Undercurrent

Chapter 3

The alarm blared but it was pretty redundant. So many potentially embarrassing scenarios had swirled around my head since the early hours that I hadn't been able to get much sleep. What if I fell over in front of everyone? What if I turned up and everyone ignored me? What if they didn't ignore me? Would that be worse somehow?

Not for the first time, I cursed myself for not just staying where I was. At least at my old school, I knew what I was dealing with. Who was I kidding thinking that I could start over somewhere new?

Mum had clearly absorbed some of my anxiety for herself or maybe she was just worried about going to the bank later. Either way, she'd set out just about every breakfast option possible: croissants, cereal, toast, pancakes. I decided to sit and keep her company for a bit before I went. I wasn't quite sure how much she expected me to eat considering I usually just grabbed a yoghurt and ran in the morning.

*

I made it to the bus with a minute to spare after running through the estate as fast as I could. This was new to me; I'd always just walked down the high street to school before. At least it was just registration this morning. I'd have to get used to this new routine though because I couldn't be this chaotic before lessons everyday.

I squeezed through the rest of the passengers and managed to find a space to stand. I watched through the window as we drove through the empty streets and spotted the path down to the beach in the distance. I wondered if Zach would be down there after college later. We'd met most afternoons when school had finished but neither of us had brought it up lately.

When the bus finally turned the corner and parked up in front of St James', I found myself caught in the swarm of people rushing off. I clutched my bag tightly, wishing more than ever that I hadn't stepped out of my comfort zone but here we were.

I forced myself to follow the crowd towards the doors of the college, marked with the huge welcome banners and joined the line of students ahead of me. Looking around, I spotted a few familiar faces from my old school but nobody that I'd be comfortable talking to. That wasn't a massive surprise though.

"Name?" a curt voice broke through my thoughts.

"Pardon?" I looked up at the middle-aged man stood in front of me, clutching his clipboard.

He rolled his eyes like he was sick of students already. I wondered whether he was in the right job if he felt this way on the first day of term.

"I need your name," he said slowly, like he thought I was an idiot. "And your course."

"Oh, sorry," I said. Apologising was how I seemed to start most conversations at the moment. "Nina Bryant. I'm doing A-Level art, English and psychology."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not a fan of my choices, and gestured towards the stairs. "A-Level students need to go up there," he said. "You're in the wrong queue."

I looked over and saw the sign at the bottom of the stairs. Maybe I was as much of an idiot as he thought I was. I turned and headed over to where I was meant to be, mentally berating myself as I made my way up the stairs towards yet another queue.

Turning the corner, I tripped on the step as I walked into someone coming the other way. I grabbed the banister, trying to steady myself, but it was too late. In slow motion, I fell to the floor, my bag and its contents spilling everywhere.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" Someone took my hand and pulled me to my feet. I looked up and to my horror, I recognised them. Just my luck, it was the girl from the café yesterday. "Oh, hi! Nina, right?"

"Yeah," I said, still holding onto her hand for balance. "Sorry, I wasn't really looking where I was going."

"Don't worry, neither was I," she looked at me, still concerned. "You're sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, honestly," I tried to smile but it felt a bit alien. Feeling a bit steadier on my feet, I let go of her and started to pick up my things. "It happens all the time."

I stood up and she passed me the keys that had fallen out of my bag. "Ok, if you're sure," she said. "I'm just heading down to the café to meet my friends before the welcome talk. Want to join us?"

"Oh, er, thanks," I said, a little taken aback. "I've got to go and register though. Sorry." I started making my way up the stairs again.

"No problem," she called after me. "I'll see you later, maybe?"

I turned and nodded at her, feeling a little unnerved as I realised that was the longest conversation that I'd had with someone that wasn't Mum or Zach for as long as I could remember.