Sweet Aftertaste (Shawn Mendes)

Chapter 7

Dear Addi,

Monday 5th March 2007

This was the day of your 9th birthday and you'd invited a few of us to your house for a little party after school. You invited Rosa, Jake, Pahl and I; you said that you didn't want people you weren't really good friends with going. You also said that you only invited Pahl because you invited me; you didn't want her left out. Can you remember Pahl? She's my stepsister and you're very close friends with her now. 

Anyway, we played pass the parcel, musical bumps and all those types of games. Then you opened your presents from everybody. I (or my mum I suppose) got you some colouring pencils and a sketch pad, which you said you loved. Once you'd filled all the pages you gave it back to me (maybe a few months later), and it was full of amazing drawings. Some were of me, some of us and some were of places we'd been or wanted to go. I still have that sketch pad, somewhere anyway. I'll find it and show it to you one day; it might help your memory.

Love Tom.

Addi's P.O.V

Lottie pulls up outside what I presume to be our house and opens the door for me. She walks behind me as I hobble up the drive. I take a quick look at the front windows and notice that the curtains are drawn despite it being broad daylight. I look questioningly at Lottie who simply looks away; a slight smile on her face. I eventually reach the top of the drive and open the door. I feel a sharp, shooting pain above my eyebrow and wince as I automatically take my one shoe off. Lottie follows behind me, dumping my rucksack on the floor before she moves into what I vaguely remember as the sitting room.

She turns around, "You coming?"

I nod before hobbling towards the living room. I flick the light switch and scream as there is a loud chorus of, "Surprise!"

There's some laughter as I look around to see a few familiar faces amongst a  small crowd of unfamiliar ones. 

"Addi! I haven't seen you in ages! How are you? Wait don't answer that..." A girl with large, frizzy black hair exclaims. I feel a memory struggling to resurface and I remember her name.

"Pahl!" I say excitedly. She's right, I haven't seen her in ages; not since she went to university. I immediately feel more at home in her presence, she's like a big sister to me and is Tom's actual sister... Well step-sister.

"You remember me!" she says excitedly, a massive smile across her face. 

"Of course I do!" I fabricate the truth slightly as I don't remember everything about her; not yet anyway. I take another glance around the room and notice Tom, Shawn and my Mum stood around the room. I vaguely remember some of the other faces but I can't place a name to them. I watch Tom leave the group of people and come over to me.

"Hey, sorry I couldn't come visit you, I was helping set the party up," he grins apologetically, "There's some food on the table over there if you're hungry."

"I'm ok at the moment, thanks though," I reply. 

Several hours of polite chat with people I don't know pass and I find myself wishing to be alone with Tom, Shawn, Mum and maybe Pahl. Finally, I become sick of hearing about how my memory will heal and how people hope that I will remember them and how they remember me as a baby and tell my mum that my head hurts. She starts dropping hints that it's getting late and is probably time to get going and most of the people leave within the hour, finally leaving me relatively alone.

I'm helping Tom tidy up the living room, when I open a drawer to put something away in, only to find a picture hidden underneath an envelope. Curiously, I push the envelope aside and reveal a picture of a young girl, smiling while sat on a man's knee. I recognise the girl as myself and smile to myself before remembering the man. I quickly shut the draw, my eyes watering. Memories come stampeding in and shout for my attention. 

I remember sitting around a table with my mum and dad, laughing before dad's phone rings. He quickly mutters something before leaving the table, I glance at my mum and notice a flash of steel in her eyes that quickly disappears when she sees me looking. I remember hiding under my bed clothes with Lottie as shouting echoes through the house. I remember seeing suite cases and bin bags on the landing and the pain I felt in my chest, the tightness in my throat that only comes from crying. I remember the door slamming, a car driving away and my mum motionless on the sofa; a single tear leaking from her eye.

"Are you ok?" Tom is quickly by my side and I grab onto his arm, my eyes swimming. I deliberate before shaking my head; not trusting myself to speak. I take a few slow breaths and try to calm myself.

"Do you want me to get your Mum?" He whispers, gently guiding me towards the sofa. Leaning heavily on his shoulder as I hop along, I shake my head before whispering hoarsely, "I don't want her to know that I remember..."

Tom wrinkles his forehead in confusion before realisation dawns upon him, "How much?"

"Most of it... Where is he now?" I ask, keeping my voice low. Tom opens his voice to answer but quickly shuts it and aims a glare at someone leaning in the doorway.

"Slacking, are we?" Shawn smirks from the doorway. I feel Tom's body posture tighten and his grip on me tightens; almost becoming possessive.

"Addi had some bad pains in her head, I didn't want her to faint... Any objections to that?" Tom icily glances over the truth.

"None at all, my friend," Shawn replies, "There's someone just pulled into the drive."

At this point, my mum appears from the kitchen, "Who is it?"

She carries on drying a plate as she walks across the room towards the window. I watch her body become frigid and her grip on the plate loosens. I struggle to stand to my feet as the doorbell rings accompanied by a loud smashing noise. Fragments of plate burst in all directions and my Mum quickly pushes me out of the way, "Let me answer the door, someone has some explaining to do."

A/N I've had Pahl's character planned for a bit, she'll get a larger part soon. Oh, I would also appreciate any votes and or comments!