Sparks Reignited

19 | The Dead

Ever since the talk with Kyle, I figure that it's time to be upfront with Blaire too.

She's my friend—the first and only girl of my age that I'm close to. Or rather, growing close with. And, I realize that being honest is also the best test to know which friends are the right ones for me. To know who are the ones who will stick with me during the toughest moments.

When we meet up and she takes me to Central Plaza for shopping, that's when I take my chance.

We enter a shop, and she rifles through several racks of clothes. Once in a while, she shoots me a funny look. After seeing the way Kyle had whisked me away yesterday, it has kicked her suspicion radar into high gear. She now knows that I'm hiding something from her, that we are more than just school mates.

"I get it. We've only been friends for nearly two weeks and you don't wish to tell me everything," she pouts, "but it would be nice if you could trust me a little. After all, I did share with you about my mother and especially Ian. You were the first person I ever told about him."

I place a hand on her arm and turn her towards me. "It's not about not trusting you, Blaire. It's just that I'm afraid you might see me differently once I tell you."

A frown sets in on her forehead and studies me with a queer look.

"Did you...murder someone?"

"What?" I exclaim in disbelief. "No!"

A teasing smile peeks through her face. "Well, if you didn't, that's fine, isn't it? I won't run away, I swear." She nods her head at me encouragingly. "Let's hear this."

I study her for a long minute, deliberating, before rolling up my sleeves slowly. Holding my breath nervously, I show her the faint scar that runs across my skin and watch as her face scrunches up in pure horror and confusion.

She gasps and takes my arm gently for a closer inspection. "What happened?" she demands. "Who did this?"

I repeat what Aunt Abbie has told me. "It was an accident. A car crashed into Mom's and we flipped. The driver got arrested. I lived, but my mother didn't."

The colors fade from Blaire's face. Shock and sympathy flash in her eyes. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry, Riley."

I nod in understanding. "But that's not all."

Her frown deepens. I tell her about my coma, my amnesia, and my history of living in the northern part of this town. When I'm finished, her eyes water and she pulls me into her arms.

She squeezes me so tight that I can't breathe. "Oh, Riley! Why didn't you say anything? And here I thought I was having it worse than you," she sniffs and pulls back to meet my gaze. "But how does Kyle fit into any of this?"

I give her a wry smile and it's everything that she needs to figure out the answer. "I knew it!"–she shakes her finger at me excitedly–"You guys had a thing in the past, didn't you? That's why he was so desperate to talk to you yesterday. Spill it, babe. What did he want?"

I gnaw on my bottom lip. "He likes me. Still like me, despite my current state. He wants us back together, but I don't know if I can like him back equally," I sigh. "Do you get what I mean?"

Blaire stares at me thoughtfully for a long minute. "You know how people often say that marriage is a gamble?" she says, before giving a shrug of her shoulders. "It's the same for relationships, too. You've to try to know if you guys will work out together."

"And to be honest, I'm jealous of you," she admits. "You were gone for over a year and he hasn't forgotten about you. If I've a guy liking me as crazy as Kyle does, I'll never let him go. But no, I end up liking a guy who might become my step-brother if our parents get married." She snorts and rolls her eyes in disbelief. "Such terrible luck I have, huh?"