He took one last look at the condemned building and sighed. He was unsure why he felt compelled to visit it but there he was. No matter how hard he tried, he conjured up nothing but terrible or boring memories from his time there.
Then what was he looking for? Why did he feel the need to revisit it all?
Standing there in silence, lost in thought as he gave the decrepit building a thousand kilometer stare, he didn't notice he'd been joined by someone.
"Easily the worst years of my life" she said.
It took him yet another moment to notice the woman next to him.
"What?" he asked, dumbfounded, as he barely tilted his head in the direction of the voice
"This hellhole... This school".
He fully turned to face the woman. Just like with him a moment ago, the crumbling mass in front of them had her undivided attention.
She was striking, he thought to himself. Looked nothing like what classmates and other students he recalled. He couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different with someone like her around.
Then again she had just referred to it as a hellhole, so perhaps not.
"We must have been on separate shifts. Or years."
"Oh?"
"I would definitely remember someone like you."
This time it was her time to turn around and face him. She gave him a quick once over.
"I suppose you're right, I would too. The boys in my class weren't handsome."
It took him a moment to process that, did she actually give him a backhanded compliment?
"Thanks, I guess?"
"Just repaying in kind."
"You're right, sorry about that."
"It's Ok. It's this place, isn't it. All the stuff it brings back."
"Yeah, it is. I don't even know what I'm doing here."
"You too, huh."
"I heard about it in the news and it bothered me all week. Such a weird thing to make a report about."
"I heard about it from my family, who probably saw the same report as you."
"I even took off work to be here because it was bugging me that much. Guess you did too?"
"My job has strange hours so I'm actually free right now. What do you do for a job?"
"Pointless IT stuff behind a desk."
"That's funny, I didn't think an IT job could be pointless."
"Most office jobs are, but I'm close enough to the finished product
I suppose. The pay is good though and I don't entirely dislike it... What do you do?"
"I'm a youtuber, actually." she said in an amused tone, giving him a knowing look.
"The only thing I ever watch there are conferences and tutorials."
"It's Ok, what I do is sort of niche after all. Kinda glad you're not a viewer."
"What is it like? Are you famous?"
"I'm well known in my sphere. It's a mixed bag, really. My viewers can be really weird sometimes, but my boss and coworkers are super nice and it pays well."
"I thought youtubers were just people at home but you make it sound just like my job. I don't have weird viewers but I do have weird clients."
She laughed. It was a delightful sound unlike anything he had heard in quite a long time.
"I do work from home, that much is true, but I also have to come in sometimes for some meetings and some other activities."
"That could have probably been emails." he said, deadpan.
She laughed again for some reason. He didn't think he'd made a particularly funny remark but relished the sound of her laugh anyway. There weren't many nice sounds, or nice things in general in his life.
"Sorry, I just..." she burst out laughing again "I just formed a picture of that in my head and it was really funny."
"I'm happy to be of service" he smiled.
The woman held his gaze for a moment and then laughed again. At that moment something unexpected happened; he started laughing too.
He hadn't laughed like that in a while, using his entire body. It wasn't long, but definitely invigorating. And even better, it had been shared with someone.
"Whew... Thank you for that" the woman said, catching her breath.
"I wasn't expecting coming here would turn out like this but I'm glad it did. Still, there is one more thing I need to do."
She picked up a piece of debris from the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"This place is getting demolished, but only after I've said my piece."
She took aim and hurled the rock in her hand at the building.
"Fuck you!"
She picked up more from the ground and continued.
He simply looked at her. Her joyous expression and wonderful laugh had been replaced by sheer anger and hatred, turning her into a completely different person, a total stranger.
She must have noticed his staring. She looked at him, rock in hand. Her previous expression had returned.
"What?"
He felt like a deer in headlights. He didn't know this woman. Whatever moment they had shared was over now.
What was going on was between her memories and herself. He suddenly felt like he was trespassing.
"Sorry, I-"
"Wanna give it a shot?" She interrupted
"...Yeah, totally."
He picked up a large chunk and lobbed it at the building.
"School's out, motherfucker!"
"Yeah!" she egged him on as she threw another rock.
They carried on for a while, throwing rocks and expletives at the old derelict.

The city government had stated the building would be demolished completely by the end of the month. Work had already begun and the lot had been fenced off except for the large opening at the front. The worker's strike and pushback from opposing political parties, however, had stalled all work and so the school building remained there.
Certain influential sectors wanted to declare it a historical landmark but their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.
Many of the school's alumni had gone on to become widely recognized and prestigious in their chosen fields, and in doing so garnered great reputation for the institution.
He wasn't one such alumnus and the place could burn for all he cared. Demolished? Just as good.
The last rock he threw barely made it past the fence.
"Damn, I'm spent." he said, dusting his hands off each other as he caught his breath.
"Me... Me too." she replied as she produced a small pack of wet wipes from her pocket.
"I feel better though now that I got it out of my system." she continued while cleaning her hands. She offered him a wipe.
"I think I know what you mean." he said, accepting the offer.
"I don't know what my original plan was coming here. Or if I even had one. But this was all right."
"Today took a turn for sure. Meeting you was unexpected."
"I hope it wasn't bad."
"Not at all, I appreciated the company actually. So, thanks."
"Well, I suppose I should get going" he said after a long pause.
"Me too... I suppose you're heading back to main street as well?"

"What kind of videos do you do?"
"I play video games and sing, also chatting and call in streams. Sponsored content here and there too."
"Sounds like a busy schedule. I'm surprised I haven't seen you yet."
"I'm actually kind of glad you haven't. It's refreshing to meet someone from "the outside". I'm so caught up in it that sometimes it feels like that's all there is to my life, to me."
"I can definitely relate. Let me redirect the question then. Tell me about yourself."