Ch. 6 Complicated
“Darling!” my mother pounced on me and pulled me into a hug as soon as I walked into the door. “I have great news!”
“Hi, Mom. What is it this time? Did you get that rash cured?” I asked, pulling away.
My mother frowned. “No. But, anyway, Liam is back. I can’t believe I didn’t know!”
I gave my mother a strange look and set my bag down on the chair. “Who’s Liam?”
“Liam Sheppard. Your best friend?” My mother prompted, raising an eyebrow. “I got a call from his mother today, telling me that they had moved back. He goes to your school, darling! Isn’t that great?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never had any other friend besides Ellie and a few others. I never knew a Liam Sheppard.”
“He was your best friend throughout your whole entire life before he moved away!” my mother said, surprised. She put her hands on her hips. “I’m much older than you, honey, and even I remember Liam. You two were inseparable!”
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, you’re forgetting something very important. I don’t know a Liam Sheppard.”
My mother took on a very dark and troubled expression. She disappeared into the living room and came back out a few minutes later, carrying a scrapbook. She pulled it open and placed it into my hands. “See, darling? There’s you and Liam.”
I looked down and frowned. There was me with a stranger boy. Who was he? That same strange sense of familiarity came over me, but I shoved it away. Panic took over my mind. What the heck was going on?
“Do you remember now?” my mother asked.
I shook my head vigorously, the scrapbook falling out of my hands. “No, no, no. Who’s that boy? I don’t know him!”
My mother got an alarmed look on her face. “Sweetie, you don’t remember how in eighth grade you used to go to Liam’s house every day at three?”
“I never went anywhere at three except to Ellie’s!” I practically yelled at her. This didn’t make any sense. My mother must be forgetting. Hallucinating. Conjuring up some fake boy that I didn’t know. But the evidence was lying right in front of me, on the ground.
My mother’s eyes widened and she hastily snatched her cell phone from her purse and dialed somebody. “Hello? Yes, this is Ms. Leon. I need to make an appointment for Dr. Lee…how soon…? Um, today would be good. Can Dr. Lee do that? Really? Thank you.”
My mother hung up and I threw my hands up in the air. “What was that?”
“I don’t know, honey, but there’s something wrong. There is no possible way you could have forgotten Liam, so I called your psychologist for some help.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Hello Keegan.” Dr. Lee greeted me, taking a seat at the chair at the edge of my bed. I stared at him glumly. “Why don’t you lay down on your back?”
“I don’t need a pyschologist, you know.” I said, but complied with his instructions anyway. I stared up at the ceiling. “So, what next?”
“Close your eyes and try to answer my questions as best as possible.” Dr. Lee instructed.
“All right,” I sighed, and slowly shut my eyes. Darkness engulfed me.
Dr. Lee continued, “So how long have you known your friend, Ellie?”
“Throughout my whole entire life.” I answered easily, yet for some strange reason felt as if I was lying.
“Describe your youngest memory of her to me.”
“I…” I frowned, straining to remember. A bright, clear image flashed through my mind of a young brown haired boy pushing me on a swing. Happiness flowed throughout my body as I saw the boy’s beautiful and familiar ocean blue eyes. My eyes suddenly snapped open, and I sat up, frowning.
“What is it?” Dr. Lee asked, leaning forward in interest.
“There…there was a boy. He looked a lot like Alex Sheppard, except with brown hair.” I ran a hand through my hair and turned to my psychologist. “Dr. Lee what’s going on? I’m having a flashback that I never had before.”
Dr. Lee smiled assuringly at me before quickly stepping outside my room. I heard him say something quickly to my mother, and then he went and sat back down in the chair.
“You can lay down again,” he told me. I obeyed silently, closing my eyes again. “So, tell me more of this Alex Sheppard. Can you tell me of the very first memory that comes to mind of him?”
Another memory flashed through my brain of a fourteen year old brown-haired Alex Sheppard, smiling at me sadly and pulling me into a hug.
“I’m sorry. But my Dad got this great offer that he couldn’t pass up in Florida.” Alex said softly, his breath tickling my ear. He smelt of spring and grass.
“Keegan?” I felt Dr. Lee gently shake my shoulder and I sat bolt upright. Dr. Lee studied my face, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you all right?”
I frowned. “I…what…what’s going on Dr. Lee?”
The door suddenly opened and Alex Sheppard walked in, looking really uncomfortable. He stood in the doorframe and Dr. Lee nodded to me, patting my shoulder. “I’ll let Alex talk to you while I discuss some things with your mother.”
“What—”
But my psychologist was gone, the only real source of answer of what was going on.
Alex closed the door behind him and sat down at the edge of my bed uncomfortably. He rubbed his neck and scooted a bit closer to me. I didn’t try and move away.
“So how much do you remember?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“I…I don’t know.” I finally said, staring at my lap. I wondered when he had arrived here.“I’m not sure what’s going on right now. I just remember you hugging me and telling me that your dad got a job offer in Florida…and then an even older memory of you pushing me on a playground. And my mom keeps mentioning someone named Liam Sheppard. Your last name is Sheppard. So who are you really, Alex?”
“I’m not sure what’s happening either, you know, but I think that you have some sort of psychological condition where you’ve erased certain people from your mind completely. Like amnesia, almost, but on a smaller scale.” Alex muttered. He scooted towards me on the bed till we were touching shoulders and sighed. “Just thought you should know before I tell you that I’m not Alex Sheppard. That’s a fake name. I’m really Liam Sheppard, your best friend that left three years ago.”
I stared at him blankly; still trying to process what was going on. “What…?”
Alex—or Liam—suddenly leaned forward and cupped my face in his hands. I froze. What was he doing? “I hope this makes you remember,” he whispered, and leaned closer.
YOU ARE READING
The Story of Us
Romance"It's hard to say when I fell in love with Liam Sheppard. It could be when he returned after three long years and confessed that he loved me. It could be when I chased him to Hollywood and tried to win over his affections. It could be when I kissed...
