Sharing

Don't You Remember?

After school, John waited for Alex and Eliza to come over. He really wanted one of them to remember. After a while of waiting, Alex and Eliza showed up.

"Hey guys!" John smiled.

"Hi!" Eliza said.

John led them to the living room, and they all sat down. "So, what do you guys want to do?"

"It doesn't matter to me!" Eliza replied.

"Do you guys want some hot cocoa? I'm really good at making it." John knew the three of them loved this as kids.

"Yeah, thanks!" Alex said. After John walked away, he began talking to Eliza. "Why out of every drink did he choose hot cocoa? We used to drink that every single fucking day as kids! I'm telling you, Eliza, I know him!"

"Alex! It's Winter, but whatever, I'm not going to fight with you!" Eliza turned away.

John came back with the hot cocoa. "Here." He handed them their mugs. "We can go up to my room, my TV is bigger."

"Oh cool! Let's go!" Alex got up and followed him and so did Eliza.

They walked in and Alex and Eliza sat down. "Wait, give me a minute. I forgot my dad needed me to do something. Here's the remote." And he walked out. He wasn't trying to get them to remember now, he actually needed to do something.

Eliza looked at the turtle tank. "Turtles?" She looked around and saw more turtle things- posters, magnets, statues- but then she saw the stuffed animal. "Wait, I remember I had this toy, but I gave it away! Just a coincidence I suppose."

"Um...Eliza!" Alex seemed scared. "Look!" He held up the picture that they had given John before he moved.

"It's a picture, Alex! What's the big problem?"

"It's us!"

"No it isn't!" She grabbed the picture. "Oh god! That's us! Wait, who's that? Why does he have this?"

"I don't know." Alex looked at the boy in the picture. He had long, brown, curly hair, freckles, and golden eyes. "It's John!"

"What? It can't be him!"

"Babe, look! It looks exactly like him! I told you I knew him from somewhere!"

"We don't have proof!"

"Yes we do!" Alex said turning over the picture.

"No we don't!"

"Oh really! What about this?" He showed her the note on the back that read:
Hope you have fun in South Carolina! We will miss you so much! Visit us soon!
Love Your Best Friends,
Alex and Eliza♡

"Best friends? This can't be right!"

"Holy shit! Eliza! He's the boy that shared me with you! He was the one we always played with! Don't you remember now! He moved away! We promised we'd never forget him, but we did!"

"Alex, stop!"

"No, you and him were best friends. Then I moved here, and you guys helped me. That's when we met! That's when we started 'dating'! And John, he liked me too!"

"Come on, Alex! Stop being an ass!" Eliza never cursed, so she must have been mad.

"No! You said he could share, but then his dad got mad. We told him to lie, and then he told us he had to move!"

"Alex!"

"I'm not joking, Eliza!"

"Alexander!"

"And I remember I had a nickname for him! What was it?" He stopped to think. "It was Jackie! I called him Jackie!"

"Well, if you want me to believe you, then you have to prove it!"

"Fine! I will!"

John walked in. "Sorry I took so long."

"Oh, it's not a problem, Jackie." Alex glared at Eliza.

"Did you just cal-"

"Promises are promises!" Alex hugged John.

"I can't believe it!" Eliza smiled. "Alex was right!"

"Wait, you still don't remember?" John looked at her.

"No, John, I don't. I'm sorry."

"But you promised!"

"How old were we?"

"Five. We were five!"

"And it's been what, 11 years?"

"Yeah."

"How do you expect me to remember?"

"Alex did!"

"He's not lying!" Alex said.

"John, I said I'm sorry!"

"You don't remember any of this?" John held out a book filled with pictures of him and Eliza.

Eliza picked it up and started paging through it. "I'm sorry I still don't remember. I remember doing some of these things, but not with you."

"You don't remember the time I was over your house and told you I liked Alex?"

She shook her head and frowned.

"You asked me why I walked away when you and Alex were together. I wouldn't answer. You thought it was because I liked you, but I told you it wasn't. Then, I told you I liked Alex and started to cry. I thought you wouldn't like me; I thought everyone wouldn't like me. You told me that my true friends wouldn't care and that I could like anyone. Then you said Alex could be my boyfriend too."

"And then-" She took off the ring on her finger. "I-I gave you this"

"But I didn't tell you tha- you remember!"

"Yes, I do!" She cried.

John cried too.

"I'm so sorry. But now I remember; I remember you."