Close As Strangers // C.H.

Chapter 13:

Brooke's POV

"And here is your old room," my mom opens up the door for me to explore my room. "We didn't touch anything, left it just as you did."

"Thanks," I tell her with an honest smile.

"I will leave you alone so you can look over everything," she returns a loving smile.

Maybe this week won't be as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I slowly pull my bag behind me as I make my way to my bed. I glance around to just take notice of random posters here and there, pictures of family and friends, and a full bookshelf sitting near a window.

My phones slides off the bed, causing my heart to stop. I glance down only to not see it. I go ahead and get down on the floor to check if it went under the bed.

I find my phone pretty quickly and I also find what looks like a shoe box, a very decorative shoe box.

I slowly pick it up and clear the dust of the top. "Old Memories," I read aloud from the top.

Just from holding this box, my emotions do a complete one-eighty; a little bit of love, sadness, anger, and even a depressed feeling coming from the box. So many mixed emotions and I haven't even opened it yet.

"Brooke?" Max questions causing me to instinctively hide the box behind me.

"What?" I ask in a rushed tone.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I was just going to ask if pizza was okay for dinner, mom wants to know." Max asks glancing around the room.

"Yeah sure, sounds good. Just call me when it's here?"

"Gotcha," Max smiles and leaves me alone to the box.

I am actually scared to open the box, there is no telling what old memories I wanted to keep hidden. Memories that I don't remember, and what if it's best that I don't remember. Keep these memories locked away for good.

No, I need to open the box and see what's in here. I need to remember everything, good or bad. Here goes nothing...

I slowly take the lid off the box to see pictures on top of pictures, poems, and sketches; so many memories in here.

The first picture I see shows two little girls. I automatically know who they are, Stephanie and me. My old best friend that I can't seem remember what broke up our friendship.

I take several moments to take in every picture, memories from every one of them making their way back. It's like every picture is a note that gets printed back into my brain.

Maybe ten pictures into the stack, and with years passing, a new person is in the pictures with me. The blonde hair, the blue eyes, and the soft smile...

Luke

Those dreams, those memories, Luke and me. Yet everyone has failed to mention anything.

I hurriedly look through all the pictures in the stack I took out. They all show Luke and me, either us just sitting beside each other, staring at one another when the other isn't looking, and even pictures someone took while we were kissing. Every memory comes flooding back.

"What the heck?" I scream, but makes sure it isn't too loud to draw attention.

Not a minute later, I hear a knock on my door. "Go away, I'm busy." I yell at whoever it is.

"And why would I do that?" I hear my brother ask. "Wait, what did you find?"

I immediately stand up to face him, showing him the pictures of Luke and me. "Why has no one told me?" I ask him angrily.

"Um...we...we just didn't want anything to be weird with you and Luke. Calum didn't think..."

I cut him off, "What do you mean Calum didn't think? This is about me remembering, you all want me to remember but yet you keep things from me. I had a right to know Max."

"You're right. We just thought it would be better if you didn't remember that right now. You were so depressed and different after it happened. We were trying to protect you."

"Protect me from my own memories," I scoff. "Well don't worry about anything or me. I know everything now, I remember everything."

"You do? Everything?" Max questions surprised.

"Yes, everything." I tell my brother with a proud smile, coming back was a good idea. Only now, I want to leave and go back to my normal college classes. I just want a break from everyone.

"That's great. I will call Calum, I know he will be so happy." Max mutters in disbelief.

I cut my brother off, "Don't tell Calum. Don't tell anyone Max."

"What? Why not?"

"I need a break. I need to think about everything. The fact you guys kept things from me, things I should have been told. I just need time to think." I explain in hopes he understands.

"Well...you have a week before he gets here."

"Good, that's all I need." I give him a small smile.

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Thanks so much for reading. If you have a second, vote or comment so I know what you guys think about Calum and Brooke's story.