She walked back toward the main office and through the swinging door. She knew this might be a good time to sort out her locker situation since her backpack wasn’t exactly light.
She went back over to Mrs. Dusty’s desk and stood there until she was off the phone.
“Mrs. Dusty, can you give me my new locker?” Rachel asked.
“Oh, I’m sorry, dear. I thought I gave it to you already,” Mrs. Dusty said, looking at her papers.
“No. I don’t have it,” Rachel said.
“Here, let me get that info for you. I think you are locker 198. Let me double check…” Mrs. Dusty looked down a long list of names and locker numbers. “Yes 198 it is!”
“Ok, thank you,” Rachel said.
Rachel left and went over to her new locker. She pulled out the piece of paper Mrs. Dusty handed her with her new locker combination and she tried it.
Success
She put her backpack and books away and then headed back towards the cafeteria. Surely her friends would be there by now, she thought.
As she approached the entrance to the cafeteria her heart began to race again. She could feel her body temperature rising as she walked through the doors. The stares were endless and then out of nowhere she heard a voice calling her, “Rachel! Rachel! Come on, we’re waiting for you!” Dana yelled out across the cafeteria.
Rachel was thankful that Dana was there, and saw a few of her other friends sitting at the table, too.
Phew, she thought to herself.
She walked over to their table amid the glares and whispers of the kids in the cafeteria. She didn’t acknowledge them and kept her focus on Dana and her friends.
“Rachel!” Dana said. “Everyone’s so pumped you’re back!”
Rachel smiled, “Yeah!”
“Come sit,” Dana said, moving over and making room for her at the table.
“Rach, what’s up girl?” Penny said.
“Great to see you!” Amy said.
“You’re back!” Samantha said.
“Hi Guys, missed you!” Rachel answered back.
“Yeah, seriously! What happened to you?” Penny asked.
“Yeah, we were so worried about you!” Sam said.
“But why?” Rachel asked, hoping to gain some clarity.
“You’ve been gone a while!” Dana said. “I was trying to tell you that earlier.”
“I know, but where did I go?” Rachel asked hoping they would look at her like she was crazy.
“What do you mean where did you go? You don’t remember?” Penny asked.
“Weird!” Sam said.
“It’s been a year and a half!” Dana said. “C’mon you moved away remember?”
“Yeah! Duh! I knew that. Where did I move to?” Rachel asked.
“Stop playing games with us!” Amy said.
“Guys, I’m not playing games with you. Can I tell you guys something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone?” Rachel asked.
“Yes!” the girls said in unison.
“Well, I have to be honest with you all. You’re my BFFs and I know I can trust you,” Rachel whispered. “I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember leaving Pennsylvania and I don’t remember not being in school for the last year and a half. I need help putting the pieces back together.”
“WHAT?” Dana said. “You don’t remember?”
“OMG!” Amy said.
“Seriously?” Penny asked.
“Yeah, I’m not joking around. Please I need your help,” Rachel said. “Please fill me in.”
“Well, do you remember your big move?” Dana asked.
“No?” Rachel said.
“You moved at the start of last year to New York when your father got transferred for his job. You hated it at first and we talked everyday and then you made some new friends and I didn’t hear from you as much,” Dana said.
“Ok…and?” Rachel asked.
“And you talked about different boys and then you said you liked some guy named Rob and said you were going on a date with him. Do you remember him?” Amy asked.
“Really?” Rachel asked with excitement. “You’re joking! I had a boyfriend!”
The girls all laughed and then Sam said, “You liked him a lot. He was on the football team at your new high school.”
“Stop it! You’re lying to me,” Rachel said.
“We’re not lying at all!” Penny said.
“It’s true!” Sam chimed in. “We swear!”
“Wow! I was popular?” Rachel asked.
“Guess so if you were dating the QB of the football team!” Dana answered.
“So what else do you know?” Rachel asked.
“Well that’s where it gets unclear,” Dana said. “One day out of the blue you completely stopped texting me. It was like you disappeared or something. Last thing you said to me was that you fell in love with some new buy named Benji. You said he was mysterious and special. Your relationship with him happened really quickly and then you stopped telling me about it and dropped of the face of the earth.”
