I'm Still Sadie

An Unexpected Visitor

AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR

"It is you!" I exclaimed.

I sprinted over to her, nearly forcing her to the driveway beneath her with my hug. "You don't know happy I am to see you."

"Um, okay."

She pushed me away and tucked a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. She didn't look at me straight. Her eyes bypassed me and got stuck on her sneakers.

"I'm sorry," she said, still eyeing her shoes. "I have a bad memory, where do I know you from?"

I shook my head, I knew that that was lie. There was nothing wrong with Nell's memory at all, but that is the kind of thing you'd tell people whose names you couldn't remember.

"It's me, Sadie." I said and pointed to my chest. "Remember?"

"Yeah, Sadie," she said uncertain. "You were in my gymnastics class when we were little, right?"

Finally managing to look at me, her eyebrows raised and she managed to give me a stiff smile.

"Nope," I told Nell to her own disappointment. She frowned and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Where are my parents?" I asked. "I really need to see them."

"Uh, my mom's watching TV and my dad's at work," she responded. "But why do you wanna know?"

"I don't. I want to know where my parents are," I corrected.

She shook her head. "I don't know your parents."

"Yes, you do." I craned my head to point to my house next door. "They've lived right there for almost twenty years, longer than you've been alive."

Nell scratched her head. "You mean...Sadie's parents?" she asked. "I think they have errands to do or something."

"I'm Sadie."

"Yeah...I know. But the girl who lives next door to me is named Sadie too."

Boy, this was like talking to a wall.

I took a deep breath. "Where is Sadie?" I asked. And she better have a good answer.

"You have a lot of questions..." Nell muttered. "Sadie should be at her basketball practice by now."

"Sadie's still here? How?"

"Um, yeah she is."

"Can I see her?" I asked.

My body can't still be here, but if it is, I need to see it for myself.

She squinted her eyes. "Why?"

"I need to," I stated, doing my best to keep it short and simple.

"Okay, but where do you know me from?" Nell asked. "Do you know me through Sadie?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I know you through Sadie because I am Sadie."

She took a few steps backwards. "I think that you're misunderstanding something," she said slowly.

"I'm not misunderstanding anything. We've been best friends for fifteen years, that's how I know you," I uttered out, not breaking eye contact.

"No, no you're not. I've never seen you before in my life! I don't know you!"