Sparks Reignited

4 | Encounter

I wring my clammy hands nervously. At every corner we take on the road, my pulse picks up and my mouth turns dry, knowing that we are arriving at our destination soon.

The action doesn't go unnoticed by Aunt Abbie. Glancing sideways at how I'm fidgeting in my seat, she flashes an encouraging smile at me from behind the wheels.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You'll be fine."

I crack a small smile at her, but I'm not convinced.

Today is the start of a new beginning. Today, she is driving me to Lakeshore North High School.

Despite several attempts at telling myself that nothing bad will happen in school, I ended up not getting much sleep the night before. I'm slowly losing my mind, and it has gotten pretty obvious to the point when I started pouring water instead of milk into my bowl of cereal earlier this morning. Or even when I left the house, unaware that I was wearing my blouse inside out, until my aunt pointed it out to me.

God. The jitters are getting to me and I don't know how to get rid of it.

We arrive early at the school's entrance. The morning sun hides behind a cloud, casting a gray shaft of light over the school. Only a handful of students litter the grounds, chatting in small groups. The school bell will ring in another thirty minutes, which gives me plenty of time to report to the administration office and find my first class.

My hand grips the car's door handle to open it, but I hesitate for a second. The moment I step out, it's a given that people will start staring at me and questioning the reason behind my transfer, but if I refuse to answer, will rumors spread? How bad will they be? What if they suspect something which leads them to my medical history?

It's not something that I'm deliberately hiding because I'm embarrassed. I just don't want any unnecessary attention on myself again.

A storm of questions stirs my mind, stripping away my confidence like a tornado tearing off a building's roof, but a sudden thought breaks forth—if I could survive a car accident and awake from a coma, how bad would a mere school experience get as compared to that?

Aunt Abbie peers into my face in concern. "Are you sure you don't want me to head into the office with you?" she offers, jolting me from my train of thoughts. "I can even walk you to class–"

"No!" I exclaim, but it comes out louder than I expect. I really don't wish to make myself stand out again, especially if the other students see an adult escorting me into school. "Sorry—I'm good."

Aunt Abbie stares at me for a while as understanding sets in. "Alright, if that's what you want. But ring me if you need anything. I'll come over as soon as I can."

"Thank you."

I give her a weak smile. Regaining a little of my confidence, I open the car door and slip out quickly. Aunt Abbie shoots me another assuring smile and gestures for me to enter, waiting to make sure I've entered the school before driving off.

Inhaling deeply, I gaze up at the old building before me. Chewing on my bottom lip nervously, I mumble under my breath.

Well, here goes nothing.

I stride up the steps leading into school and down into the hallway, trying to blend in with the other kids. It doesn't take me long to locate the administration office, where a pretty nice lady hands me my timetable and tells me my locker number.

Back in the main hallway, I search for my homeroom class. Students walk past me with their books in hand, but thankfully, only a couple of them spare a curious look in my direction. I relax a little, but not completely.