Amnesia [Wattys 2015]

Chapter Nine

For the next few days following the recent discovery, I found myself struggling to focus. All I could think of was Cole. Drake met me the other day for lunch. He sat down on the red seat, stiffly as though he was about to say something. He set his tray with a sharp clang hardly noticed by anyone in the cafeteria as it was noisy. Everyone talking, at once. My table was mostly empty save for the few odd people who didn't have anywhere to sit. It felt strange having someone sit in front of me after so long.

Drake took a deep breath meeting my enquiring gaze.

"I believe you."

I tried to smile but all I could feel was something lodged in my throat, my eyes began to tear. Drake alarmed handed out a tissue.

"I'm fine." I whispered, taking the tissue wiping tears from my eyes, mortified. The idea of Drake believing what I believed made it more real rather than a prank Cole was set to play. It made everything more real. The betrayal to Cole more real.

"So what's the plan with him?" Drake asked wearily. He approached me like I was about break into tears at any minute.

I shrugged nonchalant, "He wants to play the role of Cole, after all who'd believe it's Gabe?"

"This is crazy, he can't be Cole."

I couldn't agree me. Cole was his own person. Cole was a light of sunshine in a world filled with negativity. He was the guy everyone looked up to. The one everyone wanted to be. It was an impossible feat to duplicate Cole.

"He's coming back you know," Drake added in my silence. "This September."

"What?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Disbelief.

I could feel a lump in my throat. "No."

"Oh."

The silence was brief. I had barely eaten the spaghetti on my plate, my appetite is gone. "I'm going to go work on my Biology homework in the library," I lied.

"You haven't eaten," Drake pointed out.

"Not hungry." I took my plastic tray walking out with it. My hands were shaking as I wondered what would happen. It was relatively easy to avoid Gabe when he wasn't in the same school. It's harder when he was in the same school as you.

The following day, I received several calls from Cole's new number. I ignored it. I came home early. I told my mother if Cole calls home (which he hasn't so far) to tell him I wasn't around as I devoted my life to studying. My mother was worried, she tried talking to me but I avoided her and her questions. It didn't make sense my school, a private exclusive school only took our breaks from October to November. Our final examinations were coming to a close and I was nowhere prepared for it and for Gabe. Why would Gabe join in the last month?

It shouldn't have been a surprise to see Cole sitting on the first of September in my homeroom. We both received similar exam schedules. He sat in the seat beside me. Where he sat before the accident. The seat that's been empty all year save for days when Drake would randomly sit with me for old times sake. Cole was like a celebrity that September. Girls seem to adore the fact he was back without his memories. Save for a few he memorised.

After homeroom, Cheryl a bubbly blonde came to his table whist he collected his stuff, he didn't make eye contact with me. "Hey Cole, it's great seeing you. I'm Cheryl."

"Hey," Cole said wearily, our gazes met. He broke it away first. They chat amicably as I rushed out of homeroom. I ran into Drake in the hall, just outside the classroom. He glanced at me surprised.