Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Monday morning came too quickly.

I sat at the edge of my bed, staring at my shoes for a long time before finally reaching down to tie them.

It still felt strange, slipping back into a normal routine.

Like I was wearing someone else's life, trying to make it fit.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, taking one last look at my room before heading downstairs.

The house was already buzzing.

Mom was packing her lunch.

Chris was running around looking for his math homework.

Dad was sipping coffee silently at the table.

Everything looked normal.

Everything felt... off.

---

Chris spotted me and rushed over, shoving a crumpled paper in my hand.

“Can you check this real quick? I don’t want Mom yelling at me again.”

I laughed and scanned his math worksheet.

“You forgot to carry the one here,” I said, pointing at a messy problem.

He groaned dramatically and grabbed a pencil to fix it.

Mom smiled at me from across the kitchen.

“Good luck today, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Dad grunted something that probably meant ‘good luck’ too.

It wasn’t much.

But it was enough to make me smile.

I grabbed a piece of toast, kissed Mom on the cheek, and hurried out the door before the morning rush trapped me inside.

---

The bus ride to school was slow and bumpy.

I sat by the window, watching the same houses and shops blur past.

Lena slid into the seat beside me just before the doors closed.

“Morning, zombie girl,” she teased, nudging me with her elbow.

I laughed softly.

“Morning, troublemaker.”

She grinned and pulled out her phone, scrolling through something.

“Mike’s already sent me three texts,” she said, rolling her eyes.

I frowned.

“Already?”

She nodded.

“Wants to know what I’m wearing. Where I’m sitting on the bus. If you’re with me.”

I shook my head.

“That’s not normal, Lena.”

“I know,” she said softly.

I wanted to push more.

Wanted to tell her she deserved better.

But I could see the tired look in her eyes.

So instead, I reached over and squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back, offering a small smile.

We rode the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

---

School was... well, school.

Crowded hallways.

Fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.

The smell of cafeteria food lingering in the air.

It was almost enough to make me forget about everything else.

Almost.

I kept my head down and moved through the crowds, focusing on breathing, walking, surviving.

When I got to Chemistry class, I slid into my usual seat at the back of the room.

Lena plopped down beside me, already doodling flowers in the corner of her notebook.

Mr. Jacobs, our teacher, droned on about chemical reactions, writing long equations on the whiteboard.

I tried to focus.

Tried to care.

But halfway through the lecture, I felt it.

A prickling at the back of my neck.

Like someone was watching me.

I shifted slightly and glanced around.

There, a few rows ahead, was a boy.

I didn’t know his name.

He was quiet.

Kept to himself.

But right now, he was staring at me.

Not in a mean way.

Not in a creepy way.

More like... confused.

Like he knew me.

But didn’t know how.

Our eyes met for a second.

He looked startled and quickly turned back to his notebook.

I frowned and looked away too, my heart pounding harder than it should have been.

Was I imagining it?

Or was he connected somehow?

---

After class, I tried to catch him.

But he slipped out of the room before I could even grab my bag.

Lena noticed my hesitation.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied quickly.

She gave me a weird look but didn’t push.

We made our way to our next class, the normal buzz of school swallowing us whole again.

---

Lunch was loud and chaotic.

The cafeteria smelled like burnt pizza and overcooked fries.

Lena and I found a spot at our usual table.

I picked at my sandwich, not really hungry.

Lena was texting furiously.

I could tell by the tight set of her mouth that it was Mike again.

“Everything okay?” I asked gently.

She sighed and dropped her phone onto the table.

“He’s just... being him. Again.”

I waited.

Sometimes Lena needed to talk in her own time.

“He wants me to skip my Bio lab after school so we can hang out,” she said, her voice tight.

“But I have a test next week, and I really need the lab credit.”

I bit my lip.

“And if you say no?”

“He’ll guilt-trip me,” she said, picking at the edge of her tray.

“Tell me I don’t care about him. That I don’t love him enough.”

“That’s not fair, Lena.”

“I know,” she whispered.

I wanted to scream.

Wanted to shake her.

But instead, I just reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

Again.

Because that’s what friends do.

They hold on, even when the other person is drowning and doesn't realize it yet.

---

The rest of the day dragged.

History.

English.

Gym.

By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted.

I said goodbye to Lena, who was already fighting with Mike on the phone again, and made my way to the bus stop.

The ride home was quiet.

Almost too quiet.

I stared out the window, lost in thought.

Was I imagining things?

Had the boy in Chemistry really stared at me?

Or was my mind just playing tricks on me?

I didn’t know anymore.

---

At home, Chris was at the kitchen table, grumbling over his math homework.

I dropped my bag by the door and flopped into the seat across from him.

“Need help?”

He looked up, his face a perfect picture of despair.

“Yes. Save me.”

I laughed and pulled the worksheet closer.

It felt good, helping him.

Doing something normal.

Doing something real.

I explained fractions and decimals slowly, watching the lightbulb go off in his head when he finally understood.

“Thanks, Nell,” he said, grinning.

“No problem, dummy,” I teased, ruffling his hair.

He shoved my hand away, but he was laughing too.

For a few minutes, everything felt okay.

---

Later that night, while brushing my teeth, it happened.

I bent down to rinse my mouth, and when I straightened up, I wasn’t in my bathroom anymore.

I was in a classroom.

But not my classroom.

Not my school.

It was brighter.

Older somehow.

And I was laughing.

Laughing so hard my stomach hurt.

Alex was sitting beside me, his face lit up with joy.

He leaned closer, whispering something in my ear.

I didn’t hear the words.

But I felt the warmth of them.

The love.

The connection.

Then, just as suddenly, it was gone.

I was back in my bathroom, staring at my reflection, my toothbrush dangling from my mouth.

I dropped it into the sink, my hands shaking.

What was happening to me?

Was I losing my mind?

Or was I finding it?

---

I stumbled to my room and collapsed onto my bed.

I stared at the ceiling, breathing hard.

The flash had felt so real.

Like a memory, not a dream.

And the boy in Chemistry today...

Was it possible?

Was he part of my past too?

Was there someone else at school who remembered me?

Remembered Alex?

Or was I still all alone?

The questions piled up inside me, heavy and endless.

But one thing was clear.

The past wasn’t done with me yet.

And I wasn’t done with it.

Not by a long shot.