"Olivia! Your hair looks fine! Just get in the car, we're going to be late for school because of you!" Mason yells to me.

"Be patient I'm coming! This is the first day of senior year for me, I have to look perfect!" I call back, furiously braiding my auburn hair.

Mason comes in and grins. "You mean look perfect for Blake?"

I throw down my brush and launch a pillow at him. "Shut up!"

He runs away. "Moooom! Olivia punched me!"

"I did not!"

I close my eyes. I haven't even been to school yet and I'm already stressed. Today has to be perfect. The first day of school is full of new things and unfortunately, I stink at new things.

New clothes, new cliques, new boyfriend, new year.

New me.

I hear a soft knock on my door and open my eyes. It's my mom.

"Olivia sweetie, we have to go or else the boys won't make it to school." She says softly.

I look at my reflection. "I know it's just..."

She comes over. "I know." She looks at me. "You look beautiful sweetheart, don't forget that."

I bite my lip. "I just want today to be perfect. But how can it be perfect when I'm not even close?" I ask.

My mother rubs my back. "Nothing's perfect sweetheart. Not even you. Today is the start of a new year, today is the day where many mistakes will be made. You might be late to class or lose a pencil but that's okay! Just please promise me you'll try to have fun today, you only get to be a senior once." She tells me.

I smile at her. "Your right. I only get to be a senior once and I'm going to make every second of it count! Thanks mom." I hug her.

"By the way, who's this Blake boy Mason was talking about?" My mom asks suspiciously.

"No one mom, he's just a friend!" And with that I grab my backpack and walk to the car.

***

Only get to be a senior once, huh?

Try again.

My alarm clock goes off and I hit the snooze button groggily. Why did I have to have strange dreams the night before school starts?

Well it wasn't a dream, it was a memory, but not one I've forgotten, one I'm trying to forget. Kind of like how I'm trying to forget everything about Olivia Wright. Some part of my body is telling me that trying to forget Olivia is stupid, that to hold on just not as tightly as before.

But I'm done holding on, I let go of Blake and I got a bunch of my memories back and Steve is my boyfriend again. So I must be doing something right...right?

Did you really let go of Blake, your husband, the love of your life?

I clench my jaw. He's not my husband, he's not the love of my life, he's not REAL! I'm not Olivia anymore! I'm Peyton, I need to start acting like it!

I've been trying to act like the Peyton everyone once knew and loved. Like trying to act more bubbly and wearing some of the clothes in my closet. I even tried to call Rachel mom but...I couldn't. I think back to my memory/dream. Some things you just can't let go of.

My alarm goes off again and this time I actually get up and get ready for school. First I brush my teeth, then I put on the outfit I picked out last night (a jean skirt and a navy sweater). The last thing I do is apply a bit of makeup and start trying to fix my hair.

"I don't have to time to curl it...maybe braid it?" I say out loud to myself.

"I think you look pretty no matter what!" A voice says from behind me.

I turn around to see Rachel. When she looks me up and down she gasps and tears come to her eyes. She covers her mouth.

"Sorry, its just...you look so much like...her! I mean...the old you." She says quietly.

I force a smile. "Well you better get used to it, the old Peyton is here to stay!" I exclaim with as much enthusiasm as I can muster. Rachel looks at me sadly.

"Peyton I don't want you to force yourself to be someone your not-"

I cut her off quickly. "I'm not. This is me, this is Peyton, is it not? My name is Peyton Comber, that's who I need to be!" I shout, not meaning to.

Rachel sits down on my bed and motions me beside her. Then she takes my hand.

"There are many, many, many things that you still don't remember about this life and I can't even possibly imagine what that's like. All I know is that it has to be hard, it has to be exhausting. Finding a balance between two completely different identities isn't easy, but trying to erase one is even harder." She tells me.

I look at her with disbelief. "Are you seriously telling me to indulge in a fantasy? In something that's not real? I'm trying really hard to cope with my reality and you just want me to go back to where I started? After all the tears and sighs you give on a daily basis, your telling me to not be Peyton?" I ask in shock and even anger.

"Peyton that's not-"

I cut her off again. "Olivia was nothing but a dream, no, a nightmare! You know where everything from that life came from? From me getting hit by a speeding truck. Why would I want to be someone who comes from that?" I pull my hand away from her and go back to my mirror.

I try brushing my hair but my hands are shaking too much. I slam the brush down and grip onto my dresser taking deep breaths.

Rachel gets up. "Peyton-"

"Just leave, please." The words come out small and shaky compared to my loud and strong shouts from moments before.

Her eyes become teary and she gets up reluctantly. But before she leaves the room she mumbles: "Wear your hair down, it looks great."

And I do.

***

I hear a knock on the door and run down the stairs with my loose hair flying behind me. Looking through the peephole, I smile and quickly unlock the door. Kevin stands there in a marching band t-shirt and jeans. When he sees me his eyes widen.

"Whoa you look-" He cuts himself off. "I mean are you ready for senior year?" He asks grinning.

I return his smile. "You bet I am! Stay right there, I need to get my bag and then we can go." he nods and I run back upstairs.

