Real People
By Michael Harper

The gymnasium is packed with most of the school. As each row of teenage meat smashes in together, an oppressive heat starts burdening the small arena. Winter coats squelch against each other, puffy and undefinable in space. The teachers shush the murmurs with varied enthusiasm. Mr. Leroy sneaks to the men’s room to drink Wild Turkey and pray to the school mascot. The students’ buzzing blends together into a unified cacophony, like a swarming hive.