My Life with Amnesia

Chapter 8

I kept rubbing the sweat from my forehead off with my arm only to wish I hadn't. Linda met with me at the school's court yard and bought me a can of Coca-Cola.

"Thank you," I said as I took a sip.

"What did you run?" Linda asked. "You seem like you ran across the country."

"I ran the easy route easily so coach moved me up to the varsity group which added another eight kilometers to my run."

"Isn't that somewhere around eight miles?"

I took another sip. "I don't know."

Linda stood up and picked up my backpack. "I'll carry your stuff home for today, all right?"

I laughed a little before I coughed. I stood up and slowly took the bag from her. "I'll be fine. How about I carry your stuff?"

"Nope."

We laughed together and started our walk home. We talked about our teachers, fellow classmates, and homework on the way. Jiba tried to pull another stunt for Linda during homeroom, my teacher tripped while passing out an assignment, both of our homework required at least two hours of work.

"Oh, did you find Dev?" I asked.

She shook her head. "N-no. Not yet. He must be on one of the upper floors."

"He must know you're here if he is able to hide this long."

Linda sighed. "I'll find him soon."

"I hope you do."

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I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a cell phone. I searched my room until it stopped. Linda started talking in the other room. I could hear her through the thin walls.

"Hey, Adrian! How are you? I'm good. No. I know, but I want him back. What? N-no. It's not like that!" There was suddenly a long pause, making me fear that she knew I was listening in. "Okay... Maybe a little. Fine. I'll say it, okay. I loved Dev." My heart stopped beating. "I just want him back. I want to show that I love him, too." I felt a spear pierce through my soul. I plugged my ears and dove onto the bed.

Why do I feel this way? I don't love this girl, do I? I tossed and turned, trying to dismiss the possibilities floating in my head. Only to look up at the alarm clock to see 4:30 shining on the display. How long have I been awake? Five hours? Six hours? I rolled off the bed and forced myself to get ready for breakfast with Linda and another day of school.

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I kept shifting in my seat as I ate breakfast with Linda. On the table was a bowl of rice with an egg omelet on top, a cup of 0% milk sat full beside my plate.

"What's bothering you, Dev?" Linda asked. "You seem nervous."

"I... I overheard your phone call last night..." She dropped her chopsticks and shock filled her eyes. I looked down at the table. "Do... Do you really like Dev?"

There was a long pause, one so dragged out, I felt alone in her apartment. My heart pounded in my head and my hands began to shake. I stood up quickly, too nervous to sit still.

"I'm sorry," I said. Before Linda could reply, I ran out of the apartment and into my own, locking the door as I ran in. Once the door was locked, I jumped into my bed and laid there. I could hear Linda calling my name and saying something but I ignored her. I ignored the beating on the door, the apologies, and the sound of her crying right outside my door.

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I opened the door to see Linda fast asleep on the floor, a pool of tears underneath his head. I stood frozen for what seemed like an eternity before I put myself in motion. I gently picked her up and took her inside. I laid her down on my bed. She looked like an angel on the bed.

I slapped my cheeks. I don't like her that way, I told myself. We both missed school. I'll make up for it, I told myself. I picked up the phone and ordered lunch.

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I opened the sliding doors to the bed to find Linda sitting up, a very blank look on her face, eyes empty of reason.

"Hey, Linda," I said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Come here," she said drowsily and extremely quiet. "I have somethin' for you." I stepped in and stood beside the bed. "Closer." I sat at the edge. "Closer," she whispered.

I leaned in slightly. She grabbed my head and pulled me in. "Dev, I love you. Don't ever leave me again." She pulled me in closer and gave me a soft kiss against my lips. I stared at the eyelids that hid her vision in shock as she wrapped her arms around me. She stopped kissing but kept me near. Linda's eyes opened slowly, then filled with horror. She screamed and pushed me back. I fell off the bed and hit the wooden floor, hard. When I got up, Linda was hiding under the covers, her cheeks red as a rose. We both stared at each other in disbelief.

"I-I-I'm so sorry! Dev! I didn't mean to-! I was having a weird dream...! I swear I didn't mean-! I-!"

I stood paralyzed for a moment longer before I said, "Okay." I turned slowly and walked out, closing the doors behind me. I collapsed on the couch and stared at the lunch laid out on the coffee table. "What just happened?" I asked myself as I pressed my hands against my face. I heard the doors slide open and took a peak to see a blushing Linda nervously step out. She glanced at me and her cheeks turned pink. I felt my cheeks burn and covered my vision. "There's lunch here for you."

I heard her sit down on the floor. "Thank you..." A long stretch of silence hovered above us before Linda said, "Dev, can I tell you something?"

I felt my chest tighten but I replied, "S-sure."

"I... I lied to you."

I pulled out my iPod and opened Virtual Talk. "What do you mean?"

"I... I... I'm not really... searching for someone."

I typed in, 'Who is Linda' into Virtual Talk. "What do you mean?"

"My Dev Lunesu... isn't hiding from us."

Buruku's reply spelled doom. 'So she found you, huh?'

"You see..." Linda sighed.

'She's either about to or has already told you who you really are.'

"You're..."

'You're really...'

"'Dev Lunesu.'"

I looked at Linda and back at the text. "What do you mean?"

Buruku sent another message. 'This is where it gets complicated.'

"Well... It's a long story... Where do you want to start?"