Don't you remember?

September 19th: Tension

We drive down the road in silence. I sat forward looking between them at times. I fiddled with my sleeves feeling the thick tension in the air. This didn't feel right. This wasn't us. I eventually sat back to stare out the window. The sky reflects how I feel. Gray. Is gray an emotion? Well, we'll say it is. The people sitting in front of me are strangers now. Strangers who I share my most cherished memories with.

"Where would we find Lacey?"Asks Bellamy."It's 5:00."

"Sorry, but when did it become my job to track her location?"I say my sarcasm seeping. I roll my eyes at his question, but actually, I do know."Soccer practice."

"Soccer? Lacey? Lacey, plays sports?"Questions Eliza not believing what she's just heard. It came as a shock to me as well. Lacey used to complain that sports were a waste of time, and if one really wanted a good work out they should just duel to the death. For such a seemingly sweet person, she certainly had a few twisted and morbid thoughts. That is probably why she was one of us.

"Where's the field?"Asks Bellamy his eyes still fixated on the road ahead.

"Gelder Park,"I say. I sit back sighing deeply. He must be insane if he thinks we will be able to not rip each other apart. Jake is some Jock who's stoned as all hell all the time, Lacey is a bitch, Eliza's a psychopath, and I'm not far behind. We drive through the ever fading gray town. Everything seems so dulled out. I remember when we were younger and how everything used to burst with colors. Our summers felt eternal, but now they drag on in a bad way. Summers are far worse than the winters. All the colors that were once there are gone now, and that makes summers a never ending nightmare. The warmth used to glow, but now it hangs in the air like the plague. The corner store: where we once bought way more gum than any normal people would consume. The library: where we would go when the rain was too hard for even us to go to the forest in. All of these places have ghosts of memories, and maybe that is why I hide away. I almost hear our hearts clenching as we pass the general hospital.

"Do you think the nurses remember him?"Asks Bellamy.

"Why would they?"Questions Eliza."He was just another sick kid."

"We all know that's not true,"I say. He wasn't just another sick kid. He was never even just a kid. He was different in all aspects, and I'm starting to think they have forgotten that.

"Hah, like our stories are just SO new."Snaps Eliza harshly. I flinch at her tone. What the hell?

"So if they aren't new or special?"Bellamy states."He is the reason we are who we are now, and the only reason I'm back in this stupid little town in the middle of fucking nowhere is because I have a favor to repay. I don't care about any of you anymore, but I will always care about him. So suck it up and stop fucking making this harder than it already is. When I'm gone, go try to kill yourselves or whatever, but right now we owe this to him." The air fills with a heavy silence. I feel a strange feeling of anger, sadness, and defeat. I cannot cry because he is right. If we had never met him, we would not be who we are. If what happened didn't happen, our lives would be extremely different.

"He's right,"I finally sigh. Eliza stays silent looking out the window her cheeks flushed with anger. She's staring up at the blazing trees, and it occurs to me that she has not seen them in a year and Bellamy in many. I wonder if they still remember how they used to catch the light. I wish I could see that again, but the colors don't glimmer the way they used to.

We pull up below the hill we once would roll down laughing like maniacs. I jump out of the back glad to be out of that bubble of ever growing tension. Sadly, the relieving feeling soon drains from my body. We're going to try and convince the minion of the cruelest small town bumpkins to come and join us to do something that no one but Bellamy knows anything about. Sounds like a great plan. Note the sarcasm.

"Remember she isn't who she was."I warn."Uh, maybe I should stay in the truck."I reach for the car door handle, but Bellamy grabs my collar pulling me up the hill. I try to pull, but he greatly overpowers me. Damn, this will not end well. Hah, I hope they see what she's become. At the top of the grassy hill, I can hear the grunts and calls of the female varsity soccer team.

"Lacey! Ball!"Yells the roid raged voice of a Defender. I hear a loud grunt and then I reach the point in which I can see the action. Girls run across the field like knights defending their kingdom. Lacey is a midfielder running back and forth in constant action. Her eyes catch our awkward standing and immediately the ball is stolen from under her feet. I see confusion and anger flash in her eyes, but she does not go after the ball. The other team members look at her angrily wondering why the hell she let that happen; instead of walking over to us, she jogs to her backpack lifting it up with some amount of effort.

"How fucking dare you! You fucking prick!"She suddenly screams lifting the black backpack over her head and flinging it at Bellamy. It catches him in the chest sending him to the ground. "What the hell!? Why are you here!?"She walks over ignoring Eliza and I. The rage seems to radiate from her."Five FUCKING years!!"

"I'm sorry!"He groans clutching his chest."I'm back now, and we need to talk!"

"Why should I talk to the likes of you?"She sneers. Yep, bitchy mode has kicked in. I can't help but roll my eyes. Whoever this is, it isn't Lacey.

"I can't tell you, but it has to do with him!"Bellamy pushes the backpack off of his chest and props himself up on his elbows."Please, Lacey."For a moment I see it; her eyes flit with memories and sadness, but she soon recovers her composer glaring at him.

"It's been five years. Let go already!"She growls. What I saw a moment ago is gone, and I know that our Lacey is gone as well.

"Just this one final thing."He begs.

"Lacey, you can hate us after this, but please we need just one more time."Eliza chimes in. Lacey is now taller than Eliza and I, and she looks so much stronger than the gentle Lacey we remember.

"Fine."she sighs."then, all of you move on and never speak to me. Ever. Got it?"
"Fine." I state before she changes her mind. I don't care about her anymore. If she doesn't want anything to do with us, then fine so be it. She picks up her bag slinging it over her shoulder.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow!"she calls walking down the grassy hill. I reach the truck before everyone else anxious to leave the soccer jocks to their game. Lacey drops her bag at her feet when she sees the old truck.
"This thing still functions?"she questions eyeing the rusty peeling paint.
"Enough not to kill us."says Bellamy with a chuckle. He picks up her bag and throws it in the back before stepping aside to allow Lacey and I in the back.
"This better be worth it."I hear her mumble to herself as Bellamy starts the old engine. I've been hoping the same thing all day. I can barely remember the last time we all piled in here. Maybe we were laughing about something Jake said, or maybe we were coming off of a sugar high at the summer fair. All I know is that this truck brings back memories. Lacey leans forward looking at the floor as if looking for something. She reaches under the seat and gasps ever so slightly. In her hand is a small rose pink butterfly clip. The kind she always wore.
"Whoa,"she breaths out. She notices my staring and glares before tucking it in her pocket. Something tells me she's still there, but at the same time, I cannot believe she is still Lacey. This stranger just so happens to follow the same timeline as us. Her patience is wearing ever thinner, and I just hope whatever Bellamy is planning is worth all of this.