The ride home was quiet. Eerily so.
Ron sat in the front seat, fiddling with the window button with the fascination of a toddler seeing a toy for the first time. Samantha sat in the back, arms crossed and forehead pressed on to the cool glass of the car window.
Her mother didn't speak. Just subtle glances here and there. She drove with a quiet stiffness in her grip.
"Ron, dear, remind me where to turn again," she asked. Voice smooth.
"The next left," Ron answered, still not looking away from his newfound obsession
A flicker of surprise passed both female's faces
"Oh dear. That's right in the direction of OUR house. What a small world, " her mother acknowledged animatedly. "I know i said it earlier, but thank you for staying with her, Ron," she added quietly after a small pause.
"Of course," Ron finally turned to face her, a warm smile gracing his lips.
When they finally pulled up to Ron's house, he slid out of the car and grabbed his backpack.
"Out house is just down the road from here. You can't miss it. It's the big one with the yellow gate. Come over anytime, we'd love to have you. "
"No, we wouldn't. " Samantha finally spoke for the first time since entering the car.
"I'll make sure to visit soon, since my dear bestie over there has insisted. Bye, Mrs. Brooke." Ron called cheerily over his shoulder, skipping up to his front door.
The drive to their home was warm and awkward.
"You scared me back then, you know,"
Samantha didn't answer.
Her mom gripped the steering a bit harder. "Seeing you like that....hearing what happened....I didn't know what to do. And Ron - he's a smart kid. Im sure he was just as shaken up, but her kept it together. "
Samantha tuned out her mother's voice as best she could.
"Can we not?"
"You collapsed in school, sam. Heck, for a short moment, you apparently weren't breathing! And you still haven't said anything that makes sense. "
"I'm trying, okay?"
"Try a bit harder,"
"I don't know what happened, okay?!" Samantha cracked. "Everything felt weird. My chest was tight. My head was spinning, and then everything just...shut off" she finished with a resigned sigh.
Her mom pulled into their driveway, cut the engine, and turned to face her.
"That's not 'nothing', sam. That's serious. You can't just pretend you're fine and go back to school tomorrow like it's all okay. "
"I'm not pretending," Samantha argued.
"You're avoiding. It's pretty much the same."
Samantha blinked hard against the window frame. She refused to face her mother because it would only make her more upset and guilty.
"I don't wanna talk about it right now,"
Her mother studied her before releasing a breath. "Fine. For now, but this isn't over"
Samantha was out of the car before another word could pass.
*******
School was a mess.
Even though her hoodie was pulled low over her head, the whispers reached her ears anyway.
'I heard she fainted in front of everyone'
'Ron was apparently the one who logged her to the sick bay. Tough stuff.'
'Do you think she was sick?'
'Maybe she had a seizure...or it's all for attention '
Samantha clenched her fist and kept her head down.
At her locker, she found a small sticky note with a terrible caricature of a girl with Xs for eyes, fainting like an olden day comic book animation.
She peeled it off slilenty and crumpled it into her pocket.
---
Samantha was at her usual hangout - three dusty staircases at the far end of the school. She slumped down on the third step and exhaled an exhausted breath.
She hated this. The whispers, the guessing, the way she seemed to be losing her mind.
And now her mom, looking at her with pity; like she was broken, and there was no way to piece her back together.
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths.
In. Out. In
Footsteps
"I come bearing no snacks, but my endless charm and handsome face," an irritatingly familiar voice called out.
She opened one eye and gave him a side glance.
"Go away,"
"Nope."
"Seriously, why are you doing this to me?" She groaned, dramatically leaning into the wall.
"Because I'm nosy. And irritating you seems to be my newfound greatest joy.
"You're weird"
"And yet, here we are. Me. Your very patient, slightly annoying emotional support sidekick"
"Ah. Yes. How could I forget your ' best friend' title" she asked sarcastically
"Self appointed " he corrected. "No returns allowed "
Samantha rolled her eyes and cracked her first smile of the day.
Maybe this nuisance wasn't so bad.
She made up her mind at that moment.
No pressure.
She didn't know what was happening, but she wouldn't think too hard anymore.
She would wait for the right time, and when it was right, things would finally make sense.
'Just breathe'