Special Friend

Chapter Nine

Five Years Later

Grace: My heart was in my chest. My knee wouldn't stop bouncing. I gripped the armrests on my seat until my knuckles turned white. I felt a tap on my right shoulder.
"Relax," a girl said. I turned to look at her, a warm smile on her face. "If you don't breathe you'll pass out."
I small smile found its way onto my lips. "Thanks Arlene." I rest my head on her shoulder and close my eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd perish," she says confidently.
I giggle slightly. Arlene is my best friend. We roomed together our first year at Cornell and we've been inseparable since. She let me stay with her and her family on holidays so I wouldn't have to go back home. She knows me better than I know myself.
We hear a ding and then a muffled voice over the speaker, "Hi everyone! We will be arriving shortly, so please fold your trays and bring your seats upright as we get ready for decent."
I let out a breathe. Only 20 minutes until I see my parents again. 20 minutes until I see him again for the first time in 5 years. Arlene starts folding our trays up while I pack up my blanket, headphones, sleep mask, and water into my carry on bag under my seat.
Once the plane lands, Arlene make a run for the bathroom. I follow in a slow walk. Once I get to the restrooms, shes coming out, a relieved look on her face.
I hand her her suitcase and carry on. "You should've just used the bathroom on the plane."
She gasps and throws a hand over her heart, mocking me. "Have you seen those bathrooms? They're filthy. If you took a black light to them, you'd see everything and everyone who's ever been in there."
I don't bother arguing against her. "Okay okay, lets get out of here. I hate the smell of airports."
We walk out past the boarding area and into the pick up/drop off zone. I scan the cars for my parents. I spot them in the crowd and we make our way towards them. Once we get to the car, I realize that my parents aren't in the car. I open the door and find Alder in the drivers seat. He looks the same as he did 5 years ago. Nothing has changed except for a few extra smile lines on his face.
"Alder?" I question.
He smiles at me, "Grace! You found me!"
Arlene takes our bags and throws them in the trunk. She hops in the back seat as I climb into the passenger seat in the front.
Alder can tell I'm confused as to why he's driving my parents car and not my parents. "They were really busy setting things up for you and rearranging the office for your friend. They asked if I could come get you."
I nod. "Okay, thanks."
The car ride home is mostly quiet except for Arlene's occasional 'ooo' or 'ahh' at the passing surroundings. She's never been anywhere except New York. She grew up there, spent her entire life there, so her reaction to my beachside hometown is understandable.
My anxiety spikes when I see his house. I lower my gaze to my lap and fiddle with my fingers. When I look up again, we're pulling into the driveway of my parents house. My mom and dad are outside to greet me, along with Alder's parents. My body tenses. If they're here, then so is he. I swallow a thick gulp of saliva. I can feel it running down my throat. My palms are sweaty, my knees were weak, and my shoulders felt like they were carrying the weight of the world. My breathing becomes slightly shallow. Arlene must've taken notice, because she paused when retrieving things from the trunk. She open my door and pulled me out and into a quick embrace.
"It's going to be fine," she whispered quickly in my ear before pulling away and handing me my bags. As soon as I turn around to walk up to my childhood home, someone is standing before me. More like towering over me. I look up, only slightly, meeting his face. A small smile spreads across his.
         "Hey! I'm Oakland! My mom and dad are friends with your parents," he says, introducing himself to me as if we've never known each other. "Can I help you with your bags?" He gestures towards my hands, moving forward, but I quickly pull them back.
          "No thank you, I can handle them myself." I speak quickly, before making my way around him and into the house where I'm greeted by my parents and his. I don't hear much of what any of them are saying. Why did he act like he didn't know who I was? I thought to myself.
          Rita, his mother, must've noticed I wasn't really there, for she placed her hand on my upper arm. "He doesn't remember who you are. After the accident, all he did was ask for you, but within a few days, he forgot your name and your face. He knows you existed, but he doesn't know it was you." She tells me, "we decided it would be best to keep it that way."
          I smile slightly, then turning to the stairs and making haste into my old room. Everything's the same from highschool, not a single thing has changed.