Never Forget

Chapter 2

After my flashback I mindlessly take a walk around town and go to the park that Claire and I were so fond of. I sat on the swings feeling lost. Hearing my name I turn and look to see Kaden running towards me.

"Hey Jace, wait up!" He sees me getting up trying to avoid him.

I turn around wearily, “Hey Kaden. What’s up?" 

He looks baffled, "That’s all you can say? You don’t return my calls and you've clearly been avoiding me ever since Claire passed."

He stumbles over my sister’s name being careful not to trigger something. He doesn’t know what but he is sure that anything can happen. I read it in his face.

"Look Kaden, I gotta go, but I’ll see you around. I’m not ready to hang out but when I am we will talk."

I hurry up and walk away before he can say anything more.

A few mindless days pass of drinking in solitude. I don’t pick up any girls because only two have been on my mind. One of them is dead. Now, I lay upside down on the couch lazily, watching late night infomercials after waking up in a cold sweat a few minutes ago.

 I see Claire's lifeless body echoing though my memory. The empty look in her eyes is haunting. The pills and blood everywhere. I shiver at the thought. 

My phone vibrates and I attempt to read it upside down. Seeing that it's from Kaden I set the phone down. My best friend has kept trying to call or text me since that day in the park. Before that, since he found out about my sister. I didn’t tell him the full story but I’m sure everyone knows by now.

Groaning frustrated, I grab my phone and dial the number that I have been contemplating for the past few days. As rings echo in my ear I begin to consider hanging up. I hear a hello on the other end and reply. After hanging up I begin to feel an anticipation to what is about to come.

About a half hour later I open the door to Becca who promised to come over. I pull her to me and we share a passionate kiss. I don’t feel any intense feelings towards her but it numbs the pain. I know i am using her but I almost feel as if she is using me too in a way. I lead her to my bedroom where we both try to forget.

After, I put on boxers and creep out of bed. I attempt to make cinnamon rolls again, hoping I don’t fuck these up like I do with everything else. I have almost begun to accept that everything I touch turns to shit. As I am banging around I feel arms wrap themselves around me and lips fluttering on my neck. 

Mumbling, I hear her ask, "So, I was wondering you wanted to come over to my apartment later hang out. If you want to talk, that’s fine, and if not we can just watch movies."

I take in what she is asking and accept. Becca seems to be the only person who helps with the pain. I don’t have any romantic feeling towards her but a comfortable platonic relationship. She's too much of the girl next door type to actually mean something to me.

I finish the cinnamon rolls and eat. After, she gets dressed and heads out the door giving me her address and telling me to come over around seven.

Exhausted from not sleeping and having Becca over, I fall into a sleep while having only mild nightmares. When I wake up I see that it is almost 6:30. I hop in the shower and put on some jeans, a plain white Vneck, and some black vans. Climbing into my black Jeep I head off following Becca's instructions. When I pull up, the neighborhood looks familiar. I get out and knock on the door.

Becca's face lights up, "Hey there stranger, I almost thought you wouldn’t show up."

I run my hand through my hair and reply, "I made a promise, and I don’t break promises as important as those." She nods lets me in. I decide I don’t want to talk so we settle on the couch to watch a movie.

Half way through the video I hear someone barge through the door into the living room. There is ranting and shouting.

"Becca this guy was a douche! He was horrible and picked his teeth! There is something seriously wrong with this guy, he was inconsiderate and didn’t even hold the door open for me! I don’t know why I even-" She stops ranting when she sees me with Becca.

"Who are you?" She accusingly directs at me.

“My name is Jace" This beautiful girl causes a spark of recognition.

Her dirty blonde just below the shoulder length hair is naturally wavy with her side bangs held back with bobby pins. Her eyes the most shocking blue. That is when I remember her. How could I forget those eyes?

Even as I was creeping out of her bed after cheating on my girlfriend at the time whose name I can’t even remember. I had broken up with that girl a few days later ad never talked to the mysterious eyed girl again. That explains why the neighborhood was familiar. Her house is two doors down from Becca's.

I can tell that this girl recognizes me too. "Jace? As in Jace Johnson? The boy who slept with me and left and forgot my name the next day?" 

Oh shit.

"Your name is Shaleigh and you were in my World Lit class," She sits there baffled but still skeptical.

I knew this girl did not like me and I wasn’t sure what I could do to change that.

But trust me, I'm determined.