The Shadows of Memory Lane (Book 2) [Gxg]

Chapter 2

Linda POV

I watch intently as a figure appears from behind the door. She was this girl, about as tall as me. She had beautiful brown hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. She'd dyed the ends copper. I couldn't see her face properly and it perked my curiosity. I tried to re-position myself, to get a good look at the girl and was frustrated when none of the angles worked. The girl walked up to the teacher and mumbled something to her, the teacher just nodded and told her to take a seat. She turned around and that's when I got a glimpse of her.

She was stunning. She was still not close enough for me to observe the details, but she had obsidian eyes... much like Haley's, and pink lips. She had tanned skin... again like Haley's and a gorgeous body.

Kyle briefly looked at me, then at the girl and chuckled.

"Hey Juliet, shut your mouth before the flies enter."

"Huh?" I ask coming out of the dazed state I had apparently been in. Had I been staring? Crap. He chuckled again and ruffled my hair. I pouted, "Heyy! Don't mess up my hair."

He just shook is head, smirked at something behind me and reverted his attention to the lecture.

I turned around to see what had caused his smirk. Her. She was sitting beside me.

I watched as she neatly wrote her name on one of her binder papers.

Amia.

She had this beautiful cursive handwriting... so much like Haley's.

Well... this year history class was going to be.... interesting.

Naturally as soon as the bell rang, half the class was already out of the room. I am usually one of those people but not today... no there was something I have to do first.

"Hey I'm Linda..."

The girl looked up, her hair falling on her face. I could somehow see the softness through her sharp features. I had to resist the urge to push the hair behind her ear to unmask her undeniably beautiful face. Her lashes were long and curved naturally. No make up... wow. I got a good look at her eyes. It had been so long. The last time I'd seen these obsidian eyes... November 16 2016... but instead of flecks of gold they had a ring of gold outlining them and they glistened even in the badly lit classroom. I could see each line in her iris. The folds of dark and light. All fading into a seemingly never-ending drop, straight into her soul. Her pupils.

She eyed me carefully, taking me in as I slowly absorbed her appearance. Her hair though.... unlike Haley's was straight. But I could see the one rebellious curl that defied all rules. I smiled at this.

"Hey..." she said cautiously.

A new voice emerged from the back, "Hey Linda..."

I groaned, "I'm not interested Ryan."

Ryan smirked, "Actually I was going to ask your friend here..." he said gesturing towards Amia.

I'm pretty sure I blushed. Hard. An amused expression rippled through her face.

She looked at him, the amused expression still clear on her face.

"So..." he waited for her to say her name but she didn't. It was my turn to smirk... triumphantly.

He recovered quickly, "Umm, I'm Ryan, would you like to go out with me?"

"Hello Ryan," she replied formally, "What's my name?"

"Uhh... I don't know."

"Sorry then... for your own good I think you shouldn't go out with strangers," she said, grinning. I started laughing as all the colour from Ryan's face drained. He glared at me. But at that moment I couldn't care less. She turned around swiftly and marched of to her next class.

This wiped the smile of my face. I grabbed my things and chased after her, "Hey! Wait."

She stopped and turned round slowly.

"Hi again Linda."

"You didn't tell me you name yet."

"As if you don't already know it Li."

Li.

The name brought tears to my eyes suddenly, "Hals....?"

"Huh," she looked confused, "No it's Amia. I saw you peeking into my binder. Did I say something wrong?"

Concern seeped into her voice. I held the tears back, bit my lip, blushed a bit and laughed. But my heart wasn't into it. She noticed that.

"Li... you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied with a smile on my face, but I couldn't control the tears any longer so I excused myself and ran to the bathroom.

I continuously splashed water on my face. Trying to drown the memories. But I didn't want to... nostalgia was painful pleasure.

For a second hope had sparked up inside me. The flame had been lit but it had been extinguished as soon as it had been created. I'd thought that she was Haley. There were too many similarities. The way she would get asked by every guy but would decline in the sassiest way possible. The way her obsidian eyes metamorphosed into chocolaty brown orbs every time she was having fun or was happy. The way her hair always fell into her face. And she had the copper streaks that Haley had always wanted. She had that smirk. That grin. The perfect set of teeth. Everything. They were so similar that I had even felt warm again. My cold palms felt warm blood running through them. They hadn't been numb anymore. Numb because I had felt the most extreme feelings with those palms. Those bolts of electricity that ran through them whenever I had touched Haley. Now everything else felt the same. My nerve endings had been fried. But she'd felt again. For a moment. And then the moment had past. And she'd felt alone all over again.

You can't really blame me. For thinking that Amia could be Haley. I have literally experienced something similar. Haley's step-mother, Kira, had supposedly died. But then everything turned out to be fake. Ans she was actually alive the whole time. So I had hoped and wished, that it was the same case with Haley. But she'd died in my arms. And when she did, I could feel her string of life ripping apart. The golden string that I had thought was immortal, was frayed over months and finally torn. She was a part of me. I used to be able to feel her emotions and feelings as if they were my own. So knew that Haley would never come back. But I am human. If I don't have hope... then what else do I have? Hope is my last hope.

Memory #2: When ever Linda pouted or crossed her arms when they were younger, Haley used to rush up to her, stand on her tippy toes (Linda used to be taller) and ruffle her hair. She'd kiss her cheek and hug her. "You look cute, when you pout." And just to hear those words again and again, eleven year old Linda, would pout again and again, only to be answered each time by an affectionate touch, a sweet kiss, a warm hug and those welcome words that always left her cheeks tinged pink.