Remember

Fucking figures

JAMES CHENG
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There she was. She looked pictures perfect. She smiled at me. Her teeth-showing-eyes-wide smile. I smiled back. I turn to walk into the store. As I'm buying snacks, I look out the window to try sneak another glance, but I'm too far. I pay the man and look out the window once more. My eyes search for the girl who haunts my dream. I look at the car. Before I can even think another thought. She blows up.
—
I wake up covered in sweat and panting like I've just ran a marathon. Jesus.

I've had the same dream everyday for the past  5 months. It haunts me. She haunts me. I try to forget. I want to forget, but my brain won't let me.

I tap my phone, laying on the nightstand beside me.
9:45am. At least I didn't wake up at 3am this time.
Progress.

I grab my phone to see 3 missed calls from Ronnie, 10 texts from her, 4 calls from Matt and unsurprisingly, no texts or calls from Allie.
The girl iced us out completely. Ronnie said she's still in contact but I know it's complete bull.

Besides Lisa, and before Ethan, Allie and I were the close ones in the group.

I put in my password and call Ronnie, barely awake.

"James Cheng, why are you so awful at answering your phone!!" She screams down the line.
That'll wake you up.

"Phones are-"

"-the governments way of spying on us. I get it, I've heard that line about 100 hundred time from you, and fyi" she finishes, "it's complete bullshit" she sings the word bullshit because for some reason, Ronnie can't say a curse word like a normal human being.

"Why did you bombard me with calls?"

"Nice one! But I got one better. I bombarded you because you are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-ly gonna explode when I tell my new- no I can do better, when I announce-eth my news-eth to awaken eth." I could practically hear her smiling as she spoke.

"so first of all, that's not how you use supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and 'announce-eth, news-eth, and awaken-eth, are not real words"

"Shut up idiot. Firstly, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is not a real word so it doesn't matter how you use it, and secondly you can make any word Shakespearean by adding 'eth' to it."

"I'm sorry, who's the Yale student again?"

"I'm hanging up."

I couldn't help but laugh, "alright, alright. Whats your news."

"Well it's maybe not as happy as I made it out to be"

"I kinda figured since you were stalling"

"Was not! I can't believe-"

"Doing it again."

"fine. I'm just gonna say it. All at once. So if you don't hear it then sorry not sorry."

"Ronnie"

"Ethan is back in town and he's taking all of us to the fbi so they can re open the investigation and ask us questions!" She blurts. Well half blurts, half screams.

"are you fucking with me?"

"Language! And no I'm not forking with you."
Normally I'd tease her for saying 'forking' but Im pretty sure I'm frozen.

"Hello? Jamie?"

"I've gotta go." I hang up abruptly and practically shove my clothes on.
—
I had gone down to breakfast and had chosen my go-to combo of cereal yogurt and orange juice. Anyone that has coffee in the morning is gonna die by the age of 60.

I sat down, and popped my headphones on before I saw her.
Allie.
I had to see her, it's been months. My legs move faster than my brain as I walk over to her.

"Hey, Allie!" 

"Jamie?" she places her tray on a table and runs up to me, and hugs me so tightly I can barley breathe. I'd be happy to die that way.

"I haven't seen you in months! How are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm good but did Ronnie not tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"I go here"

"You go here? Like to university?"

"Yeah" I chuckles softly, "I go to Yale."

She tilts her head in confusion, "but you said you hated the whole idea of college?"

"Yeah but uhm you know, Asian parents and all that, but also I changed my mind."

"Huh"

"What is it?"

"You just-" she hesitates "you never seemed the type to go to college, let alone an Ivy League."

I paused.

I'm still not.

"But it's great! Yale is a great school and this means we can spend more time together." She tried lifting up the mood, don't think it's worked.

"Yeah, I guess." I offered her a half smile.

"Do you maybe wanna eat with me, we can talk and catch up?"

"Uhm yeah-" I look behind her and see him. Ethan. He's signalling for me to move away and to walk over to, the door?

"I gotta go, I'll see you." I walk off in the other direction, leaving before she can say bye. I think I hear her mumble an "okay" before I left.

I exited the canteen and go down the hall back to my dorm building. Maybe I just need to sleep this off, maybe I'm hallucinating and I didn't see Ethan.

"James."

I turn in the direction of the voice and why am I surprised to see Ethan Jones himself.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Jones"

"You gotta come with me."

I scoff, "I'm not going anywhere with you"

"Look, it's nothing personal, they just want to talk to all of us."

I stay silent, arms crossed. He takes a few steps closer to me as he explains that my sister is in the car outside and that I should go with her.

"fine." I manage to get out. "Only because they might kill me if I don't."

"On second thought, maybe you shouldn't go?" Ethan mumbled.

"funny." I turn around again and began walking to the exit.

"Me and Allie won't be long."

him and Allie.
Fucking figures.

I leave the building at spot the black SUV with tinted windows. The window in the backseat rolls down and reveals my twin.

"Jamie!!" She yells. "Isn't this cool?"

I sigh, "sure is, Ronnie."
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Sorry it took my a while to post this, had to make some edits. So Jamie and Allie huh?
xoxo
kim