Ms. Landers was saying something about how students should pay more attention to their surroundings. I waited for her to finish and then I asked to use the restroom.
“Go ahead, Annabel. You’re one of the few passing my class this quarter,” she said, with a half smile.
I ignored the teasing eyes as I walked to the door. My cheeks were hot as I walked down the hallway. As I entered the bathroom, I heard someone crying. I walked to the sink and washed my hands. I never had to use the restroom, I just wanted to get out of that claustrophobic dungeon they called a classroom. I cast a side glance into the one occupied stall. I could see a girl with long black hair inside.
I waited a minute before drying my hands and walking to the door. The girl still cried, but I didn’t know what to do. I was hardly spoken to in school. Just as I was about to leave, the girl came out of her stall. Her eyes were red and hair was knotty around her face. I stepped into the shadows of one of the stalls before she saw me. I locked the door and peered out. She washed her hands several times before crying again. Her shirt was soaked within minutes.
Ms. Landers must be wondering what happened to me. I couldn’t go now, though. This girl would know I had been here the entire time. The girl wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. My heart stopped as she turned to where I was standing. Of course she couldn’t see me past the door, but she could probably tell someone was in here. The doors were long and my feet were shielded, but the door was locked.
She walked over quickly and I held my breath. I moved to the middle of the door and exhaled slowly. The girl turned and left. I had to get out of here. I opened the door quickly and stepped out. The girl turned and froze, I froze as well. We both gasped.
She was me. Her features were all mine. Her hair was black, but now I could tell it had been dyed. I didn’t know what was going on. I looked at her again and she said, “What’s your name?”
“Annabel,” I said quickly.
“You’re from the past,” she whimpered.
“You’re from the future,” I said.
“No, I just came out of Ms. Landers’ class,” she said, her voice slow.
“Me, too,” I whispered.
“Go, if you leave now and forget everything, we’ll be fine,” she said.
I left without another word. What happened to me? What if I really am in the future? I entered Ms. Landers’ room and sighed. Everything was back to normal. I took my seat and tried to pay attention. I probably just imagined what just happened, or I fell asleep. As I looked up at the door, I stifled a scream. The older me with the long black hair was standing at the door, peering in. No one noticed her, even as she wept and turned away.
As class ended I rushed out into the hallway to find her. The hallways were empty though. Only a teacher and two students walked past me. I stumbled to my locker and opened it quickly. As I looked in the small plastic mirror I had, my whole world tilted. The girl staring back at me had long black hair and puffy red eyes.