Chapter 2 - Memories

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"Girls are stupid and iky!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

Charolette's eyes were watering as she dropped her stuffed rabbit and ran toward Patrick, him standing by the see-saw, her skirt flying. He stood his ground, but when Charolette tripped he was running over to help her in under a second. As he wiped away her tears, he whispered, "I change my mind. I like girls." Looking down and blushing, he added, "I like you best."

Hiding her face, Charolette whispered, "Really?.."

Patrick went and got her rabbit and brought it back over. "Yeah."

Charolette took her rabbit and held it tight. "Thanks.."

'I want her to know I like her,' Patrick thought. "Oh!" he said aloud, and ran and picked a dandelion and gave it to her.

Blushing even worse, the little girl took it and half-whispered, "Umm...can I take you somewhere?"

Patrick smiled. "Yeah, sure!"

Charolette put the dandelion in her skirt pocket and grabbed Patrick's hand. "We gotta hurry. I no know when recess over."

She led him to the back of the playground where there was a line of trees, behind one that seemed like it had been decorated with sticks and leaves.

"Woah, this place is cool!" Patrick let go of her hand and looked around. "Does any buddy else know about here?"

Charolette shook her head. "If they did, I get in trouble. I hid few recess toys back here cause no one wanna play with me..."

Taking a closer look, Patrick saw a jump rope was hidden under some leaves, and a green ball in a nearby bush. He turned back around and said, "None of the other first graders wanna play with you?"

"Nope." She sat her rabbit down. "The other second graders won't make fun of you? For being with me?"

"No, cause I beat 'em up!" Patrick smiled big and made a cheesy muscle pose, then hid his face again. "I like your place...wanna play house or something?"

Charolette's face instantly brightened. "Yeah! I be mommy, and you be daddy, and Mr. Rabbit be our do-" She stopped and stared at her tree in awe, then grabbed something off of it and held it in front of Patrick's face. "And this is Joey! He our baby!"

"Hey, Joey! Aren't you a liddle cutie!" Patrick smiled and gently petted the caterpillar with his finger.

"Just like his daddy.." Charolette carefully picked up Joey and put him on the back of Patrick's hand.

Bringing him close to his face, he whispered, "Woah, he's so cool.."

Charolette went and started picking some leaves and grass and put it in a pile. "I make salad for dinner. How work?"

Patrick put Joey on Mr. Rabbit and started to construct a house of sorts. "Work was great, honey. Being an astronaut is so much work though. The salad sound yumm-"

"Oh, the salad sounds yummy, honey!" a voice mocked. Patrick and Charolette turned to see who it was.

"Shut up, Aaron. Nobody wants you here." Patrick crossed his arms and gave Aaron a dirty look.

"Nobody wants me here? Well, maybe I want be here." Aaron walked over to Patrick and pushed him down.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Charolette ran over to Aaron and started hitting at him with all the strength a little girl can muster.

"I'm playing house with you now." Aaron pushed Charolette up against the tree, knocking over Mr. Rabbit and Joey. Leaning into her red face, he said just loud enough for Patrick to hear, "Now why don't you give your new husband a kiss?"

Patrick's voice became fuzzy in Charolette's ears as he yelled, "No!" and hit Aaron with something. Everything in Charolette's vision was blurring out.

Someone was shaking her. "Hey! Char! You okay?"

She opened her eyes and saw Patrick before her, breathing almost as heavy as she was. They were in a hospital room. "Just...a dream.." she whispered.

"Dream?" He eyed a machine hooked up to her arm.

Charolette's dilated eyes widened. "Wait. What were you talking about before I..?"

"I...about us..and Aaron making fun of you under your tree but you-"

"Yes! That! I...I remembered it...my dream...I don't know what happened but..I remember. And you...you stood up for me. Just like then."

Charolette's eyes watered and Patrick watched, quite weak. "You...you wouldn't let go of me the whole time...wouldn't let me leave.." He wiggled his arm, Charolette's hand still clentching his now bruised and bloody wrist. "You know they can't fix it until you let go..."

"Oh, um.." Charolette released his wrist and pushed the nurse call button. Everything was cleaned within a few minutes.

Clearing his throat, Patrick asked, "What, erm, else do you remember?"

"I always wore skirts and dresses to school in Elementary." Charolette looked at Patrick as if he should check her answers.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"And, you were a grade ahead of me until you got held back when I was in fourth."

Another nod. "Yeah."

"While Aaron got held back twice." Charolette chuckled. "And...after you started hanging with me, Andy noticed me. I had Mariana the whole time, but she never came out for recess."

"Damn ginger boy..." Patrick mumbled. "Do you remember what happened when you moved all of seventh grade? It's always seemed like you remembered everything after that.."

"Hey! Andy's my friend, too. But, no, I don't remember moving...there's like a giant gap right there. I don't remember moving up to the Junior High, don't remember my cousin being born..." Charolette put her face in her hands. "It's like...one second, I'm at the elementary in sixth grade, next, I'm in the middle school in eighth. One minute, Aunt Miranda is pregnant, next thing I know, her baby's almost one..." She sighed. "What goes there?"

Patrick smiled a little and set his hand on Charolette's , making her blush. "We're in ninth grade now, high school. We're smart. We'll figure it out. Freshman can do anything."

Charolette closed her eyes, breathing a bit heavier. As the heart monitor sped, she grabbed his cheeks and brought his face close. "You're making me remember things I never knew happened. I'm remembering more and more. I just want to know why I forgot it all... And why you're the one making me remember. Why I feel so close to you when you're almost a stranger to me..." She pulled his lips to hers as the monitor sped up even more, then went back down as he kissed back.

The boy slowly brought his hands to the hospitalized girls' neck, and ran his fingers through her hair after a while. When he did, she shuddered and bit his lip some and threatened, "Don't do that." Not getting the hint, he did it more. She pinned him against the very close wall and started biting at his neck. She mumbled as she did, "Don't do that...stop, damn it..."

Patrick nodded to show he understood, then sat up when Charolette loosened grip and sat back on the hospital bed.

A different nurse walked in and took the needle from Charolette's arm and said, "Okay, Miss Montgomery, looks like you just had a little heat flash. Your uncle is in the lobby waiting for the two of you."

Slipping on her high tops, Charolette gave the nurse a look-over. As she and Patrick left the room, the nurse changing the bedsheets, Charolette turned back and whispered, "Her voice..."

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