just, how would they feel?

A tall and dark haired boy in Mrs. Morgan’s first period class knew all about expectations — well, at least he thought he did. The only thing was that he failed to meet any of them. He wasn’t a bad kid; he just slacked off sometimes, educationally and socially. He didn’t always do it intentionally, but it just always seemed to happen that way. School. Yes, school would be the perfect example: grades, cliques and parties, boyfriends, girlfriends and best friends — all the things that come along with being in school. Middle school, to be exact. A place of joy for some but hell for others.

For this boy, school was always sort of mediocre. He didn’t love it, but he never dreaded it either. Well, at least not yet, that is. Fourth period has just come to an end with the loud eco of the school bell ringing. It's only the first week of school yet he can already tell it will be a long year.

None of his classmates had any idea what he had planned for the day. Class is to be interrupted by the ringing of the fire alarm. The prank is his own small rebellion against the usual functions of class time. The person who pulls the alarm has the power to dictate the entire student body's action for a brief period of time. One simple prank would be enough for the boy to prove to himself that he is not completely invisible, and the school is not always completely boring. To him, setting off the fire alarm is about more than conducting a random prank — it's a statement. A message from himself to the school as they embark on a new year of high school together. A message meant to free him from the mediocrity he once felt during classes.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.