Do You Remember Me?

Realization

Searing pain struck MJ's skull and her body went numb. Orange lights spun in her head, her phone slipping from her fingertips and onto the bedroom floor. Deaf to Peter's shouts through the silver screen, MJ fell to the floor and cradled her legs in her arms, her hands squeezing her head in fear. Strange runes spun around in her brain, and unfamiliar images began to flicker in and out of her mind like changing channels on a television. A soft ring pierced through her ears as Peter hung up the phone and the television shut off. MJ's heartbeat thumped hard and loud in her chest, speeding up with every breath she sucked in. Feeling as though she were trapped in neverending darkness, falling down a rabbit hole, MJ let out a painful scream. As Peter threw open MJ's apartment door, the television in MJ's mind flickered on. She could feel the floor below her thud and vibrate with every step Peter took to get closer to her, the pictures becoming more distinct with every step he took. His voice started to break through her mind when a stream of gold surged through her brain and her consciousness was lying on her bed in an upright position facing a blinding light. 

🕸️🕸️🕸️

It was dark outside and the only light in her room was a string of fairy lights and a phone screen that was wedged between her fingers. The room was filled with unfamiliar posters and drawings and on her desk, books were piled. She was wearing a dark grey sweater and a pair of sweatpants with her hair released from her bun in a curly mess. Her head rested on top of a green pillow and her legs were arched high, on top of a sage green comforter. Staring at the screen before her, all she could make out was a blurred face of a boy with brown wavy hair. The blurred face. 

Stuck in an unfamiliar memory, MJ lost her sense of the real world. She couldn't feel Peter's touch on her shoulders as he shook her. She couldn't feel Peter's fingers as he pried her hands from her face. She couldn't see the terrified look on Peter's face when he saw MJ's eyes wide open, non-responding. She couldn't hear his shouts and his heavy breathing. 

MJ looked at the blurred face for a while, numb to Peter. She felt her voice rising from her throat, and as she spoke, glitches appeared on the screen. Outside her mind, when Peter was shaking her by her shoulders and touching her hands, the appearance of the boy on MJ's screen became clear. Before she could realize and study his face, Peter had let go of her and the face turned blurry once more. Her voice spilled out her mouth and she was sucked in.

"Did you send in your applications yet?"

The boy replied with relief.

"I literally just finished my MIT one. You?"

"Same."

"Can you imagine if we both got in? And Ned."

"Yeah, but we'd have to get scholarships so that we could actually go."

"Come on, you've got the scores, and the grades and-"

"You think I'm being too pragmatic."

"No no no no. Well...kinda. It's okay. That's one of my favourite things about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what are your other favourite things?"

"I love your relentless optimism."

"Ya, I am a glass half-full kinda gal."

"I really like how you're a people person."

"I love people. I love them so much."

"You like sports."

"I think the Mets are going to go all the way this year."