It starts as soon as the bell rings at the end of class. 

Over 1000 teenage boys flood the hallways of Rockhurst, each with somewhere to go and not a lot of time to get there.

I throw myself into the mix, riding the wave of bodies down the right side of the hallway.  I see a poor, foolish freshman trying to dart across to his classroom, only to be met with a brick wall of juniors.  It’s a common rookie mistake—you have to wait until a hole opens up before you make a bold move like that.

As I am in the sub-200 pound category of senior, I quickly find a spot behind a big, burly student who leaves many younger walkers off balance, and follow him.  The tag-along is a common strategy among the more strategic walkers – the Scouts - such as myself.

I ride the Juggernaut until he makes a turn into a classroom, leaving me all alone.  I approach the middle staircase with apprehension, knowing this is the worst chokepoint in the school. 

There is trouble brewing.  A junior, likely operating on about three hours of sleep, is spinning like a top with his backpack on one shoulder, trying to figure out where he is supposed to be going.  This is a common sight – the Exhausted are not able to perform many simple tasks.  His sleep-deprived, bloodshot eyes dart back and forth as he pleads with his peers to tell him what schedule we have. 

After he has been shepherded along by a more alert classmate, I make my turn into the stairwell, squeezing in between the crowd and the wall.  But alas!  I come face to face with another student coming the opposite way.

Rockhurst students find themselves in this situation often.  Who has the right of way?

I don’t know who this kid is, but I think he is either a sophomore or junior.  He’s got a low center of gravity and he has some weight on me—I don’t know if I could take him if it gets to be a scrum.  But I stand my ground—I am determined to win this test of will power. 

He sees my untucked shirt, calm demeanor, and nearly empty backpack.  He now knows I am a senior. Grudgingly, he steps aside. 

This is how it works in the hallway.  With some exceptions, seniority plays a large role in deciding who earns the right of way.

I descend the stairs with ease and reach the second floor, maneuvering my way out of the cluster near the stairs.     

I see a small sophomore trying valiantly to enter the middle staircase, but running into a veritable wall of upperclassmen.  He assesses the situation, concedes, and turns back to use the side staircase and take his chances of getting to class on time.  This is commonplace for such students—the Submissives. 

Proceeding down the hallway, I am suddenly caught unawares.  Another little freshman sprints out of nowhere – he slips in between me and the person next to me even though there is only about a foot of space.  I watch as he slithers all the way down the hallway, miraculously not touching anyone as he lightly springs from side to side.

Unfortunately, as the Shape Shifter flew by, I flinched backwards slightly, bumping into a classmate.  We make eye contact.  His face swells with rage and his body tenses.  Immediately, I know I have run into a Vengeful junior.  His backpack swings into my side, striking me for my impudent act of making contact with him.    

I recover quickly, and arrive at my destination as the bell rings.  The hallways are now almost empty.  A few seniors leisurely make their way to class, either calmly quiet or openly mocking the two younger students sprinting, panic-stricken, to class. 

Another successful journey behind me, I slide into my desk, already planning my next route.