“What?” Rachel asked. “Benji?”
For a moment her mind raced back to the moment in the field with Benji. She wondered if that was the same Benji they were talking about. She wondered if that was her true love.
“Yeah, you stopped texting me, too!” Penny said.
“Us too,” Amy and Sam said.
“I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me!” Rachel said.
“So where did I go?” Rachel asked.
“We don’t know and I got so worried about you that I called your parents and they didn’t know what happened to you either. There was talks that you had died in some fight, too,” Dana said.
“My parents didn’t know either?” Rachel asked.
“No they were worried sick about you. Your mom was so stressed out that she went into a coma and had to be hospitalized. I think she’s still in the hospital now,” Dana said.
“My dad mentioned she was in the hospital but it was all so confusing to me. I couldn’t figure it out. He said it was my fault, too!” Rachel said.
“I’m sorry, Rach. This must be hard for you!” Sam said.
“Is there anything else you know?” Rachel asked. “My dad wants me to go visit her after school today. Actually he’s making me go. He said I have no choice.”
“Well, at least you will see your mom!” Dana said. “She loves you very much.”
“I know, but now I just feel bad and guilty at what I’ve done,” Rachel said.
“Listen, Rach, once you figure out everything that happened you will feel much better. This is all news to you, so it’s obvi that you’d be feeling a bit off. Don’t stress out about it,” Penny said.
“I wish it were that easy,” Rachel said. “I’m so worried about going to the hospital to see my mom, you have no idea! I’m really scared.”
“You will patch things up between you and your mom. Don’t worry. She will get better,” Amy said.
“How can you be sure?” Rachel asked.
“Well, I’m not sure, but I have faith,” Amy said.
“So, what’s been happening here since I left then?” Rachel asked.
“Well, a lot has happened!” Dana answered.
“Like what?” Rachel asked.
“Well, I started dating Dave!” Dana said.
“WHAT!? No! Dave Johnson?” Rachel asked
“Yup! He finally asked me out. Can you believe it!” Dana said.
“How about you girls? Anything I should know about?” Rachel asked hoping that they too would have boyfriend news.
“Well, Penny, why don’t you tell her!” Amy said.
“I’m going out with Danny!” Penny said.
“No, really?” Rachel said. “I can’t believe it. How about you Amy and Sam?”
“Nah, we’re still single!” they both answered.
“I can’t believe it! What happened with Gary?” Rachel asked.
“We broke up,” Sam said. “Don’t really want to get into it now.”
“It was a tough break up,” Amy whispered to Rachel.
“So what are you doing after the hospital?” Dana asked.
“Um..nothing. I guess just going home,” Rachel answered.
“Want to come out with us. We are going to Monday Madness at the movies tonight. It’s half price tickets and free pop corn!” Dana said.
“Aw, I’d love to!” Rachel answered. “Actually. I better lay low tonight. I’m kind of on probation with my dad. If I do anything he doesn’t like then I’m out he said.”
“Yikes!” Amy said.
“Ok, well think about it. If you change your mind that’s where we will be!” Penny added.
RING RING
Lunch was over and Rachel had to get to her sixth period class. She checked her schedule and then headed to the second floor again for her math class. On her way up the stairs her stomach began to rumble and her head began to spin. She grabbed onto the railing and held tightly trying not to fall over. She fell increasingly dizzy as she went up the steps one by one. She was sweating and out of breath, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath either. She didn’t know what was happening to her. She’d never had a panic attack, and figured that’s what was going on. Her stomach made loud rumbling noises as she stood there on the steps. The kids walking by stopped and stared at her as if she were some foreign being. She wished she could pull herself together but she couldn’t. She didn’t know what to do.
She quickly ran back down the stairs and outside. Her eyes began seeing double as she tried to focus on the trees outside. She hoped the fresh air would help but it wasn’t helping. It was making it worse. She had fleeting images of deer running through her mind. It was all too confusing for her. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, it stopped.