Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)

18|| Never Easy

There was nothing but darkness and pain. And not the heart wrenching inner pain you feel but know is not real. Not even the sharpest pain caused by the most dangerous wound. No, it had to be that annoying pounding headache type of pain. The one that makes the science behind the impossibility for the brain to ache to seem like a lie.

And with every pound, images flashed. Images of Jimmy giving him a sandwhich from a paper bag and claiming there was another one in there for him. There never was. Images of watching a skateboard wearily and wondering if he'd ever get the hang of it. Images of countless books and notebooks spread out as he worked his brain to get over the blockage and understand. It wasn't rocket science. And even if it was, why wouldn't he be able to understand rocket science?

Then there was the image of the most beautiful upside down girl he'd ever seen as he made a right fool of himself, falling off a chair. Angie. That girl was Angie and everything about her had always been magical. Even his hate for her. He didn't hate her. He never truly had. And now...

The plane crash. The car crash. Sam!

Tom's eyes shot open just to stare back at his own face. Well, sort of. Sam's expression had never matched his. He opened his mouth, but closed it again. He didn't need to ask. He remembered getting hit by the SUV, remembered how in that fraction of a second it took him to admit that he couldn't avoid the crash, he'd let his body take over. Remembered how he'd more propelled himself over the car than let it hit him. He'd just unfortunately landed badly and hit his head on the curb. There couldn't be much damage. And that hit to the head was a blessing.

Because he could finally remember. Everything.

And by the way Sam smiled, Tom knew his twin could tell. His happiness was infectious.

"Tom?" Angie asked, her voice holding a tremor.

He finally looked past Sam, at her standing by his bed, wringing his hands. And at that moment, he couldn't help it. "You're really beautiful. Who are you?"

Her lip trembled for a second, and Tom thought she'd start laughing, see through his bad act. He wasn't even trying too hard. But, instead, she burst out into full blown crying.

Ah, shit. "Angie, no." He tried to move to her, hug her, but the stupid IV wires got tangled up. "I'm sorry, it was a stupid joke."

Still crying, Angie dropped on his bed and let him wrap his arms around her. "You stupid idiot!" she said between tears. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry. So sorry," he mumbled into her hair. Then he lifted his head and glared at Sam. "You thought I was dead!"

"I'm honestly a little shook up you're not," Sam answered.

"Don't sound so disappointed."

Sam laughed and Tom's head finally stopped its pounding and he could focus. Focus on hugging the others, being glad the ordeal was finally over and that he could still move his body with minimal pain. And even if he was himself again, it felt like something was a bit different, that something inside him had changed. The person he'd been while amnesic was still there, and not just because he could remember what had happened during that time, too, but because everything he'd felt then was still there.

So he got a knot in his stomach when the nurse walked in, but it fortunately wasn't Geaneyi. Though if he were honest, he didn't even know what to say to her if he saw her. He needed time to process his relationship with her. So he focused on more urgent matters, like listening to the others and what they'd been through while he'd been living in la la land.

"So we're chasing a legend," he concluded.

"Basically," Sam agreed. "But that's suddenly not that important."