I'm about to grab my bag when I notice there's a note on it. It reads:

'Don't forget that I love you, both of you. -Rachel'

I think about just tossing it to the ground and walking away but I don't. Instead, I tuck the note into the front pocket of my bag and walk back down the stairs to Kevin.

"Ready?" he asks looking a little uncertain himself. That's okay, we can be uncertain together.

I nod my head. "Ready." Then we walk down the sidewalk to school, discussing classes, people, and teachers on the way.

"I'm glad we have at least two classes together, I only have one with Steve. It's going to be hard to get through a class without one of you, now people are going to bombard me with questions." I say.

"I think people would do that either way." Kevin points out.

"Yeah well maybe it won't be that many people." I say already knowing that it's not true.

He snorts. "Yeah right! Your only the most popular girl in school, I'm sure nobody will care about you waking up from a coma." He says sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. "Okay fine, I get it. But I doubt I'm the most popular girl in school anymore."

But I can barely finish my sentence before two eighteen year old girls run up to me.

"Peyton! Oh my gosh it's really you! I'm soooo glad you're okay! Do you know how worried I was? Girl I was SO worried!" One of the girls shouts.

I glance at her. "Umm I-"

The other one loops her arm through mine. "I was even more worried! I mean I AM your best friend!"

The first girl shoots her a look. "No I am!

"I am!"

"It's me!"

"No it's me!"

Why is this happening so soon?! I thought I'd at least have about ten more minutes before I would have to deal with this! Somewhere in the middle of the argument I find my voice and try to keep it steady when I speak.

"Who are you guys again?" I ask hesitantly.

The two girls look appalled.

"You don't remember who we are?!" One of them cries.

The other one elbows her. "Duh Vanessa, she just woke up from a coma, she probably doesn't remember a lot of things!" She loops her arm through my other arm. Then both of them pull me down the sidewalk, separating me from Kevin.

The girl named Vanessa whispers in my ear. "The first thing to remember is your people. Like that kid over there," She points at Kevin. "He's a total weirdo. You don't want to be hanging out with him."

I pull away from them. "Um yes I do! He's my friend!" Both of the girls look at me in shock.

"Friend? Peyton you've always been too nice for your own popularity. People like us aren't friends with people like him." They gesture behind where Kevin is walking.

I really can't believe that this is the first conversation I'm having with people at school! Out of all the scenarios I imagined, this was not one of them.

"Maybe its time we are." I start to turn around but Vanessa pulls me back.

She squints her eyes. "Are you sure your the same Peyton Comber we used to know?"

The other one, I still don't know her name, nods her head in agreement. "She's right Peyt, you're acting really weird. We missed you girl! But we missed the old Peyton, not whoever this is!" She exclaims.

I feel anger bubble up inside of me. The old Peyton? I am the old Peyton! Which is just Peyton, me! I may not be making sense right now but hopefully my point's getting across.

I plaster a huge smile on my face. "I was just messing with you two, of course I'm the same Peyton! I mean who else would I be? I'm positively Peyton!" I say loudly.

Vanessa laughs. "I knew you had to be playing us! Tanya you should of seen the look on your face!" She exclaims pointing at Tanya.

She rolls her eyes. "It was on your face too Vanessa."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was-"

"Okay!" I laugh nervously. "So are we going to get to school or what?"

Both of the girls nod their heads quickly and together we walk to school.

Leaving Kevin to walk behind us.

                                      ***

Steve greets me at my locker with a kiss. The girls near by either glare at us with jealousy or sigh because they're happy to finally see me and Steve together again.

"They're like the perfect couple!" A girl nearby exclaims.

"I haven't seen Steve this happy in forever!" Another one says.

Steve walked me to all my classes, even the ones we didn't have together. School wasn't even that terrible. Sure there were a few times where I felt a headache come on, but every time that happened I just reminded myself to smile and laugh. Because that's what Peyton would've done and that's exactly who I am.

That's all I am, Peyton Comber.

Kevin didn't talk to me the rest of the day but it didn't really bother me too much. He sat at the back of the class and I sat at the front. He sat by himself at lunch and I sat with almost everyone. Me and Kevin can still be friends outside of school...right? He's my best friend but if I didn't hang out with him at school back then, then I can't hang out with him now.

It's perfect logic really.

By the end of the day I'm feeling pretty good about this whole school thing. Everyone seems to love me, I didn't run into Allie, and my face hurts from smiling so much. But when I unlock my locker everything changes. My smile vanishes and my overwhelming joy is replaced with overwhelming confusion.

A single folded piece of paper falls out of my locker. I pick it up off the hallway ground and open it curiously.

You think you know what's going on? You think you know all the answers? Let me assure you Miss Comber, you don't know the start of it. Have you ever wondered how you got to the highway that day you were hit by that truck? Why you were running? Or more specifically, who you were running from? The answers are right in front of you Miss Comber, you just have to be smart enough to see them. Good luck Peyton, or should I say, Olivia.

The note falls to the ground.

What

Just

Happened

Cliffhanger! You'll just have to keep reading to find out what happens next! You'll also have to vote and comment some feedback! Please follow -riveria -Vanna💜