If Only She Knew

Chapter Seven: Back to School

Brain injury or not, Sam knew one thing for certain. She did not want to go back to school.

Okay, maybe there was one thing that tempted her to go back. One person. But for the most part, she wanted to shut herself in her room and nail the doors shut as if the great plague of 1665 had returned.

That wasn't without reason. After all, school had not been fun for Sam.

There had been lots of daydreaming and procrastination, scathing reports, swathes of angry teachers and a fair handful of bullies.

Sure, there had been friends and fun moments that she would never forget, but those were few and far between.

Mostly, it was bad. And that was why, on Monday morning, she stayed in her bed.

The time on her phone read 8:40 am. It was cloudy outside, the air cool and mild; the perfect recipe for a peaceful lie in.

But before she could fall back asleep, there came a knocking at the door.

"Sam!" shouted Mrs Petrini. "Wake up. You're going to be late for school!"

Sam stayed silent, pretending not to have heard.

"Sam!" her mum yelled again.

There was no ignoring her now. Her eardrums were in danger of bursting.

Just as Sam was about to get out of bed, Mrs Petrini came in.

"Why on earth are you still in bed?"

"I overslept," came the automatic reply.

"I don't believe a word of it, and I know you don't either," snapped Mrs Petrini. "Come on. Up."

She clapped her hands, as if Sam was a dog learning a new trick. Then she opened the wardrobe and chucked a pile of clothes onto the bed.

"Get dressed, brush your teeth and I'll drop you off. Now be quick!"

And with that, she left the room.

Staring at the clothes on the bed, Sam felt nauseous. The green skirt and blazer were frumpy and hideous, and the tie...

Well, for starters, Sam had always found it stupid that she was forced to wear a tie to school. Ties were for salesmen and businessmen and Avril Lavigne. Not for Sam Petrini.

And the worst thing was, she could not remember how to put one on.

Once she was dressed, she wandered downstairs and begged her mum to help her.

Mrs Petrini went from looking slightly annoyed to looking deeply worried in the space of a second. "Can you really not remember how to tie a tie?"

"Nope."

"Sam, I'm going to book you another doctor's appointment ASAP. This isn't good."

"I know," said Sam.

Once the tie was firmly knotted in place, they set off to school.

"Can't we just go to the doctor's today?" asked Sam, as her mum dropped her off in the car park.

"I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

Sam sighed.

"Look, I'll call them when I get home. And then I'll text you. But it's unlikely to be today. Now go on, or you're going to be late to school."

Sam thanked her Mum for the lift and closed the car door behind her. Then, realising it was 8:58 am, she panicked and ran to class.

The corridors were almost empty, and Sam had to rack her brains to remember where her form room was.

Luckily, she remembered and to her relief, it wasn't far from the main entrance.

She ran through a set of double doors, and then through another, until she found the classroom.

The time was 8:59.

Heart beating fast, she walked through the door. She braced herself for the stares and the silence. For the awkwardness of seeing all those full tables and not knowing where to sit.

But it didn't happen.

The room was empty.

Sam gasped. She felt dread brewing in the pit of her stomach.

In despair, she threw her head back and narrowly missed the open door behind her.

"I'd be extra careful with your head if I were you," came a voice.

Sam jolted and turned around.

Billie was standing behind her, holding the door open. She was smiling ever so slightly, and there was a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Oh my god," said Sam, not knowing how to react.

"You alright?"

"Not really," said Sam, feeling her legs starting to shake. They always did that when she was nervous, and she hated it.

Then, realising the absurdity of the whole situation, she found herself laughing.

Billie started to laugh too and suddenly, Sam didn't feel nervous anymore.

"For real though, how's your head?" asked Billie. "You hit it really hard."

Sam took the door from her and they walked out of the classroom.

"It's still sore," said Sam. "Got a few stitches. That's not the worst thing though."

Billie quirked an eyebrow. "No?"

"My mum thinks I'm crazy. She thinks I've absolutely, permanently lost it."

Billie chuckled. "I mean, no offence, but the whole year thinks you've lost it after what you said at the pool."

Sam felt her cheeks redden. How mortifying. She'd almost forgotten about that episode.

"Offence taken," she said.

"I'm just messing," said Billie, placing a hand gently on Sam's shoulder, sending warm chills down her spine. "Mostly. I'm glad you're on the mend."

Sam looked at Billie and studied her carefully. At first glance, she seemed like the kind of girl who wanted to blend into the background but when you looked closer, there were things that stood out.

Like the stack of silver hoops up one ear.

And the pin badges on her tie.

Sam's eyes widened when she noticed the pride badge.

So there had been signs. She just hadn't noticed them at the time.

"Do you know where everyone is?" Sam asked, feeling flushed and trying to distract herself.

"Nope," said Billie. "But I guess we'll have to try and find them, won't we?"

And then she did something that made Sam recoil in surprise.

She winked.