A Better Boyfriend (GirlxGirl)

Thirteen- Scarlet

The bright lights were really disorientating, and I honestly just wanted to go home to my parents. I knew that I couldn't do that, though, because the doctors wanted to run some more checks on me. A pretty blonde kept entering and exiting my room, and I supposed I ought to have known who she was, but I simply didn't. My head hurt. My thoughts were a mess. My vision was blurry.

Nobody else had come to check up on me. Only this girl. This mystery girl, who I was now so curious about.

A nurse entered my room to give me a glass of water and I downed it. At this point, water was like a gift from the goddess.

"What's going on with me? When can I leave? Can I call my mum?" I asked. I wasn't even sure when I had last spoken to her.

"You have an acquired brain injury, Miss Austen," the nurse informed me, with a sympathetic expression. "A driver tried to swerve to avoid you but...they hit you full on. You're lucky you came out as unscathed as you did."

I didn't feel very lucky. My head was pounding still, and I couldn't remember anything.

Well, I could remember my name. Scarlet. There was that. However, that was probably only because the doctors and nurses had said it about twenty times since I had got in here.

I offered the nurse a pleasant smile.

"Thank you for my water," I said.

I suppose I was going to be here a little while, so I may as well get comfortable.

"Of course, dear," she said, returning my kind expression, before she went to leave the room again. "Happy birthday, by the way," she added and then was out of sight.

Alright, so things may have been falling apart. It was my birthday. I wasn't even sure how old I was, probably at least twenty-two, though. I could remember that much. Nevertheless, I had never been so at peace. I didn't have any responsibilities in hospital. I could just sit, watch television, and sleep.

Eventually, that was likely to get old, but I could live with it for now, mostly because I couldn't remember my way home.

I wasn't even sure where home was anymore.

It wasn't as though I could even call anyone, because my phone was smashed to pieces. So, I was pretty damn stuck.

I turned on the television and watched a few episodes of Love Island. It was rubbish, really, but it offered me a distraction from where I was.

I just wanted some cake.

A few moments passed by and eventually the doctor let me know that I had a visitor.

It was the pretty blonde girl again.

Destiny.

"Hey," I greeted her, with a warm smile.

"Hi," Destiny replied, returning my expression.

I wasn't sure how it was possible to miss someone that you hardly knew, but I had missed her. I supposed that was because before all of this had happened, I had known her, but things were swiftly going downhill. Well, perhaps not entirely. She had come back, after all.

"Chase would have come to check up on you but he's... he can't bring himself to at the moment," she said.

"Chase?" I asked, bewildered. Who was Chase?

"Your boyfriend, Scarlet," Destiny informed me. Her eyes grew slightly larger in her surprise that I hadn't remembered this fact. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only thing that I hadn't remembered. "Anyway, that's okay. Your memories will come back with time."

I looked towards my arm and found the tattoo.

"Hey, we got these together today, didn't we?" I asked.

Her eyes lit up with some astonishment.

"Yes, we did. I'm glad you remember," she said.

"Because you're my best friend," I said.

I knew that much.

I just couldn't remember the other details.

That being said, it was probably a good sign that I was on the right path if I could remember where I had got the tattoo.

Alright, so perhaps I couldn't completely recall where I had got it, but I knew who I had got it with and that was certainly a start.

"It's ironic," Destiny said, with a gentle smile.

"What is?" I replied.

"You always had a terrible memory, and now you literally have forgotten...a lot," she said, with a somewhat saddened tone.

I really needed to try to lighten up the tone in here. Well, one of us needed to, at least.

I released a short laugh.

A nurse entered my room and offered me water again, but I wasn't thirsty now. I just wanted to talk to Destiny. The two of us got on so well already. It was unsurprising to know that we were best friends. Well, that we had been best friends, before I forgot.

"I should let my mum know," I said.

"You shouldn't," Destiny returned.

"Why ever not?" I asked.

Destiny's eyes shone with sympathy before she answered my question.

"Scarlet, you stopped talking to your mum a long time ago," she said.

"Is she dead?" I replied, feeling the colour drain from my face.

"Heavens, no. You two just don't get along. Like my dad and I don't get along," Destiny explained.

Now it was my turn to meet her gaze with a sympathetic expression.

"You idiot," Destiny said quietly.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing...it's just... you should be more careful! You could have died," she said.

I felt my heart race at those words.

"But I didn't, Dest. I'm here. I'm alive. I'm okay."

"Dest," Destiny said softly.

I felt my eyes grow a fraction larger in confoundment.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked her.

"No. It's just...you always call me Dest. It's what you've always called me, ever since we were little. No, I'm sorry I snapped, Scarlet. It's just...you should know that it was my mother who died. Not yours."

I swallowed hard.