“What do you mean?” Rachel asked.
“I think it’s time you two got together,” her dad answered.
“But…” Rachel said.
“There are no buts. You will go today after school,” her dad demanded.
“Fine!” Rachel said.
“I will pick you up at three and we will drive there together. Mark you will come, too,” her dad said.
“I can’t go today, Dad. I have practice. Don’t you remember?” Mark said.
“Ok, fine. You will go later in the week then.”
Rachel got out of the back seat of the car, slammed the door shut and walked towards the front entrance of the school. She was immediately taken back by all the stares and whispers from upper and lower classmen. Even kids she didn’t recognize were turning their heads and staring at her as if she were some alien from outer space. She touched her face and her hair to make sure she didn’t have a booger coming out of her nose or her hair wasn’t standing straight up. She looked down at her clothes, too, but there was nothing out of place. The stares and whispers grew louder as she walked in through the front doors.
She stood there for a moment, taking it all in. For a moment she had a flashback of a different school and a different time. She quickly snapped out of it when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Hey there!” Dana said.
“Dana! Hi!” Rachel said.
“Didn’t think you were serious, but here you are! In the flesh!” Dana said.
“What do you mean?” Rachel asked.
“Well, I’m just surprised to see you,” Dana said.
“Really? I just saw you a day ago,” Rachel said.
“Maybe it feels like a day to you!” Dana answered.
“Um..I don’t get it.” Rachel said.
“Well, it’s been longer Rach,” Dana said.
“Listen, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was here Friday and we hung out Saturday night. I think we did anyway. Not too sure, it’s kinda all a fog to me now,” Rachel said. “What did happen to us anyway? We got separated right?”
“Rach, I wasn’t with you on Saturday night and you didn’t come to school last Friday. You haven’t been here in almost two years!”
“Two years?” Rachel asked. “Are you in on this, too?”
“In on what?” Dana asked.
“This whole conspiracy about me being gone and everything,” Rachel said. “It’s like I’m a crazy person or something. Every time I talk to people they look at me like I have three heads and tell me I’m wrong or that I’m forgetting something.”
“Well…” Dana said.
“Listen, D, I’m not crazy! Let’s just drop this whole thing and get to class!” Rachel said.
“What do you have first period?” Dana asked.
“Math,” Rachel said. “With Mr. Peterson.”
“Alright, see you at lunch then,” Dana said.
Rachel walked towards her locker, which was located close to her first period math class. As she approached the locker, she reached for the combination lock, and started to put her combo in. It didn’t work. She tried over and over, but it wouldn’t open.
This is weird, she thought to herself.
The second bell rang and she knew she had to get to class before she would be marked tardy. She’d never been late to class ever and didn’t want to be counted as absent. She had a perfect attendance record and didn’t want to blow it.
When she walked into her first period class she was surprised to see that the class was full of underclassmen. She looked around at the seats and they were all full, and some other girl had taken up her seat. She looked over at Mr. Peterson who looked at her in disbelief.
“Rachel? What are you doing back here?” Mr. Peterson asked, with a stunned look on his face.
“Um…I’m confused. Aren’t I supposed to be in this class?” Rachel asked.
“Rachel, that was two years ago. You haven’t been here in a long time!” Mr. Peterson remarked. “It’s nice to see you though.”
“What?” Rachel asked. She could hear the whispers going around in the classroom, as she stood there dumbfounded, trying to sort things through in her head.
“I think it’s best if you go to the main office and ask them for your new schedule,” Mr. Peterson said.
“Uh.. Ok,” Rachel said, feeling confused and out of it. “Good idea!”
Rachel turned and walked out of the classroom, and back into the now empty hallway. She looked around at everything and started wondering if everyone was right. If she had some sort of memory lapse or amnesia or something. She stood there, looking around at everything, looking for clues as to what was going on. She went back to her old locker one more time to see if the combo worked, but it didn’t. She knew something was up; she just had to figure it all out.
As she walked to the main office she looked in at the other classes already in session. She looked at the kids sitting there at their desks and realized she recognized none of them. It was like she was in a new school or something. Classroom after classroom of strange faces but familiar teachers. This was all mind-boggling.
She pushed open the swinging wooden door to the main office and walked over to the secretary’s desk.
“Hi, Mrs. Dusty, do you happen to have my class schedule here? I’m a bit lost today!” Rachel said.
“Oh Rachel Wood. Your dad called and said you’d be coming back to school today. We have been working on your placement schedule and have come up with a solution since you’ve missed so much already this year,” Mrs. Dusty said.
“Can I ask you something, Mrs. Dusty? How long has it been since I’ve been here?” Rachel asked, trying not to sound too odd.
“Well, our records show that you’ve been out of school for nearly a year and a half,” Mrs. Dusty answered.
“WHAT?” Rachel said. “A year and a half?”
“That’s what it says here,” Mrs. Dusty said, looking down at her computer. “Here is your new schedule. You’re supposed to be in French class now with Mr. Dappler. You should get going now.”
Rachel reached out and took the schedule from Mrs. Dusty and then turned to walk away. A year and a half she kept repeating over in her head. What?
She walked to her French class, which was in room 202. She had to go up the stairs and down a long hall to get there. She passed a few kids on the way and they exchanged friendly smiles, despite the fact that she didn’t know them.