One of the entrances of my school ended up being an unofficial smoking area for kids who just wanted to dip out of class and take a moment for themselves. I ended up going to that area a lot... any time I got overwhelmed in class, stressed about something I had to hand in, or just plain old tired of everything. It was rough, but honestly the smoker's pit was kind of like... a place I could just meditate on things. I made friends there, ended up sharing that knowing eye contact with otherwise complete strangers, talked about classes with people I knew but never had the opportunity to see. It was sort of a home base there, and as pathetic as it felt to just sit there smoking, the simple ability to sit in almost-silence was sometimes the one thing that kept me going throughout the school year. I miss that place and the peace that it gives me.